Page 121 of Unveiled

“I take your burden.”

“I walk beside you.”

“I walk beside you.”

“Against fate.”

“Against fate.”

“And against those who fear what we are.”

“And against those who fear what we are.”

Connor cupped Adrian’s face. “For as long as I exist,” he murmured.

Adrian inhaled deeply. “For as long as I exist.”

The mark ignited—not violently, not painfully—but with a warm, shimmering light that wrapped around them both like a veil of gold and violet flames. Connor leaned in, pressing his forehead to Adrian’s.

And together, with steady breath and joined hands, they spoke the last line in unison:

“Bound by our choosing, unbroken by fear.”

The flames vanished. The room fell silent. Adrian exhaled in a whoosh. Connor stayed close, his breath ghosting Adrian’s cheek.

“Did it work?” Adrian asked.

The answer came instantly. The valley pulsed. A deep, resonant thrum echoed through the stones of the castle. Behind them, the fault lines glowed softly and evenly. No longer chaotic but beating in a gentle rhythm. The Veil had heard them and accepted the vow.

Connor murmured. “You okay?”

Adrian pressed a hand to his heart, his eyes wide with wonder. “The mark. It’s warm.”

Connor touched Adrian’s chest lightly, then his own. He grinned. “It’s ours now.”

“I think the Veil recognised us.”

Connor smirked. “Then the Council’s about to have an unexpected night because there are things I want to do to you that will make them blush.”

Adrian laughed and let himself fold into Connor’s arms. Connor held him like a vow itself. And outside, the valley listened.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Adrian

The valley had been restless since the vow. Not violently, not like the rend’s roar or the anchors’ pulse, but with a strange, rhythmic stirring. As though the land was breathing deeper and expanding its lungs for the first time in centuries.

Adrian felt it before dawn. The Whispering Wood was calling. It began with a voice—not words or language—but a sound that seemed to slide under Adrian’s skin. A low hum thrummed through the stone floor beside his bed. His eyes snapped open.

“Connor,” Adrian whispered, reaching for the man beside him. “Do you hear that?”

Connor stirred instantly, listening. The hum vibrated again, like air being plucked on a string stretched between two worlds. Connor sat upright. “Aye. I hear it.”

Adrian shivered. “It’s calling to me.”

“No.” Connor’s hand cupped the back of Adrian’s neck, grounding him. “It’s calling to us.”

Xiathen appeared in the doorway without knocking. His face was pale. “The Wood has awakened.”