Page 259 of The Mercy of Dawn

No, something contented and sated thrummed in its place instead.

And for her to ask if he felt it too…

Mikael’s brows climbed just as Cyril softly said, “Our bond.” The breathy laugh that slipped out of her sounded far more anxious than it did humored. “I think it was pretty pissed with us.”

Fuck him.

Their bond.

It happened so quickly…

Bonds could take years to form with the right person, if they even formed at all. There was no guarantee that it ever would. Couples could be madly in love for centuries and never have a bond form. It was a matter of luck, and fates and destinies, as his mother would prattle on about.

And while it certainly fucking explained things, Mikael was stunned and, gods, he was fucking elated. A bond was a gift beyond gifts, but Cyril’s tone…

“You don’t sound happy about that.”

She stared up at him with wide eyes.

“No! That’s not it at all.” Cyril’s features softened and she dropped her gaze. “I’m so happy, but it…”

She made a quiet noise, her fingers flexing against his chest.

“It what?”

“It terrifies me, Mika.”

“The bond?” he asked, and Cyril nodded.

“The bond. Loving you. Caring about you like I do.” She exhaled shakily. “I know you love me now, but when is it going to stop? When are you going to get tired and change your mind, like…”

Everyone else.

Cyril didn’t even need to finish the words, and his heart still ached for her.

Mikael shifted onto his side and Cyril didn’t resist when he notched his fingers under her chin, tipping her face up. Her eyes were full of so much conflict.

“Never, Cyr. Never,” he said softly. “You have no idea how much purpose you have given me, or how lucky I feel when you look at me, and I know that you see me as much as I see you. I love you, and there are no conditions with that. Not now, not ever, okay?”

Mikael trusted Cyril understood precisely what he was talking about. That she knew he would never treat her like that fucking waste of air did.

Whatever freedom she wanted, it was hers. Hells, he’d even be the one to push her from the fucking nest if she was afraid of spreading her wings too far. And whatever brought her happiness, he’d see that she had so much of it she got sick of it.

But what he would never do was use the condition of his love to get what he wanted from her.

“Okay,” she whispered, and that was all he needed for now.

Mikael kissed Cyril’s forehead before he circled his arms around her and drew her in close. “Can we sleep now? I’m fucking exhausted.”

Days of travel, a quick fuck, and an emotional outpouring? Mikael wasn’t sure how his eyes were still open.

A quiet, breathy laugh left Cyril, just a puff of warm air against his skin, and she said, “Me too.”

Mikael was grateful it only took minutes for him to feel Cyril’s body go slack, for her breathing to settle into something deep and rhythmic. He let himself slip away then too, to make the most of the few hours of rest he’d get before the sun rose and brought his duties with it.

Chapter 68

One by devastating one, the three funeral pyres laid along the rocky lakeshore became engulfed in unyielding blue flame. A beautiful and brutal contrast to the dark waters beyond.