Page 114

I don’t think I’ve ever noticed just how silent the inside of the Veil is.

The times I’ve stepped in with Eren, I’ve been too busy trying not to hurl at the stomach-turning sensation of being lost in the space between realms. My ears have rung with my own erratic heartbeat and the rasp of panicked breath in my lungs.

But now?

Now there’s only silence, only peace.

Instead of roiling, rolling waves of ether and the chaos of fear, I focus on my hand in Eren’s and let myself be lost within.

Still, there’s a moment, just one, where I’m not sure exactly how this will work. What had Ariana told me?

“Step into the Veil.”

We’ve done that much.

“Do it on the full moon, and bring your demon.”

Check, and check.

“Let the rest come naturally.”

You’d think the centuries-dead spectre of a witch would have been a bit more helpful.

I’m still clutching Eren’s hand tightly in mine. Around us, the peaceful ether ripples and grows agitated. Its gentler eddies and whorls swirl with discontent, like it knows we’ve already overstayed our welcome. The wisps and tendrils of magic start to feel like the faint brush of thistle against my skin.

“A sacred vow and a lover’s kiss. An iron-clad deal with a demon prince. An end to strife and pain. An era of peace will reign.”

I close my eyes.

A single, brief flash of fear as a vibrant tapestry of magick expands and unfurls behind my eyes. A brilliant weave, strands in every color and tenor of power. It’s a depth and breadth of magick I could have never even imagined. A tiny sliver of the Goddess’s heart cracked open for just a moment.

With my next breath, I open my eyes and look up at my demon.

“Eren Dane Ashblood,” I tell him, letting the words come to me from everywhere and nowhere. “I offer myself to you in service of your realm. My magick, my body, my soul, everything I have is yours. I vow this to you, for as long as I shall live.”

A sheen of tears over his eyes. “I’ll take your offer, witch. And I’ll give you one of my own. A home, where you’ll always be safe and protected. A heart, which will love you for an eternity. A soul, which will always be yours. Do we have a deal?”

“Yes,” I say, magick flowing from the word like water. “We have a deal.”

His answering smile could light up worlds.

“A kiss, then,” I remind him. “To seal our bargain.”

He cups my face with both hands, threading his fingers into my hair. When his lips touch mine, the magick swirling around us pulses outward in a burst of brilliant rosy light. Engulfed by that magick, my kiss grows more urgent, more demanding. Eren responds in kind, crushing me to him and pulling me deeper into his embrace.

It’s not enough. It’s not nearly enough.

Spurred on by whatever spell our bargain is weaving, we claw at each other with eager, ravenous hands. Clothes are shed in a frenzy, mouths bumping, teeth rasping, and bodies finding our way back to one another when we’re bare.

I expect it to be a bit of an effort, making this work in this strange, weightless, nowhere place. But, like everything else tonight, it’s easy and instinctual. We fit together like we always do, Eren entering me with a forceful thrust that draws groans from us both.

Cradled against him, nearly filled by him, I feel him swell against my entrance.

I know my body can take it, take all of him, let myself be claimed. Sliding down, welcoming him into me completely, it feels like a homecoming. His chest heaves and a long, ragged groan breaks from him when he sinks home.

“Witch,” he hisses into my ear. “Allison.”

“Eren,” I moan in reply. “I love you, my mate.”