Page 91 of Fate Promised

She held out her hand for his, and he took it. When they reached the ocean, she knelt and cupped some water in her other hand. He joined her, kneeling at her side.

The water pooled in her palm. “I’ve made my peace with the ocean. I chose where I belong. It won’t call for me anymore.”

He cupped her cheek. “Are you sure?”

She pointed out toward the Great Sea. “As a seal, my mind is different, you know?”

He didn’t, but he nodded anyway. His mother had once tried to explain what it was like when she took wolf form, and he imagined this was similar.

She let the water drizzle from her fingers, then traced her fingertips over his face, peering up at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. “Part of me was elated to have the freedom of the ocean. I wanted to play in the waves and let seaweed tickle my belly. But the farther I swam, the sadder I got. There was an ache, here.” She put her hand on her chest. “And I kept seeing you. Laughing. Eating. Kissing me. They were … memories of my human life. Ones I shouldn’t have had. And I heard you.”

He ran his hand over her wet hair. “I called for you with everything in my soul. The soul that returned because of you, and that I chose to keep. And I spoke words of love on the open air.” He repeated the words from the story about the knight and last dragon. The ones about how the knight had found his love when he’d thought everything was lost. Juri locked gazes with Triska. “I spoke out loud that my heart and soul belonged to you. That it was written in the stars even before I was born. How when I was only ten years old, before I could really understand it, I knew you were mine. For always.”

Her eyes widened, and her lips parted a fraction. “I knew you were what I really wanted to swim toward. There wasn’t anything else in the world more important than being with you. I didn’t have to choose the ocean or you. I could have both.”

They stood, and Triska put her hands on his chest. He didn’t feel the wind any longer. All he felt was the warmth coming from her.

He brushed his thumb across her cheek. “I always thought being a vulk, and being with you, could never happen. I thought it was best for you if I stayed away.”

She pressed herself against him, her head still tipped back to see his face. “I was so afraid of being a selkie, I didn’t allow myself to consider having a mate.”

He smiled for the first time in days. “You want to be my mate?”

She held up the ring and smiled. “I said yes a long time ago. And I’m saying yes again. I love you, Juri. I choose you.”

His chest expanded, and he purred. “You’ve always been the one I chose.” He put his hand over the rune mark. “I chose you again last week. I love you.”

The rune chimed, and a soft golden light filled the cove. Warmth spread through his chest and nestled over his heart as if someone snuggled their head there to sleep—the exact way Triska always did. The rune shimmered, then slowly faded, but the tattoo on his chest remained.

They were bonded.

With his claws, he wrenched the ring wide enough to fit on her finger and slid it on. He lifted her into his arms. “How about we go home?”

She nodded into his neck. “I’m already home. You’re my home.”

He rubbed his jaw over the top of her head and walked out of their cove to start their life together.

EPILOGUE

Juri’s warm hands slid away from her eyes, and Triska blinked. In front of her stood a modest mountain, one scalable within a day. They stood along its left flank. Triska peered at the mountain, but all she saw were the rich green pines scattered along its base, their pointy tops reaching toward the sky. “I don’t see anything.”

Juri put his arm around her. “Then I did a good job with my mountain.” He pointed. “See that one tree with the wonky branch?”

She squinted; Juri didn’t always remember her vision wasn’t as good as his. “Yes.”

“Behind there is the door. Come on.”

He took her hand, and she gripped his tight. They’d been in Ryba the last few weeks staying at her house, but their families had finally let them leave today. Juri’s mother would have thrown them a full mating celebration, with the entire town in attendance, except the weather had fully changed to winter. A scattering of fluffy snow dusted the surrounding trees, and the top of Juri’s mountain was solid white. A hint of ocean brine drifted through the air, as well as the metallic note of more snow to come.

There was going to be a large celebration, but it would have to wait for the spring. The mayor had declared it would be the wedding of all weddings, and he and Juri’s mother had sat at the tavern writing things down for hours.

If she wasn’t so blissful, she’d be petrified. They were going to merge the human wedding tradition with the peltwalker mating ceremony traditions and then at night, say their vows in vulk.

They’d slipped away this morning for the half-day walk to Juri’s den, bringing a large pack that Juri wore on his back. Here, they could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, without fear of Juri’s wee brothers barging in. Or Hazel and Chessa, who were just as bad.

Kyril had joined them for the start of their journey before peeling off to investigate some news about the Dark Cabal. The walk was mostly silent, and when Kyril did speak, he used the common tongue, which was a pleasant change.

Juri said Kyril was being an insufferable ass to everyone. He figured it was because now two vulk had mates, and the pack dynamic would change forever, but Triska wasn’t sure Juri was right. For one, Kyril had warmed to her—when Juri was busy with pack business and Kyril was free, he’d spend time with her.

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