“Yes.” He crushed his lips over mine and kissed me hard. I blinked as his sudden answer settled over me. I’d expected to explain more, to make him understand why I wanted to tap into hispower. I hadn’t been prepared for his eager agreement, and that only made me surer of my decision. A tear slipped down my cheek as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.
After a beat, he pulled away to rest his forehead against mine. “Give me a day to get everything in order.”
I brushed my nose against his. “I don’t need a ceremony. I just need you.”
“Just us.” He brushed his fingers against the strand of moonlight hair dangling near my cheek. “Still, there are a few things needed for the bond to be successful. I’ll get them, and then we’ll be together.”
“And then hopefully I can cure you. And Mavis. And my brothers.” I searched his eyes for any sign of hesitation and found none. He believed I could do it. He believed inme. Heat bloomed in my chest, and I kissed him again.
“By blending our magic,” he murmured against my lips, and I nodded.
“Yes.”
He brought his hands to my face and cupped my cheeks. “I knew you were special from the moment I met you.”
After another round of deep kisses, he excused himself to begin preparations, and I watched him go with a smile. With hope. It sparked in me and grew like a wildfire, consuming every waking thought and burning doubt to ash. Yet, as I walked back to the house, a chill swept down my spine. I glanced up at the manor to find Mavis standing on her balcony with her gaze locked on me. All the giddiness swelling through my body evaporated in a solitary moment, and I froze as I held her silent stare. She never moved. Only watched. I waited until my ratcheted pulse returned to normal, and then slowly, I walked toward the house. She was stiff against the balcony railing, and while she was immobile, her gaze continued to follow my every step. Her eyes inked a targetinto my skin so that even when I passed out of her line of sight, I could still feel their mark.
What the hell?I ran my hands over my arms, but the chill remained. I couldn’t help but wonder about all the things she saw but never spoke of. What secrets lay beyond the quiet trappings of her blight-filled existence?
Twenty-Four
Our ceremony would be private, but that didn’t stop everyone at Fernglove from finding out Orin’s and my plan to become heartbonds. Moments after I’d escaped Mavis’s weighted stare, Seville found me in the foyer and dragged me away with a smirk. She’d been the one to spark the idea back in Mrs.Marlow’s shop. I wondered if she knew I would come around to the notion all along.
Yet there was a hard glint to her eyes that hinted at anger beyond her signature, arrogant smirk. Rather than voice it, she fell effortlessly into the role of doting attendant. She led me to her private quarters, where we perused her closet until she found a flowing gown covered in winking crystals. She let out a disdainful sigh, as if it weren’t the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and deemed it suitable enough. Time didn’t allow for more custom creations. After she’d set aside my dress, we were interrupted by Tasia and Amalyss, who came bounding into the room with wide grins and mischief etched into their expressions. And wine in their hands. Much to my surprise, Seville actually squealed.
“This will do,” she said, eyes bright. In that moment, she was carefree and young and beautiful. She looked like a morning star eager to greet the day, and my breath caught at the sight. At all of them. They were feeding off the hope I’d created, and for once they were simply . . . them. No riddles or threats. No unkind gestures. They poured wine in crystal goblets and linked arms as they danced in a circle and laughed.
And I realized, in that moment, I wanted to cure them, too.
Apparently, heartbond ceremonies typically involved more grandeur and preparation—because they were Evers and everything was a spectacle—but they complied with Orin’s demands and made do with what was available. The most cherished prerequisite was a weeklong bath at a hidden Ever hot spring where no one packed clothes and they simply let their skin drink in the moonlight. Instead, attendants dragged in four copper basins, and the magic of the manor filled them to the brim with milky water. And as we eased our bodies into the tubs, we let go of everything. The fear. The doubt. Together, we almost felt like a family.
We talked the night away and shared stories of dalliances. Tasia and Amalyss had none, but Seville didn’t let that stop her from sharing every glorified detail of her most recent encounter with someone at the fete, though she refused to name the woman. They were all horrified to learn my first romantic encounter had been less than pleasing, and they cursed the man who left me wanting. Not being lavished on was the greatest slight for an Ever, and I chuckled privately to myself at the thought.
After the bath, they fell asleep naked on soft hides before a low-burning fire. For a while, I simply lay unclothed beside them. I’d never been one to turn a cheek at a bare body, but I was surprised how easy it was to feel comfortable in my skin around them. I was surprised how comfortable they’d come to be with me.For the first time, I imagined a life outside of the one I left behind in Willowfell.
What about your brothers?Certainly Orin would allow them to stay here, if I asked. If they wanted. And if they didn’t, that would be fine, too. We all deserved to live.
Rorik’s devilish grin filled my mind. Insufferable know-it-all.
Unlike Amalyss, Tasia, and Seville, sleep evaded me. So, when the fire was nothing more than embers and their snores grew too loud to stand, I found my clothes and quietly left Seville’s quarters. The halls were dark as I crept across the second floor. There was no one about, which was unsurprising, given the hour, but I picked up the pace regardless.
A deep groan rumbled through the air as the manor settled, and my stomach tightened.
It’s just an old house.
The walls gave another indignant creak.
Ringing crested in my ears, and my wide eyes burned from staring hard into the dark. There was nothing behind or in front of me, and yet I could feel needles prickling against my skin as the heady weight of eyes once again burrowed deep into my back. I whirled in place to catch a slip of something white in my peripheral vision: an ivory curtain fluttering on an invisible breeze, or... My gaze sharpened.
There, standing alone at the bend of the hall, was a petite woman with unblinking, doe-like eyes that bored right into my soul. A scream threatened to split my throat, but as my lips parted the ghost pressed a single, dainty finger to her lips. No, not a ghost. Mavis. My shriek died on my tongue, but I still couldn’t bring myself to move. Her hair flowed around her in waves, starkly contrasting the white muslin nightgown clinging to her thin frame. The cut of the hemline above her breasts was low enough to reveal the signature pommel of the Fernglove crest, and sheabsently trailed a single finger along its hilt. And then she took that same finger and curled it toward me, beckoning me to join her. It was the most I’d ever seen her move without the help of one of her family members.
Unless she’d been the one lingering just out of sight, studying me with those relentless, harrowing eyes all this time.
“You,” I whispered as I quickly came to stand before her. “You’ve been watching me from the moment I got here. Why? What are you doing?” I glanced around, expecting to find Seville or Lydia nearby. Mavis was utterly alone.
She scowled at me and once again pressed her finger to her lips. Silence, then. She was tiny in comparison to the rest of the family, as if aging ushered her toward childhood instead of the grave. But I knew what lay beneath that artful glamour. I’d yet to glimpse it, but I knew just the same.
Turning her back to me, she moved with a steady gait that defied all my preconceived notions about her health. Only after a few steps did I notice a heavier rise and fall to her chest, a slight sheen to her forehead. How much energy had she stored in preparation for this moment? What did she want? I opened my mouth to ask, but she shot me a stern glare before the words could fully form. She paused before a set of double doors I recognized as the entrance to her room, and she gestured for me to open them.
