And he understands that you and he are both essential. I signed with a smile.You belong to my Devotion, and he does as well.
A fractured exhale escaped him. The tension bled from his frame. He lifted his hands, his movements wide and expressive in the dim light.
Heat crept up my neck.When we complete the bonding, it will be all three of us.
A grin broke across his face, bright and sudden.Great. This is definitely…He paused, his expression shifting into something more solemn.You are sure?
Yes.I worried my lip.But will you still have me?
I am yours, now and forever.He pressed a flat palm over his heart, the gesture heavy with a weight that needed no sound. Then he continued to sign,I would be a dog at your heels or a king at your side, so long as you are my Beloved.
The raw adoration and intensity in his eyes made my chest ache. I bridged the distance between us, my mouth meeting his in a kiss that tasted of unspoken promises. He kissed me slowly, like he was memorizing the shape of my lips. His hands slid to my waist to anchor me while his thumbs traced the curve of my hips.
I melted into him, hands fisting in his shirt. It was slow and sensual, a deep, pulling heat that demanded I stay even as duty screamed for me to go. Finn’s hands slid to the small of my back, drawing me flush against him until I could feel the frantic thrum of his heart against my own.
When we finally broke apart, breathless, he rested his forehead against mine. I waited for him to look at me before I moved my hands.
I have to go, I signed reluctantly.
I know.He pressed another kiss to my lips. Shorter this time,but no less intense. He stepped back enough to sign.Be careful. Come back to us.
The words settled warm in my chest.I will.
I gripped his hands, letting my fingers linger against his skin. I pulled him into one last embrace, burying my face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in like oxygen.
When I finally forced myself to step away, he offered one final wave before I forced my body to turn away, toward the path leading me to Ash.
I slipped outside unseen, shivering as I passed the open gate into my grandmother’s formerly exclusive garden. Much of its menace was diluted in the sunshine as I walked through it. Reaching the wall, I knelt and pressed my palm flat upon the special stone. It eased back under my touch, sliding free with minimal resistance. The gap widened as I pushed the second stone, revealing open air beyond the estate’s boundaries.
My leather armor scraped against the rough texture as I squeezed through the opening. Once clear, I slid the stones back into place. A massive shape detached itself from the nearby woods, swiveling its owl-like head toward me. Ash’s yellow eyes gleamed with recognition.
“Dropping my disguise now,” I warned him, keeping my voice low.
When I stripped off the bracelet, relief flooded through me as my true form and scent reasserted themselves. Ash inhaled deeply before lowering himself and allowing me to climb onto his broad, feathered back.
I’d ridden horses, but nothing compared to this. Ash’s muscles bunched beneath me as he launched into a loping run that devoured distance with surprising speed. I tucked low, flattening myself againsthis broad spine until my chin rested on him. The wind tore at me, carrying away the scent of roses and replacing it with pine and morning dew.
At the forest’s edge, I slid off Ash’s back and pressed a grateful hand to his beak. A low rumble vibrated through his chest, and his feathers rippled like shadows.
“Wait for me in the woods,” I said, stroking his neck. “I’ll need you after the temple.”
His owl-like head tilted. With a soft trill, Ash melted back into the trees.
I guess that was a yes.
As I slipped through the streets of Harmony, the Temple of Aetherius loomed ahead, its marble walls blinding in the morning light. Two guards flanked the entrance, their sun-emblazoned armor gleaming, spears held rigid at their sides. They nodded as I passed and went straight to my domain.
Comfort settled over me the moment I stepped into the lab. I paused, letting my eyes travel over the neat rows of equipment and my belongings, the familiar order that always steadied my pulse. Only then did I slip off my cloak and roll up my sleeve. The empty syringe waited where I’d left it, cool and certain in my palm as I drew blood. At the sight of the crimson fluid within, my mouth watered. I could still taste the memory of rich, intoxicating blood coating my throat.
I snapped my gaze away, fixing it instead on my clock with its symbol of Aetherius. Bowing my head, I whispered a prayer for forgiveness.
After a deep breath to clear my head, I set to work. Zane may have expressed doubt in the cure, but I was going to create it. Hours of trial and error condensed into a moment as I focused on my work. Each refinement narrowed the margin between failure and breakthrough. The formula shimmered with volatile promise.
I placed a drop of my blood in the center of a slide and carefully added the serum. The liquids swirled as I slid the glass under the lens.
Through the eyepiece of the arcane-enhanced microscope, the reaction was ongoing. My dhampir cells convulsed, the vampire essence fraying at the edges as fissures spiderwebbed within them. For a heartbeat, I thought the cells would shatter.
Then they knitted themselves back together, restored with vampiric regeneration. As the last fissure vanished, my shoulders slumped, pinned by the crushing weight of this setback.
