Caught Between Three Billionaire Tycoons - Willa Hart Page 0,51
on Whitney, my love,” Zavier whispered.
“I do so swear, on Whitney, my mate,” Aleksy answered.
I felt my hand on the slick rock, closing my eyes so I could imagine her warm brown eyes.
“I do so swear, on Whitney, my world.”
For a few moments we stood quietly, feeling the tentative connection of the magnetism, in the earth. The bond was being made. It was stronger than the three of us and a sudden wind hurled itself into the clearing, whipping at the flames that curled at our feet.
“I pledge to keep Whitney safe, from now into all time,” I whispered softly.
“By the magic of this ritual, may it be so. I pledge to protect Whitney every day of her life,” Aleksy whispered.
“I do so swear, to protect Whitney with my last breath.” I spoke with more meaning than I ever had in my life.
“This joining is not just to bring us together for our mate,” Aleksy said quickly. “I pledge to make the mountain safe for all the clans. So, shifters can live in peace. All of us. We will put an end to the petty squabbles and bring all shifters together in peace. This I do so swear.”
“And I, do so swear.” Zavier smiled. I pressed my hand to the rock as it got warm. The land was singing, the land was happy. She sang to me, waiting for me to add my note to the song.
“This I do so swear,” I whispered.
The forest sighed around us. The pledge had been made. Now it was time to bind it, make it real.
Zavier pulled a small knife from his pocket. It was very sharp and had a pointed tip. He drew it across his left hand carefully, making a streak of blood. He then handed it to Aleksy. He winced as he made the cut, trying to be careful about how he placed the cut on his palm.
He handed the knife to me. I didn’t hesitate; I made a nice deep cut across my left hand. I gave the knife to Zavier, and he put it in his pocket.
All of us touched the stone. The earth trembled as if it was breathing. We slid our hands to the center of the rock and placed them on top of each other so the blood could mingle.
“To seal the pact, I call upon my bear, my primal heart.” Zavier shifted fluidly, his massive paw covering the rock.
“I call my inner fire, my wild soul.” Aleksy shifted, his bloody paw pressed against Zavier’s.
“I call the savagery of the night. The great protector of the forest.” I barely got the words out as my bear swallowed me alive, taking me over and stretching up on its hind legs with a roar. I slapped my paw down and our blood mingled. The ground seemed to shriek in joy and tremble beneath our feet.
I could feel something binding us. It was powerful, and it was terrifying. I knew that if we broke our bond in any way, it would be like losing a limb, we could not survive it.
For a moment I wondered if we had done the right thing. We were brothers now, for good or ill. What if Whitney didn’t choose us, after all this?
I blinked hard, looking around. Night was falling over the forest. I didn’t think we had been out here that long, but the shadows told me that day had ended while we stared through time and joined our families by blood and by soul.
The little fire had gone out, little tendrils of smoke shifting around the stone. We looked at each other and the strength of the bond between us meant we barely had to speak. Every gesture spoke volumes. We were connected in a way I couldn’t quite understand yet.
We looked at each other, eyes glowing. Then we loped back toward the cabins.
As we got closer, we saw the warm light coming from the windows. I didn’t know what the others felt, but my heart seemed to melt. My mate was in there, tending the cubs and the fire. I felt a surge of happiness and I practically leaped across the field, kicking up leaves at Zavier and Aleksy.
Aleksy turned his snout into the leaves and threw some back at me. We roared with laughter, coming on to the porch and shifting, becoming men, becoming brothers,
I grinned like a goddamn fucking fool. I couldn’t remember ever being this happy before. Zavier grinned at us both, and Aleksy’s smile grew wider