His gaze drifted to where Gwendolyn lay, asleep in my bed, and I felt the weight of his fury settle on me.
“You hid her from me,” he said, his voice sharp. “She’s mine too.”
Unfortunately, deep down, I already knew Gwendolyn would be bonded to him as well, as soon as she revealed being saved by him in his sea-dragon form and was able to communicate with him.
The thought of sharing her twisted something raw inside me. I hated it. But fate bonds were rare and sacred. Being separated from the one you’re destined for… it could tear you apart. As much as I hated the idea of her being bonded to someone else as well, I wouldn’t wish the feeling of being star-crossed on anyone, especially not to my friend. Not even while every part of me ached with the need to claim this bewitching woman as mine, and mine alone.
“Then why are you lurking like a creepy stalker behind her? Why didn’t you come to meet her like an actual normal man?” I asked.
“Xavier,” he said quietly, his voice laced with something between wonder and disbelief. “I never expected her to be mymate. I knew she was yours. Gods, I felt it the moment you looked at her. So how could she be mine too?” He went to the side where she was sleeping and stared at her—the same way I did the first time I saw her.
“But she is. I know it. I feel it in every part of me. Her soul… it calls to mine, even my power, the dragon inside me yearns for her. And if she’s bonded to both of us, then there’s a chance my brother will be hers, too.”
I exhaled, as the realization of their bond went through me. Why didn’t I think about it earlier?
The angel she mentioned… was Malakai. The dreams, the echoes of him she had told me about in the library. There had even been some nights where I listened to her whispering in her sleep, believing it had been her nightmares, but it was him. Fragments in my memory collided when Gwendolyn told me in the library,“It’s as if he’s wrapped in light and shadow all at once. I never see him, but I feel him, almost like a guardian protecting me.”
“She is completely knocked out, can’t be just the faerie wine, or?” His question brought me out of my haze.
“Well, she is a human, they are more sensitive. She also didn’t sleep last night. I mean, you noticed her mental condition,” I stuttered, letting him recall the moment where he found her crying.
He traced his fingers along her hair, like he was too afraid to touch her skin.
“There is no way that we could be mated to a human, they are not even a species in our world. And more than one mate is super rare… I’ve actually never heard of it before. Do you think that the Witchmaker might have anything to do with it?”
I shook my head. “I know the Witchmaker is said to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world—being able to open any kind of portal, however I do not see any reason for him to care about usbeing bonded to Gwendolyn. Furthermore, there is still no real proof that he still lives, as reports about him stopped years ago. I assume it was Leanan who had a hand in this.”
“Your mother? Why would she?”
“Because I’m very sure I met Gwendolyn before, when she was barely a teenager. Maybe thirteen or fourteen years old—way too young to fully understand whatmateswere. I felt the streak of the connection as soon as I touched her. She was mine. I wanted to see her again, when she was old enough for me. At that time however, I had no idea that Leanan knew about us being bonded to her and that she had already found Gwendolyn.”
Damien looked at me like he did not understand a single word of what I was saying.
“What are you talking about? When was this? When did you meet her?”
“It was probably over three or four decades ago.” I never told Gwendolyn about it, too afraid that she would not believe me and only remove herself further.
“But humans age, and she looks to be in her early twenties. It can’t be that long...”
“I’mtelling you,Damien, that Gwendolyn was no human when I met her.”
“You mean your mother cursed her to become a human? Why?”
“I’m pretty sure it is the revelation they were talking about, the reason you got expelled from Aetrum. The fear of someone being bonded to a possible god with an unknown power and the ability to transform into a sea dragon. When Leanan found out that we were both connected to her, maybe she was afraid that fulfilling the connection would intensify your powers. As a result, Gwendolyn became some sort of danger to her.”
“But do you have any proof of that?”
I shook my head. “For the last few years, it has been my secret mission to find out where Leanan hid herself. I knew she wasbanned to the Dark Forest after betraying my father. But no one has seen or heard from her since. Since Gwendolyn arrived here, I couldn’t sleep as I was way too overtaken that this woman came back to me.”
“How did she come back? She must have opened the portal herself, but as a human it is unlikely she was able to do that without help.”
“I don’t know how she came here…” I spoke. I was almost hesitant at first. “It was like a strike of lightning in my chest and then my raven flew from my window, straight to her. He brought her to the hedge of roses, right where the portal opened. But I don’t need any signs or proof to tell me she’s mine. Iknow. Her soul, her body, every part of her already belongs to me. As surely as I breathe, she is mine.” I paused, looking at Damien, something primal flickering behind his eyes. I knew he was thinking about me claiming her before him...
“If your mother knew about our connection to her, she must have known—” his voice was tight, almost like he was afraid to speak it out aloud. “—then she must’ve known that my brother and I would be bonded to her as well.”
Damien’s words echoed inside my mind. If my mother was aware of our shared connection to her, she’d know the effect it could have if we all bonded with her.
“It’s fate Xavier. And it’s dangerous. You know what happens when angels are mated, especially with ancient blood inside them.”
