My sweet child, he died with honour, he is at peace.
He is Heir!Tegan cried out in desperation.
Her mother smiled at her as her hand stroked her face, a feeling Tegan had never felt from her in life.
There can only ever beoneHeir.
Take me instead,Tegan whispered.
The Mark of Velvore is breaking, his power runs over, he will not control it. You are the Stone, Tegan. He is your bonded.
Her mother vanished, and Tegan wiped her eyes. Faintly she felt it, the strain on her chest. She thought it was heartache, but it was the bond, pulled tight. Too tight.
Her head turned to look at the male.Cord?Her eyes flew wide with alarm as she saw him bowed, defeated, he looked as if he was…vibrating.
Suddenly, his head snapped up, and he said one word to whatever he saw in front of him. “No.”
A boom of power sounded loudly in the quiet, and then the world was breaking.
Tegan rolled onto her side as a tree came crashing down. Struggling to her hands and knees, she screamed as pain sliced her side open again. On hands and knees, she crawled to his side as he unleashed his Storm against the Darkness.
The ground surged as it reacted to the pull of his power. Winds raged around them, rain fell like ice from the sky, which had previously been clear. Tegan could hear cries of alarm and pain as Akrhyn fell from the force of the raging elements that surrounded them.
Power formed a barrier around him. Reaching out to touch it, she cried out in pain as it burned her.
Her bond throbbed in her chest. Tegan didn’t know what knowledge guided her, but she reached inside and funnelled that feeling to her fingers. When she stretched out this time, the barrier did not burn.
Tentatively and cautiously, she inched forward. Her arm made it through, it would have to be enough.
Her fingers stretched, caressing the back of his hand.
“Come back to me,” she whispered as her hand wrapped around his. “Castor, you do not get to leave me,” she told him, her voice stronger. “You promised you would be with me,” Tegan said as her temper at him ignoring her rose. “Cord Olezka Lebedev, rememberwhoyouare.”
Cord’s hand twitched, and Tegan grabbed it, pulling herself through his barrier, the burn from his power prickling her body like a thousand hot needles. When half her body was through, Tegan used Cord’s weight to pull her legs in, holding onto him as if he was an anchor. Gasping, she collapsed beside him. Her skin was burned, blistered and angry, while her blood flowed freely from her wounds again.
She was the Stone.
With a determined grunt, she clambered to her feet.
“I will gut you for this, Castor,” she growled as she made her way to face him. Exhausted, she too dropped to her knees. Her hand cupped his cheek, but he gave no reaction. “You have to stop.”
Tegan looked around and saw massive upheaval as the earth rolled, trees crashed, as if an invisible cyclone ripped around them.
With grim determination, Tegan wrapped her arms around Cord and kissed him. “I love you, come back to me.”
Her body was failing. Wearily she rested her head on his shoulder, her arms still clasped around his neck.
“I love you,” she whispered. “I am yours, I am the Stone that grounds you. Feel me, Cord. Feel the bond.” Her eyes closed. “Come back to me.”
Arms tightened around her, fingers dug into her back, a head burrowed into her neck. She heard him gasp as if in pain, before she heard him murmur her name.
“Thank you, my love.”
As Tegan faded into blackness, she wasn’t sure if it was herself that had spoken the words to Cord or if her mother spoke to her.
Tegan woke in her bed. Sunlight streamed through the window, and she could hear birds outside.
Turning her head, she saw Pure Castor Jameis. He smiled as he watched her. Holding out a glass, he let her take a drink of the mixture he had prepared for her.