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It took every ounce of my strength not to run to him.

In that moment—in the way he looked at me—I could have sworn our souls were already tied. Andrues clapped a hand on Landers’s shoulder, grinning, as we continued our walk toward them. Asrai gave me a gentle nod and I watched as Ata slipped her hand into Pri’s, tears flowing from both of their eyes. My heart stopped at the sight—the view that was looking back at me.

My friends, myfamily.

As we took our last step toward the elders, Landers’s hand shot out to touch me.

Just as his fingers were about to connect with my cheek, Mara grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

“Not yet, my King,” she said with a soft smile, bringing his wrist back to his side. “The time will come soon enough.” Landers nodded at her words, clearing his throat as his eyes met mine.

Our eyes locked and the world fell away, blurring around the edges. Every sound faded into the background; every movement slowed until it was just the two of us, suspended in time. My chest tightened, a rush of warmth spreading through me, the feeling threatening to drown me. Nothing else mattered—nothing but him and the oath we were about to make.

It was as if the whole universe had conspired to bring us to this very second, and as I looked into his eyes, I saw everything I ever wanted—home, safety, love.

“Beneath the great and ancient Elmmere Mountains runs the Well of Life,” the Elder started as Landers and I finally pulled our gaze from each other and turned to face him. “Today, atop this blessed magic, we stand together to bring new life into Nimbria. A life that has been lived in two separate bodies, but aches to become one. The act of bonding, of tying souls, is not meant to erase the identity of these individuals, but to create a third journey that they walk together and forge a new path forward.”

Wren stepped up to my side, filling the small gap between Landers and me and once again slid his hand into mine with a gentle squeeze.

“Who walks this woman into this new life?” the Elder asked, his eyes falling on Wren.

Wren lowered himself to a knee and bowed his head.

“I do, your grace. Wren, the brother of the bride and Ardan—” Wren’s voice cracked as he said Ardan’s name, emotion building as he looked up at me with tear-filled eyes. The breath caught in my lungs as he continued. “The brother of the bride, who has passed through the veil onto his next life.”

As if the land sensed the aching we felt—the longing in each of us to have him back—a subtle wind blew through the clearing. And it was then that I could smell the scent of him swirling in the breeze.

My eyes widened as my head snapped to Ata then back to Wren. In unison, a grin spread onto each of our faces, all of us smelling him in the air—he was here.

He was right here with us.

The aching in my chest seemed to cease as the wind blew through my hair, caressing my skin, and I knew it then—he never truly left our side.

I sucked in a deep breath, letting it fill my lungs, memorizing it as Wren rose from his knees, placing my right hand into the outstretched hand of the Elder. He looked at me, so much joy and sadness filling those beautiful blue eyes as he placed a kiss on my cheek then stepped back, letting Pri take his place.

“Who walks this man into this new life?” the Elder asked, now looking to Pri as she mirrored Wren’s actions, kneeling beside Landers and bowing her head.

“I do, your grace. Prianaan, sister of the groom.” A radiant smile bloomed onto Pri’s face as she said the words then rose to her feet, placing Landers’s hand atop mine.

She rose to the balls of her feet, placing a kiss on Landers’s forehead before winking at me over her shoulder. She stepped back beside Ata as the Elder laid his other hand atop ours. Mara and Sashi stepped forward, a ribbon floating above their outstretched hands. My heart fluttered in my chest as I watched the fabric float toward our wrists, knotting around them as each end connected together, creating an infinite loop.

“These bindings represent the souls that will be bound together today—the tie that is infinite, with no end and no beginning. For this life, and every life after, you will be tied to one another. Your souls will be as one,” the Elder said, placing his hand over the ribbon as it began to glow against our skin. “Once you speak your oaths, the magic threaded through this fabric will flow through your veins and you will be forever soul-tied.” He dropped our hands and took a step back, nodding toward me to speak.

I sucked in a sharp breath as I slowly turned toward Landers.

Every vein in my body burned for him.

And as my eyes connected with his again, I saw the tears that had begun to stain his face. It was such an agonizing, beautiful sight to see him—the man that never let anyone see past his carefully constructed mask—let his emotions run free.

“Landers, I stand before you today, deeply sure of one thing: that I want to be your wife—that I want my soul to be forever yours. You came into my life and gave my demons, my shadows, a home—a place for them to feel safe enough to finally come out into the light. You helped me learn to love myself, to accept who I am—beproudof who I am.” I paused, taking a deep breath to steady my shaking voice. “I give you this oath: to always be your best friend. To always laugh with you, even when joy feels hard to find. I give you this oath: to stand firmly by you through everything this life and the next throws at us. I give you this oath: to love you fiercely, to love you softly, and to love you loudly and without hesitation. I didn’t fall in love with you, I walked into it with eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I see you fully, for everything that you are, and I only love you more because of it.”

Landers took a step toward me and the world went silent.

“I told you once that you would bring realms to their knees,” Landers said, his emerald eyes glowing as they pierced mine. The oxygen fled my lungs at the emotion I saw drowning in his gaze, the reverence—the complete and utterly world-shattering love.

He slipped his other hand into mine, lowering himself to the ground in front of me—slow, deliberate. A trail of tears began to flow down my cheeks as he looked up at me.

“MayThe Storiesbear witness that Locdragoon was the first to bow before you, may they remember me as the King that bowed to his Queen, his God—his wife. I will worship at your feet in every dream, in every life, in every single breath I take. I was created to love you, and born to be lovedbyyou. My realm is yours. My soul, Hyacinth,it is yours.”