A gentle breeze swept around them. It picked up leaves and twirled around their feet in a circle. He felt warmth press against his chest, the same warmth he felt when Eurydice was present in the Sacred—as if she were here with them.
“I’m certain that my soul is the same as yours, cleaved in two the moment they were conceived,” she continued. “I understand that this declaration can only be made once, and if wrong, it will forever separate us from our true mates by falsely choosing another. I make this decision confidently.”
He took a deep breath and the breeze strengthened.
“And I’m certain my soul is the other half of yours,” he whispered. “Forever to be separated from my true mate if we’re wrong. Imake this decision confidently.”
Evelina held the rock to her palm and made a small cut. She handed it to Daimon for him to do the same. The rock was cold as it bit into his skin.
She held her palm in front of her and made a fist, squeezing until blood fell on the grass beneath. She motioned for him to do the same and he mirrored her movement.
He remembered this part of the ceremony. If the blood sought the other’s out and became one, then their souls would be sealed together, marking that of a true bond. But if they ran parallel to each other, then they weren’t a match, and they had forever sundered their souls from their true mates.
The wind around them settled suddenly. Time stopped as their blood dropped to the ground below. It stained the bright green grass a deep maroon and glistened in the moonlight.
Daimon’s stomach twisted as the blood began to move. He looked up at Evelina, unable to watch. Her gaze was fixed on the ground, a calm smile on her face. She gasped and he looked.
Their blood was inches apart, but quickly closing thedistance. The separate streams trailed toward each other and collided.
A rush of adrenaline coursed through his body the moment they became one. He could feel his soul being stitched together with hers, like a thread that was loosened finally being pulled tight.
He cradled her face in his hands and dropped his forehead to hers.
“It worked,” she murmured, her voice returning to normal. “We have to accept the bond to seal it.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I accept this bond with every fiber of my being.”
She reached up and gripped his wrists, clinging to him as she said, “And I accept this bond without any doubt in my heart.”
A gentle breeze swept around them again. The moon’s light flared brighter, as if Eurydice was blessing their bond.
Evelina held her palm out; a new stark-white scar had formed where she’d cut it with the rock. He held his out beside hers, finding the same scar on his hand.
There were still things he wanted to say—promises he wanted to make—but he could feel something dragging him out of this place, pulling him away.
Evelina suddenly disappeared from his arms, as if she hadn’t been there at all. He stumbled forward, reaching out for someone who wasn’t there. Storm clouds rolled over the moon, the gentle breeze turning frigid and harsh.
“Everything is about to change, son of Nyx,”a raspy voice taunted in his mind.
He spun around, his heart racing. “Who’s there?”
“Your soul is mine to give, son of Nyx. And anything bound to it is bound to me.”
He twisted and turned, searching, his heart racing.
“Time is running out. The day will soon come that you will take your place by my side.”
His mouth went dry. “Vidaris?” he whispered.
His body felt as if it had been struck by lightning. His eyes flew open and he took a step back, stumbling as the ground gave out beneath him.
Daimon jolted awake. He was back at the lux, everyone’s focus on Evelina and Carwyn. Everyone except Ellerry. The Keeper was watching him closely.
He looked down at his palms, finding both smooth and without blemish. There wasn’t the scar of the soulbonded. Had he dreamt it all?
Daimon glanced over at Brielle, who was shaking her head in warning. She opened her mouth—likely to tell Daimon to relax—when Evelina gasped, pulling everyone’s attention.
“Evie,” Lyria gasped.
