Page 50 of Wings of Valor (Silver City University #4)

Several months later

I stare into the mirror and don’t recognize the woman looking back at me.

Logically, I know it’s my reflection. I’m the only one here, so it can’t be anyone else, but it doesn’t look like me.

My long hair is pulled back into an elegant bun while a few soft tendrils frame my face.

Mira helped me with it while Dina did my makeup.

I asked them both for subtle, natural beauty and they more than delivered.

Esther, the owner of the photo parlor, graciously allowed me to borrow a dress from her shop for the occasion. The straps hang delicately off my shoulders while the rest of the fabric hugs my body like a glove. Someone told me once that purple was my color, and in this dress I believe them.

Today is the day we’ve waited so long for.

Our bonding ceremony. My first year of university might have only ended last week, but none of us wanted to wait another second longer.

We spent hours researching between classes, late nights rereading Isaac’s old letters and talking to historians to find the missing pieces.

There’s a soft knock on the door, and I rise from my place in front of the mirror. My parents are waiting for me on the other side. Mom is already crying, and Dad looks halfway there himself. They are so damn adorable.

“Are you ready, Haylie-bear?” Mom asks, dabbing under her eyes to keep her makeup intact.

“More than ready.”

I follow them out of the large pop-up tent, then loop my arm with theirs.

We couldn’t decide on the best place to have our ceremony—until the guys surprised me with an option.

The island we escaped to all those months ago so I could practice my flying maneuvers away from Uriel.

I said no at first. It’s not an easy place for Zeke to get to with only one wing, but he refused to let his affliction stand in the way of what was otherwise a perfect spot.

More and more, he’s growing to accept the loss of his wing and allow others to help him.

Maybe he’ll take the Archangel’s up on that prosthetic wing after all.

Warm sand acts as a cushion for my bare feet as we grow closer to the others. We set up on the beach instead of the mountain peaks. Turns out none of our family would allow this to be a private ceremony. Not that we fought too hard against it.

Turning a corner, I see them.

Zeke, Raph, and Theo stand near the makeshift altar, each wearing the same linen pants and pale purple button-down shirt.

As I grow closer, I notice how they each have a different number of buttons done.

Theo has the most, Raph’s is open enough to reveal his chest, and Zeke’s is unbuttoned entirely. I’m not surprised in the least.

Sunlight hits the scar on Theo’s cheek, and I know if I look down at Raphael’s chest, I’ll find his scar there, too.

They serve as a reminder of what we lost and also of what we gained.

But even I know that sometimes the most devastating scars are the ones we can’t see.

Like Zeke, who rarely takes his wings out in public.

As if sensing where my thoughts have trailed off to, my men push their love for me through our mental pathways until I can’t help but smile.

Today isn’t about the past. It’s about us and marks the beginning of our future.

Phiel stands behind them, acting as the officiator of this special bonding and sitting on blankets in the sand between me and my men are the rest of our family.

Mira and Dina are there, sitting across the aisle from Raduriel.

Perhaps the most shocking of our guests is their father, Andras.

He’s really stepped up over the last few months and is even taking some time away from his wife.

A separation, I’m told, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it became more permanent.

In fact, if he hadn’t found more of Isaac’s journals, we may not be here doing this at all.

Theo’s grandparents are here, too. They helped us decipher the rune, and we used Kirach’s workshop to build the last object we needed for the ceremony. My parents, who are both crying again, drop me off with my men and step back to join Kirach on the blanket.

You look breathtaking, Theo says through our shared mental connection.

So gorgeous , Raphael adds.

Stunning, though you’re wearing far too many clothes if you ask me, Zeke teases, his green eyes flashing with heat.

Speak for yourselves , I tell them, smiling between the three of them.

Raphael looks up at the familiar mountain peaks and then asks, Don’t you have favors to cash in on?

He’s right. How could I have forgotten about that? A mischievous grin has my cheeks aching as I push words through our shared mental path, Now that the city isn't in danger, I’m sure I’ll come up with something.

“Are you ready to begin?” Phiel asks.

We all nod. When we first asked him to officiate the ceremony, I wasn’t sure he was going to agree, but he did. Without hesitation. Having him here makes me feel a little closer to Castiel. He’s the one who brought us together. I wish he was here for real.

“Thank you all for joining us on this momentous occasion. A bonding ceremony like this one is rare, but powerful. Hayliel, Raphael, Ezekiel, and Theo, have you each brought a feather with you?”

Tingles race through me as I nod and we all reach for the feathers we’d plucked earlier that morning while we were naked and tangled together.

“Hayliel, please step forward and tie your feather to the center of the pendulum.”

Beside Pheil hangs the item Kirach made for us.

Two three-dimensional diamond-shaped pieces of metal make up the outer area, and in the center are two spinning circles made of silver.

I tie the top of my feather to the utmost peak of the diamond, loop my feather through the circles of silver, and attach the stem at the bottom.

Phiel calls on Raphael next, and he ties the stem of his feather to the diamond point on the left side. Theo does the same with the right side, and finally, Zeke attaches his to the bottom.

“Stand around the pendulum and recite the words we discussed,” Phiel says.

The four of us encompass the runed object and repeat the words together. "I deliver this feather to bind us."

I watch in fascination as the runes etched in the metal diamond glow with a subtle light, fusing our feathers to it. None of us really knows what to expect, but I’m surprised by the prickly sensation currently traveling along my shoulder blades and the sudden pop as all our wings unfurl.

A sudden mist seems to manifest from the very air itself. It coats our wings, tugging us closer as if all four of us are held together by the same string. Blinding light sears my eyes, and when it fades, I’m awestruck.

Across from me, I stare at Theo’s wings.

Where they were once all white, now they’re speckled with golden feathers.

Raphael’s wings are the same, white with gold interspersed throughout.

But it’s Zeke’s that have my heart nearly thumping out of my chest, because his are peppered with black and gold, but that’s not what has a gasp tumbling from my throat.

Where there was once only one wing, now there’s two.

He has two wings again.

I blink, needing to make sure this isn’t a trick of the light, but they don’t fade. My eyes prick with tears, and he flexes both wings, flapping them gently and rustling the loose strands of hair around my face.

I cover my mouth with my hands, my heart beating out of control as the reality of it crashes into me. As hard as I tried, my powers were never strong enough to fix what he lost. Until now. Our shared bond. This love the four of us have for one another. It’s strong enough to take on anything.

When our gazes lock, I see the astonishment and joy hidden within his green depths. Raph, Theo, and I rush toward him, whooping with excitement as we fall into a group hug that I somehow feel on more than just my skin or my heart.

Now the four of us are intricately linked by our souls.