Page 52 of Enchanted Crown
Her eyes finally gave out on her and she passed out there, right in my arms.
Owen was wiping the dagger in the grass, tucking it into his boot. “We should give this thing to your mother’s tree for safe keeping. It’s good luck.”
Malachi was there, helping me up, Esta still in my arms. “Still nervous?”
I shook my head. “No. And if we really are soul bound, I’d shift into a small dragon for her every day. It feels....” I couldn’t finish. I didn’t have adequate enough words.
Malachi patted my shoulder as if he understood. “If you are going to shift, it will happen within the next few days,” he reminded me. He leaned in and somehow hugged us both. “I am so happy for you both. She deserves this.”
I found I couldn’t stop smiling. Soul bound. Were we really? How fast could I use that tether to speak to Esta telepathically? I had so many questions. Where was that twin brother of mine when I needed him?
We began walking back toward the castle. Not far into our walk back, I heard the wolves yipping and tearing across the meadow. They sounded as happy as I felt. Their sounds became closer and closer, until one of such, Rafe, ran right up to me in a blur of gray fur.
“This is new,” I whispered to Owen. I knew he and Jorah both could interact and pet the wolves now, but I hadn’t ever been able to get that close to them.
“They’ve been getting braver.”
I let him get close enough to sniff me. As soon as he had, he must have liked what he smelled as he lifted his head and let up a short howl. All the wolves joined him, and then they tore off into the forest yipping and running around each other as if they were pups and not fully grown wolves.
Within the next minute, Jorah and Krew landed, likely from their balcony, and rushed over to us, meeting us about halfway. Noting they were still dressed for the day despite the late hour, I hadn’t really thought until this moment about why Krew and Jorah had insisted they not be present for our bonding. That as an already soul bound couple, they didn’t want to stand there and put extra pressure on us.
“Well?” Krew asked, eyes going to John and Owen. “I mean I know I felt it from our bond, so that means....”
“Knocked on my arse,” John told him. “Just like with the two of you.”
“We believe them to be soul bound,” River added.
Jorah gasped and then hugged me from my back, not wanting to jostle Esta.
Krew joined her, hugging me from around Jorah. “You mightnot have wanted to get your hopes up, brother, but I knew it. I knew it as soon as I saw it in Dra Skor.”
“Well hell,” Owen muttered, and then he too got in on the massive hug going on while Esta was unconscious in my arms.
I was about to tell them they were being ridiculous, but then Owen reached out and grabbed Malachi and John and River, the result one conglomeration of elbows and limbs around me and Esta.
The realm had never felt more right. I had never felt more loved. More accepted.
“How do you feel, my prince?” Malachi asked me.
I’d think about his word choice later. How did I feel? Tired. Exhausted. Not from the weight of carrying Esta, I just felt like I was on the brink of burnout, though I suspected I hadn’t used all that much magic in our bonding. But more than anything, I felt an ache bone deep ofpeace. Of rightness. “Happy,” I told him. “Happier than I ever thought I could be in the middle of everything going on.”
Malachi grinned at me, and tapped on Owen, making him back up. The others did as well.
“And how else do you feel?” Malachi asked.
“Fine,” I lied. Then I added, “Okay, exhausted.”
Malachi moved toward me, his deep voice laughing. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” was the last thing I heard before everything faded to black.
CHAPTER 19
Iwoke to sunlight streaming in around the drawn curtains, slivers of light the only sign that it was day. The smell of food was near but not near enough.
Malachi was resting on my couch in one such sliver of light, a foot draped over a knee while he read a book. He looked up and over his shoulder at me. “One of you finally stirs.”
I yawned and stretched. My muscles seemed to scream, my body definitely feeling burnout haggardness. “Did you sleep at all?”
Malachi’s lips quirked. “A solid eight hours. I had our guards and your own keep watch. I knew the two of you would be out for the better part of an entire day.”
