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“Yes,” I said solemnly.
She looked at my face for a moment. “And if we were to miss that window, we’d never be able to claim one another?”
I paused. “You would be able to claim me,” I said after a moment. “But I could never return the claim. I would never be able to complete the bond.” I sighed, wrinkling my nose. The eclipse certainly sat heavier on my mind now, and I knew it was bothering her, too. “Those ten minutes will also have to encompass a rather intricate ritual that would tie our life forces together. My understanding is that is how you would be granted an immortal life span.”
“Oh,” Celeste said, her eyes growing wider.
“Additionally, we would also try to leverage the bond to break the Lunar Lord’s curse and stop my wolf’s monthly madness.”
“Oh,” Celeste said again, her eyes now comically huge. “I…when you said I’d need to know magic, I assumed there would be a ritual of some sort involved, but nothing I’ve read has hinted at anything even remotely like that. I didn’t realize you were trying to break the curse using me. Or the bond.”
I recoiled, my nose wrinkling. I found the idea ofusingmy mate for anything to be repulsive. “You aren’t atool, Celeste,” I growled.
“Sorry, sorry,” she said, waving a hand. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just didn’t realize that was something you could evendo. I thought it was to prevent all shifters from going mad. Is this something every Lunar Lord has to perform?” She paused, frowning. “Wait, didn’t Lyka have a mate? Did he not go through the ceremony, too?”
My mood continued to sour. “All Lunar Lords are supposed to be able to alleviate the curse, yes,” I grumbled. “But Lyka found his mate, Sela, too late. He was already starting to lose his grip, and Sela was mortal, like you. She wasn’t even alive during the first solar eclipse in his lifetime, so they were never able to claim one another.” I paused, looking away. “I’ve always wondered if knowing he couldn’t complete the bond and that Sela would die, leaving him alone eternally, was part of what drove him to complete madness. I think it was much worse for him, knowing her and being unable to bond than simply having no mate at all.”
I glanced back at Celeste, trying to gauge how she was taking all of this. After avoiding her questions about the eclipse for weeks, it didn’t feel fair to dump everything on her at once, but she needed to know. She deserved to, and I should’ve told her sooner. I’d simply been too paranoid to see that.
To my surprise, Celeste nodded and said, “Okay.” She glanced back at me for a moment. “Thank you for telling me,” she said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “I really appreciate it.”
Perhaps even more surprising was the distinct lack of that clawing, sickening feeling that usually came when I felt too exposed. If anything, I felt…relieved to have shared this, and to have had it accepted in such a straightforward manner, no less. After my brother had practically ripped my heart out—and that was no figure of speech—I hadn’t shared with anyone like this. Until now, I hadn’t realized I’d actually missed it.
Don’t get too ahead of yourself.
This was progress, but the only reason we were in Colorado was because we weren’t certain Sabine was erased from Celeste’s mind. My mate still had to take care of that, and I had to figure out where the Solar Sovereign was, too, once and for all. We hadn’t tracked them down yet, and I was convinced their reemergence was the only possible reason both Faulkner and Sabine felt so emboldened to strike at once.
I took a breath. “Well, if your mind is feeling a bit clearer, perhaps it is time for you to try and excise Sabine for good,” I suggested. As much as I wished we could simply lounge and enjoy one another’s company all day, that wasn’t an option for either of us.
“Yeah, good idea,” Celeste said, stretching her arms over her head. “Do you think Keziah would mind if I borrowed something to wear? The clothes I was wearing before weren’t exactly for cold weather, and I don’t want to have to keep myself warm magically.” She wrinkled her nose.
“She said we were welcome to anything,” I said, getting to my feet. “Perhaps I will see if she has anything in my size as well.”
Celeste took a little longer to get dressed. When she returned downstairs, she was in a pair of fleece-lined pants and a flannel shirt. Her dark hair was tied back in a messy bun, and I paused while soaking her in. We’d been here less than a day, but she fit in perfectly with this homey cabin.
I hated to admit it, but even I found a certain appeal here. It turned out Keziah had some men’s clothing in her spare bedroom, and I helped myself to a pair of dark jeans and a plaid button-down. There was a certain comfort to it, as the smell of woodsmoke from dozens of fires permeated everything. Instead of finding it annoying, I found the scent rather grounding.
Maybe once all this is behind us after the eclipse, I could look into getting a cabin of my own. I wonder if I could buy the rights to an entire mountainside. That’s a bit like an island, isn’t it?
“Alright,” Celeste said, talking to herself as much as she was addressing me. “Time to make this work.”
“What can I do?” I said, rising from my chair to join her at the kitchen table.
Celeste was quiet for a moment as she arranged a few bundles of herbs, chewing on her lower lip. She looked like she was making floral arrangements rather than preparing materials for spells, but I knew better.
“Nothing,” she finally said, shaking her head. “I guess just give me some space? And even if something looks weird, don’t shake me out of it. Losing control makes it worse.”
“Of course,” I said. As much as I wanted to help, I knew my own magical abilities were limited.
Picking up one of the books Celeste had set aside, I retreated across the open layout to the small living area, sprawling on the worn blue couch. A TV screen stared back at me, but I didn’t dare interrupt Celeste’s focus.
I flicked through a few pages but struggled to focus on the words before me. Curious, I glanced over my shoulder, peering back into the kitchen where Celeste continued to work. The low light spilled through one of the dusty kitchen windows, casting peculiar shadows on the log home’s walls. Celeste stared down at the wooden table, her brow furrowed. I could tell she was looking at something, but it certainly wasn’t the pile of herbs before her.
With a determined expression, she reached forward, grasping at something I could not see. I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes, and only then did I realize her fingertips were glowing faintly. I paused, stopping myself from making any noise. My fated mate’s only request had been that I not disturb her, and I was determined to honor it.
Whispers of words I didn’t understand fell past her lips. I strained my heightened hearing, but still couldn’t make out the incantations. Nothing else seemed to happen.
At some point, her fingers began to tremble. Celeste took a ragged breath, but she didn’t stop. She refused to—the determination was written across her face. She took another breath and straightened her shoulders, reaching out with both hands. Her left fingertips glowed, too, but—
