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“H-how?” I asked, since breaking the tether meant death, and since Sun claimed he could not serve three masters. He and Hadi were planning to battle to the death as soon as Tsuki granted his wish.
“...If you’re his master, you won’t need a tether to bind that worthless human to you,” Hadi declared, and everything made sense. “As your slave, what is his, is yours, including his soul.”
I remembered now, when we first entered Yewan, which had been the human’s capital at the time, feeling the glory, shock, and awe of our king Alhadya in action. Of seeing his large body crush the human throne and reshape it in his image. On that day he made Master Bracken a prince and gave me to him for eternity. As bonded mates. So that meant–
“Silence,” Hadi hissed as my clicking crescendoed, causing the others to stir and shift. I bowed my head and begged his forgiveness.
“Well then, that’s enough for now. Think about it in your dreams. Consider my offer carefully, Clem, and dream of that future rather than your nightmares tonight.”
And with that, our king went back to ignoring me. The fact he acknowledged me at all was earth shattering. Sun truly had changed us to our core. I was floating on a cloud from excitement.
“Rest,” Hadi instructed when I didn’t move right away.
Doing as I was told, I crawled back to the heap of my mates, eager to be wrapped in their warmth again.
“Go to sleep and stop crawling all over me,” Kiar grumbled, tail tugging me closer to Sun and Bracken as I climbed in.
My master would’ve never allowed himself to be used in such a way before, his body our bed and his chest our pillow for far too many nights now. And Kiar? Ha! He’d have snatched me up and flung me against a wall with sneering disdain at the mention of snuggling like this.
Sun was our light, and we were his faithful shadows. I would never have it any other way. No matter what fantasy Hadi presented me with, it wasn’t as incredible as what I had right here, right now.
Some days, back in that cell, trapped between life and death, I’d wished for Sun’s dreams to be filled with me.
And now, I longed for every waking moment to remain like this, so we’d never have to part again.
Goddess, can you hear me?
I had never prayed before. I did not see a need to. But lying awake until my eyes were heavy, and the world faded away, I kept repeating one prayer like a mantra.
If you can hear my prayer, please make Sun stay. Please make Hadi see. Make a way for us to remain together…
“Forever,” I whispered as I finally drifted off to a dreamless sleep, free of terror.
Chapter 19
Sun
“It is time to wake up.”
Hadi’s voice infiltrated my fitful sleep. Oddly, it didn’t set me on edge anymore. It was too familiar. Too close. Perhaps that was the tether at work. I knew he was no danger to me for now. In fact, I was starting to feel that he wasn’t much different than the others. We had all taken time to warm up to each other, after all. And if the way he had been watching me last night was anything to go by… I was even starting to get used to the pincers…
Or perhaps it was because I could see through his ornery mask to the spoiled person beneath. In a way, he reminded me of a child who had never been disciplined. For some reason, that opinion of him made him seem less dangerous.
“The sun has risen, and our time is running out,” he went on when none of us moved. “We must go now, or this entire quest was pointless.”
Finally, I opened my eyes a crack.
It still looked dark to me, but I was sandwiched between Kiar and Clem and Bracken had us all wrapped up in his wings to keep the cold out of our little cocoon.
It was like a little shelter, almost as cozy as a tent–more so, if I was being honest, because Kiar felt so protective against my back and Clem was so soft against my chest, and they both fit me so perfectly.
“We can rest a little longer if that is what you want,” Clem whispered sleepily against my neck.
Kiar made a soft, affirmative noise and I had the impression that the suggestion was more for their own benefits.
Sighing, I stroked Clem’s pale hair and gently kissed the top of his head.
He made a happy sound, snuggling closer, and I didn’t even have it in me to berate myself. I should because truly, I was getting too close to them. I was already far more attached than should have been possible, but it was what it was.
