Chapter 24

24

EVANGELINE

T hings became a giddy blur. This kind of familiar bond wasn't exactly like being married, but it wasn't that far off. Having a soul bond excited the hell out of me. Besides, we were all eager for a little bit of lightness by then, and we got… well, we got a little carried away.

The ceremony at its core was pretty simple, but that was before the vampires got involved. They loved dramatics, especially if it presented an opportunity to dress up. Lissa took charge with the determination and authority of a decorated general, drilling Marcus for details on the history of the ceremony and scribbling down sketches. She barked orders at everyone, and they jumped to do what she said with baffled amusement. It was like, for just a day, we could pretend this was the most important thing any of us were worried about.

Once Lissa's orders had been given, and Vic was deputized to make sure they were followed, she whisked me away to her room. It was tucked into the back of the third floor, and the walls were older than the rest as if the room had been built back when the rest of the floor was one open space. The only way to tell that her room and mine were part of the same building was because they had the same tall ceilings and windows. The similarities ended there. Her room looked like an M. C. Escher version of a four-poster bed, or maybe the world's most glamorous laundry room. There was fabric everywhere. It hung down from the ceiling all the way to the floor, tied aside in graceful curves to show even more fabric behind. The layers of gauzy, sheer curtains over the windows shifted over each other in the breeze, the colors blending and changing. The fabric hanging down from the ceiling's dark beams divided the room into sections, and I was glad I had her with me, because I would have gotten lost in the maze.

Lissa fixed me with a firm, examining look. "Green, I think," she said brusquely.

"Uh," I supplied. "Sorry, for what, exactly?"

"Evangeline, you can't get soul bonded in that, " Lissa said, looking at my jeans with more disapproval than was necessary.

"I feel like I definitely can," I muttered, and she raised an eyebrow at me in a way that made me think of every teacher I'd ever disappointed.

"You can." She wrinkled her nose. "But do you want to? Or do you want me to make you something utterly spectacular?"

I flushed. Fuck it. Fuck being practical, fuck being efficient, fuck durable clothes that were easy to clean ectoplasm off of. I was getting soul bonded to an extremely handsome vampire noble, and I wanted to look like a goddamn princess.

"I'd like something spectacular, please," I said.

Lissa grinned and clapped, squealing a little. "I found the perfect fabric. This place used to be a fabric mill, you know, and according to Marcus, when he got this place, this room was locked up with the last of the fabric still inside."

"That explains all the…" I waved a hand at the hanging curtains all around us.

"It's stunning, isn't it?" Lissa squealed. "No doubt an absolutely atrocious fire hazard, but, well, it isn't my house. When we arrived, I snooped around the room thoroughly, as one does."

"Of course," I said, and I wasn't even being sarcastic. I always looked in the medicine cabinet when I used someone's bathroom, and after years of working as a paranormal private investigator, I wasn't even ashamed of it. (It wasn't always for a case. One time it had been because the client's foundation was flawless, but it didn't seem right to ask her about it while I was trying to find the people who had stolen her car with her dog inside it.)

"And I found this!" Lissa swung aside panels of fabric to reveal a plain wooden door. Behind it was a small, tidy room, shockingly plain after wading through the opulent hanging fabrics. The walls were mostly bare, with just bobbin racks, a neat row of scissors and rulers, and swatches of fabric pinned up. The room was the width of one of the giant mill windows, so one entire wall was just glass, letting in the sunlight. A sewing table was set up below the bobbin racks, the old-fashioned kind with a glossy black sewing machine built into the top of it, and a few rolls of fabric stood in one corner, dusty but otherwise untouched by time.

"My theory is they set up this room to make clothing samples to show off their wares to potential buyers," Lissa said happily. "Some people lack imagination, you know. They can't see the potential in fabric unless they hold it in their hand. It must be an absolutely tragic way to live."

She heaved one of the rolls of fabric out of the corner. They weren't on bolts but long wooden poles that must have been part of the looms themselves. The silvery green silk gleamed, reminding me of eucalyptus leaves. The length that was loose from the roll flowed through the air as she swished the fabric back and forth.

"This one, I think," Lissa said. "Now, hop up onto that stool, and I'll get to work."

Lissa measured me with the efficiency of an expert, then draped some fabric over me and measured again. She patted me on the back and sent me away. Everyone scurried around preparing stuff, either for the ceremony or for what would come afterward. I desperately wanted to make myself useful, but the ceremony did have certain requirements. I had to meditate, then bathe. Marcus must've had a word with the house, because my room's shower had morphed into a tub. It was still tiny, and my knees stuck out of the water, but it was better than knocking my elbows against the wall while I washed myself.

It was a weird feeling, kind of impatient and calm at the same time. It felt like I'd set everything up for a party, and now I had to sit and twitch for that last half hour before the guests arrived. I was getting soul bonded. I was getting soul bonded to someone I loved. My cheeks hurt, and I realized I'd been sitting in the tiny bathtub, grinning like a lunatic.

When I came out of the bathroom, Gabriel was waiting in the bedroom. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he saw me, and I desperately wanted to kiss him, so I did. He smiled against my lips and tugged gently at my damp hair.

"I thought I might reiterate my earlier offer," he murmured. "Since it's apparently a big day." He'd already set out the hair oil and comb. They were aligned precisely with the pattern of the bedspread, which meant he'd been out here waiting long enough to fidget with things.

I smiled up at him and nodded. "I'd like that."

I sat with my back to him, and he began working the oil through my hair with precise, gentle movements. It was incredibly calming, the polar opposite of when my mother had tried to drag a brush through my hair when I was a kid.

"I thought I should come find you," he said. His voice was soft, but the room was a nearly silent little sanctuary, and he was very close. "I wanted to… to make sure you truly wish to go through with this."

"I do," I said. "I know it's happening really fast, but I do want this."

"I know what it's like to be pushed into a role out of obligation," Gabriel said carefully, picking each word like he was playing a game of Operation. "I don't want you to feel stuck. I'm sure we could find another way, although I know time is of the essence, and?—"

"I want this," I repeated firmly. "I want to do this with you. I know you have a history with arranged marriage stuff, but this isn't like that. I mean, if anything, I should make sure you're okay with it."

"Yes," he blurted. "I am. I would be. Even if it was, ah, like that. Not, not arranged, I mean, but… marriage."

I looked at him over my shoulder and smiled. He looked a little concussed, but in a very handsome way. "I love you," I said. "You absolute fucking dork."

"I love you, too," he said, his eyes brightening. He cleared his throat and set down the bottle, then turned the comb over in his hands. "Your hair's all set. Lissa said she's nearly ready for you, and I'm guessing both of us will be absolutely shocked to be surprised by our dear friends when they insist on some sort of elaborate preparation."

I snorted, climbing off the bed. "Completely caught by surprise." I kissed him, deep and lingering.

"I'll see you at the ceremony," Gabriel said, sounding a little awed.

"Can't wait."

Lissa had outdone herself. I stared at my reflection, twisting from side to side, not to check myself out from every angle, but to remind myself that the creature in the mirror was actually me.

Isabella had brought out a tiny pot of pigment and two thin brushes, and she and Lissa copied the proper runes and sigils for the ceremony onto my skin. The pigment was metallic and strangely warm, and as it hit my skin it turned a warm golden color. The markings curled around my fingers, up my arms, along the back of my neck. They'd painted my legs and back, too, but I'd done my face and the ones on the front of my torso myself. With steady hands, I'd marked the runes over my ribs and across my hipbones. I'd painted the tiny sigils onto my breasts and above the neatly groomed hair between my thighs. The markings curled over my cheekbones, and there was one small rune right in the middle of my lower lip.

Then the dress. Lissa had transformed the pale green silk into a floor-length gown that skimmed the lines of my body perfectly, showing me off without making it seem like it was showing me off. It was a halter top, but nothing like anything I'd ever worn before. The bodice came up to a point right between my collarbones and gave off the appearance that nothing at all connected it to the ribbon tied around my neck and cascading down my exposed back. Lissa had somehow managed to make the dress form-fitting and also backless. The whole thing was a feat of engineering. It didn't look like it had been sewn, more like it had shaped itself to my body.

That wasn't it, though. Of course it wasn't. Marcus had told Lissa about ceremonial mantles, and she'd formed it into a sort of cape that draped down to leave my shoulders bare but hung down to trail on the floor. It was covered with embroidery, which could only have been done so quickly with magic. Delicate stitches picked out runes of protection and luck, twisted around healing plants embroidered in full bloom.

Now, fully dressed and painted, I felt like some sort of ancient goddess. The color made my eyes glow. My hair had dried into glossy curls that flowed down my back, and the rune on my lip glinted when I smiled at my reflection. I looked like I deserved to be recognized as a powerful witch. I looked like I was ready to be soul bonded. I looked like someone who was barely even worrying about whether her body paint would smudge onto her one-of-a-kind silk clothes.

The garden, once dry and bereft, now nearly flourished thanks to the magic of the house. It was somewhat scraggly, but it was doing its best, as was evident from the archway of flowers underneath which Marcus stood. He'd found a ceremonial mantle of his own, in a rich blue-black-purple that sparkled with points of silver and gold as if he'd wrapped himself in a piece of the night sky. It was also, I realized with amused horror, a very fancy version of a cartoon wizard robe. At least there wasn't a hat.

Then, I saw Gabriel, and all other thoughts vanished from my mind. He was dressed simply—by his standards—in an old-fashioned white shirt and plain black trousers. The runes covered his face and hands, and his shirt was unbuttoned enough that I could see they continued there as well. I felt a lick of arousal thinking about where the runes were on my body—where they might be on his.

I was used to seeing Gabriel in buttoned-up, complicated clothes. Not stuffy, exactly, but formal. Seeing him like this was somehow more vulnerable than seeing him naked.

His eyes went wide as I stepped toward him. The way he looked at me… It was as if he never wanted to look away. The feeling was mutual, and fantastic for my ego. We moved toward each other as if we were in a trance, and it was sheer luck that we happened to reach each other in front of the archway.

Was I breathing hard? It felt like I was breathing hard.

"If I could have your attention," Marcus said. It didn't seem like it was the first time he'd said it.

I bit back a laugh, and Gabriel smiled at me like we were in on a secret. Finally, we managed to look away from each other.

"Thank you," Marcus said dryly.

The others gathered around us in a loose circle. They had probably dressed up, but I truly wasn't paying attention.

"It is my honor and my privilege to lead this ceremony. The soul bond is a rare and special thing. Once it has been done, it cannot be undone. You will be linked for the rest of your lives. With this knowledge, do you wish to continue?"

I reached for Gabriel's hand, and our fingers brushed immediately—he'd already been reaching for mine.

"Yes," I said.

"Yes," he echoed.

"Very good. Is there one who will speak for Gabriel De Montclair and pledge that he has entered this bond freely and happily?"

"I will pledge this," Lissa said, taking a step forward. She had a ribbon in her hands, a long strip of the same fabric she'd used for my dress.

"Your pledge is heard. I would tell you two to please join hands, but I see you've done that already. Turn and face each other, please. May I have the ribbon? Ah, thank you."

Gabriel and I turned. There was something almost giddy on his face, like he'd expected to wake up from a wonderful dream and was amazed it was still going. Marcus adjusted our hands so they were palm to palm. The painted runes aligned, and he began to wrap a strip of fabric around our hands.

"Is there one who will speak for Evangeline Summers, to pledge that she is sharing her magic truly and with pure intent?"

"I will pledge this," Isabella said, and I looked at her with gratitude. She smiled at me with a little ‘what are friends for' shrug, the chipped mug in her hand dipping slightly.

"Your pledge is heard. Present the chalice. Really? We're using this? Ah, well." Marcus accepted the chipped mug, then cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Do you swear to bind your souls, your lives and life forces? Do you swear to support and uphold, to provide what the other needs and take what they have in excess? Do you swear to share the strength of your spirits, so long as you both draw breath? Er, metaphorically speaking, that is."

"I swear it," I said.

"I swear it," Gabriel said.

"Then, drink of this chalice, seal the bargain, and it shall be done."

The ceremonial potion was sweetly herbal and made my throat all warm and tingly. I took a sip, then watched as Gabriel took his. The long column of his throat bobbed as he swallowed, the runes shimmering in the sunlight. He thrust the mug at Marcus, and then we were moving in sync again, surging forward to kiss each other. Gabriel's lips tasted of the potion, and his mouth was eager and searching against mine. Warmth spread through me. The paint all over my body heated as the magic began to work. I felt hyperaware of my skin, hyperaware of everywhere Gabriel and I were touching. His happiness radiated through my mind, and all I could do was add to it, mirroring my joy back at him.

When he pulled back, Gabriel's eyes were blown dark. The runes on his skin were glowing with golden light, making him look even more otherworldly than usual. For the first time, I stopped trying to control the crashing flood of magic inside of me and allowed the dam to break.

Gabriel gasped and stumbled, and I reached for him automatically, but he kept his feet. My magic flowed through both of us now, still terrifyingly powerful, but now much more terrifying for other people than it was for me.

"Did it work?" Marcus asked with mild academic interest.

"It worked," Gabriel said. His voice had gone rough the way it normally only did after two or three rounds, and I was suddenly incredibly aware that I wasn't wearing anything underneath my dress.

"Oh, good! I've never done one of those before, you know, so…" Marcus kept chattering happily.

"We're gonna go," I said firmly. Gabriel's eyes burned hot on me. We were still glowing faintly, the magic swirling from me to him to me. We were inside each other.

"Ah! Yes, of course, that?—"

Gabriel scooped me into his arms, and I let out a delighted laugh as he strode toward the safe house. God, he could lift me so easily. Even easier now. He was definitely faster, judging from the way the world blurred as he ran up the stairs. As soon as we were in the room, our lips crashed together, hot and frantic. The runes were warm across my skin, tingling faintly as he dragged a fang across my lower lip. I burned, already so worked up I was dizzy with it.

The whole goddamn day had practically been foreplay, and I would lose my mind if I went a single minute longer without Gabriel inside me. Judging by the wild look in his eyes, he felt the same way.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now?" he growled.

"I mean, I can use a mirror, so—oh, fuck," I gasped, then gave up on sarcasm. We crashed down on the bed, yanking at our clothes. Gabriel was hard and twitching in his trousers as he rutted against me. I yanked his pants open, and Gabriel hissed when I wrapped a hand around him, desperate to touch him, to feel him against me, but my skirt was in the way. Damn Lissa and the miles of fabric.

Finally, we managed to get the stupid thing hiked up around my hips, and Gabriel slid into me with one smooth thrust. I let out a moan, and we surged toward each other, his body into mine, my magic into his. There was no technique to our lovemaking. It was a desperate, clawing thing. We needed each other, and we were taking each other, fucking like animals. This was part of the ritual, too, our shared magic wrapping around us and pulling us closer together. I didn't know where I stopped and Gabriel started. That divide didn't exist anymore. My blood in Gabriel's body, the throbbing heat of him in me, the magic in both of us—it was all so, so much. We were together in a way I'd never even imagined. We were joined, bodies and minds and souls touching, mingling, becoming one.

"Fuck, fuck ! Right there," I gasped as Gabriel drove his hips forward, and stars ignited behind my eyelids. He was practically bending me in half, and I dug my heels in to keep him close. "Oh, fuck, I love you… Aah!"

I grabbed his face and pulled him down into a brutal, clumsy kiss. The runes flared again, sensation zapping through us. It felt as though, through them, Gabriel was touching every sensitive part of me at once. Magic flared across the small of my back, the backs of my knees, the soft curve of my belly. The runes painted in tight, concentric circles around my nipples were all going off one after the other, making me arch even closer to Gabriel. He thrust into me again, hitting that perfect spot, and I came so hard that the world turned white. With a grunt and one last stuttering thrust, Gabriel followed after me. We collapsed onto the bed, panting and giddy.

"Good magic," he said nonsensically.

"Really good magic."

He brushed my hair out of my face and beamed at me. "We're bonded," he said like it was a secret.

I beamed back and kissed him, my hand brushing lightly over his cock, and he let out a quiet gasp. He was still hard. I curled my fingers around his length and stroked lazily, just to watch him react. Oh, the delights of vampire stamina.

"Don't tease unless you're ready to go again," he said. It would've sounded stern if his hips weren't twitching up into my hand.

Before another round, I needed to get out of my dress. The yards of beautiful fabric were starting to feel stifling and unpleasantly sweaty. I managed to get out of the bed, which was kind of a feat given how wobbly my legs felt. Gabriel grunted in displeasure but perked up when I took off the mantle. I turned away from him, showing him how far down the fabric dipped on my back. I'd always felt a little silly when I tried to be sexy undressing in the past, but being with Gabriel made it feel natural. It wasn't about putting on a show. Gabriel wasn't turned on by the performance, he was turned on by me. I could feel his eyes on me as I slowly undid the ribbon around my neck. I let the dress fall, sliding down my body fluidly to hit the floor with a silken sigh.

Give him a second , I thought. Let him wonder where those runes might be .

I counted to three before I turned back to Gabriel. He was staring at me like a starving man at a feast: desperate, hungry, and ready to kill to protect what was his.

"Come here," he rasped.

I cocked my head to the side. "What's the magic word?"

Gabriel looked as though he desperately wanted to give me an unimpressed look, but was unfortunately too impressed to do so. "Please."

"As soon as you stop wearing so many clothes."

Gabriel definitely was faster now. He moved so quickly I barely saw him, and then his clothes were in a heap on the floor. Painted runes covered his chest and shoulders, moving all the way down. The gold paint stood out beautifully against his olive skin. I stepped forward and touched the rune that marked his pectoral. Gabriel shivered. The frantic, animalistic need was satiated for now, but the air was still thick with tension. As I traced the rune, the paint smudged beneath my fingers.

"That means the ceremony's actually done now," I said. "They'll stop glowing and getting warm. And it worked, obviously. Only the bondmate can remove the other's markings."

Gabriel reached out and grabbed my thigh. He dragged his hand up and over the curve of my hip and the dip of my waist, each touch getting gentler as he went. It was featherlight by the time he reached my chest, teasing fingertips over the runes on my breast that smeared the paint. The golden cracks on my chest were still there, but they seemed flatter now, and when Gabriel touched them, they smeared just like the runes, leaving pale, unblemished skin behind.

I was dizzy with relief, happiness, and sheer arousal. When Gabriel tugged me back into the bed, I went eagerly, settling on his lap and rocking against him. Soon, we would have to save magic, but right now, we had all the time in the world.