Page 14 of Bonded By Moons

The whole group in unison ooh and aah’d together. I rolled my eyes so hard I don’t think I can see straight again for the rest of the day.

“Everyone take a seat, this one’s gonna make you weak in the knees.” Brooks chuckles and takes a seat next to Brucie.

Brucie gave me a concerned look. He’s one of the guild captains that helps oversee magic training and combat missions. The male sitting on his right is Traeger, one of our fire faeries. He’s extremely talented with a bow and arrow as well. The fae directly across from Traeger is his mate, Paisley. She is a very talented map reader, and handles her weight with air magic and a throwing ax.

I just noticed Amara shaking with impatience next to me.

“EMBER IS MATED TO THE PRINCE GUYS!” she bursts expectantly, rushing to cover her mouth in regret.

Everyone gasped. I think Brucie actually choked on his coffee because he’s coughing up a lung right now.

“Amara, what the fuck?!” Traeger exclaims.

The look of disgust on everyone’s faces tells me I’m royally screwed.

“I’m so sorry, Em. But this is so crazy, I’ve been dying to talk to everyone about it since it happened! You know I can’t hold secrets in.” She looked at me sheepishly before cowering next to Paisley on the stone bench. She innocently sips on her coffee as if she didn’t just drop a bomb on us all.

I sighed heavily and faced the astonished group of assassins before me. I might as well face this head on because it’s not going away anytime soon.

“Please tell me this isn’t true?” Brucie whispered with soft eyes.

We’ve always had a thing. We’ve never acted on it but he treats me with respect, protects me on missions, and does the occasional flirting thing that makes my heart flutter. We’ve never collided because love is only a weakness. I think he resents me for that belief.

I’m a little nauseous thinking about my heart fluttering for anyone besides my mate now. I remind myself It’s just these stupid moons scrambling my thoughts and emotions. I don’t even know the guy.

Yeah, definitely the moons.

Honestly, Brucie knows I’m not looking to settle down anytime soon. He knows my ambitions are with The Ascension and my business, so I’m grateful for his friendship.

I let out a resigned a sigh, “It’s true.”

They all gasped in unison again.

“Oh, fuck off. I’m rejecting the bond, obviously. You guys think I have time for this? You think I want to be mated to a Bryton of all faeries? No way. You guys know me better than that.”

Amara began sputtering disagreements and curses for my stubbornness, but I signaled Paisley to follow me. We left everyone to gossip and blabber about my mate bond and headed to the library so we could map out tonight's path.

“Ember, you know I respect your decisions but those are the brightest mate rings I’ve ever seen. Are you sure you know what you’re doing by rejecting this bond? You’ll be discarded forever, never allowed to mate with another.” Paisley walked beside me with her shoulders straight and her gaze ahead. They all believe for the most part that bonds are one of the greatest blessings.

They also all think I’m crazy for despising love. Don’t get me wrong, a girl loves to have fun but I have never and will never given my heart to someone.

I followed her gaze and after a beat of silence, confessed with an ounce of sadness, “Yeah, I know what I'm doing.”

The recurring thought that leaving this mating bond could tear my soul in two returned. I hate these moons for making me so emotional. Better yet, I despise them right now for mating me to a Bryton and causing me such a massive headache.

We left the main hall and took the west tunnels to head to our war room and library. We walk in silence while I confess my rejection of the prince. Thankfully, Paisley always knows when to keep quiet and when to speak up. We passed several guild members on the way, accepting their nods of respect and returning them with our own. Each fae here has a job, a purpose, a reason to be here. The Ascension is also a safe haven for those that have lost something.

Together, we approach the celestial ornate doors, painted in silver and gold but heavy as slate. The library is one of the first rooms the builder team renovated upon move in. Paisley uses a gust of wind to open the doors to our private library. This room is dedicated for the leaders to conduct discreet meetings and plan missions prior to making it public to the guild. Books, scrolls, and tomes line the wall directly adjacent from the doors. There was a large round stone table that had a map of Estrallume and its surrounding villages laid out for display.

There is a large fireplace on the right wall, covered in starlike stones that went all the way to the ceiling. Paisley and I approached the map table and began discussing possible routes for tonight's mission. We spend at least an hour going over every possible entrance and exit from Estrallume. If we are caught, it’s important to know where exactly you are inside the constellation quarters and be able to find the nearest tear in the city's wards.

Capture is not an option. The king has truth elixirs and can pry information out of any member of our guild. We have families and other members to protect. I don’t trust the king to be very forgiving of an organization trying to overthrow his rule.

?

Brooks and the others came strolling through the library doors and joined Paisley and I at last. Brooks has gathered all the ammunition supplies we need for the night and throws it on the couches by the fireplace.

“Well, that should last us a few more missions.” Brooks says proudly while crossing his arms to look at the rest of us.

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