Page 41 of Faeheart
When soul recognition occurs, the fae involved will experience what we call the Calling. It is not mere attraction, but a fundamental reshaping of one’s magical core to accommodate another consciousness. Fighting it causes pain. Accepting it leads to a bond deeper than any court magic or political alliance. Bonds are ignited via proximity, an inexplicable magnetic attraction. However, they are not fully formed until they are consummated in the fae’s true shape.
“Soul recognition,” I whispered, the words feeling both foreign and familiar on my tongue. “That’s what this is.”
Elias’s grip on my wrist tightened, and through our connection, I felt his fear warring with something that looked suspiciously like hope. “Are you saying we’re... fated mates?”
“Sort of?” I said, swallowing hard as I tried to process what was happening. “Fae don’t have fated mates like werewolves do. This is... different, but also similar.”
I could feel Elias’s pulse racing beneath my fingers where they touched his skin. Every point of contact between us sent waves of that strange buzzing recognition through my entire body.
“Then what is it?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Atlas moved closer, his protective energy flowing through our tetrad bond. “Whatever’s happening between you two is affecting all of us. It’s like your connection is... intensifying everything.”
“Soul recognition is rare,” I explained, struggling to find the right words as the journal’s revelations echoed in my mind.“It’s not something arranged or planned. It just... happens. The old stories say it’s when two magical signatures are so perfectly complementary that they can’t help but call to each other.”
Caden joined us, the amber journal still clutched in his hands. “According to Lydia’s notes, she and Sorrel experienced something similar. Sorrel called it theCalling, like their souls were two halves of the same magical equation that had to come together to make them whole.”
Elias hadn’t released my wrist, and I couldn’t bring myself to pull away despite the overwhelming intensity of the connection. Through our bond, I could feel his methodical mind trying to categorize and understand what was happening, while simultaneously being swept away by the raw power of it.
“But we barely tolerate each other most of the time,” Elias said, though the words lacked conviction. “How could we possibly be... whatever this is?”
I laughed despite myself, the sound slightly hysterical. “Maybe that’s why we drove each other crazy from the start. We were fighting this.”
The mansion around us seemed to hum in agreement, the walls pulsing with soft light that matched the rhythm of our synchronized heartbeats. Books floated from various shelves, arranging themselves in a circle around us as if the house itself was trying to provide answers.
“It says the bond isn’t fully formed until...” Elias trailed off, a flush creeping up his neck as he recalled the passage from the journal.
“Until consummation in my true form,” I finished for him, feeling my neck flare with heat. “My fae form. The one I only wear at home.”
“That’s how the mate bond is finalized as well. Caden and I had to…” Atlas cleared his throat. “Maybe we should give you two some privacy to figure this out.”
“No,” Elias and I said simultaneously, the synchronicity of our response sending another jolt through our connection.
“We’re all part of this,” I continued, barely finding the courage to fully meet Elias’s gaze. There was a cold sense of terror building in my belly at the truth in my words. “The tetrad bond connects all four of us. Whatever this additional... thing... is between Elias and me, it affects all of us.”
“So, what should we do?” Caden asked, his gaze focused on me.
“We practice for now,” I said, taking a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure. “Elias and I are both…not readyto finalize the bond.” I turned to him, feeling the wave of relief wash through him. “I think we might need to take this a bit slower.”
“We can’t,” Elias said, shaking his head. “The Purity Front is already trying to find this place. If we slow down… that could be a death sentence.”
“Well, I’m not ready,” I said with a tone of finality. “And I’m not gonna be terrorized or frightened or scared into doing something I’m not ready to do.” My voice was rising with the anger filling my chest at the unfairness of the entire situation. “Fuck the Elder Council and fuck Blackwood for doing this to us in the first place!”
“Wild…” Caden said softly, reaching for me.
“Don’t,” I snapped, pulling my arm away. I tossed Lydia’s journal onto the table, the sense of overwhelm complete. “I need some time away from all this bullshit. I just… I can’t do this.”
I stormed out of the library, my heart pounding in my chest as the enormity of what was happening threatened to suffocate me. Soul recognition. The Calling. It sounded like something out of the ancient fae stories my nursemaid used to tell me before my parents replaced her with tutors more focused on court etiquette.
The mansion seemed to respond to my agitation, corridors shifting and doors appearing where none had been before. I followed the path it created for me, not caring where it led as long as it was away from those knowing eyes, away from Elias and the terrifying inevitability of what lay between us.
Eventually, I found myself in a glass-walled conservatory filled with plants from both realms. Massive fae flowers with luminescent petals grew alongside more mundane witch herbs, their scents mingling in the humid air. It felt like home in a way that made my chest ache.
“Fuck,” I whispered, collapsing onto a stone bench surrounded by night-blooming jasmine. “This isn’t fair.”
I’d spent my entire life crafting a perfect persona. I was a carefree, sexually liberated fae who cared about nothing but pleasure and fun. It was my shield against the suffocating expectations of the Seelie Court, against my parents’ disappointment, against ever being hurt. And now this... thisbondwas threatening to tear it all down, exposing the terrified, vulnerable creature beneath and locking me into a box forever.
The worst part was that I wanted it. Beneath my panic and denial, there was a yearning so profound it made me shake. I wanted Elias. Wanted the connection, the completion, the belonging that soul recognition promised. And that terrified me more than anything the Purity Front could ever do.
