Page 33 of Blood of the Stars

“I need you to promise me that this is your last trip.” Enla wrapped her hands around his forearm, her face pinched with the anxious weight of all her responsibilities. “Even if you don’t find what you’re looking for. It’s time for you to settle down with Lenda and be my throne warden.”

Most throne wardens took on their role at eighteen, and she’d let him roam the seas until twenty-three. She’d given him far more time than he deserved, and yet it would never feel like enough. Not unless he came back with Daisy.

“I promise,” he said, hoping it was true. Not because he truly agreed, but because this time he would find her. If he didn’t, he might never get another chance to look.

Enla’s eyes lost focus again, visions plaguing her in ways he’d never understand. “You can go to Bamboo Island. Trust Riveran to have your back.”

“What does Riveran have to do with anything?”

She ignored his question. “And stay away from Lovers’ Falls.”

“All right.” He wasn’t planning to go to Lovers’ Falls anymore, anyway.

“I have one more condition.” Enla crossed her arms over her chest.

Still buoyant from his success, he let a dangerous word slip from his mouth. “Anything.”

“Take Lenda with you.”

CHAPTER 14

“Bondmate?” Aeliana frowned, no more certain over who Lukai was now than she’d been before the introductions.

“Yes, yes, now get inside the cave.” Sylmar drew the vines back farther. He ushered them all into the dark until the vines could swing back in place behind him, effectively hiding them from view.

A small lantern rested on a rock, the dim light from its fire casting more shadow than glow.

“What’s a bondmate?” Cyrus asked.

Lukai held out his right hand, but this time he angled it palm up to reveal a dark mark, like a teardrop. Aeliana gasped, holding out her hand with its matching mark before she could think the action through. Lukai locked his fingers with hers, and warmth spread between their palms as if the marks conducted heat when they touched.

He smiled, his eyes never leaving her face. “When two people are bonded, it strengthens the connection between them the more they’re with each other.”

Sylmar huffed, picking up the lamp to lead the way through the cave.

When Aeliana broke away from Lukai’s gaze, Velden’s features were tight. “Don’t mind Sylmar’s pessimistic views on love.”

Aeliana dropped Lukai’s hand like a hot coal. “Love?”

Velden’s tension dissipated as he laughed. “Bonds were originally used for protection. Sometimes for a parent and child or comrades in war. The desire to protect a bondmate overruled any fears. When used between spouses, the bond gained a depth unlike any other. Over time, it’s evolved into something shared mostly between couples, either as a part of their wedding ceremony or their betrothal.”

“Which is why you should have let me swap watch with Velden tonight,” Lukai called out to Sylmar, bending forward to grab his bag. “I sensed she was in danger. It was driving me mad.”

“You’ve sensed it almost daily for the last four years,” Sylmar grumbled, his voice echoing back to them against the cavern walls.

“Considering she was with Arvid and Vera,” Velden said, “she probably was in danger daily.”

Lukai frowned, and the lamp’s light caught on a silver object hanging from a leather cord around his neck. A starlock? He tucked it under his shirt and followed Velden, his broad back blocking most of the light. Aeliana and Cyrus quickly joined the procession.

“The royal family is one of the few left who use bonds from childhood,” Lukai said over his shoulder. “The older a bond, the stronger it is. It’s meant for protection more than love, but the two often go together like starlocks and progenies. Your mother knew from the start that you would be in danger. Bonding is only one of many things she did to protect you.”

“Was the starbridge another?” Cyrus asked from behind Aeliana, his tone unreadable. Was he bitter? Or merely curious?

“Yes,” Velden said.

What had originally sounded loving now felt selfish. Aeliana’s mother had put protective measures in place for her, but at the cost of so many other lives.

“Our bond allowed me to sense your well-being, even across the barrier.” Lukai turned, placing a finger on his matching mark.

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