went to Kes next. He promised to bring Mom and Dad back. The two were dancing like they were at a 1960s prom, her head on his chest, eyes closed. He kissed her temple and closed his.
“Go,” Kes shooed us away. “You two are making everyone sick.”
I guffawed. “We are not.”
He quirked an argumentative, rude brow, but refrained from responding.
Aries waited in the center of the floor. When did he move over there? I smiled and appeared in front of him, only to see him vanish again. I bit my lip, determined to find him. I searched along the threads to find the one that tethered him to me and pulled... hard. He appeared in front of me with a shocked look on his face. “How did you do that?”
Couldn’t he tug the cord instead of just following it? I gave him a fake, puzzled look and conjured my best Reese Witherspoon / Legally Blonde voice. “What, like it’s hard?”
His eyes smoldered. “That’s a trick you’ll have to teach me.”
“Only if you teach me a few first…” I challenged.
“Gladly,” he rasped, stalking toward me with a predatory gleam in his eye.
Just then, a loud boom shook Aquarius’s palace. I whirled, taking to the air, my hair feeling like it was standing on end. My feathers sharply cleaved the air. I landed with my back to Aries, both of us whirling and searching for the threat.
Aquarius stood and let out a belting laugh. “Number one, that was thunder. And secondly, Larken, you are always more than anyone expects, aren’t you?”
What?
He gestured to me. I looked down at my stomach and peered at my dress, then caught sight of the tips of my wings. They were no longer feathered, but bladed, each sharp edge glinting in the golden light that spilled throughout the room. I sucked in a breath. Why did they change?
“They’re protective,” Aries marveled as he turned to inspect them. His fingertip welled with blood when he dragged it over the honed tip of a feather. “And sharp.”
I brought his finger to my mouth and kissed the tip even as it healed. “Aries?”
His brow furrowed. He heard me, but his eyes clung to my lips.
“Aries?” I said again. Finally, his eyes shifted to mine. I split my palm with my claw and let my blood well in my hand, a question burning in my mind and in my eyes. Aries approached and closed his eyes. “I accept.”
I swallowed and drew my pledge in the form of slashes over his eyes. Slashes that matched the ones I wore for him, the pledge he made to me.
My blood didn’t eat his flesh away. He opened his eyes and their pink depths burned for me. “I will protect you for as long as I draw breath,” he vowed.
“And I will protect you for as long as my heart beats.”
He nodded. The other Zodia, my parents, and Kes watched our exchange from their places around the room. Tears swam in my mom’s eyes and my dad pursed his lips but gave me a small nod.
My feathers softened. I felt the tension slip out of them the way the fear had oozed out of me.
Kes offered a proud smile and the other Zodia beat on their chests. When Aries smiled, it lit up the room. Then he swept me off my feet and carried me across the small bridge, out of the ballroom and to the front door where we dissolved together.
We reappeared in my bedroom, startling Helena, who took one look at us, grinned, and vanished with a saucy wink.
We took time to finally give ourselves to one another in every way possible. Aries taught me how much he loved every inch of me, and I learned how every chiseled inch of him felt beneath my fingers.
Aries showed me how much he’d been holding back, and I demonstrated for him how strong I was now.
The next day, when we met the morning sun as she rose above the horizon, he sat in one of the plastic chairs with me draped across his lap, his fingers rubbing lazy circles on my arm. “I love you, Larken.”
“I love you more.”
He laughed. “Anything is possible under the heavens… except that.”
My heart swelled. Maybe that was what surprised me the most. Though I’d changed so much, my heart still felt very human.
I’d thought becoming Zodia was impossible. I’d thought that if pitted against Taurus, I would lose. But when I overcame him and became the thing I feared most, it turned out not to be as scary as I imagined. Maybe it was because my family was whole, or maybe it was because my heart was still mine.
Whatever it was, I regretted nothing. I would keep living. I would watch my family age and pass on… unless they chose to become Guardians. I’d leave that up to them to decide.
But for the first time since the world was torn apart, I felt like it was slowly knitting itself back together. Scarred, but stronger. It wouldn’t tear so easily again.
I felt hopeful.
I kissed Aries’s stubbled jaw and listened to the rumble resonate from his chest. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get enough of this, enough of him. All I knew was that it was a good thing I had forever to look forward to… with him.
Acknowledgements
I’m ever thankful to God for his mercy and blessings in my life. I have to thank my family for their constant encouragement, friends for their support, and fans for loving my characters and stories as much as I do.
Thanks to the Bond-tourage for always being so excited for my books and to my beta readers for this project: Cristie Alleman, Melanie Deem, Amber Garcia, Cheree Castellanos and Crystal Gray. You made it so much better with your honest feedback.
A special thanks to Melissa Stevens for designing the perfect book cover, interior, trailer, tarot card and every other thing related to bringing this book to life visually. And thanks to Stacy Sanford for waving her magic red pen over my manuscript and polishing it beautifully.
About the Author
Casey Bond lives in West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. She likes goats and yoga, but hasn’t tried goat yoga because the family goat is so big he might break her back. Seriously, he’s the size of a pony. Her favorite books are the ones that contain magical worlds and flawed characters she would want to hang out with. Most days of the week, she writes young adult fantasy books, letting her imaginary friends spill onto the blank page.
Casey is the award-winning author of When Wishes Bleed, the Frenzy series, and fairy tale retellings such as Riches to Rags, Savage Beauty, Unlocked and Brutal Curse. Learn more about her work at www.authorcaseybond.com.
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Also by Casey L. Bond
When Wishes Bleed & The Omen of Stones
The Fairy Tales
Riches to Rags, Savage Beauty, Unlocked, & Brutal Curse
Glamour of Midnight
The High Stakes Saga
High Stakes, High Seas, High Society, High Noon, & High Treason
The Harvest Saga
Reap, Resist, & Reclaim
The Keeper of Crows Duology
Keeper of Crows & Keeper of Souls
The Frenzy Series
Frenzy, Frantic, Frequency, Friction, Fraud, & Forever Frenzy