Page 40 of Fading Sun

The warden looks at me to stop, and I place the dagger back onto the table, immediately feeling the cut on my palm knit back together, healing itself. Then, he closes his fists around the rings and closes his eyes, wind blowing around him as he calls on his magic.

The temperature drops, and the crystals in the chandeliers clang against each other like a strange, eerie music.

Eventually, the air stills, and the warden opens his hands.

The rings now bear a faint red hue. They’re altered not just in color, but in composition, bound by my and Damien’s blood, and by the warden’s magic.

“With these bands, you accept the bond of blood and air,” the warden says. “Exchange them as a symbol of your commitment, under the watchful eyes of the gods of night.”

His voice is muffled, as if I’m seeing the world through a hazy wall.

Damien takes the ring meant for me, looks me in the eyes, and says, “I, Damien Fairmont, take you, Amber Benson, to be my wife and queen for all eternity.”

For all the emotion he puts into it, he might as well be reading a grocery list.

His fingers are steady as he slides the band onto my finger. It’s a perfect fit. Cool and slightly heavy, an ever-present reminder of the pact I’m sealing. And, once it’s on, it tightens, as if searing its promise into my skin.

The warden holds Damien’s ring out to me.

Breathing through my anxiety, I take it, my hand trembling and my heart pounding.

I’m really, truly going through with this.

It doesn’t feel real.

But first…

Needing to try one last time, I open the door to the duskberry bond. Damien will feel my apprehension and fear, but right now, I don’t care. I just want to feel the connection to him before it breaks.

The connection I never wanted, but somehow grew to trust.

His eyes are locked on mine, as cold and hard as they’ve been throughout the entire ceremony.

And then, he opens his side of the bond.

It’s like a floodgate. The darkness, the pain, the grief he’s been holding back… it all crashes over me at once, deeper and more agonizing than I ever imagined.

I gasp, the intensity of his emotions a physical thing, so strong they nearly knock me off my feet.

He reaches out, his hand gripping my elbow to steady me. His eyes are storms of emotion, seas of torment, gazing down at me in challenge.

Is that what you wanted?

He doesn’t say it. But, while I can’t read his mind, I swear that’s what he’s thinking.

I swallow, steadying myself, forcing myself to pull away.

What he’s feeling right now… I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone. Not even my greatest enemy.

Thankfully, he closes the bond again, although I’m pretty sure the intensity of his pain will be ingrained into my soul for all eternity. Perhaps even more than the pain I felt when Blaze removed the potion from my body.

“Amber?” the warden says. “Your vows?”

I meet Damien’s eyes again, finding a warning that slices through the air between us, telling me to get myself together and get on with the ceremony.

The last thing the people want to see in their queen is doubt. Especially during a moment as important as this one.

I gather myself, somehow managing to speak without my voice wavering.

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