Page 52 of Vicious Little Vows
The guys had gathered up the vortex in Crispin’s shirt by the time I returned. I raised my eyebrows at the sight of him standing there, nude from the waist up, the vortex glowing from within the fabric he held away from his body.
At my look, he shrugged. “We decided we might want to hold off on touching it, just until we can test for any possible reactions.”
After his explanation, everyone was silent. It was my turn.
I looked at Mistral. “If you had a partner bound to the Bogs with you, would you be able to leave? At least for a little while?”
He lowered his eyes. “Your mother told you.”
“She hinted.”
He glanced at Gabriel then back at me. “I believe the land would become stable enough for short excursions to be possible.” He stepped toward me, holding out one hand half-heartedly. “But Eva, such a binding would be permanent. There would be no going back. Once the wild magic is part of you,” he let his hand fall without touching me, “you are forever changed.”
I crossed my arms, trying to remain strong, though inside I was trembling. “Forever changed is better than all of us dead. My mom is going to distract our grandfather as long as she can,but ultimately, he will come for us. Even if he kills her, he’s not going to just leave us alone to plot against him. There are people who will help us in the Silver Quarter, but we need to go there together. As long as I’ll still be able to leave, I’m willing to help you leave too.”
Lucas ruffled his wings at the mention of the Silver Quarter, but I ignored him. I had to make Mistral understand that I had made my choice. And maybe it wasn’t really a choice at all since the other option was death, but it seemed a small price to pay. I was already bound to Mistral, which felt pretty permanent, and he was bound to the land. It didn’t seem like such a massive change when I thought of it that way.
“We have the vortex now,” Sebastian interrupted. “Luring him here may be enough.”
I shook my head. “Him coming here was just a message. He won’t face us directly, and instead will destroy what we care about. He could raze every village in the Bogs before we could reach them. Hiding isn’t an option.”
Sebastian bowed his head, and I turned once more to Mistral. “Now if you don’t mind, a proper proposal would be nice.”
With that he finally came to me, finally touched me, though he held me like I might break. His gray eyes held centuries of burden. Burden I was about to share, for better or worse. “I will not ask it of you.”
“Fine,” I huffed, dropping from his loose grasp to get down on one knee. Where my bare leg touched the earth I felt a trickle of warmth that almost felt like encouragement. It was disconcerting how badly the land wanted me bound to it, but maybe it wanted the best for us too.
Since I didn’t have a ring to offer, I took Mistral’s hand instead.Brave, Eva. Be Brave.“Mistral,” I began, my voice steady. “Will you marry me?”
When he just stared at me, stunned, I squeezed his hand. “Remember, only truth between us.” I had the feeling of everyone around us holding their breath.
Using his grip on my hand, he brought me to my feet, then pulled me against him. “Yes,” he muttered against my hair. “Yes, I will.”
The ground rumbled at our feet again.
“Uh oh,” Crispin had time to say, then we were rising and falling at the same time. Sky and greenery passed by in a dizzying display. Then we landed with me still in Mistral’s arms.
Water was running nearby, and the air was rich with the smell of wildflowers. I pulled away just enough to look around.
We were in a meadow, and I thought I recognized the layout, but it wasn’t gray anymore. Where once was dead grass, bloomed countless wildflowers in strange, pastel colors. I’d seen some interesting foliage beyond the boundaries, but I’d never seen anything like them.
“It seems Lucas was left behind.” I turned at the sound of Sebastian’s voice, watching him spin a slow circle, taking in the wildflowers and vibrant green trees.
I saw Crispin next, glowing green vortex still held away from his body in his shirt, and Ringo on his shoulder. I watched as he moved aside the fabric to peek down at the vortex, assuring himself that it was unharmed.
Gabriel let his presence be known next, coming up behind me and putting a hand on my shoulder. Everything seemed to be moving a bit slowly, surreal, like I was in a dream. Only, Mistral’s arms around me felt very real.
“The gray is gone,” Gabriel said. “I don’t understand why the Bogs held on to the vortex for so long when it was hurting it.”
“I believe it was simply waiting to give the vortex to Eva.” Mistral leaned forward, his lips grazing my cheek.
The ground rumbled again, and something started emerging amidst the flowers. Dirt tumbled from white marble, and within seconds, a carved ceremonial altar stood before us.
Crispin cautiously approached it, leaning in one direction then the other to take in the carvings without touching them. “It seems the Bogs feels there is not a moment to waste.” He looked back at us expectantly.
“You mean it wants us to get marriedright now?” I gasped.
While we watched, wildflower vines snaked around the altar. Once they were in place, more flowers bloomed.
