Page 30 of Hiss and Tell (Harmony Glen #2)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

S ebastian

Saturday evening, and my apartment has been transformed into something that feels both sacred and intimate.

Candles flicker on every surface, casting dancing shadows that make the ancient texts seem to glow with inner light.

My snakes wear their most formal bow ties, sensing the gravity of what we’re about to undertake.

I’m shirtless and barefoot, wearing only loose white drawstring pants.

The ritual circle is prepared in my living room—soft cushions arranged within a boundary of white candles, the golden bowl passed down through generations of my family positioned at the center. The ceremonial knife engraved with ancient runes lies beside it, reflecting the flickering flames.

Everything is ready except my nerves.

A soft knock at the door sends my heart racing. When I open it, Aspen stands there in a simple white dress, pearl buttons down the front, and her dark hair loose around her shoulders. The sight steals my breath. She looks ethereal, like she stepped out of an ancient fairy tale.

“Hi,” she whispers, and that one word carries volumes. Her eyes take in the transformed space, widening at the golden lights that dance unbidden in the air. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful,” I rumble, and my snakes nod emphatic agreement. One of them reaches out to reverently brush its face against the fabric of her dress.

She laughs softly, the sound making the candles flicker. “I wasn’t sure what to wear…”

“You’re perfect.” Moving closer, I let my fingers brush her cheek. “How are you feeling?”

“Nervous. Excited. Ready.” Her hand finds mine, warm and steady despite everything. “I trust you, Sebastian. With this. With my heart. With the future.”

The sanctuary effect pulses stronger, and the golden lights swirl more intricately, as though the magic itself responds to her declaration.

I guide her to the prepared circle, my movements careful and reverent. The candlelight transforms everything, making the familiar space feel ancient and new all at once.

“The ritual has three parts,” I remind her, settling onto the cushions across from her. “The offering, the intention, and the sharing. Each step builds on the last, creating layers of connection.”

She nods, her eyes never leaving mine. “Tell me again what to expect.”

“When our essences merge, you’ll feel everything I feel. Every sensation will be magnified, every emotion shared.” My voice drops to barely above a whisper. “The texts describe it as overwhelming. In the most beautiful way.”

Her pupils dilate at my words. “Everything?”

“Everything.” My snakes weave closer to her skin, not quite touching but close enough that she shivers. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” she breathes. Her voice is shaky, but her expression is serious.

Lifting the ceremonial knife, I speak the ancient words that begin the ritual: “What flows from love, heals with love. What is given freely, frees in return.”

I draw the blade carefully across my right palm. Crimson wells up, but it’s not ordinary blood—it shimmers with an inner light, like liquid gold mixed with starfire.

Her breath catches as I let three drops fall into the bowl. They chime like tiny bells, each carrying centuries of magic and meaning.

“The intention,” I continue. “The three drops are offered to the gods who bestowed my kind with this healing power.” My snakes weave complex patterns above us as the drops glow brighter.

“I offer this not to change you, but to join with you. Not to fix what was never broken, but to create something new together.”

The light in the bowl pulses brighter, casting warm radiance across her face. She looks otherworldly, transformed by the magic that fills our circle.

“And the sharing?” Her whisper carries both anticipation and awe.

“This part creates the bond. A connection that goes beyond the physical.” Placing the bowl on the table, I take her right hand with my left and meet her eyes. “Are you absolutely certain—”

The ancient ritual awakens something primal in my blood. As I prepare to share the healing gift passed down through generations of Gorgons, my body undergoes changes that Aspen can’t miss.

My skin takes on a subtle luminescence, and my snakes’ scales brighten to an almost metallic sheen as their bodies lengthen to twice their size. My eyes shift fully to their serpentine state—no longer hiding what I am.

When I extend my hand, offering my blood, my voice drops to frequencies that vibrate through her bones.

“This will bind us in ways that go deeper than marriage, deeper than promises. You’ll be able to feel my emotions, sense my presence.

And I’ll know when you need help, always.

” The power flowing through me is intoxicating, dangerous—this is what Gorgons were before we learned to hide among humans.

She answers by grasping my wrist in her warm hand and then, leaning forward without hesitation, presses her lips to my bleeding palm.

The world explodes into light.

Her lips on my palm send a shock of power through my entire body.

The taste of my blood on her tongue creates an instant connection that goes deeper than flesh, deeper than thought.

She gasps against my palm as the first waves of healing magic flow into her, her eyes flying wide with wonder and something that looks dangerously close to arousal.

“Sebastian,” she breathes, my name shaking on her lips as golden light dances between us. “I can feel… everything.”

The ancient power awakens every nerve ending, every point where our skin connects, blazing with shared sensation. My snakes, no longer content to simply frame us, weave intricate patterns against her skin—not restraining, but caressing with a touch like flowing satin.

“The magic recognizes you,” I tell her, my voice rough with power and desire. “It wants to heal you, but it also wants to… claim you.”

Her pupils dilate as she feels the truth of my words. The healing isn’t just medical—it’s sensual, intimate, designed by ancient Gorgons who understood that the deepest healings happen when barriers come down completely.

“Then let it,” she whispers. With one last long drag of her tongue across my palm, the wound heals and disappears without a scar, and I nearly lose control entirely.

Magic courses through us both—not just my sanctuary effect or dream manifestations, but something older.

Deeper. Something primal and utterly Gorgon.

The healing power of my blood mingles with her essence, but the magic demands more than just superficial touch—it craves skin against skin, breath mingling with breath, hearts beating in perfect synchrony.

“The ritual requires complete connection,” I explain, my voice rough with power and barely controlled desire. “Physical and emotional barriers interfere with the healing.”

She doesn’t hesitate. Her hands find the pearl buttons of her white dress, working them open with trembling fingers. “Then let’s remove every barrier.”

I help her, my own hands shaking as we work together to free her from the fabric.

The dress pools around her feet like spilled moonlight, leaving her bare in the golden candlelight.

My snakes, now twice their length, create a living curtain around us, their scales catching the light like precious gems as they weave protection and privacy around our sacred space.

When I shed my pants, there’s nothing between us but want and ancient magic dancing across our skin wherever we touch. The golden light swirls faster as I pull her closer, letting myself be exactly what I am—huge and powerful and magical.

But it’s more than just physical healing.

I can feel her walls crumbling, her fears dissolving, her heart opening to possibilities she’d thought forever closed.

And in return, my own barriers shatter—all the ways I’ve made myself smaller, all the power I’ve held back, all the love I’ve been afraid to offer.

“Sebastian,” she gasps, and my name on her lips carries her shock at the overwhelming power of the moment. My hands grasp her waist, and when she arches against me, the evidence of my desire presses against her soft curves.

“I can feel it working,” she whispers, wonder in her voice. “The healing. It’s like every cell in my body is being renewed.”

My snakes respond to our shared arousal and connection, weaving intricate patterns against her skin—not restraining, but caressing with deliberate sensuality.

Three of them trace paths down her sides while another loops gently around her wrist, anchoring her to this moment.

Two more create abstract patterns across her stomach that make her muscles flutter with each pass.

Through our new bond, I can feel everything she’s experiencing—the warmth of her skin, the way she shivers at each touch, the salt-sweet taste when they brush against her lips.

It’s overwhelming and intoxicating, this triple sensation of touching her with my hands while experiencing her through my snakes’ heightened senses.

“Are you choosing me?” she asks, her voice breathless but sure.

“I chose you the moment you walked into my library,” I confess, letting my full Gorgon nature show. “The question was always whether you’d choose me back.”

Her answer arrives in the press of her mouth finding mine, kissing me with a hunger that matches the magical fire coursing through our veins.

The bond settles into place with an almost audible click, and suddenly I can sense her emotions as clearly as my own—her wonder, her complete trust, and underneath it all, her desire burning bright and sure.

When we finally break apart, both breathing hard, she nestles against me, her stance wide as she grinds against my thigh. “I need you, Sebastian. All of you.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, even as my body strains toward hers.

“Look into my eyes,” she breathes, pulling me down for another kiss. “I’ve never been more certain of anything.”

I slide my hand between her thighs and gasp at what I find. This amazing woman, my new mate, isn’t just wet for me, she’s dripping, drenched. My slightest touch has her hips dancing, silently begging for me to enter her.

“Yes, my love. I’ve healed your body. Let me complete this for you, too.”

I lift her easily, her legs wrapping around my waist as I hold her against me.

My hands support her completely—one arm around her back, the other cupping her as I position us both.

She’s lighter than she should be, perhaps an effect of the ritual magic, making it effortless to hold her suspended between my body and the solid wall behind her.

“Like this,” I murmur against her throat, adjusting my grip to ensure she’s secure. “I want to watch your face when I enter you.”

Her arms loop around my neck as I position myself at her entrance, and we both gasp at the first contact. Even with the magic heightening every sensation, I’m acutely aware of the size difference between us.

“Take your time,” she whispers, reading the concern in my eyes. “I trust you.”

I enter her slowly, inch by careful inch, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. The stretch is incredible—I’m thick enough that even with our magical connection, she has to work to accommodate me.

When I’m finally seated fully within her, we both go still.

The sensation is overwhelming—not just the physical perfection of our joining, but the emotional weight of what we’ve become.

Through our bond, I feel her wonder at how completely I fill her, how right this feels despite the size difference.

“Perfect,” I whisper against her lips as I begin to move with careful restraint. “You feel perfect.”

The world explodes into light as we find our rhythm—not just the golden glow of the ritual, but something deeper. The sensation of two souls becoming one, two bodies learning to move as if they were made for each other.

She answers with a soft moan that vibrates through our connection, and I feel her pleasure as clearly as my own. The sensation is overwhelming—experiencing not just my desire but hers, feeling how my touch affects her from the inside.

We move together in a rhythm as old as the ancient books scattered throughout my apartment, the candlelight casting dancing shadows on the walls.

My snakes create a living canopy above us, some trailing against her skin in the gentlest of caresses.

The magic flows between us with each thrust, each kiss, each whispered endearment.

“I love you,” she gasps as the pleasure builds between us.

“And I love you,” I respond, feeling the truth of it resonate through every cell of my being. “Forever.”

When release finally claims us, it’s with a brilliance that makes the very air shimmer. The golden light swirls around us like visible joy, and through our bond, I feel the completion of something that was always meant to be.

We lie entwined afterward, both breathing hard, both changed in ways that go far beyond the physical.

“How do you feel?” I ask softly, brushing damp hair from her face.

“Whole,” she says simply. “Complete. Like I was missing a piece of myself I didn’t even know was gone, and now it’s back.”

I can feel it too—the healing is complete. But more than that, we’re bonded now in ways that can never be undone.

“The magic worked,” I tell her, pressing a kiss to her temple. “You’re healed. Completely.”

Tears sparkle in her eyes. “And we’re…?”

“Connected forever,” I confirm, letting her feel the truth through our bond. “What’s mine is yours; what’s yours is mine. Aspen, I finally understand what I was meant for. All this magic, all this power—it was meant to be shared. With you.”

I take inventory of my body, amazed at what I find. Through our connection, I can sense that the ritual has enhanced me as well—my already considerable strength feels more controlled, my magic more focused.

Aspen nestles closer, and my snakes embrace her as the candles burn lower. The apartment feels sacred, transformed by what we’ve shared.

“So what happens now?” she asks against my chest.

“Now we have forever to figure it out,” I murmur into her hair. “But first, we celebrate. We’ve just performed one of the most ancient and sacred rituals in Gorgon history.”

“How do Gorgons traditionally celebrate?”

I let her see my most primitive Gorgon leer as I say, “Very thoroughly.”

Her laugh bubbles up, rich and free, as I gather her closer. Outside, the world continues its normal rhythm, but here in our circle of candlelight and magic, time belongs to us.

Here, we’ve created something eternal.

Here, we’ve chosen each other with everything we are.

And this is only the beginning.