Page 58 of Dragon Unleashed

I hate his deals. I especially hate being at the other end of one. He loves making people choose between two shitty options. He loves the anguish it causes.

“What’s the deal?”

“Destroy their bond. If the ceremony goes ahead, she dies. If it doesn’t, I’ll let her live. A half-life, granted, but a life—she doesn’t ascend and she marries you within the year.”

“And if she declines marriage?”

He inspects his nails. “Mmm? Then…she dies. I like things black-and-white, Farrell, you know that. It’s better like this, more fun.”

Fun. His sick, perverted idea of fun. He’s enjoying my pain.Swallowing down my protest, I raise my glass in his direction.

She might never forgive me, but she’ll be alive, free. For now.

Chapter Twenty-seven: Lorelei

My mom stares up at me as I slip her photo into the envelope, alongside my letter. Licking the flap, I squeeze my eyes shut.Once I give Chano this, there’s no turning back.I stuff it into the handbag Naeve’s lent me and take a swig of the bubbles she left open on the dresser. Once we’ve had the ceremony, I’m going to give him this envelope. And then…then I just have to hope he can get past it. That we can get past it.

I stare at myself in the mirror, and a stranger stares back. My stark white hair is softer somehow, pinned up, with occasional curls artfully arranged over my shoulders. Whatever the hell Val did with my makeup has transformed me into a rock star. I prod my face with a painted fingernail. I have cheekbones. Done up like this, a pair of Naeve’s stunning earrings catching the light, I look even more like her. Like my mom.

Naeve rests her hands on my shoulders, watching me in the mirror. “Nerves are normal, and these aren’t exactly normal times.”

“I’m worried we’re doing this for the wrong reasons.” I bite my lip, then immediately have to reapply the lipstick, and rub my tooth.

“Do you love him, Lorelei?” I nod and Naeve’s face lights up. “Then nothing else matters. He’s your fate-chosen mate, and you love him. Thiscan’tbe the wrong thing. Just enjoy it.”

Hellfire, I do love him. And I know he feels the same. The rest? We’ll work it out.

We can’t go off academy grounds, but Naeve has pulled out all the stops. We have the entirety of the Wailing Moon as a venue. I just have to get myself down these rickety stairs and into the bar.One step at a time. One step. I chant the mantra as I death-grip the banister, shuffling down in the kitten heels Naeve bought me. They’re comfy. There’s no reason for me to fall flat on my face, but you can just bet with my luck…

I reach the ground floor and exhale a shaky breath. The doors to the function suite are closed, strains of Val’s love ballad filtering through. It’s a damn perfect fit for today, full of hope and promise. The climactic chord rings out, and slowly the double doors swing open. Naeve starts the walk toward the front, littering the ground with tiny sparkles as she goes.

My turn.

I swallow and walk into the room. It’s perfect. The walls and ceiling have been taken over by vines, interspersed with delicate roses. The place is lit by hundreds of tiny heart-shaped lights. And best of all are the people. Farrell and Zephyr stand to one side with Silas. Val, Hewie, and Raff on the other, and Chano’s mom beams back at me from her wheelchair.She made it.Risking a glance at the front, my breath catches in my throat. Chano stands next to Alarick, his head bent, muttering into his second-in-command’s ear.

With a slight tug on his sleeve, Alarick turns Chano to face me. Chano’s frame fills out his immaculate suit, his tattoos peekingout from the collar. He is jaw-droppingly handsome. His eyes are dancing and he winks long and slow. I can’t look anywhere else but at him. My feet take me to the front, and I come to a hesitant stop under the ivy-wound arch.

The officiant smiles down.

“You may hold hands.”

Chano surreptitiously wipes his hands down the back of his pants before gripping mine, and I barely suppress my giggle.

“Today I have the pleasure of conducting the mating ceremony between Lorelei Bal and Chano Maverik.”

I lose the next few sentences just staring at Chano. My heart is full, and for the first time I have absolutely no doubt. This is the right thing. I want our Aeternum bond to progress. I want him.

“The rings.”

Thank the goddesses this ceremony doesn’t require me to make a speech. It’s as simple as a few magical words spoken over exchanged rings. I slip Chano’s ring onto his finger with shaky hands, and he stares at it in awe. It’s a plain band, with our names imprinted on the inside, along with the coordinates and date of the very first time we met. Nudging Chano out of his stupor, Alarick hands him hisabuelita’sring. My ring. The sun streams in the window, catching the iridescent metal circlet. It’s perfect. Tiny and delicate without being ornamental or prissy.

Chano leans forward, taking my hand in his. As the officiant starts to chant, Chano slips the ring onto my finger, settling it over my Aeternum mark.

It burns.

It burns as if the metal itself is hot.

I swallow down a squeal of pain.Is this normal?A small slip of smoke wafts upward from my finger, the scent of cooking meat permeating the air. I hold perfectly still.It has to end soon. I can’t take it much longer. No one told me it hurts, damn them.Chano blinks, his brow furrowed, glancing between my handand the officiant. Slowly the ring starts to liquefy, molten hot against my finger. I yelp, grabbing at the ring. My fingers burn like a thousand suns as I try to wrench the thing off. No use. I can’t grip smelting-hot metal.

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