Page 13 of A Debt of Darkness

I look away, dropping my head before I realize how we appear. Anyone watching would see this as a sign of intimacy, mistaking my hesitancy for a need for reassurance. They’d see my reluctance as nervousness, and Henry’s playing his role perfectly.

“Well then,” the priest says. “If she’ll move back, I’ll say some prayers and we’ll move on.”

Henry’s hands slip to my upper arms as he steps back. He’s keeping me in place, but it looks like he’s holding me up. It’s a masterpiece of manipulation and his performance is flawless, even when I jump as the priest starts chanting in a language I don’t understand.

“You’re doing fine,” Henry reassures me. “We talked about this, remember?”

We didn’t fucking talk about this and I’d like to know what the fuck is going on. For all I know, the priest could be chanting curses or I could be making another deal with the devil, besides the agreement I’m entering into semi-willingly.

I nod aimlessly and look at Ryan. He’s completely relaxed and whatever this is, he’s seen it before and nothing unusual is happening. The ceremony is going as planned and it doesn’t put me at ease.

“Take her hands.”

The priest’s voice cuts through my thoughts and draws me back to reality. I freeze as Henry’s hands slide down myarms and electric currents surge over my skin. He turns my arms over and my hands seem so small compared to his, barely half the size and yet they fit together. My palms face up as his covers them and this doesn’t feel bad. It feels okay and I don’t like it. I don’t trust it. I don’t trust him.

“Close your eyes,” Henry says, whispering.

I straighten my lips and shake my head.

“Ivy doesn’t have to,” the priest says and Henry stiffens.

“I want to see.”

Henry scowls at me as the priest smiles, nodding as he lifts his hands above ours. “You may see this,” he says. “It’s not as if you’ll experience it twice.”

The priest’s hands grab Henry’s forearms and I gasp as strands of bright white light pour out of them, wrapping around Henry’s arms and creeping towards his hands. Towards my hands. I want to pull back, but Henry’s grip tightens even though I’m too entranced to move, staring as the light dances and makes intricate patterns around his hands.

It wraps around my fingers and it’s warm, catching me by surprise. I jump and the priest laughs a little as the light moves faster, tying itself around our hands. The warmth spreads up my arm and my breathing quickens as it pushes into my chest. It’s surging forward and sweeping through me, catching me by surprise and knocking me off balance.

I sway and Henry pulls me back to the center, preventing me from falling. I’m dizzy and the lights in the room flicker as they move. They’re spinning around me and my eyes widen as I stare at Henry, fixating on him as if he’s the external point I’m pirouetting around.

My head feels light and I blink, trying to force my eyes to focus. The lights move faster, blurring as they spin past me and I groan, shaking my head.

“She’s powerful,” the priest says.

“What else did you expect?”

I toss my head again and the room spins faster. The lights blur and their patterns are beautiful, creating tails behind them that merge into each other. My head starts spinning and I mumble, stumbling towards Henry as I finally lose my balance and fall.

5

OPEN FOR ME

HENRY

Ivy fought hard. She tried to stand her ground and she lasted longer than most. It wasn’t a fair fight, not when the bond sweeping from me into her consumes the submissive partner in that moment. I imagine she found it confusing. It’s a shame, but it’s not like I can stop her from being overwhelmed.

She was always going to sway for me, but I enjoyed watching her struggle. Ivy fought hard enough for the priest to look concerned, worried she wasn’t surrendering as my strength overcame hers. She should have given up, but she didn’t. It ought to have annoyed me, but I found it admirable instead.

And then she fell.

She fell into my arms and everything clicked into place. For one brief moment, it was perfect. Nothing else mattered. There was she and I alone, and it was bliss.

I’m still holding her, irrevocably devoted and in love. She’s perfect. She’s heaven. She’s mine. Only mine. Always mine. Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine.

Fuck, I want her. More than that, I need her. I can’t be without her. If I needed to breathe, then I’d need her more than I need oxygen. I no longer exist without her. Fuck.

“Complete this,” the priest says, reminding me of something I hadn’t forgotten.

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