Her heart caught as the boy ran past her, his laughter echoing like silver bells. Strong arms swept him up - arms belonging to a tall, achingly familiar figure. Kieran's silver-white hair gleamed in the sunlight as he lifted his son high, those distinctive black brows arched over eyes that matched the boy's brilliant blue.
Father and son turned toward her in perfect synchronization, their arms reaching out in welcome. The love radiating from their matching sapphire gazes wrapped around her like a warm embrace. Kieran's normally stern features transformed with pure joy as she flew toward them, her heart soaring at the sight of his radiant smile.
The vision shattered like spun glass as Mandy's apartment dissolved around her. Cool marble walls materialized, soaringoverhead in graceful arches that caught the desert sunlight. Her heart thundered against her ribs as she recognized Kieran's tower in Qaf.
She hadn't consciously chosen to transport herself here - her magic had responded to her heart's deepest desire, carrying her to where she needed to be. All those careful considerations, all that hesitation... they melted away in the face of this simple truth. Every moment she'd shared with Kieran, every gentle touch, every quiet conversation had led to this. She belonged with him.
"Kieran!" His name echoed off the polished stone, carrying up the sweeping staircase that curved toward the upper floors. Her voice cracked with emotion she couldn't contain.
Chapter
Thirty-Two
Kieran stoodat the window of his study, gazing out over the endless dunes of Qaf without truly seeing them. Council documents littered his desk, each one demanding immediate attention in the wake of the shifter revelation. The situation grew more complex with each passing hour as governments worldwide scrambled to respond to the existence of shapeshifters among their populations.
The Council's worst fears had materialized – the exposure of one paranormal community inevitably led to questions about others. Their priority now was to ensure the Djinn remained hidden while still finding ways to protect the shifter communities. They'd spent millennia perfecting the art of invisible influence – guiding legislation, shifting opinions, always from the shadows. Never revealing themselves. The risks were too great, the consequences too catastrophic to contemplate.
His jaw clenched as he reviewed the latest reports. The shifters needed sanctuary laws, protection from exploitation, guarantees of basic rights. Some nations were already beginning to move to classify them as non-human, threatening their citizenship, their businesses, their very lives. The Djinn wouldact, as they always had, through careful manipulation of human channels.
Yet his thoughts kept straying from the crisis to Mandy. Her determination to master her magic, her wonder at each new discovery, the way her eyes lit up when she managed a new spell. She'd taken to being Djinn with remarkable adaptability, though she still struggled with the concept of infinite time stretching before her.
The corner of his mouth lifted as he recalled her methodical approach to learning magic, complete with spreadsheets and charts. Even now, she was probably?—
Magic surged through his tower, familiar yet wild, tasting of joy and certainty and... Mandy. His heart stuttered. This wasn't her usual careful testing of boundaries, the methodical way she approached each new aspect of magic. Her power rolled through his home like summer lightning, crackling with purpose and emotion.
The raw intensity shocked him. In the weeks since her transformation, he'd grown accustomed to the gentle brush of her magic against his wards as she practiced – tentative, precise, ever mindful of her newfound abilities. But this... this was pure, unrestrained power, as natural as breathing. His own magic rose in response before he could stop it, reaching for hers like a flower turning toward the sun.
Something had changed. Something fundamental. The last time he'd felt magic this intense was centuries ago, when?—
"Kieran!"
Her voice echoed up the tower's spiraling staircase, cracking with emotion. All thoughts of control shattered. He was moving before conscious thought, drawn by the raw need in her call. As he reached the top of the stairs, the sight of her stole his breath.
She stood in his entrance hall, windswept and glowing with power, her blue Djinn fire dancing around her like a living thing.Gone was the hesitation that had shadowed her eyes since her transformation. In its place blazed a certainty that called to something deep within his ancient soul.
For centuries, he'd maintained rigid control over his magic, his emotions, his very existence. The Council demanded nothing less. Yet the sight of her – confident, radiant, her power swirling unfettered around her – threatened every careful barrier he'd built. His own fire stirred beneath his skin, responding to her presence with an eagerness that bordered on desperation.
She was running up the stairs toward him, and his arms opened of their own accord. When she threw herself against his chest, his careful control wavered. The scent of her – desert roses and sunlight – filled his senses, and for the first time in centuries, he didn't fight to maintain his composure. His fire rose to meet hers, decades of princely restraint shattering in the face of her passionate declaration.
Time seemed to slow as she pressed closer, her fingers clutching his robes. How long had he imagined this? How many nights had he stood on his balcony, watching the stars wheel overhead, wondering if she would ever?—
"Yes." The word rang through his tower, carried on waves of blue-gold fire. Her eyes met his, bright with unshed tears and fierce joy. "Yes to all of it. To being here, to building a life with you." Her voice trembled with emotion, yet held an underlying strength that pierced straight through his carefully maintained reserve. Each word felt like a gift, a promise, a miracle he'd never dared to hope for despite his ancient power.
His heart, which had beaten steadily through centuries of existence, thundered against his ribs. Mandy lifted her face, and the love shining in her eyes nearly brought him to his knees. This woman who approached magic with spreadsheets and careful analysis now blazed before him, all certainty and passion.
"Yes to being your Chosen." The words hung in the air between them, glowing with power and promise.
Kieran's arms tightened around her as centuries of loneliness crumbled in the wake of her declaration. The countless nights he'd spent in his tower, watching younger Djinn find their Chosen, maintaining his diplomatic smile while his soul ached with emptiness... all of it fell away as her magic twined with his.
His fire surged, breaking free of its careful constraints, to dance with hers. Blue flames spiraled around them in an ancient pattern he'd seen only in the oldest texts – the physical manifestation of two souls recognizing each other across time and space. The very magic of Qaf seemed to hold its breath, watching this impossible moment unfold.
In all his centuries, he'd witnessed dozens of Chosen bonds forming. He'd presided over the ceremonies, spoken the ancient words, blessed the unions. But nothing in his long existence had prepared him for this. Her magic – still new, still wild – called to his with an intensity that shook him to his core. Where other Chosen bonds formed slowly, carefully, this blazed between them like a meteor streaking across the night sky.
"Are you certain?" The words emerged rougher than he intended, his usual measured tones deserting him. He cradled her face in his palm, his thumb brushing her cheek with a gentleness that belied the fierce possessiveness rising within him. Every diplomatic phrase, every careful word he'd cultivated over centuries dissolved in the face of this moment.
"Once spoken, such words cannot be taken back. A Chosen bond is eternal, as lasting as the stars themselves."
"I saw who I really am. Who we could be together." Her magic pulsed with each word, swirling around his in patterns he'd only read about in the most ancient scrolls. She leaned into his touch, her complete trust humbling him. "And I saw our future. I've never been more certain of anything."
