Page 20
Waiting an entire month to seal their bond had seemed like an eternity to Meveris at first, but now, the day before the bonding ceremony, it felt both like forever and a blur. He couldn”t believe how much had happened and how much he”d gotten to experience with his companion already.
Some of those things were big and life-changing, but there was also a lot of mundane, simple stuff.
Like right now, when he was lounging with Lanveris at the back patio of the main building and looking at Zaryen sitting with Feraan a few wing-lengths away, both of them pouring over one of the tomes they”d been reading lately.
”Are you ready?” Lanveris asked, then raised his eyebrows at Meveris”s scoff.
”I was ready a month ago.”
”But it”s different, isn”t it? Now that it”s actually happening.”
Meveris shrugged. ”Well, I guess a month ago I couldn”t imagine wanting it more, and yet I do, now. And while a part of me thinks the ceremony cannot possibly make us feel even closer to each other than we already are, everyone says differently, so… I”m looking forward to that.”
He was also looking forward to putting his permanent mark on Zaryen”s skin, but his brother didn”t need to know that.
Lanveris still smirked at him as if he had an idea, which… Fair enough. They”d been living with their tails tangled tight for most of their lives, after all—up until they”d arrived at the Academy.
Which reminded him…
”Listen, I know I”ve been absent, this whole month,” he started, rubbing the back of his neck, but Lanveris didn”t let him finish.
”Hook, not this again.” He knocked their shoulders together. ”It”s not like we haven”t seen each other at all.”
”The sealing of the bond makes it easier to spend time apart, so I promise we”ll hang out once I can relax about not having Zaryen around.”
”Ha, who knows, maybe when you finally relax, I”ll be all over my own companion.” Lanveris grinned. ”Then what?”
”Then I guess I”ll wait for you to be ready.”
”See? It”s as easy as that.”
Meveris knew that it wasn”t—the ability to read each other didn”t just go one way, after all—but he didn”t want to push any further now. In two months” time, there would be another searching ceremony and, hopefully, Lanveris would find his match. Until then, Meveris needed to take up his slack on the family front, because while having Taveris here definitely helped, their older brother couldn”t focus on them alone when he had an entire school to manage training for and a husband to go back home to.
”Everyone”s flying in together?” Lanveris asked in an obvious change of topic.
”Yes, they should be here bright and early tomorrow, which means Paeveris will be cranky if we don”t sneak out something sweet for him.”
”I”m on it. Nobody wants to see that, after all.”
They nodded at the same time, and for a moment, it felt like they were back home, sitting outside and waiting for the sun to come down. But then Zaryen laughed and Meveris immediately turned, only to see his companion grinning at Feraan, who rolled his eyes at him, even though he was obviously trying to hide a smile.
”You can go to him, you know,” Lanveris said as he leaned back and rested on his hands.
Meveris shook his head. ”No, this is good. We need this, too.”
”Aww.” Lanveris”s knee bumped against his. ”I love you too, little brother.”
”Don”t even start with this. Five minutes doesn”t count and you know it.”
”Tell that to Mom. She always insists that every minute feels like an hour when you”re giving birth.”
”And yet, she never tells me I”m younger than you.”
”Well, you”re both the youngest, everyone in the family knows that,” Taveris said, suddenly appearing right behind them.
”Spoilsport,” Lanveris muttered, but he followed it up with a grin.
”Always.” Taveris squatted and glanced between the two of them. ”I”m done with work, so I came to see if you need anything before I leave for the night.” He raised his eyebrow at Meveris. ”Any questions before tomorrow? Worries?”
About to deny it and send his brother home, Meveris hesitated as a thought hit him.
”What is it?” Taveris asked in a low voice.
”I”m fine, but—” Meveris looked around quickly, making sure no one was paying them any attention. ”There won”t be anyone from his side.”
Tilting his head, Taveris stared at some point in the distance for a moment before meeting his gaze again.
”This sucks,” he said bluntly, startling a chuckle from both Meveris and Lanveris, even though nothing about this was funny. ”There are always going to be things you can”t fix for him, no matter how much you want to or how much you try, and this is one of them. You can”t make his family care enough, and you can”t make him care less.” He ran a hand through his hair. ”Not for a long while yet, at least.”
They were all silent for a minute, contemplating it, then Lanveris bumped Meveris”s knee again.
”You may not, but Mom can. All she needs is a single word of encouragement, and she”ll be all over him. She”s had to hold herself back with Caleen, for obvious reasons, but she doesn”t need to do that with Zaryen. She”ll gladly smother him with hugs and everything.”
That was true. Meveris had even said something similar to his companion once, but then he forgot.
”Is it going to help?” he asked Taveris, who shrugged.
”It shouldn”t hurt, at least. But you need to be there, in case she goes too far or he gets too overwhelmed. Most humans are less tactile than we are.”
Meveris grimaced. ”You ever wonder how these guys manage to grow up into who they are? Even pretty good parenting in Teranea would be considered awful in Paryada.”
”Trust me, I did wonder,” Taveris muttered. ”I don”t have the answer, though. Our only solution is to love them as best as we can, now and in the future.”
”That”s been my plan so far.”
”Well, the two of you do that, and I”ll sic our mom on Zaryen.” Lanveris sat up, then glanced at Taveris. ”On Caleen, too, if…”
”How about we stick with Zaryen for now, okay?” Taveris clapped him on the shoulder. ”We”ll see how it goes.”
Turning his head towards his companion again, Meveris found him already looking his way.
Zaryen was also nodding at something Feraan was saying, but he smiled at Meveris, prompting him to do the same.
I”ll make things right for you, Meveris promised him in his head. As best as I know how.
* * *
And then it was the next day, they were standing on the field that had been transformed for the ceremony, and Meveris had forgotten about everything else but this—his companion by his side and what they were about to do.
Zaryen was silent next to him, in the white ceremonial robes that complimented his skin, and he was watching the first couple go through the ritual with barely-concealed awe.
He”d never been at a bonding ceremony before, so as much as he”d known what to expect from everyone telling him, it was completely different to watch it happen.
Hook, Meveris had been to two other bonding ceremonies, and this one still felt different. Being here with Zaryen, knowing that they were next in line, was nothing like watching from the stands and cheering for a family member.
When it was finally their turn, Meveris kept Zaryen”s hand in his as they moved to the middle of a circle of alternating bowls of white sand and water situated in the center of the arena.
Both sand and water were nods to the dragon customs. Sand was the last thing without any financial value that dragons still hoarded according to the old traditions, and water was a symbol of the cleaning they did before entering a house after coming in contact with the sand outside, since it could only be kept if it was freely given.
And he and Zaryen were about to exchange gifts freely given, beginning anew, together.
Meveris inhaled deeply as they faced each other and grasped each other”s forearms.
”I, Meveris from Paryada, the Land of Southern Skies, pledge to you, Zaryen of Kingdom of Teranea, my loyalty and devotion,” he recited slowly, staring into his companion”s eyes. As he was talking, the spark he”d recognized from the searching ceremony appeared around Zaryen again, this time even bigger and brighter. ”I swear to always fight by your side, even if it leads to my death. I am not frightened of the challenges ahead, as I know our bond will never diminish and never die. From this day forward, we are companions bound by destiny that brought us together, and by choice, as this is an oath I give to you out of my own free will.”
He could feel Zaryen”s rapid heartbeat under his grip, and his own sped up in response. There was no part of this that he wouldn”t have said a month ago, and yet…
And yet it mattered.
As he was listening to Zaryen”s vows, he felt a rush of energy and calm at the same time, and the air seemed to be cracking around him, vibrating with joy.
Letting go of Zaryen after he finished was hard—Meveris would much rather pull him into his arms, or even for a kiss—but they needed to have their hands free for the next part.
Meveris pulled a knife from his pocket—a traditional weapon of Paryada, with a blade forged in dragon fire and a handle carved from red wood.
”I give this to you as a symbol of my strength and a promise of protection that will never be broken and never falter.”
He handed the knife to Zaryen, who put it away in his robes” pocket, then led Meveris to the bowls and retrieved a small jar.
”I give this to you as a symbol of my loyalty and a promise of my devotion.” Zaryen filled the jar with sand from the bowl and capped it carefully. ”They have no end, like there”s no end to the sand in my land and to the wind in the air.”
Swallowing hard, Meveris took the jar from Zaryen”s hands, then put it away before following him to a bowl filled with water.
”We are coming into the bond as two people with different traditions and needs,” Zaryen said as he lowered their hands into the bowl. The water was warm from the sun, and yet it still sent a shiver up Meveris”s arms. ”I wash your hands of misunderstanding and mistrust, as the water clears it all.”
”I wash your hands of misunderstanding and mistrust, as the water clears it all,” Meveris echoed, and, after they returned to the middle of the circle, he continued. ”As we called upon fire, earth, and water to aid us in our bonding, I will take my flying form now to introduce you to a part of me that is able to call upon air.”
Zaryen took a halting step back, dropping his hands from Meveris”s grasp, then took another, and another, until there was enough space for Meveris to change.
It was as familiar as walking, or even breathing. In a blink, he shifted to his other form, closing his eyes to settle himself in the different body. Then he opened them and looked down at his companion from a new angle, only to see Zaryen stare at him, bright-eyed and open-mouthed.
Meveris stepped from one leg to another, resettling his weight but also the stirring in his chest. If he was in his walking form, he”d be blushing for sure.
”Just when I thought you couldn”t be more beautiful,” Zaryen whispered, his heartbeat almost louder than his words.
Meveris”s wings, when spread, were about four times the length of his walking form, but he tucked them in now, not wanting to accidentally hit Zaryen or one of the bowls in his excitement to show off for his companion.
The companion who still stared at him in an unmitigated awe, something Meveris reveled in but also felt others shouldn”t see.
It”s ours only, he thought, and maybe Zaryen heard him, or maybe he remembered what came next, because he nodded and turned around to stand with his back to Meveris, the spark shining brightly over his shoulders once again.
It was mostly there as an added layer of protection now, to prevent accidental injuries, but Meveris still stared at it for a moment longer, mesmerized and apprehensive at the same time.
No one had ever been harmed while receiving the mark, he reminded himself, and that helped him push through the nerves.
He wanted this. Zaryen wanted this. And it would be theirs, forever.
Leaning closer, Meveris pictured the mark in his head, then released a hot bout of air over Zaryen”s spine between his shoulder blades, calling the mark forward. It was impossible to see it through the robes, but Meveris knew it was there now. He could feel it.
Then, a bunch of different emotions rushed through him like a wave during a sea storm, one crashing into the other, with no beginning and no end.
It ended abruptly in the next second as he changed into his walking form again and hurried towards Zaryen, who was now on his knees and breathing harshly.
Meveris stumbled in his hurry to get to his mate, but he caught himself and simply knelt on one knee next to him.
The moment their gazes met, Meveris inhaled sharply at the same bright-eyed wonder he”d seen in his other form.
His heart hammered in his chest.
Mine.
Yours.
It didn”t matter who initiated it and who answered, as the messages still came through loud and clear.
And they were true, either way. Now even more than ever.