I grimaced and, glancing over the paper once more just to make sure I got everything right, sat it on the altar and cleared my throat. I lifted my hands to the sky, feeling like an idiot, but doing my best to play the part for my sister’s sake.
“Before the eyes of the Great Creators, may we all bear witness today to the joining of these two individuals—Princess Cassandra to Sergeant Alexander. Let this union be not in word alone, but sealed by blood, that they be bonded not only in this life, but the next as well.”
Cassie and Alex exchanged excited glances, and I prayed I wouldn’t be sick for this next part. “Place your hands on the altar please.” They did as I asked, resting their hands joined hands on the rough stone surface.
Picking up the knife, I offered it to Alex. “Carefully cut along her palm and pour her blood into one of the cups.”
Alex nodded and accepted the knife. Taking my sister’s hand in his, she straightened her fingers. He rested the blade against her palm, but hesitated, searching her gaze for a long moment. “You’re sure?”
She beamed, a smile lighting her face. “One hundred percent.”
He returned the smile, and angling the knife ever so carefully, he ran the tip the length of her palm. She winced, though her smile never faltered, and a thin line of blood blossomed across her skin.
Alex shifted her hand over the nearest chalice and tipped it to the side. Several drops of blood plinked against the bottom of the cup. When the shallow cut stopped bleeding, Alex returned her hand to the altar with the gentlest of movements.
“Very good. Now your turn, Cassie,” I said.
Using her uninjured hand, Cassie scooped up the ceremonial knife and took the hand Alex offered her. She repeated his earlier actions, carefully slicing his hand and transferring his blood to the other empty cup.
“Please hold out your hands,” I asked when she’d finished. They did as instructed, and I took a deep breath. Now for the hard part. Willing my hands not to shake, I picked up the knife from the altar and dipped the tip into the cup Cassie had just poured Alex’s blood into.
I guided the blade to Cassie’s outstretched hand, and steadying it with my other, I etched the three divine runes from the paper just above the red line on her palm. She flinched and my heart beat against my ribs like a caged imp.
“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice cracking at the end.
She nodded, and I exhaled as I finished the last rune. My eyes widened as the symbols I’d created began to glow faintly, and the blood from the knife seemed to take on a life of its own, seeping into the earlier wound in her palm. In the next heartbeat, the glow disappeared from her skin, and I moved to Alex’s hand. I repeated the process, using Cassie’s blood. Finished, I took both of their bloodied hands and put them together. The two clasped hands and following the instructions, I wrapped the piece of gold silk around their joined hands. Taking the two chalices, I dumped one into the other, then returned the knife to the now mixed blood. Raising my hands again, I chanted the divine words written on the paper, barely understanding much of what I was even saying.
Continuing to repeat the phrases, I lowered the knife, and touching the tip to the silken cords, etched one last symbol. The rune glowed a bright red, and I ceased my chanting, offering a low bow. “You may now seal the bond with a kiss.”
Cassie surged forward, pressing her lips to Alex’s, and I hid my relieved smile behind my hand. Alex chuckled, returning the kiss with equal enthusiasm. A bright light exploded from between their hands, and the two separated with sharp gasps. Terror seized me, and I startled as Ryker’s grip on my arm steadied me. Cassie tore the bound silk away from their hands, and I waited on bated breath. Both inspected their palms, and Cassie squealed in delight, throwing her arms around Alex and kissing him with much more enthusiasm than before.
Well, it must have gone right if she was that excited. Exhaling in relief, I turned away to give the newly bonded couple some semblance of privacy—not that they seemed to need it.
Curious about his reaction, my eyes tracked to Ryker and found him watching me with equal curiosity. “So, now you know what blood bonding is.” I shrugged, hoping to cut the tension building between us. “What do you think?”
Ryker watched me for a long moment as if measuring his answer. He opened his mouth, but a force plowed into me, and Cassie smothered me in a hug.
“Thank you so much, Kaleah! Today has been amazing! Everything I hoped it would be.”
I turned, her excitement seeping into me as she bounced up and down on her toes and spun in a circle. “Look, isn’t it wonderful!” She held out her right hand, and I stared down at her palm. The wound and runes from earlier were gone, replaced with a star shaped scar in the center of her palm.
Longing filled my soul, and a part of me wondered if I would ever get the chance to share in a bonding ceremony with someone I desired to be with forever. Would I ever find that kind of love? I refused to look at Ryker—unsure of the expression on my face—and plastered a smile on as a mask. “It’s beautiful Cassie.”
“I know!” She rushed back to Alex’s side, and I laughed as she struggled to contain her energetic happiness. A heartbeat later, I froze as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I spun around.
“Leah?” Alex asked as Ryker stiffened beside me.
“Shh.” Heart in my throat, I scanned the trees and foliage surrounding the clearing. Fear flooded over me, but nothing stood out of the ordinary.
“Kaleah, what—”
“We need to get back. Now.” Lifting my fingers to my mouth I released a high pitched whistle.
“What is it?” Alex demanded, pulling Cassie against him as he glanced around the clearing.
“Something’s watching us,” I whispered, side stepping closer to Ryker as the two griffins appeared through the trees, heeding my whistle.
“It’s probably just a curious animal,” Alex murmured, leading my sister toward Coal.