Page 99 of Blood Feast

Power. Ancient, frightening. Familiar. Mourning soaked the earth, while the stones whispered comfort. She knew this place,and yet it reminded her of the farthest corner of the world where she had ever set foot.

Btana Ayal. The majestic megaliths of the Diviner Queen’s ancient city made Tenebra’s standing stones seem like small children. But with this circle’s magic murmuring around her, Cassia could not help but recall how she had felt, standing on the cusp of the broken gate in Shattered Hope.

The stars glittered at her feet, and the heavens above felt rife with new seeds waiting to bloom. Her blood wheeled with the earth and sky.

“Cassia!”Cassia!

Lio’s shout, in her ears and her mind, brought her back to reality.

Lio?she called back.

His fear sent a chill down her spine, breaking the dream.Cassia, I can’t find you. Can’t step to you. Where have you gone?

THE SORCERESS'S DUTY

Cassia turned toward thesound of his voice. But as far as her immortal eyes could see, there was nothing but empty fields and dark sky.

She clung to their Grace Union, the one law of magic that prevailed in this place.I’m here. I’ll find you, I swear.

She ran to the edge of the circle, but careened to a halt just before she left the ring of stones. If she set foot outside now, would it only make matters worse? Gazing out at the horizon, she feared she might go spinning out into yet another world even farther from Lio.

She directed her Will at the Lustra, at the silent stones.

He is my mate. Let him in!

The strange world wrapped closer around her. Power soaked her like a sudden rain, running through the arcane paths inside her and slipping over her skin, dragging her into the rhythm of this season out of time.

She gave her head a shake, pushing back at the magic with her Will.No! I am not yours. You are mine.

If this place was so hungry for a sorceress, it would have to take her on her terms. She dragged her fang across her hand and flicked her blood onto the ground.

I am your Silvicultrix. He is my mate. Let him in.

Lio flickered into sight. He seemed disoriented for a moment, then snatched her into his arms. There came an echo from the stones, and the magic around them waxed.

Mate.Cassia didn’t know if the word sprang from her own mind or the ground where she stood.

She pulled Lio’s mouth down to hers. The world disappeared a second time. She kissed him hard. He surrendered to her in an instant, parting his lips, and their tongues clashed.

Mate.On instinct, she drew magic up from the earth and into their bodies. Yes, this was right. She marked the arcane paths inside him with her power.

He groaned and grasped her buttocks, holding her against him. He was already hard for their ritual, the ridge of his erection pressing into her belly. Hunger burned from her tongue to the core of her body.

Distantly, another shout reached her ears. Someone calling their names.

Lio pulled his mouth back with a gasp. “We can’t. My blood isn’t safe for you yet.”

She slid down his body to stand flat footed, her canines throbbing. She couldn’t make herself let him go.

He stared down at her, dazed, his fangs out and a trickle of blood trailing from his lip. “What just happened?”

“I think the circle needed me to demonstrate my claim on you.”

The magic around them flared and ebbed in time to their heartbeats. Images flashed in their shared mind’s eye. Naked skin, bared teeth. Her on all fours, him covering her. Them mating on this ground, here and now, forever.

Cassia pulled out of his arms and took a step back. “This part of the Lustra acknowledges you now.”

He rubbed his mouth. “It seems to have a very clear idea of my role, yes.”

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