Page 77 of The King has Fallen

I froze with my fork halfway to my mouth.

Melek frowned and looked quickly around the tent. “What? Is something wrong?”

“You believe in soulbonds?” I squeaked.

He frowned deeper. “Of course. Don’t you?”

“Yes, of course. But the Shadekin—the Fetch… we aren’t descended from the irredeemable.”

His eyes shuttered at that, so I rushed on.

“We also speak vows to acknowledge the bond,” I told him hurriedly. “But we wrap a cord around our wrists and make love while bound together to symbolize the bond of our souls. It’s said that the longer a Pair stays tied together after that first lovemaking, the stronger their bond will be.”

His brows rose. “You don’t use contracts either?”

“No. Anyone can write a word to paper. The soulbond is…”

“Eternal,”he ended for me.

My breath stopped.

I wasn’t sure whether to be offended that he seemed as shocked as I was that we were so closely aligned on this.

“Did you… are you… have you found your soulbond?” I blurted, then wanted to shovel the words back down my throat.

A moment later, he shook his head. “No.”

Why did I feel relief? This monster should not inspirereliefin me!

But then his expression went blank. “You, Yilan? Are you bonded?”

I shook my head. “I have never found the male who tied my soul in knots. Not that it would matter… would it?” I swallowed hard. “Would you keep me here, Melek, if I had a soulbond out there waiting for me?”

He didn’t answer.

My mouth went dry.

Neither of us moved and I wasn’t quite sure how all the air seemed to have gone from the tent—nor how we’d gotten to this place. Or what it meant.

Why was he staring so intently?

Why was I?

Still nothing had passed between us when suddenly a high, pure chime resonated through the air and was met by a roar from the Nephilim ranks in every corner of this mile-wide camp.

Midnight. The Covenant Days begin in earnest.

And still we were staring. I couldn’t move. The hair on my arms rose. I couldn’t tear my eyes from his—and yet every instinct within me screamed that Imust.

But it was Melek who spoke first.

“The chime… the Covenant Days have truly begun.” His eyes never left mine. I nodded, but didn’t speak. He cleared his throat. “We have a tradition in our people that when the Chime rings each night, we offer a wish to God. A prayer for… for a gift.”

We had a similar tradition, but I couldn’t find the words to tell him.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Do you have a wish for the peace season, Yilan?”

I nodded.

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