Page 152 of A House of Gold
Through our binding, I feel what he's really asking: Are you sure about being connected to all of them? About sharing yourself with six other angels? About losing the exclusivity of what we have?
"I'm sure," I tell him quietly.
He doesn't look convinced. But he nods.
"Then we prepare," Seraph says, moving toward the door. "The ritual requires specific components. Blood, obviously. Warded space. And time, it's not quick."
"How long?" I ask.
"An hour, perhaps two." He pauses at the door. "And Raven? It's going to hurt. Creating one bond is painful. Creating seven simultaneously..." He trails off.
"I'll survive it."
"See that you do." His mirror eyes reflect my pale face. "It would be unfortunate to go through all this effort only to have you die from the bonding itself."
With that cheerful thought, he leaves.
One by one, the others follow. Kael with a nod, Lysander with a wink, Dorian with a look of concern. Idris pauses, and their voice slides into my mind one last time:You're braver than you know. Or perhaps more stupid. I haven't decided which.
Then they're gone too.
Only Croesus and I remain in the study.
"You don't have to do this," he says quietly.
"Yes, I do."
"They could find another way. Give me time."
"We don't have time." I turn to face him fully. "You said it yourself. The archangel is coming. Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow. But soon. And when they do, I need to be ready."
"You'll be connected to all of them." His voice is tight. "You'll feel Seraph's pride, Kael's rage, Lysander's..." He stops.
"Lust?" I finish. "I'll feel all of it. I know."
"And I'll feel them too. Through you." His jaw clenches. "I'll know when they affect you. When they make you feel things. When..."
"When they make me want them?"
The words hang in the air between us.
Through our binding, I feel his jealousy flare, hot and possessive and absolutely terrified.
"You were mine first," he says, and his voice cracks slightly. "You were mine, and now I have to share you with six others. Six angels I despise."
I kiss him.
Hard. Desperate. Trying to pour everything I feel through our bond, the love, the terror, the certainty that this is the only way.
When I pull back, we're both breathing hard.
"I'm not yours," I say quietly. "I never was. You have a year of my service. That's all. The binding between us was an accident, a side effect of you saving my life." I cup his face, force him to focus on me. "But this, what we have now, this is real. And it's not going away just because I'm connected to the others."
"You can't promise that."
"No," I admit. "I can't. Because I don't know what these bonds will do to me. To us. To any of this." I press my forehead against his. "But I know that right now, in this moment, I choose you. I love you. And that's not going to change just because I can feel Seraph's opinions or Kael's temper."
Through the binding, I feel his fear slowly, slowly begin to ease.
