Page 40 of Curses and Casualties (Hunters Hollow #3)

Georgia

A polite cough makes it through the haze. The fae stands at the mouth of the chamber, one eyebrow arched higher than should be possible.

“One hates to interrupt, but if you’re quite finished with the dramatics,” they say, looking bored, “you still have a ritual to complete.”

I blink. Ryan blinks. We look at each other, then at the fae.

“The physical consummation,” the fae continues, as if discussing the weather. “Rather important part of the Soul Bond ritual. The potion was just the beginning.”

‘Are they serious right now?’ I ask through the bond.

‘I think they are,’ Ryan responds, and I can feel his mortification mixing with mine.

The fae tilts their head. “Why are you still in wolf form? The ritual requires?—”

“WE KNOW WHAT IT REQUIRES,” I bark, then realize I just actually barked words at them.

“Did I just… speak out loud? I didn’t think wolves could do that.”

“Seems we can now,” Ryan rumbles back, complete bewilderment pulsing through his voice.

“Whatever you are doing, stop,” the fae insists. “It is time for your copulation.”

The fae settles gracefully onto a convenient rock.

‘I am not shifting back with them watching,’ I tell my mate.

‘Stand behind me. I’ll provide cover while you get your robe back on.’

I slink off to one side of the chamber, managing to shift while hiding behind Ryan’s bulk.

The transition is less painful this time.

Just a ripple, a flex, and then I’m human again and desperate to cover up.

The silk robe, torn and muddy from the crawl, is a poor substitute for dignity, but I yank it on anyway and try not to think about the fact that we have an audience.

Ryan shifts back with a shudder and a gasp, his skin steaming with power, his eyes even brighter than before. He’s grinning. Not the polite smile, but the full, hungry baring of teeth that makes my bones melt. “Cover up a little,” I say, tossing him what’s left of his tattered robe.

He wraps himself in it, which does nearly nothing to hide how magnificent he looks in the wake of the transformation, and we both turn to the fae who are still watching us expectantly.

“You may continue with the ritual now,” the tallest one says.

I blink. Blink again. “I’m sorry, what?”

“The ritual. Continue. We will observe to ensure no further interruptions.”

Ryan and I exchange glances. “You want to... watch us...” he says slowly.

“Is this not standard? We are providing security.” The fae looks genuinely puzzled by our reaction.

“Oh my god,” I mutter, face burning. “This is not happening.”

“The ritual is for the two of us,” Ryan tries. “Alone. It’s... private.”

The fae consider this, heads tilting in unison like birds. “Privacy is a human concept.”

“I’m human!” I squeak.

“Partially,” they correct. “But we understand mortal sensibilities can be... particular. We will guard the entrance. But be aware. The battle above intensifies. Time is limited.”

They glide out of sight to the chamber entrance. I can still feel them near, but at least they’re not staring, and I can’t see them anymore.

“This is the weirdest night of my life,” I whisper. “And considering I’ve been glowing like a human lava lamp for weeks, that’s saying something.”

“Focus,” Ryan says, but his lips twitch. “We’ll laugh about this later.”

“Right. OK. The ritual.” I glance around at the glowing heartstones, the chamber where Elder Gray nearly killed us. “So we just...?”

“The sacred joining under the supermoon’s power,” Ryan says, his voice rough. “That’s what completes it.”

We stand there for a moment, both still reeling from the transformations, from the fight, from everything. Then Ryan steps closer, his hand cupping my face with infinite gentleness.

“Georgia,” he breathes. “My mate. My Luna.”

“This is weird,” I whisper, but I’m already leaning into his touch. “With them right there, and after everything?—”

He silences me with a kiss, soft at first, almost hesitant. But the moment our lips meet, the bond ignites. It’s like touching a live wire—every nerve ending lights up, every cell recognizes its match.

He pulls back just enough to whisper against my mouth, his voice rough with emotion. “By blood and bone, by moon and stone, I am yours as you are mine.”

The words resonate through our bond, primordial and potent. I feel them settle into my very soul, binding us with more than magic.

“By blood and bone,” I breathe back. “By moon and stone, I am yours as you are mine.”

The moment the words leave my lips, the blessed moonwater, still singing in our veins, flares to life.

The bond solidifies, becomes unbreakable, and suddenly tentative is a memory.

We crash together like waves meeting shore, desperate and inevitable.

The tattered robes are gone in seconds—I don’t know if we tear them off or if they simply dissolve, but skin meets skin, and the world narrows to just us.

“Mine,” Ryan growls, and it’s both him and his wolf speaking. His mouth traces fire down my throat, teeth grazing where my pulse hammers.

“Yours,” I manage to get out, but his mouth is already on mine, desperate and hungry.

Our bodies collide, all leftover pain eclipsed by a need so raw it’s almost animal.

Every other time we’ve been together, something held back—fear, caution, the shadow of Luna’s curse.

Now there’s nothing but heat and the tidal pull of our souls fusing.

He lifts me easily, my legs wrapping around his waist as he presses me against the smooth stone wall. The contrast of cool rock and his burning skin makes me cry out. Through our bond, I feel everything. His desperate need, his love, his wolf’s hunger finally about to be satisfied.

“I need—” I start, but he knows. He always knows.

When he enters me, the cave itself responds. The heartstones blaze brighter, their separate glows beginning to merge into something greater. I can feel the ritual taking hold, magic building with each movement, each shared breath.

“Georgia,” he pants against my neck. “Can you feel it?”

I can. Power spirals through us, around us, building like a storm. Every thrust drives it higher, every kiss feeds the flame. We’re not just joining bodies. We’re joining all four of our souls, and the universe is taking notice.

His hand slides between us, finding that bundle of nerves that makes me see stars. But these aren’t just stars tonight, they’re galaxies being born, nebulas exploding into existence. The pleasure is cosmic, overwhelming, too much and not enough all at once.

“Together,” he commands, feeling how close I am. “We go together.”

The bond ensures it. As my climax approaches like a tidal wave, I feel his building in perfect synchronization. We’re one being with two bodies, four souls finally complete. The magic crests with us, power beyond comprehension gathering for release.

“Ryan!” I scream as we shatter.

The climax is transcendent, pleasure beyond physical, beyond thought, beyond the bounds of mortality. We come apart at the seams and are remade in the same instant. Light explodes from where we’re joined, not gentle moonlight but the birth of stars.

The cave can’t contain it.

The stone around us cracks, then crumbles. The sorted heartstones—thousands upon thousands—disintegrate into luminous dust. The light we’ve created turns solid matter into pure magic, unmaking centuries of hoarded power in seconds.

Through the destroying brilliance, Ryan and I cling to each other as we look on in awe. The mountain shudders and the Soulcave, repository of hoarded magic for generations, simply ceases to be.

But the magic doesn’t disappear. As the dust of countless heartstones rises through the collapsing cave, caught on impossible winds, I understand what Luna meant. This was always meant to happen. The Soul Bond was never meant to be rare. The magic was never meant to be contained.

It spreads outward like ripples on water, each mote of heartstone dust carrying the potential for new bonds, new connections, new hope.

Across the world, wolves who had given up on finding their mates will feel the pull.

Humans with latent magic will dream of running on four legs. The old ways, the true ways, return.

Ryan and I remain rooted to the spot as the world remakes itself around us, still joined, still coming down from the impossible high. When it feels like I can breathe again, we’re standing in a crater where the Soulcave used to be, naked under the supermoon’s light, glowing like newborn stars.

“Did we just?—”

“Change everything?” Ryan finishes, pressing his forehead to mine. “Yeah. I think we did.”

Above us, the sky shimmers with rainbow light as the heartstone dust spreads on the wind, carrying magic and possibility to every corner of the earth.

“So,” I say, still catching my breath. “Good ritual?”

He laughs, pulling me closer. “The best.”

In the distance, the sounds of battle have stopped. Everyone—friend and foe—has paused to witness the light show we’ve created. And somewhere in that silence, I hear the first new howl. Then another. Then dozens.

The world is waking up.