Page 205 of Cerulean Truth
I shot him a puzzled look. Julian smiled knowingly and gestured toward me. Suddenly, a dark red haze began to materialize around us. It started as a faint mist, then thickened, swirling with an almost tangible presence. The air seemed to thrum with energy as the haze slowly enveloped me, its touch cool and slightly prickly against my skin.
The crimson haze lingered for a full second, casting a creepy glow that made the corridor look like a scene from a nightmare. It then formed into an intricate figure-eight shape, beginning tocircle between myself and Julian. The pattern was mesmerizing, its loops and curves creating a hypnotic film.
James's eyes widened in shock.
The haze moved faster and faster, its motion blurring into a continuous stream of red light. I could feel a strange pull, like an invisible string connecting me to Julian.
The string-like substance became more defined, a glowing tether that seemed to pulse with our shared heartbeat. I was drawn into Julian's orbit, the force pulling me closer with each passing second.
As swiftly as it had manifested, the haze suddenly vanished, leaving the corridor eerily still and filled with the echoes of our collective breaths.
James's face was beyond pale, his eyes fixed on the spot where the haze had been.
"What? What just happened?" I asked, urgency coloring my voice as I tried to make sense of the surreal experience.
"We bonded," I "heard." The words didn't come from Julian's mouth but echoed in my mind, clear and unmistakable.
I turned to Julian with uncertainty. "Did you say that?" I asked, a tremor in my voice, hoping I had imagined his words.
"No…" James whispered, his eyes wide, filled with anger and pain.
"What?" I questioned, my confusion deepening. "What is it?"
"That, my dear friend," Julian said, maintaining a calm demeanor and smiling cryptically, "is us having successfully formed the True Bond."
FIFTY-SEVEN
JAMES
There were no words to describe the overwhelming tumult of emotions that surged through me when the realization hit—Emma had formed the True Bond with Julian.
It was more than vile; it was an indescribable kind of disgust that gnawed at my insides. It was a heart-breaking, searing pain that rendered me numb, caught between feeling everything and nothing. I couldn't wrap my mind around what had just happened.
She had bonded. Withhim.
The truth stared me in the face, an undeniable reality that shattered any illusions I might have harbored. She had chosenhim.
I couldn’t bear to look at her any longer. I turned away from them, and I fuckingran.
No portals, no words, only an impulsive sprint, fueled by a torrent of overpowering emotions.
Even as her voice faintly called my name in the distance, I couldn’t bring myself to face her. Despite my earlier objections to the idea of forming the True Bond with her so early in our “relationship” or whatever the fuck it was, the notion of her bonding with someone else tore at the very core of my being.
My insides ached, and I couldn’t breathe. My body yearned for oxygen, my eyes longed for tears. I hadn’t cried in years, but I could feel the salty water welling up slowly.
I kept running, faster, desperately trying to numb the overwhelming flood of emotions threatening to choke me. By the time I finally stopped, I found myself at the edge of Oasis.
Panting, struggling to catch my breath, visibly shaking, I was on the brink of losing my shit.
"James!" Her voice reached me, echoing with urgency.
Oh hell no, how had she found me so quickly? I couldn't deal with her right now.
"Go away, Emma," I moaned, attempting to hold myself together.
"Please, James, listen to me!" she pleaded, her voice trembling with tears.
I shook my head, frustrated. "Leave me the fuck alone, Emma."
