“Can you hear my thoughts?”
Yes. Yes, I can, and you can hear mine.
“If you permit it, we can even share eyesight. I told you, Harlot, the bond goes deep. You and I are now one. Umbra’s can only bond once in their lifetime; they have one mate. And I knew you were mine the moment I sensed you.”
I cuddle against his muscled chest as he strokes my hair lovingly, his shadows covering me like a blanket. The impact of his words sinks in. He chooses me to be his, even if it’s for a short time—a human lifespan. I don’t think forever is enough time for me to spend with this creature, this man. Perhaps one day, after dealing with this cursed soulmate, we can turn this ending into our forevermore.
“Mine,” he whispers.
“Yours,” I breathe.
“I broke my rules for you,” he says.
“And by doing so, I found a home with you,” I respond.
I hoist myself up and look at him.
“Thank you for that, Emrys. Thank you for making me belong with you. You are the home I yearned for, what I've been searching for. I’ll never leave you.”
“My dear Tempest, even if you hate me, despise me, I still won’t be able to leave you. I hope you realize that you cannot escape me, Harlot. Ever. The fates will find their way,” his eyes darken at the promise.
I kiss the tip of his perfectly sculpted nose.
“I need you always to find me, Emrys, especially when I cannot find myself. My soul will always want to find its way back to you.”
He gives me a soft kiss.
“I promise I will,” he says.
I went into this fortress to find information, and I’ll leave with not only that but also a soul-bonded partner, an Umbra of all beings.
“Hmm, I’m sure this was not what you expected when you entered my castle. Your presence at that square piqued my interest, as did the scent you carried. I wanted you here. I knew you were my mate, but this sure wasn’t what I expected. Bonding with a human,Lucem Mei,” he muses, responding to my thoughts.
What does that mean, Emrys? Lucem Mei?
I hear him chuckle in my mind.
Light of Mine, although I’m not sure if you are my light or my darkest tempest.
I smile at that.
After two days, I reluctantly return to Mother and Fynn, knowing I would much rather stay with Emrys. He promises me he can take me away the moment I express that desire; as long as I stay close to shadows, all I need to do is let him know. We both agree that we need to learn more about the curse and what it entails, including what it will mean for me if I stay hidden or if there is a loophole to break the curse somehow. Even Emrys is unsure why the curse made him feel so drawn to me the moment he spotted me, and he had an instant desire to bond with me. The curse allowed us to bond truly—a soul bond that goes deeper than the soulmate connection. That is a twist he did not expect,nor did I. Old things can have strange fits of hunger; perhaps the curse is tired, too. I despise Mother for leaving me in the dark as she has; the thoughts of the books now plague me even more than before.
We travel through the shadows together, a strange sensation, a coldness that embraces like a blanket. Emrys brings me into a narrow alley in the center of Valorya. The shadows cocoon around us as if they are alive, an entity in themselves.
“Listen, Harlot, this is important.”
He grips my chin to ensure he has my full attention. I crane my neck to look into his dark eyes. Eyes that now match mine.
“Others will be able to smell a change in you; your scent has changed through the bonding. You are now marked as mine. The Aurum obscures it slightly, but there’s no denying it. Try to shrug it off if other vampires or witches make remarks about your scent being different. Ignore them, even when they press. I have never made my presence known in this city, letting them believe I just reside in the fortress, but they will recognize that it’s not a vampire or a witch that coats you.”
“But know, Harlot, if one of them dares to touch you, I will hunt each and every one of them down. I don’t care if they are your mother, brother, or someone else. I saw the bruises your pathetic brother left on you before. From now on, I will only see bruises on you thatImade during our lovemaking. I’ll kill your brother if he ever lays a hand on you again. And I will defy that curse of yours and set fire to the grounds that desecrated you, whether by words or by hurting you. Is that clear? I’m willing to lose everything, but not you.”
His eyes burn with fiery passion, his shadows coiling, our bond going euphoric.
“Yes, I understand, my love.”
I kiss him deeply as our souls hum in unison. As he lets me go, I blink back the tears, feeling a strange coldness taking hold of me. He became my pillar in this miserable world in only a few nights. A hint of light, despite him saying he is a monster. He is my monster, and to me, he is everything I desire: loving, unmoving, protective, and violent. With him, I feel a safety I never knew I craved, and he gives it to me willingly. No longer will I be protected only by my magic, but also by my love. The man before me is my soul bond. His protectiveness and possessiveness are layers I welcome.
