Page 40 of Secrets & Curses of Fate

“I—” He coughed up blood. I tried to use my magic on Haden, but nothing was happening. Why wasn’t it healing him? Then I felt it, that tugging of my mating bond with Holden. No. I tried to heal Haden again, but nothing happened. The tugging on the mating bond was so forceful now that I knew it would not allow me to save him until I had saved Holden first.

“Haden, I will be right back. I have to save Holden first; my magic won't work on you until I do. I love you; hold on for me.”

I laid his hand on the ground and rushed back to Holden. I could feel his soul slipping away. Tears blurred my vision as I realized how much magic it would take to save him. Quickly I released my power and slammed it into him. My starlight frantically raced through his veins, healing every wound it could find. After a minute, my magic slammed back into me, knocking me backward. I groaned as I tried to move toward Haden. My body and mind were exhausted from saving Holden.

“Haden!” I begged. With every ounce of energy I had left, I began crawling toward him. But I had only made it a foot before I noticed a soft orange glow next to me.

When I turned to look, a violent sob tore through me, and the entire realm shook with thunder at my grief. Haden’s soul form was kneeling next to me, watching me desperately trying to get to him.

“No, no, no, no,” I begged. “You can’t die!” Finally, I reached his body and pulled him to me. I buried my face in his unmoving chest. I grabbed his arm and wrapped it around me, begging him to hold me. I could hear my pleading, but I felt as if I was not in my own body as I held Haden. The fates were being too cruel. He didn’t deserve to die.

“I’m sorry, please don’t take him,” I called out. I’m sorry I changed fate. I’m sorry I loved him when I was never supposed to, but this was too much of a punishment. “I will never forgive you if you take him from me!” I yelled to the heavens.

My face fell back to his still chest, and I breathed in the smell of a frosty winter morning, but it was not bringing me comfort.

“Storm.” Haden’s soul spoke softly. When I glanced up at him, he was crying. “It’s alright. You need to let me go.”

I realized I was gripping his soul tightly in my hand. I shook my head.?If I let him go, he wouldn’t come back.

“Please don’t leave me here alone,” I cried. “What am I supposed to do without you?”

“You know I don’t have a choice.” He frowned as his head tilted to the side. “I can’t stay now.”

I stared at him and wondered how I could ever let go.

“I will not survive without you.”

“You’re wrong. You are so strong, Della.”

“Fine, then I don’t want to survive without you. If I didn’t have this stupid bond, I would have been able to save you.”

“I am glad you saved Holden. I am not upset with you.” He was being too fucking understanding.

“I am upset with myself!”

Anger and grief created the perfect storm inside of me when I saw the stupid golden glow of the bond. I released Haden’s physical body and grabbed the bond, yanking on it. Haden looked at me sadly as I summoned lightning into my palm. I shaped it like a knife before picking it up and slicing through the bond connecting me to Holden.

It exploded in a shower of golden sparks, shockwaves radiating out from the cut. The ripples of power knocked down trees—it even collapsed Haden’s home. All of his hard work was gone in an instant. Our home lay in a pile of rubble. A sharp, unforgiving pain stabbed into me as the severed ends of the bonds retreated in a snakelike fashion back into each of us. We were no longer connected.

Haden’s soul was standing above me.

“Storm, I promise if I come back, the heavens and stars will not keep me from finding you.” I reached out for him so that he couldn’t leave. “I love you. I love you so much that I will recognize it in the next life. Death cannot take my love for you away from me. I'm sorry it had to be this way."

“Wait!” I yelled. The chunk of mating bond was still gripped in my fingers, and I cut off part of it. The small piece of it glowedbrightly in the palm of my hand. This should have always been Haden’s bond. I looked up at Haden’s soul as he watched me curiously. His eyes traced over me before looking at the bond in my hand.

“Della?” He wanted to know what I was doing with that. I opened my mouth to tell him, but no words formed. My mind was not thinking clearly. Haden leaned down toward me to see what I was doing. The closer he got to me, the more my bond pulsed in my hand. It was like it knew that it belonged to him.

“I do not trust fate to not mess this up again,” I finally whispered. "I will never leave this to chance."

Haden looked me in the eyes, confusion swarming in them. I knew I was changing fate. I knew the stars and heavens would be angry. I did not fucking care.

“I am all in,” I said as I grabbed his soul, yanking him closer before I slammed the mating bond into him. He fell to his knees next to me, and I gripped his soul tighter.

“I’m sorry,” I cried as I tore a piece away from him. Its orange glow burned brightly in my hand, pulsing with his power. I looked at Haden when he looked so confused about what I was doing. If I made him my mate, then he wouldn't die. But if I had a piece of his soul, then when he was reborn, he would be drawn to me because of it. Maybe it would lead him back to me.

I took a deep breath before slamming the piece of his soul into my chest.

Pain seared through me as his soul wrapped itself tightly within mine, like it knew that’s where it belonged the entire time. Haden looked at me before the bond that snapped between us. It glowed bright gold and calmed my frantic heart. Relief filled me. The heavens would not take my mate. He would be alright. Haden sighed, relieved, as if he felt how euphoric our bond felt. The bond was glowing so brightly that it lit up the entire area around us.

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