tied to your hot ass for our entire lives?” Cassian says with a shit-eating grin. “Sign me the fuck up.”
Someone makes a disgusted noise from behind me, and I resist the urge to give them my middle finger.
“We’re already in love with you,” Karsyn continues, blushing slightly. “We know it’s new, we know it might not last, but we don’t want to give you up. Not after we just got you back.”
“You’ll have to kill me before I’ll leave you again,” Lucas says dryly, and I can’t help but notice that he changed into his clothes from yesterday. Apparently, he would rather walk downstairs naked than wear clothes belonging to my ex-boyfriend.
“You’ll be her slaves,” Darlene drawls from behind me. “Her magical slaves. Hers to do with as she pleases.”
“That’s not true,” Joshua cuts in, anger darkening his tone. “If the souls are meant to be together, then it will be a mutual partnership. She will belong to them as surely as they belong to her. They’ll be able to wield her magic, just as she can use their energy.”
“That’s not possible,” Darlene protests arrogantly. “There are four of them, and one of her.”
“Do you mean like soulmates?” Karsyn interrupts, face scrunched in confusion. One of the witches begins to laugh before she’s shushed by my nana.
“Yes and no,” Joshua explains as I twist my head to stare at him over my shoulder. He scratches absently at his chin, face deep in thought. “Unlike what you read about in books and see in movies, soulmates aren’t destined. They’re not written in the stars or whatever. But when you find your equal on this earth, your souls know innately that you belong together.”
“And you think that’s what we are?” Cassian demands, but Joshua shrugs.
“We’ll know for sure once we do the binding spell.”
“You can’t seriously be considering this!” Darlene screeches.
“Fortunately for all of us,” Rose begins, “it’s not your choice.”
“You guys, are you sure?” I whisper, spinning back around to face them. I know a part of me will wither and die forever if they choose to forget about me, but I refuse to take away that choice. “Once we bind ourselves together…there’s no going back.”
Cassian’s jaw clenches as he turns towards Karsyn and then Elias. Lucas simply meets my gaze, promising an eternity without any words.
“We’re sure,” all four of them declare at the same time.
Joshua smiles brightly before nodding at Rose. The dark-haired woman moves towards us and places a finger on Karsyn’s forehead. Her twin does the same to Cassian, as the old man moves towards Elias. One of the middle-aged women moves to do the same thing to Lucas, but he growls at her, glaring at her finger as if it has grown a head and is now snapping at him.
“Calm, little one,” she says, amusement lacing her voice. Instead of addressing her, Lucas stares over her shoulder at me, only me, as if the rest of the world ceases to exist. His shoulders gradually relax, and he doesn’t struggle when the woman places a single finger to his forehead, right between his eyes.
Joshua moves to stand in front of me.
“Are you sure about this?” he whispers. “You asked them if they truly wanted this, but is it something you want?”
Lucas’s soft smile that he only ever shares with me flashes in my mind.
Cassian’s jovial laugh and crude remarks that never fail to make me laugh.
Karsyn’s steadfast loyalty and compassion.
And Elias’s unyielding strength and confidence.
They’re a part of me, a part of my soul, and I’ll be damned if I ever let anyone take them from me.
My answer is instantaneous. I don’t even have to think about it to know.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“Very well.” Joshua gently presses his finger against my forehead before leaning forward to whisper, “They’re lucky men.”
The five council members begin to chant in Latin, and I don’t know how else to describe it, but it feels as if pieces of my very being leave my chest. The sensation isn’t painful, more like an irritating itch, but I still gasp in surprise, my hands drawing up to rub the spot.
Bright light engulfs my vision as my back arches painfully.
“What’s happening?” I whimper, but I don’t know if I actually say the words or just think them.
And then, I feel them.
Four bulbs of light materialize in the center of my chest, steadily filling in the missing pieces like a puzzle. I recognizable each of their energies instantly.
Cassian’s playful energy, the one bouncing around like it’s demanding