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“Yes, Elder Lelwyn,” Goll said mockingly. “Make haste, shall we?”
For the first time, his second behind him smirked, his red eyes narrowing with amusement, making me more angry.
“Yes, yes, of course.” Elder Lelwyn was a kind, old fae who’d served our house for many years. He’d even joined my parents in their own moon-binding ceremony. He jumped quicklyto the meat of it, as Goll had suggested.
“Clasp your hands and press your forearms together for the binding words.”
I held both my arms up, bent at the elbow. Goll just looked at me, his gaze roving my upturned arms.
“Take my hands and do as I do,” I whispered.
Goll stepped forward and lifted his arms. The immensity of him, especially covered in thick, black-steel armor, seemed almost ridiculous at this moment. I was used to prettily dressedfae males in silk and brocade with perfumed hair and smooth hands. Goll was completely the opposite.
His calloused palms pressed to mine, then he curled his long fingers through mine, reminding me where those fingers had recently been. His claws touched the back of my hand, but they didn’t pierce the skin. His eyes blazed with that familiar fire I’d seen when he first walked into my bedchamber back at Näkt Mir.
I gulped hard as Elder Lelwyn asked us both to repeat after him. But when I began to speak, Goll said nothing. He just watched me with unnerving intensity as I recited the sacred words.
“My king,” said Elder Lelwyn, “you must repeat after me. You say the vows at the same time.”
“I’m aware of your custom, priest,” said Goll, his eyes on me, “but the princess will be reciting her vows for her own peace of mind. I don’t need them.”
“I see, well, I see that…hmmm. I’m not sure that—”
Baelynn stepped forward and placed a hand on the priest’s elbow. “It’s fine, Elder Lelwyn. We will recognize the ceremony’s validity regardless. Won’t we?”
The poor elder stared wide-eyed in his white robe at my brother, never having been put in this situation. He’d be performing his own magick on this ceremony for the binding. A priest’s magick was considered sacred for the binding magick it held.
“I’m not sure the binding will take if both don’t speak the words.”
The vows in a moon-binding were part of a spell that wove with the priest’s god-given magick to bind us. The bond wouldn’t hold, of course, since we were not a proper match, but the ceremony would be recognized by all of Lumeria, branding me as that pitiful fae princess, bound to the wraith king. At least, Iwould not be renounced a whore, and that’s all that mattered to me at the moment.
“That might be for the best,” I said, still clasped in Goll’s grip.
“I see.” Elder Lelwyn cleared his throat. “Then repeat after me, Princess.” He began to recite the vows.
“I bequeath to you my loyalty, my fidelity, and my love.” I frowned at the falseness pouring from my own mouth as Elder Lelwyn went on. I repeated, “My trust and my companionship till our years are long and our days are done.” I swallowed hard then repeated, “I give you the…”
I stumbled at the next part.
“You must repeat it,” said Elder Lelwyn.
Goll smiled, a predatory gleam in his dragon eyes. He squeezed our clasped hands and leaned closer, his blue eyes glinting in the moonlight. “Yes, I want to hear this last part from your lips, Princess,” he whispered intimately, his gaze dropping to my mouth.
Taking a deep breath, I repeated what the priest had said, “I give you the fruit of our coupling with an open heart, vowing to treasure any children who come of this consecrated union. I vow to hold sacred this binding, sanctified by the blessed Goddess Lumera beneath her divine light.”
Elder Lelwyn said the last sentence again. Then I repeated it.
“I give my whole self, body and soul, into your care and keeping. For as long as the moon shines and magick reigns.”
Goll grinned so wide I could finally see his pointed canines. Rather than repulse me, my heart raced with excitement. How could that possibly be?
Then Elder Lelwyn’s magick began to burn along our clasped wrists, our hands and fingers, sliding in a tendril of silvery-white light. It wound tighter around our wrists, creating a band of light tethering us together. Goll stiffened, sensing the ropes of light fae magick sizzling around us and along our skin.
For the first time since he’d entered this chamber, I smiled. I liked seeing Goll confused and uncomfortable.
“It won’t hurt you. Or taint you, my king,” I said mockingly.
His scowl deepened. “I know that. Light fae magick can’t hurt me.”
