Page 160 of Demon's Beauty

And instead of fractured, I am whole.

Instead of being broken into thirds, my power is amplified. Magnified, expanded, almost too much for me to hold without breaking.

But I take a step, and it gets easier. I refuse to shy away, grasp each thread so I can pull it close and claim it, make it as much a part of me as my blood and bones and the bond I share with Finn.

When I emerge, the threads are one.

Just me, with everything I hold dear imprinted on my soul, ready to find out just what I can do with these gifts I’ve been given.

Finn

Soleil steps out of the ether reborn.

Her robes flowing around her, her raven hair unbound, the light of the Goddess still clinging to her as she emerges from the Veil, she looks like some impossible, otherworldly creature.

Beautiful, powerful, magnificent.

I wasn’t sure if she would want me here for this, and I was fully prepared to wait for her back in the demon realm while she took this final step in committing to her coven—but, as always, my witch surprised me.

Whether or not her coven fully approved, she let them know I’d be here.

Standing back and out of the way, but here all the same, watching with bated breath and my heart in my throat as she disappeared within the ether.

Though it can’t have been more than five minutes since she went in, I feel as if I’ve lived several lifetimes by the time she reemerges.

Even then, I can barely breathe.

Pride and love and awe swell in my chest, stealing all the air from my lungs.

It’s only when I catch sight of her smile that I can finally draw breath again.

With a grin that’s wide and radiant, she stands triumphant just outside the Veil as Esme descends the dais and comes to stand before her. Soleil sinks into a low curtsy and takes thehand the High Priestess offers, allowing herself to be lifted up as Esme’s voice carries again through the clearing.

“I present to you, Priestess Soleil.”

A cheer rises through the crowd, and I briefly lose sight of her as the rest of the coven steps forward to celebrate.

She receives embraces and words of congratulations from her fellow witches, but it doesn’t take long for her eyes to find mine.

Just that one look is electric. The bond within my chest surges, as if even that has been strengthened with the force of the change she’s undergone. Pulsing and insistent and alive, it only gets stronger as she murmurs an apology to her well-wishers and crosses the clearing toward me.

Goddess, I’ll never tire of this sight.

My mate, who I’ve somehow earned, coming to me. Choosing me.

Against all odds and my own belief it was impossible, I convinced her I’m worth taking a chance on, and I’ll never stop trying to prove she was right.

“Hi,” she says, a little breathless when she reaches me.

“Hello, sunshine.” I wrap my tail around her waist and pull her closer, every inch of me humming with the magick rolling off her in waves.

She presses a kiss to my lips, and she tastes like pure power. Endless power. So much of it, it might fill up all thirteen realms.

Pouring into me, it makes my skin tingle, makes the entire world light up as I slant my lips over hers and deepen the kiss, hungry for more.

Soleil pulls away with a breathless giggle when a few of her sister witches start whooping and cat-calling.

I turn us both and give the coven nothing but a view of my wings, and the few good-natured boos I receive are more than worth it to have a moment of privacy with my priestess.