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H-how did they know? The bone. The wild green. Different parts of my life collided into a single ring to become a beautiful reflection of myself that I didn’t think possible.
Maddox pulled it from the box and slid it onto my ring finger. His touch on my hand lingered as he admired the ring on my hand. My cheeks warmed. This was the symbol of our bond that I never knew I wanted.
When Maddox stood and leaned in for a quick kiss, I caught him before he could pull away.
In his ear, I whispered, “You don’t need a ring because I’m putting that collar on you when we get back home.”
He growled into my neck and gave me a quick nip, but he didn’t argue either. I rather liked being the one in control. When everything else in my life had been so out of my control, this rush of exhilaration went straight to my head.
“Only for you,” he whispered before pulling away.
Now would have been a good moment for disaster. I tensed, biting my lip in nervous anticipation. When nothing happened, my lips parted, and I glanced around in confusion.
No one noticed my shift in demeanor, so I quickly shoved it under the rug and put a smile back on my face. I couldn’t help but fiddle with my ring, spinning it with my thumb already. Its presence comforted me in ways I didn’t expect.
I lifted my hand, took in the ring, and lifted my attention to Tom. He smirked, triumphant with his hands on his hips. His wife stepped up alongside him.
“We looked at your social media to see what you might like, so we could pick something out for you,” she explained.
I wasn’t active on most social media platforms, but there was a photo platform that I posted to whenever I went hiking. I loved taking photos of the mountains…and happened to catch more than a few skeletons overrun by nature. That explained the ring.
“You didn’t have to go through all of that just for us,” Maddox said, his voice growing hoarse.
Startled, I wondered if he needed something to eat. I was so ready for disaster to fall on our heads that every little thing out of place seemed like the end of the world. Instead, I found Maddox’s eyes had become glossy. His smile might have been tight, but that was likely from fighting back tears.
Maddox and his uncle clasped hands once again, but this time he pulled his uncle into a tight hug. I stood there, awkwardly glancing off to the plate of peanut butter pie waiting for me.
I was excited for the afternoon until I heard clapping behind us.
Time seemed to slow, becoming gelatinous so that every movement, every thought slow and frustrating. The world blurred when I turned. My vision refocused on Fenrir, wearing a menacing grin, at the start of the driveway.
The blood rushed from my body and pooled at my feet in a chill puddle. Maddox’s human relatives said something behind us, but I couldn’t hear them over the thunder of rage pounding in my ears.
Howdarehe come here of all places?
I reached to release the walls holding my arcana back until Maddox put a hand on my shoulder. His touch siphoned away a bit of the rising power swelling around me. If I went full force, I could hurt Maddox’s family. That wasn’t what I wanted. Frustration gathered like a scream in my throat.
“Is that a friend of yours?” Maddox’s aunt asked.
Fenrir tilted his head, that smile never faltering. He shoved his hands into his pockets and started his way up the driveway. “You could say that.”
Maddox barely stifled his growl. “No. I don’t think we would.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Tom ushering his wife towards the house like he could tell that this wasn’t going to end well.
“Aw, where is everyone going? I thought we came here to celebrate a cursed union!” Fenrir clapped his hands together. “We should stay and party, because it won’t be long until this fine little woman betrays your nephew. She’s going to lock him in a cage for the rest of his life. Don’t worry; his collar won’t betootight.”
Tom stopped and cast a look in Maddox’s direction. “What is this man talking about?”
“Tom,” his wife said with a note of warning in her voice.
Over my shoulder, I noticed that she was looking at Fenrir. The light in her eyes told me that she knew what she was looking at—maybe not completely, but she knew this man was a supernatural threat. That’s when I realized she was wearing a very subtle witch’s symbol around her neck. The five petals of the flower were, in fact, the five points of a pentacle.
I nearly laughed, relieved. “Ward your husband,” I said to her.
She nodded, and the air seemed to fluctuate as an invisible bubble popped into place around them. Faintly, I heard Tom say:
“It’s one ofthosesituations. Isn’t it?”
