Page 86 of Conquering the King of Storms

I looked over at Ayla, and she nodded. Flood was staring at her, and I wondered if she saw the same intense emotions in his eyes that I did.

“Yes, I’m ready.”

“I take you and give myself to you through all of life’s elements,” Storm said, speaking loudly enough for Ayla to hear.

A glance out of the corner of my eye showed Flood’s fingers moving smoothly, and my heart swelled.

Ayla repeated the words back, her voice quiet and her gaze fixed on thefriendin front of her.

Sirus continued. “Through the anger of our fire. Through the disquiet of our wind. Through the shaking of our earth. Through the darkness of our water.”

Flood’s fingers moved, and Ayla spoke those words afterward, staring up into his eyes with her arms wrapped around his neck.

My gaze dipped to the sands around them when I noticed a little movement among the grains, but I hid my surprise.

Sirus went on. “Regardless of who or where we have been, we are now one in mind, body, and spirit.”

My eyes watered a bit as I watched the other couple make promises to each other, Ayla’s words growing softer.

“Now, we would trade names,” Sirus said softly. “I would say, I am your Sirus, and you would reply that you are my Sway.”

Ayla’s wide-eyed gaze returned to me, and I saw Sirus studying Flood.

Flood’s fingers were moving, his attention temporarily fixed on Storm.

“Sway,” my king said to me, his voice still loud enough for Ayla to hear. “Flood wishes for his mate to know that the name hewas given at birth is Zoran, and the name he calls her in his mind is Cier.”

The names were pronounced zor-in, and see-air, and I was curious as to what her nickname meant but obviously didn’t ask.

“Thanks,” I told Sirus, biting my lip to hide a smile.

Maybe their customs weren’t all bad. Trading names was kind of romantic, and therewassomething special about the men being so protective of their women that no other guys could speak directly to her until things were official between them.

When it wasn’t annoying, it was actually sort of sweet.

The couple focused on each other again, and Flood signed the words to Ayla. She whispered back,

“I am your Cier, and you are my Zoran.”

“Those sentiments would be followed by a promise based on your elements. If I were a water fae, and you were an earth fae, we would say,‘until the water dries, and the land flies’.”

Zoran signed the words, and then Ayla repeated them softly.

My heart swelled in my chest.

Until the water dries, and the land flies.

It was beautiful.

The whole ceremony was, but those last few sentences…

Damn.

The moment Ayla said the final word, the sand around them seemed to explode.

Sirus tugged me to his chest, lifting me easily off the ground and walking me out of the room. Sand flew all around us, but none of it hit me.

We foundDove practicing her magic in the hallway, a thick rock hovering in her palm and morphing slowly from one shape to another.

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