Page 31 of Season's Greetings
So had Daniel.
“I read the Bond Ledger,” Matthew whispered. “Keiran showed me what we did… and what we never finished.”
Daniel’s breath hitched—a sharp intake of air that rippled through his entire body.
His pulse shifted.
His bear stirred—not for a fight.
For claiming.
He stepped closer, pulling a flintstone from his pocket. Matthew held its twin.
Without a second’s pause, they struck the flints together.
The flame sparked—not brightly, but enough.
They laid offerings on the snow. Daniel’s fur braid and bear claw tooth. Burned. Fused. Gone.
“Do you still choose me?” he asked, voice trembling in a way he hadn’t allowed in years. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat echoing the desperate, primal need flooding him.
“Your heart already knows my answer; I will always choose you.”
Daniel pressed his forehead to Matthew’s as the bond mark ignited in golden fire across both their hearts.
The feeling spread beneath his skin, a tangible heat radiating from his chest outward, warming his limbs and prickling his senses. His muscles tensed, coiled with a mixture of joy, love, and possessive rage—the desire to protect what was his warring with the bliss of reunion.
Finally, they were whole.
Daniel’s hand ghosted up the side of his mate’s cheek, fingers tangling in Matthew’s soft hair. He tilted his head back and sealed their bond with a scorching kiss—achingly sweet, like a brand, leaving his lips tingling.
He pulled back slightly, looking deep into Matthew’s eyes, then touched their foreheads together again. Their hot breaths mingled in the chill night air while their hearts beat in time.
Then—
A savage scream shattered the silence.
Daniel jolted, adrenaline surging. His jaw clenched. His canines ached. A growl clawed at his throat—a raw, untamed reaction to the scent on the breeze.
Claudia.
She stumbled into the grove, eyes wild, hands shaking, hair and face streaked with mud and twigs.
“NO!” she shrieked. “You don’t get to be happy! I fought, I sacrificed, I lost everything! And for what?!”
A glimmer of silver flashed in her hand as she swung her arm wide, face contorted, eyes flashing red—almost feral.
Daniel lunged forward, placing his larger body in front of Matthew’s, shielding him.
But she didn’t strike him.
Instead, she turned the blade inward.
Her lips moved rapidly, speaking a twisted invocation—dark and warped through rage and hate. A ritual meant to sever their soul bond.
The blow turned on her.
A flash of ether cracked the air.
