die. Those are the only two options.”
No one stepped away. Delmare added, “This isn’t like the pact we made last semester to take Gabby and Elijah down. This is a powerful oath of magic. Once we swear it, there’s no going back.”
“Just do it, Mare,” Emma said. She wouldn’t look at me.
Delmare took a breath. “Put your right hand on the scale,” she said.
Everyone reached out an arm, leaving enough room for each of us to put a few fingers on the smooth surface. “Repeat after me,” Delmare began. “I bind myself to my companions, weaving our fates as one. Upon my life, I hereby swear to unite the Crystals of Harmony and reopen the portal to Edinmyre, be it by my life or death. I vow to remain loyal to this fellowship and faithful to my cause, until my last breath has been taken or until the task is done.”
We all echoed her words, repeating them in unison as one collective. When the recitation was finished, Stefan began whispering some sort of spell. Red wisps emitted from the scale and wrapped around our arms. The cords around our limbs tightened as they bound us all as one, uniting us in our goal.
The scale glowed ruby. Delmare reached out to take it from the air, pocketing it once again in her dress.
“It’s done,” she said. “The intention has been set and the spell cannot be broken.”
“I hope we made the right choice,” Kiara said.
Something was different now that the oath had been taken. I felt an itching along my skin that I couldn’t quite satisfy. It was like my vow was calling out to me, demanding I begin the search for the next crystal at once.
I could ignore the urge. But it would be in the back of my mind all the same.
Theo glanced at Emma and I. He put a hand on the small of Odette’s back. “Come on, guys. Let’s give them some space.”
Everyone obviously felt the unresolved tension between Emma and I, because our friends flooded out of the courtyard as quickly as their legs could carry them. When Emma and I were alone, we faced each other, and silence festered between us.
“You want to talk,” I said. My words sounded like an accusation.
“We don’t have a choice, do we?” she asked. “We need to discuss your actions.”
“Emma, I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I know my actions were uncalled for, and yes, I deserve death for it. I don’t expect your forgiveness, though I’m begging for it.” My words were full of grief. They caused tears to rise to my eyes.
“I’m not talking about how you stabbed me, though yeah, that’s pretty messed up,” Emma snapped. “I’m talking about how you hid your secret identity. I’m talking about the Phantom.”
When she brought up the Phantom, my sorrow turned to defensiveness. She wanted to say I’d been hiding things? I wasn’t the only one.
“You have no room to talk, White Rose,” I said. “You lied to me.”
“You lied to me first!” Emma shouted. “Every falsehood I ever played out was to keep you safe. But what were your reasons for not telling me about the Phantom, huh? You knew we were true mates from the moment we met, and you told me we weren’t. You messed with my feelings!”
“I did that because the closer you got to the Phantom, the more you were in danger,” I said. “Look what happened tonight! You got too close, and he lashed out. You got hurt.”
“You’re acting like he’s not you— like he’s a totally different entity!” Emma screamed.
“He is different, but he’s also me! Why can’t you understand that?”
Emma’s expression accused me of insanity. “Regardless, I had to make a decision on false pretenses. I entered into this mating bond agreeing to be with you while not knowing who you really were! I held myself to this contract thinking you were someone else. How can I agree to marry you if I’m still not sure of who you are?”
“You know everything about me now. Everything has come to light,” I said. “There’s nothing left to hide.”
“That’s not the point. You were dishonest from the beginning. If I had known you were the Phantom—”
“You’re being a hypocrite,” I spat. “You were in love with the Phantom before you were in love with me. You told me you bonded with him months ago.”
“I bonded with him, but I fell in love with you! There’s a difference!”