45. Jace

Chapter forty-five

Jace

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lift my gaze from Lia the entire flight back from our engagement. She leaned into my chest, pressing random, tender kisses to my jaw every time she caught me staring. I watched as her hair flew in the wind, and her smile beamed ear-to-ear as she kept catching glimpses of the ring that now adorned her finger.

My heart thudded in my chest, pride exuding from my pores as I thought about the fact that I would have a wife —an idea that I had given up long ago, never wishing or thinking it would ever exist for me—until her.

I never could have fathomed knowing a love like this before, regardless of the mating bond we shared. I would do anything for her—destroy anyone or anything that stood in her way.

As Nox landed outside the door of my family’s estate, the rumbling of the ground gave our arrival away. My eyes flew to the windows to see many curious eyes on us, their faces pressed against the glass as if they were children outside of a toy maker’s shop.

“I have a feeling the secret is out,” Lia said with a giggle as we leapt down from the wyvern .

“I should’ve known that a small white lie would have been better suited to tell Gage,” I joked.

She patted Nox on the nose, and he nuzzled his snout into her chest as she said her goodbyes right before we began our ascent up the walkway to the front door.

Suddenly, the door burst open, followed by excited squeals from Avery and many knowing grins from the others.

Lia did a few adorable little stomps of her feet as shrieks left her, matching her sister’s. They both burst out in excited laughter as they ran towards one another, jumping into an embrace where they swayed side to side.

“Oh my gods, oh my gods, did it happen?!” Avery begged. She pushed out of Lia’s hug and instantly reached for her hand, staring at the ring on her finger. “It’s so beautiful!”

Lia chuckled as she watched her sister beam. “Thank you.” She glanced back at me and smiled softly. “He knows how to make things very special.”

My eyes lifted to Gage, whose arms were crossed as he leaned against the doorway, his brows fluttering at me. I moved past the girls and walked up to him.

“Congratulations, brother,” he greeted as he clapped me on the shoulder, and then pulled me into a hug. “I can’t believe she agreed to spend the rest of her ridiculously long life with you, but it’s better to trick her into it now, while you still can.”

Laughter boomed from him as I jokingly shoved at his shoulder and walked through the doorway.

Zaela immediately gave me a quick hug and smile, saying her congratulations, as both Landon and Finnian came up to shake my hand. Veli remained in the corner of the living area as she inclined her head at me with a small smile tilting her lips.

“I can’t think of a better male for my sister,” Finn said. “I know you will take care of her.” He smiled at me, and I didn’t realize how badly I wanted his and Avery’s approval until it had been received.

Lia came in through the doorway, and everyone flocked to her, gushing over the ring while I internally gushed over her .

Her beautiful green eyes lifted to mine as they swarmed her, and it threatened to make my heart stop.

Zae was the first to break the circle, and she walked up to my side.

“Where is Lynelle?” I asked, assuming she would have been one of the ones to burst through the doorway in excitement.

Zaela let out a small laugh. “She apparently forgot about our dinner plans and is spending the night at Leon’s.” She pursed her lips together as she tried to suppress a smirk.

“That is…that is interesting,” I said as a sound left me that was half sigh, half chuckle.

“Let them have their fun. They both deserve it,” she stated, and I nearly did a double take as the words left her.

As everyone settled into the space, taking their seats on the couches, chairs, and floor, Zaela brought in a few bottles of wine. She handed a poured glass to everyone, and they toasted to us in celebration while Lia sat on my lap in the chair next to the roaring fireplace.

“To the future queen and king of Velyra!” Gage boomed .

King . It sounded so strange when spoken aloud.

“So when is the wedding?!” Avery asked as she sipped her wine, her eyes boring into Lia with a mischievous gleam.

Lia sipped her own as her eyes roamed over each of them. “I’m not sure. We don’t exactly have time for a wedding. We need to leave soon to get our armies beyond the forest. That alone will take weeks.”

“We could do something small here first, though!”

“Avery, it’s not your wedding. Let Lia and Jace decide,” Finn teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him in response.

“Well, I don’t hate the idea of celebrating with my court of rebels, in the least.” Lia winked at her sister. “However, we still have much to plan. And I don’t ever want to be in another situation where we don’t know what’s happening with one another, and that will be damn near impossible for what lies ahead. The planning of that must come first.”

“There may come a time when we will all be separated and unable to guard each other’s backs,” I announced to them all, and the mood turned somber.

“I refuse to have another situation like with the sirens.” Lia craned her neck to look up at me and then moved her gaze back to her court. “All I could sense was an overwhelming panic, which turned into not being able to distinguish his from my own. And if we had returned even seconds later, the two of you may not have survived.” Her hand moved to gesture to both Gage and me.

“There may be a workaround for that, Elianna.” Veli broke her silence from where she stood in the corner.

Everyone’s attention flew to the witch .

“I’m listening,” Lia announced as she brought her glass of wine to her lips.

“I told you once before that first night in the city that cradles the mountains—mating bonds are capable of expanding beyond emotions and senses, for that is just the very surface of your link to one another. The practice I’m referring to has been lost for centuries, but I remember a time when politics were not so dire, and mating bonds were more apparent throughout the realm.”

“Meaning what exactly?” I asked.

“The use of magic can bring on a further, deeper bond if a mated pair is wed before the gods,” she answered.

My eyes flared, and I peered over Lia’s shoulder to get a better look at her, but her face was unreadable, and a hesitant confusion exuded from her.

“How can there be a deeper bond than what we already possess? Lore states that nothing could be greater, or even comparable than what this holds,” she said.

“Not all knowledge can be passed down between the pages of written books, as texts are often lost.” Veli’s stare lingered on us for a moment before she continued. “Or stolen.” She cleared her throat.

“And what would this entail? I already feel everything she feels,” I stated.

“It would be a connection of your minds,” she answered.

“What?!” Lia gasped with a half laugh. “As in…he would be able to hear my thoughts?” She glanced up at me over her shoulder and gave me a nervous smile, which I responded to with furrowing brows at her hesitance .

“Only the ones you allow to flow through the connection,” she answered.

“Oh, thank the gods,” Lia said, earning a snort from me.

“It should be as simple as verbally speaking to one another. All it would take is for you to will it into the other’s mind,” the witch stated. “Although, I’m sure you will need to master it so you are not merely shouting everything at each other.”

“Ugh,” she let out.

“What’s the matter, Lia?” Gage teased from where he sat with Avery on the settee. “Trying to hide your inner-most thoughts from us, hmmm?”

“You all don’t need to know everything that goes on in my mind,” she huffed.

“Would that be because the self-sacrificial bullshit would need to come to an end?” Zaela questioned, as her eyes remained fixated on her.

“No,” Lia growled.

“Such sweet lies,” I whispered in her ear. She squirmed in my grasp, but it only made me tighten my hold.

“It’s not necessary, but it’s an option I wanted to make you aware of,” Veli chimed in. “Separation is a guarantee once you are on that battlefield. However, hearing another’s thoughts may also serve as a distraction.”

“But it could also lead us back to each other,” Lia breathed.

“Precisely,” the sorceress added. “It is a practice that used to be known amongst both the High Witches and Priests of the realm but was lost once marriages of convenience became the forefront of how the inner workings of the court worked. And if you wish to avoid another siren situation, you would be able to communicate with one another this way. Even see through each other’s eyes.”

Everyone was silent for a few moments. The only sound to be heard was the crackling of embers as they sparked from the fireplace.

“And you would be able to assist with the practice of these?” I asked.

“It is something you must learn from one another—your bodies and minds working in tandem. Just note that it cannot be undone without severing your bond entirely. However, if there is ever a time where you need to block the bridge or hide your pain, you may temporarily build a wall in your mind if you concentrate hard enough, though you will always be able to sense one another.”

Gods, I could already feel the wheels turning in Lia’s head at that.

“Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of this? If she’s in pain, I would need to know,” I grumbled.

The sorceress shrugged. “It is an option if desired. As I said before, this ritual enhances your bond, giving you more access and control. You will still be able to sense one another if one decides to build a shield.”

My heart started pounding as I glanced at my mate, and I discovered her gaze was already fixed on me while everyone else watched in silence.

“This is an…intense and irreparable decision. What are you thinking, Lia?”

“That’s not fair. You can’t leave the decision in my hands alone. It’s your life too. ”

“I would never burden you with the sole responsibility of making this decision, but you should know that I am entirely for it. It’s to ensure your safety and that you’re never lost to me. I would never be against something as such,” I stated.

I then leaned down and breathed into the tip of her ear, “And imagine all the wicked things I could whisper into your mind, my darling Lia.”

Her body went rigid while goosebumps formed on her skin. She then cupped my cheek with her palm, a soft, closed-lipped smile forming on her face. “Wicked whispers regardless, it’s to ensure your safety as well. Not just my own.”

Zaela cleared her throat from across the room. “Well, I believe the decision is made, then.”

Avery leapt up from the couch, the wine in her glass nearly tipping over its edge in the process. “It’s decided, then! A royal wedding!” she boomed with pure glee.

Gage reached out and grabbed her by the back of her shirt, pulling her back into his arms on the couch, and she fell into him, giggling.

“It’s decided,” Lia said softly with a smile. “I suppose we can spare one night for a celebration before our departure.”

Everyone’s face wore a smile as chatter among the eight of us ensued, discussing plans, attire, and the functionality of such an event.

And then the night carried on, the sound of our laughter and the strumming of Gage’s gittern filled the air as we allowed ourselves to forget about our endless responsibilities and be a family.