Her relief flooded through the bond. “Please.”
They slipped through the French doors into the gardens, moving past the torch-lit paths until they found a quiet patio overlooking the grounds. The music was softer here, the laughter distant. Through the windows, Brandon could see the party continuing without them.
Muriel removed her mask, and Brandon did the same, setting them aside. Without the barrier, he could see her face fully. Her skin was flushed from dancing, her eyes bright with happiness, smiling in that way that made his chest ache.
“Thank you,” she said. “For bringing me here. For making me feel like I belong.”
“You do belong.” Brandon pulled her close, marveling at how perfectly she fit against him.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” The words came easily now, no longer weighed down by fear or guilt.
“Forever.”
“Forever,” Brandon agreed, and kissed her.
Behind them, the party continued. Music drifted onthe night air. Through the windows, Brandon could see their friends—their family—dancing and laughing and celebrating life.
And here, on this quiet patio under the stars, he made silent promises.
To protect her. To honor the gift of the bond. To never take it—or her—for granted.
Most importantly, to spend the rest of his life loving her.
The Consilium thought the story was over. They thought they'd won.
They were spectacularly wrong.
Their story was just beginning.
25
A SPARK OF INTEREST
KARTHIK
The masquerade ball was,as always, a study in predictable excess—something he normally appreciated, but tonight, not so much.
Karthik leaned against one of the marble pillars in Vlane's grand ballroom with a glass of something aged and expensive in his hand, watching the glittering assembly with the detached interest of someone who’d seen it all before. Which he had. Multiple times. Across multiple centuries.
The masks were lovely, of course. Elaborate confections of feathers and jewels that probably cost more than most mortals made in a year. The costumes were exquisite, crafted in silks and satins and velvets in every shade imaginable. And the guests themselves? Beautiful. Powerful. Extraordinary in every sense of the word.
Also tedious as hell.
He took a sip of his drink, letting the smoky burn slide down his throat as his gaze drifted across the crowd. There—a formerly promiscuous vampire and his mate, staring into each other's eyes with that nauseating mixture of wonder and possessiveness. And there, the shifter alpha and his female, barely able to keep their hands off each other.
Fated mates. Soul bonds. True love eternal.
Yawn.
Oh, it had been entertaining at first. Watching beings who'd lived for centuries suddenly reduced to lovesick fools had a certain dark appeal. But after the fifth bonding in as many years, the novelty had worn thin. Vlane and Ana. David and Ryssa. Kristoff and Tedi. Matt and Jessie. And now, apparently, Brandon and that delicious little witch.
Karthik's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile as his red eyes tracked Brandon across the room. The mage looked disgustingly content, one hand resting possessively on the small of Muriel's back as he spoke with Armand. Even from here, Karthik could sense the raw power thrumming through their bond, earthy and ancient andstrong.
Such a tragic waste of potential.
He'd felt her the moment she'd arrived in Mythic. That kind of natural magic was impossible to miss if you knew what to look for—wild and untamed, cracklingwith potential. For a brief, entertaining moment, he'd considered making a play for her himself. Not for anything as pedestrian as a soul bond, of course. But theCodexshe carried would have made an excellent addition to his collection, and her power...