Hecate's Gift (Ari & Soren Book 2)

Chapter 12 - Soren

Ari said little on the drive home. When we arrived, he got out and went straight inside. After a moment's hesitation, I followed.

I heard the shower running, and then his voice, asking me to join him. It was an unusual thing for him to want, but I obliged. 

We stood beneath the steaming spray, and I held him gently, washing away with soap the imagined stain of another's touch. He didn't seem upset, but he was quiet.

Afterward, he sat on the bed dressed in his nightclothes and looked up at me.

"Soren, let's do it now. Let's complete the bond tonight."

I searched his dark eyes. His expression was calm and assured, but something bad had happened this evening, and I didn't know how much, if anything, it had to do with his sudden wish.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," I said carefully. "I think we should wait."

"No." He spoke with assurance. "I don't want to wait any longer. I want you to make me yours, and I want to make you mine."

I still hesitated, but he seemed very sure. "All right," I said. "We'll do it now."

I went to the dresser and retrieved the box with the rings. I hadn't shown them to him yet, and I hoped he'd be pleased. I also took a razor from his shaving kit.

"It's not complicated," I said, sitting beside him. "It's almost like a wedding, really. We each take a vow and place rings on one another. Then I'll cut myself, and you'll drink, as I drink from you."

He nodded, looking at the box. "Can I see?"

I lifted the lid. Inside, the matching ouroboros rings gleamed. The eyes of one snake were blue, the other's black. Siobhan had enchanted them to fit whoever wore them.

"They're beautiful," he said, examining them carefully. He looked up at me, and his eyes were dark with determination. "Let's go outside. It's a full moon."

"Sure, if that's what you'd like."

"It is," he nodded, and stood. I followed him outside, and we walked to the edge of the cliff, beneath an ancient Cyprus tree. The full moon floated high behind the black and tangled branches, and the sea looked silver in its light.

We stood side by side for several minutes, breathing the night air and listening to the whisper of waves on the rocky beach below us. Finally, I turned towards him.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"Yes."

I took a deep breath and held his hands in mine. "Aristotle Lorenfield, do you accept me as your life-bonded, your one and only, now and forever?"

"Yes," he said, softly. He took the ring with the black-eyed snake and slid it onto the third finger of my left hand. He gazed at it a moment, then looked back up to meet my eyes.

His voice was slightly hoarse when he spoke.

"Soren Volkirsson, do you take me as your life-bonded, your leof, now and forever?"

"I do," I smiled, and placed the matching ring on his hand.

"Now, the last," I said. 

I slid the razor across my wrist, and he brought the wound to his lips without hesitation. I saw his eyes widen in surprise in the moonlight. I hadn't told him that vampire blood tasted different from human. It would carry the hints of whatever he most loved.

I turned him so he faced away from me and kissed the side of his neck. Then I let my fangs extend, and I bit him. His blood flowed down my throat, and I felt him shudder, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he took a hard drag on my arm. Then he let go of my wrist and gasped.