Page 108 of Twisted Bonds

“I love you.” The surety of my voice grows with every word. “I love you, Tairyn.”

For a moment, I fear he might crumble under my confession, the tension in his body bleeding away as though he’s been punctured. But suddenly, his face breaks into the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. He pulls me back into his arms again just as something between us begins to blossom.

The glowing lights and swirling mist of Chroma surround us as gasps and wails of surprise echo distantly. A warmth of familiar glow spreads as our mate bond snaps into place. Tairyn pulls back, gasping as the power floods through us before looking back at me with awe.

The grin on my face is wild, free from all worries because my final mate bond is in place. I’m finally exactly where I belong.

The familiar threads of bonds in my head swirl, and I’m elated to find a new one. More rough and jagged than the others, but no less tender. I give the bond a tentative tug, and Tairyn’s booming laughter fills my heart to the brim.

“This is what we fight for,” he says, dropping his hand and stepping away from me. “When this is all over, we will have our time, nin anto anna. For now, we survive.”

Suddenly, the sounds of battle come rushing back, slicing through the moment like a crude blade. Tairyn releases his grip on me as turn to face the other Shards, appraising looks on their faces despite the turmoil around us.

A burst of energy courses through my body and I can’t help but pull the stunned Lisa into a tight embrace. My heart races with excitement as I introduce her to my four bonded mates, eager for them to meet my best friend. They all smile and warmly welcome her, their genuine happiness radiating from their faces. The air around us feels charged with electricity, thick with love and camaraderie. In this moment, surrounded by those who mean the most to me, I am invincible. If these are our last moments together, I’m going to make the best of them.

“Let’s go hunt a wizard,” I say, pulling her alongside me as we make our way to the next skirmish as my mates surround us in a protective circle.

“Not a wizard,” Sunder says with half a grin, and I can’t help but return it.

fifty-six

Mira

Unlike the strike-and-retreat tactic we were successfully using, Cor’than wants to find Yurghen head on, convinced he’s low on Chroma after the insane display opening the Great River. Thankfully, I was able to convince Lisa to stay back for this part. A human without magic is a liability. While souls still rain from the sky at a steady pace, I see less and less of them fall to the ground. Tairyn says those creatures flying above us are from the Underworld. I don’t think about the rate at which they seem to be devouring those poor souls.

With the Shards by my side, we walk boldly along the streets, but I can’t keep my eyes from scanning every window overlooking us.

“This is stupid,” I say to Callum, not for the first time. Cor’than and his soldiers were able to find several other bands of Valenfall fighters and channelers. Even though we number over a hundred now, I still don’t like this. As we turn a corner, a deep sense of unease settles in my chest. A stillness hangs in the air, like the world is holding its breath.

“Callum,” I start, trying to keep my voice steady.

“I feel it too,” he interrupts, voice equally grim. His gaze is fixed on something ahead of us. I follow his line of sight and my heart drops.

Yurghen stands at the end of the desolate street, a foreboding presence that looms like a shadowy sentinel. The last rays of the setting sun cast an eerie glow upon his figure, accentuating the sharp angles of his face and the glint in his pale, moon-like eyes. A palpable energy emanates from him, pulsating with raw Chroma and causing the ground beneath us to quake with his immense power. Every breath I take feels heavy and charged as we stand in the menacing aura of Yurghen.

The tall stone townhouses loom around us, their aged walls flecked with moss and vines. The only sound is our faint footsteps falling on the deserted street and the distant sound of roaring fires now raging through other parts of the city. The scent of smoke is heavy in the air.

“This is it then,” Sunder mutters next to me, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword, moving his body in front of mine. Despite the danger we’re in, I can’t help but feel a flutter of warmth at his protectiveness.

I nod, squeezing the hilt of my own weapon firmly in my grip. I haven’t had to use my dagger yet, but with my Chroma running dangerously low, it’s only a matter of time. My nerves are buzzing, a mix of fear and adrenaline. But there’s something else too, an almost electric charge that seems to hum in the air between Sunder and me.

Yurghen’s booming voice echoes from all directions as he says, “Leave the Vessel with me, and we’ll be on our way.”

In the shadows, a small pixie steps into the light, just behind Yurghen. The way his nose wrinkles and shifts as he sniffs the air, combined with the magnifying effect of those large glasses, makes him look like a mouse. The creature shifts his glasses further onto his nose, as if studying us with great care.

Gradually, more of the faeling creatures gather in the vacant windows surrounding us, and even in the nearby alleys until our group of a hundred stragglers and soldiers is completely surrounded.

Cor’than gives the signal and chaos breaks like a pane of glass shattering on a playground. Soldiers scatter in all directions, blasting air and fire towards the old man and his companions.

We’re swept into the heart of the battle. Sunder moves with a deftness that leaves me awestruck, his sword slicing through adversaries like they’re made of smoke. Faelings and dark, scaly creatures launch attacks from side streets.

Instinctively, my mates form a protective ring around me as we throw our collective might back at them. From the center, I see waves of Bobble’s yellow magic ripping flesh and limbs from bodies.

I grab the remaining threads of my red Chroma, lashing luck to each of us. Sunder’s blue mist wafts and pulses with surging fury. I can almost sense the emotions dripping off the threads of magic leaching from his hands. Fear and terror seep into the hearts of our foes.

As the last of my luck wraps around Tairyn, I throw my energy into striking Yurghen. I empty my mind.

My intuition directs me as I unleash a combination of fire and air towards him, wrapped in a thread of misfortune, but it is met with a familiar barrier - the same one he used against me in the tower. However, I refuse to give up and continue to push against it, channeling my magic with all my might to break through like I did before. A sound of pure frustration escapes my lips, but I remind myself that if I succeeded once, I can do it again.

---