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Delilah felt it before she saw it.

The pulse of magic hit her palm with a suddenheat, and a second later, a loop of gold light wrapped around her wrist—and Rollo’s.

“Rollo!”

He looked down in time to see the enchanted thread tighten between them.

Their hands were yanked together, palms pressing, fingers curling instinctively to catch the connection.

Delilah yelped. “Are you serious?!”

Rollo, eyes wide, gave a tug.

So did she.

The golden knot pulsed—then shimmered brighter andtightened.

They both froze.

“Oh,” said one of the twins, blinking. “Oops.”

“Oops?” Delilah snapped.

“It’s only temporary,” the other offered. “Just until dusk. Promise. It’s a harmony loop! It only binds people who?—”

“Finish that sentence,” Delilah growled, “and I will hex your eyebrows off.”

Fenny winced. “We really should’ve warded the display better…”

“Unbelievable,” she muttered.

Rollo looked at their joined hands and had theaudacityto grin. “Well. Could be worse.”

She glared at him. “How?”

“We could be stuck at the outhouse.”

She elbowed him, and he laughed—but made no move to free his hand.

“Guess we’re bonded,” he said far too happily.

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

She exhaled, slow. Tried to pull away again. Failed

They spent the rest of the day doing what they'd planned to do—just significantly closer than expected.

At the bakery stand, Delilah tried to hand over coins while Rollo awkwardly balanced the basket in their joined hands.

At the candle booth, she insisted on testing each scent, and Rollo had to sniff with her wrist pressed against his.

At one point, a crow from the wax paper stall squawked at them from a perch and said, “Awfully cozy,” in a raspy voice that made Delilah’s face go pink.

“Youlikethis,” she accused as they shared a plate of seedcake near the musician’s circle.

“I’m not complaining,” Rollo admitted, tearing the cake in half and handing her the bigger piece. “I mean… you haven’t yelled at me once in three hours. That’s a record.”