Page 116 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

“Dark witches?” Kamden asks.

“Humans who don’t have magic but can summon it through spells. Your awakening will hopefully restore your birthright and therefore your magic.”

“Wait,” Ciara interrupts.

Finn clenches his jaw as he turns to her.

“So it won’t just be Raea and Ryker with magic? If we do this awakening, do we lose our Bond?”

I answer before Finn can. “The Lumos Bonds are gone.” Her eyes widen. “When the Veil disappeared, so did the magic that made it. I’m sure the Bonds already established are fine.” I look to Carys, who shrugs. “But we won’t know until we get back. As far as future Lumos Bonds…” I shake my head.

“Dammit,” Tate declares, slapping a hand on the table. “I was looking forward to it.”

Brynna snorts. “Such a pathetic little child. Find someone you want to be with and move on.”

Kamden leans forward. “We get to choose?”

“Yes,” Finn answers. “Most Fae and Elven get to choose. The Mating Bond between Raea and Ryker is rare, and when I say rare, I mean there’s only a handful or so of recorded cases. There’s a “Bond” of sorts that can be felt between two people, but it’s not really a Bond. It’s more that your magic is harmonizing with the other.”

Our friends sit in silence for a moment as Finn looks around, then they all break out in smiles. They’re all muttering to one another as Finn sits, looking pleased with himself.

Riven breaks up the muttering when he addresses them once more. “Your awakening will tell us what bloodlines you are from.”

They all nod as food is brought out by staff members. Each plate is set before us along with goblets of wine.

Riven looks at Raea and me. “In the morning, Carys and I will be escorting you to the temple at Ilythara Pass. We’ll need to leave at sunup.”

Finn gestures as he tells everyone to dig in. Raea holds my hand as she speaks with Kellan and Ciara about their day. Trysten fills me in on my other side about the training grounds being something out of a fantasy. He said the warrior training had skills he’d never witnessed, not even with the quadrants. Honestly, it doesn’t surprise me.

While Astor and Calia did what they needed to do to protect us, they also inhibited us. I know there’s more to the story, but I wish I could ask why they chose to hide us behind a Veil instead of training us to fight and use the magic we were born with. What kind of long-term damage was done in the process?

I realize I've tuned everyone out when Aolyn stands, glaring daggers across the table at Brynna, who sits there with a smirk.

Raea inhales sharply.

“I’m not a traitor!” Aolyn growls. “I told Raea the truth. I told her when she was in danger. I told her to go home. What else should I have done?”

Brynna scoffs. “Your father was harboring her sister, who, mind you, is evil incarnate, for the better part of a year. A year! And you knew something was wrong, and yet you chose to do nothing about it.”

“Stop it,” Raea says softly. “Aolyn could have stayed with her father. The choice was hers. At the end of the day, she chose to come with me.”

“To spy,” Brynna adds.

Raea fists her hands as she stands. “I would kindly ask that you not speak about my friend. And since we all hold the same titles, she’s entitled to tell you absolutely nothing.”

“Brynna,” Carys admonishes.

Brynna rolls her eyes, leaning back in her chair as she grabs her wine. Aolyn storms out of the room. Raea begins to follow, but Kamden stops her, telling her he will go. Reluctantly, Raea agrees, returning to her seat.

“Well, this is off to a fantastic start,” Trysten mutters.

After dinner, Raea and I check on Clara, finding her fast asleep, her arms wrapped around a doll someone must have given to her. Raea kisses her goodnight before she slips back into our room.

When I head back myself, I find Raea changed into leggings and a sweater, her hair pulled up into a knot. She kisses me once, telling me she’s going to check in on Aolyn and to change so we can head up to the beach.

“I’ll just be a minute,” I say, pulling her into my arms and holding her for a moment longer. Her hands glide up my chest. I lost my jacket the moment we walked through the door. Her hands link behind my neck as we sway to the sound of our heartbeats. “What’s going on in your head, love?”

She keeps swaying. Finally, after a long minute, she pulls away, looking up at me. In this dim lighting, the candlelight catches on the gold flecks in her eyes and dances off her skin. “I love you, Ry. I just—” She shakes her head. “I shouldn’t care. I know it’s stupid.”