3013: UNITY: A 3013 Novella, стр. 30
Instead, he simply spoke from the heart.
“Lyrica, my love. My soulmate. The keeper of my heart. Meeting you has changed my life in so many ways. You have become my guiding light, my reason for breathing. I give you my heart, my body, and my soul. I love you, and I promise to show you every day. From now until forever, I am yours.”
Lyrica blinked back her tears, wanting to see him clearly. He was staring down at her with a look of love so profound, it stole her breath.
“Gabriel, my love. My soulmate. The keeper of my heart. After centuries of searching for you, I am so grateful that fate put me on the right path to find you. Here you stand before me, my every wish realized, a true gift from the gods. From the moment we met, I knew you were my other half. And now, we are one, bonded through love. I promise to love, honor, and cherish you until all the stars fall from the sky. From now until forever, I am yours.”
He leaned down and gently brushed his lips over hers. When he pulled back, she chanted the binding vow in the language of her ancestors, then realized how foolish that was since it wasn’t a real Xenon bonding ceremony. When the pendant between their palms began to heat up, her eyes widened.
When he started to pull his hand away, she held tight to him, keeping the stone trapped between their hands. She repeated the binding words over and over until beams of golden light spilled from the tiny spaces between their linked hands. Warmth seeped into her skin as the beams of light wrapped around their hands in intricate knots, joining them together in a true mate bond.
The markings on her skin suddenly lit up and she felt the invisible tether binding them together grow stronger, sinking into her very soul. She watched in amazement as the beams of golden light traveled up Gabriel’s arm, stretching over his broad shoulder.
Suddenly, his wings burst free, fully expanding in all their impressive glory.
His big body shuddered, then glowing blue markings appeared on his white wings. Markings that perfectly matched the ones on her own skin. When the golden light disappeared, the markings on his wings and her skin remained for several more heartbeats before they slowly faded to a quieter shimmer.
His gaze remained locked on hers and she was awed by the absolute trust he gave her. Concern flickered through her, though she sensed that whatever had happened hadn’t hurt him. She sensed that he was fine. Actually, he felt…magical. Her breath caught as he hauled her against him, then his mouth slammed down on hers.
The sound of applause broke through their haze of desire. The pulled back as their friends and family cheered and clapped in celebration. When Gabriel pulled his wings back into his body, some of their guests gasped in delight.
“Pulling my wings back took almost no effort this time. I feel like I finally have complete control of them,” Gabriel told her through their bond. “I have no idea what just happened, but I feel fucking amazing.”
Lynx, Alden, and Harris rushed over to join them. “What the—?”
Lyrica shoved her magical pendant into Alden’s hand. “Your turn.”
Her friend stared down at the necklace as if it might attack him. “Thanks…I think.”
“I am so ready for this,” Harris said gleefully. “I can’t wait to be magically mated to you for life!”
Alden’s lips curved into a smile. “I don’t think one lifetime with you will be enough.”
Leaving Alden and Harris on the stone platform, Lyrica, Gabriel, and Lynx moved off to the side of the cavern.
“That was a real bonding ceremony,” Lynx said, sounding a little dazed. “How is that even possible without the Adderstone?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered back.
“Lyrica, there is powerful magic here that shouldn’t exist on Earth. We should all be concerned about what this means,” her brother insisted. “Aren’t you worried about what the bond did to your mate’s wings? Have you ever heard of something like that happening before?”
“No, but I sense he is fine. That’s why I’m not that worried,” Lyrica finally admitted. “Maybe it was the mix of Xenon and Dragon Warrior magic in the stone, or it could just be a factor of a Xenon mating a D’Aire. We can figure all of this out later, after Alden and Harris are bonded.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good,” Gabriel said honestly. He wrapped his arms around Lyrica from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head. “Whatever caused it, I’m starting to get used to being a magical anomaly.”
“You shouldn’t even be using Dragon Warrior magic,” Lynx whispered. “It is far too dangerous and unpredictable to be messing with.”
Gabriel ignored the rest of Lynx’s lecture as he glanced around the room. He was grateful that most of their guests didn’t seem to notice that anything odd had happened. The members of his family were giving him some serious side-eye, though. They were going to have questions, a lot of them. And their Dragon Warrior friends had heard Lynx’s warnings if he was reading their smug expressions right.
He’d seen the strange markings on his wings, and while they were unusual, he’d thought they were beautiful since they’d reminded him of the marking on Lyrica’s skin. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but Lyrica was right. He somehow sensed that he was fine.
In fact, he’d never felt better.
A late guest hurried into the cavern, catching his gaze. Chloe Deeks sent him an apologetic wince and a small wave before she sat down on one of the back benches.