Chapter 37

Jayce

Lucas steps out to greet our guests, unfazed by their early arrival.

The predatory look in each of their eyes as they roam over all the heifers we’ve brought sends a shiver down my spine.

Mixed in with the scents of the swamp they emerged from is the unmistakable stench of lust, greed, and hatred.

I’m surprised they haven’t ripped one another to shreds. Emotions this powerful rarely work well together.

Lucas raises his hands to the sky. “Helios, our patér, we invite you to honor this sacred mating ceremony. May your favor shine upon us.”

The words aren’t important to Helios. Just an invitation. Our legends of old tell us he never failed to bless fated mates with his mark.

My patér hands Lucas a white bag filled with stones. All black and one white for the males. He keeps the other bag that’s red, containing all black and one red for the females.

Lucas allows our enemies—men with this much malice in their hearts we can never call friends—to pick first.

The girls draw from my patér’s bag.

We explained the ancient traditions to Shay and Priscilla earlier.

It’s not ladies first in this situation, as the humans would do. Each male turns their fisted palm over at the same time to reveal the color of their stone.

I stifle a smirk that my patér picked the white one first.

The girls each turn theirs over, and Penelope’s shoulders relax, knowing she won’t mate with my patér.

It’s not a fast process, as we will have to repeat the process forty-eight times.

My patér shifts his eyes to speak to Penelope. She, of course, hears nothing from his bull. His true mate, my mitéra, waits at home for him. I’m certain she’ll have his favorite meal prepared when he returns. They haven’t been away from each other overnight in all my life.

Circe and one of the feral men are next. Shifting of the eyes is all that’s needed for our bull to speak. Only what is certainly a power move, this man morphs into his full Minotaur before Circe.

She shivers. A hint of arousal fills my nostrils. Really. Something is seriously wrong with her in the head. How come I never saw it before Shay appeared?

Thank Helios, for not blessing that morbid display between the both of them.

Penelope and Shay pull the next two and stand before two of our single men. I force my bull’s chuffs in as Shay takes her turn. While we know she won’t hear him, it still goes against our nature.

Six more of their men draw back-to-back. All put on the same chauvinist show by shifting into their animal for each female.

The one we met the night of the eclipse stands before Priscilla. She holds her head high and keeps her fears in check. “The other sister is mine,” he says while spitting on the ground after returning to his human body.

Nikolaos reveals a white stone followed by Tara with the red. Tara’s smile lights up her eyes, while Nikolaos crosses his arms in defiance of what’s coming.

No one from our herd blinks, not wanting to miss a moment of the first mating blessed by Helios in our herd for centuries.

As the two fated mates stand locked in each other’s gaze, a tangible connection hums between them, bridging the gap between their souls.

In the exchange of their eyes, a silent conversation unfolds, words unspoken yet understood by all who’ve mated.

Suddenly, a presence seems to envelop them. A whispering voice, in the ancient language of our people, speaks on the air.

As the connection between Nikolaos and Tara intensifies, a radiant light surrounds them, bathing our friends in a golden glow that emanates from the very heavens above. Helios, the divine patron of their union, bestows his blessing upon the destined bond we all knew they shared.

Helios continues his approval of their mating as he brands them both at the same time with his mark—a symbol of their union etched between the collarbone and the nape of their necks. It appears excruciating as they fall forward to their knees. Nikolaos pulls Tara into his lap as the mark tears through their flesh. Amidst their agony, love surrounds them as they hold on to one another.

When the process ends, Nikolaos picks up his mate and carries her off to the side. Only time will tell if he’s ready for their relationship to move past friends.

Even the other herd stands in awe at what we’ve all witnessed.

I’m ready for this to end. I say a prayer to Helios that Shay and I are next.

Helios’ mercy shines on us as we both reveal the stones I’d prayed for. It’s as if every nerve in my body is already alight with the fire of our shared destiny, and my bull hasn’t spoken to her yet.

I close my eyes as she approaches, inhaling her scent. I call on my bull and give him full control. His eyes open and look deep into our mate’s. “You are perfect as you are. Our mate. Our everything.”

Everything we’d witnessed between the couple before us repeats. Helios stands next to us with his hands on our shoulders. I can see him. He smiles at us. “My children. Remind your siblings of the blessing this ceremony is to mates. We are not as humans, and to call what I have ordained barbaric is to shun my gift. Please bring them back to me.”

As our marks take shape, a visible testament to the Fates that brought us together, I could feel the weight of our love mixed with our god’s love settling upon us like a blanket.

Our bond is a bond forged in the fires of destiny. We are a beacon of hope and love destined to tell others about Helios’ loss and hope that we’ll return to him.

Though the pain of his mark hurt like no other pain I’ve experienced, I’ll tell the others it’s a small price to pay for the beauty of a union like Shay and me. One blessed by the gods and Fates themselves.

We stand in front of each other with our hands linked. We’re marked by Helios and bound by fate. Nothing in this world can tear us apart. Not even Circe’s wails in the background.

The man promised for Shay, stands ready for battle. Another man, whom I suspect is Shay’s maker, whispers in his ear.

We’re ready for whatever underhanded scheme they have planned.