Her lips are soft against mine, tentative for just a breath before she commits fully. Her hand comes up to cup my jaw, fingers sliding into my hair, and I freeze for half a second—stunned by the certainty in her touch, the warmth of her mouth.
Then I kiss her back.
My hands find her waist, pulling her closer, and she makes a soft sound against my lips that nearly undoes me. She tastes like honey and something sweeter underneath, something that feels like home even though I’ve never had one.
The kiss deepens. Her fingers tighten in my hair and I angle my head, claiming her mouth more thoroughly. She melts into me, body fitting against mine like she was made for it.
And then—
She gasps against my mouth.
The Ether surges between us, wrapping around both of us in a silver blaze that fills the room. I feel the bond flare to life—not new to me, but new to her.
She knows now.
Bree pulls back slightly, eyes wide with shock, her hand flying to her chest like she can feel the connection burning there.
I’ve known since the Void. Since she said those words—you were supposed to be mine—and the bond locked into place while she was unconscious, fighting for her life. Even if I didn’t know what it was then. Not until Stellan put a name to it.
But she didn’t know.
Until now.
The bond hums under my skin, a pulse syncing with hers, faint but undeniable. The taste of her lingers—salt and static, the kind of heat that feels like it could burn through skin if I let it.
Her hand presses against my chest, right over my heart, trembling. I can see the realization in her eyes—the confusion, the wonder, the certainty all crashing together at once.
“You were already mine,” she whispers, voice shaking.
I cover her hand with mine, holding it there. “And now you know.”
Her breath hitches. For a moment, we just stand there, the Ether pulsing softly around us like a heartbeat.
Then she steps back, composure sliding back into place like armor. But her eyes are still wide, still stunned.
“We need to go,” she says. “Now you can wake the others.”
She nods once, breath still uneven, and turns toward the door.
Then we’re moving.
The Sanctuary is already stirring as we pass through the halls—doors opening, voices murmuring, footsteps quickening. Rhett’s already halfway down the stairs, pulling on a shirt. Jace is cursing under his breath as he buckles his knife belt. Theo’s talking quietly to Gray near the common room entrance, both of them already dressed and armed.
We reach the common room where Thane is waiting, Wes hovering near the doorway, tense and alert.
Bree steps forward. “We don’t have time. Ten minutes.”
Thane nods once. “Then we meet them outside.”
Bree shakes her head. “Not yet. They’ll come to us.”
The group exchanges glances. No one argues.
“Feeders first,” she says. “I want them to see what we’ve built before the Council tries to tear it down.”
Rhett crosses his arms. “You think that’ll stop them?”
“No.” Her voice is steady. “But it’ll make a statement.”
