“Last year,” he said, then. “When Jade returned, she was on the verge of surrendering the Mountain’s call. She knew the Oreads’ laws better than most and came to us convinced she wasn’t the right one to ascend as Chief.” He paused. “No one in their history had ever refused the Mountain before.”
He looked down into his mug like he could still see the conversation playing out. “I told her that just because something has never happened before, doesn’t mean it never will.” Then he looked back at Gael and gave a slow, easy shrug. “Times change.”
“I’m starting to get confused,” Gael said, his frustration rising. Ready for a fight, he had expected opposition, and they were siding with him? Were they?
“What kind of High Lords would we be,” Elara said, her voice softening, “if we allowed change for others, but not for our own?” She leaned forward, her tone growing serious. “Those rules were arbitrary even then. How many marriages in the high family were arranged based on lineage purity, ignoring the bond between partners? And how did those unions end up?” She shook her head. “The laws of lineage came from a world long gone. Our duty isn’t to blindly, myopically, protect the past. It’s to move our people forward.”
“There are a few rules that need to be set in stone. Some that we will always enforce,” Aryon added. “Telling people who they should be with is not one.”
“So, you’re not ordering me to stop seeing her? You’re not pushing for me to keep the bloodline pure?” Gael asked, his voice tight with disbelief.
“We are not,” Elara said firmly. Then, with a huff of laughter, she added, “There are four of us, for crying out loud. Unless we all fall for humans or different magiks, I think the bloodline will survive. And if we do all fall for others, maybe it means it was time. Maybe it means the old ways were overdue for change.” Her smile faded as quickly as it came and her eyes hardened. “But understand this, Gael. Our support doesn’t shield you from everything. Our silence won’t protect you from the storm that’s coming.”
Gael’s gaze dropped. His shoulders tightened, the calm in him retreating like a tide. “My mother.”
The twins nodded in unison, and Elara spoke up again. “And ours. And the higher ranks. There will be a fallout. Hushed and unfair. Many won’t be kind to her.” She paused. “Beth is one of the strongest women I know. She will not cower, should she choose to stand beside you, but she deserves to know what she’s walking into.”
Gael nodded. “I agree. I will talk to her. Soon. If I throw this entire fated mates thing on her, she might feel pressured.”
Aryon frowned. “The bond works for her, too. She will soon feel it, if she isn’t already.”
“I hope so, but she has a thing about being told what to do,” Gael said with a tight smile. “Pointing out that fate itself is telling her that she and I are two parts of a whole, destined to be together, might not go as smoothly as you’d think.”
Elara chuckled softly, a spark of mischief in her eyes. “You’re not wrong. Just don’t procrastinate. The wind has ears, and it carries whispers.”
Gael gave her a wary glance. “I’m aware of that. But I’m not exactly in a hurry to face the storm.”
Aryon’s expression lightened as he set his cup down. “The storm won’t stop, but it can be weathered. And know you’re not facing it alone.”
Chapter 7
TIME HAD NEVER SLOWEDbefore, not since she’d moved to Mystic Hollow. But today, it did.
Beth glanced at the clock on the wall and smiled. Her shift was over, and soon, she’d be with Gael. She should’ve been worried, or at least surprised. They’d only spent a day and one unforgettable night together, and already, she missed him. Not in that syrupy, heartache-y way people wrote songs about. No, this was different. It was physical, like her personal gravity had learned a new trick and tethered itself to him.
She’d been whole before him, and she wasn’t broken without him now. The world hadn’t changed, but somehow it moved better within her.
She rinsed the last dish, hooked her apron on the peg by the kitchen door, and stepped into the pub. She knew he was here. Not just sensed—knew, as if her body had developed a sixth sense tuned solely to him. Her breath was already readying itself to exhale in relief. Probably normal stuff for people newly in love, right?
She couldn’t tell, she’d never really been in love.
Not that this was love. Obviously. Not after a day.
That would be absurd.
But she felt him in a place she didn’t know existed, and somehow, it didn’t clash with reason. Her brain, usually such a buzzkill, was saying,Sure. This makes perfect sense. Carry on.
She might’ve stood there longer, trying to logic her way out of whatever this was becoming, but then she saw him. Gael sat on the window ledge, sunlight at his back like it had been waiting all day for this one perfect moment to touch him–and couldn’tshe sympathize with it? Her hands tingle by wanting to do the same. His ice-blue eyes met hers, and the smile that curved his lips made everything else fall away.
She flew to him.
He caught her like it was already second nature. His arms wrapped around her, strong and warm, and a soft sigh escaped his lips as he kissed her hair, then gently tipped her face up to his. His mouth brushed hers, tender. “Hello,lïoræn,” he said.
“Hello.” She rose onto her tiptoes and pressed another kiss to his lips, more to breathe him in than anything else. “Is it dumb that I missed you?”
A flash of something—relief? happiness?—lit the violet in his blue eyes. “Not in the least. I missed you, too.” He took her hand and pushed away from the window. “Are you ready to go?”
She heard the note of excitement in his voice. “Sure. Anything planned?”
