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Joy stood. She was vibrating with energy. Malachi found himself vibrating too, helplessly ensnared by her.
“I’m here to make a deal,” she began, at the same time that he said, “I love you.”
Joy grinned, wide and happy and carefree, her scent like sunshine on flowers. “I love you, too. Now, please respond. I said I’m here to make a deal.”
Malachi laughed. “That much is obvious.” She didn’t reek of bloodthirst, so he didn’t mention it, saying instead, “Why have you summoned me, pretty tiger?”
At this point, Joy grew nervous, fiddling with the edges of her wrapper. She licked her painted lips. Malachi’s stomach was twisting all over itself. A part of him felt like it knew what was going on, though Malachi’s conscious minddownright refused toput two and two together.
“I’m here because … I want to … own someone. And I want them to own me.”
Malachi’s body went still. The aware thing in the back of his mind was screaming, but he wasn’t listening. That couldn’t be it. Surely—no.
“You haven’t brought a sacrifice.” The words left his lips by rote.
And Joy smiled one of the rarer smiles—one she held for Malachi and Malachi alone.
“I offer you my soul.”
Malachi thought he blacked out for a moment. He swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth. “I’m sorry, what?”
“My soul, Malachi,” Joy whispered, her dark eyesshining with laughter—withjoy. “It’s yours to take.”
Malachi reached into her circle for her. She came eagerly, pressing up against his chest, her breaths speeding.
“Joy.” He was trembling.
“Yes?” she answered sweetly.
Malachi swallowed again. “I—Joy. This is—”
“More permanent than marriage.” Her expression softened; her eyes darkened. “I know.”
Malachi kissed her, hard and deep. “Yes,” he rasped. “Yes.”
He moved on impulse. His hand twisted through the air, and a piece of paper formed into his grasp, sparking with embers that slowly burned off, leaving the edges of the paper dark and scarred.
He pressed it to Joy’s hand; the lump in his throat seemed to have found itself a home right there.
“My name,” he whispered. “MyTrueName.”
Joy’s eyes blew wide. She yanked him down, kissing him hard.
“I love you,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”She took the piece of paper. She didn’t even look at it, folding it instead into a neat little square. Her smile was so full of love Malachi didn’t know how he could stand it. “You’ll always be Malachi to me.”Her scent went smoky;possessive. “But this name is mine, yeah?”
Fuck. “Yes. I love you.”
Joy’s eyes twinkled. “Can you—?” She gestured at the paper.
Even without a bond,Malachi instinctively knew what she wanted. He waved his hand again, and the paper morphed, changing form and shape and matter until ithad turned intoa small, silver ring.
Joy slid it onto her ring finger, then she yanked Malachidown and kissed him again, over and over and over.
“Say the vow,” Malachi said desperately against her mouth, almost shaking with it.
“Igris, entis, untis, represe.”
The bond lit up like a fire behind his chest, bright and painful and startling. Joy laughed, her right hand fluttering up to her chest; she could feel it, too.
