Page 2 of Sixth
Apex froze. Aburst of silver-blue light flared between him and the platform, coalescing into a twisting band that linked his wrist to hers. Heat seared through his veins, apulse of old power rising signifying that he was a noble of House Vettar.
The band dissolved into light, sinking into their flesh as the marks formed on each of them—identical and unmistakable. The spiral of the Vettian crest burned itself into both of their wrists, etched where the pulse beat strongest. The light wove through their skin in mirrored patterns, twin sigils glowing silver-blue, alive with faint threads of light that pulsed in perfect unison before dimming to a soft, steadyglow.
It was no mere symbol. It was the Valenmark itself, etched in blood and power, binding nobility and consort under law and destiny and permanency.
Emmy gasped, recoiling. Guards moved in, weapons raised, but the auction master lifted a hand sharply. “Stand down. The bond is witnessed.” His gaze flicked to Apex, uncertain now. “By law, none may interfere.”
A voice cut through the stunned quiet. “Interfere? That was my property you just bound to yourself.”
The crowd turned as Aram Voss strode forward from the shadowed tiers, his immaculate coat dusted with the shimmer of data ash from his crest-band. His tone was ice, each word honed for humiliation rather than challenge. “House Voss registered the human under legitimate claim. You have stolen her under false invocation.”
Apex met his gaze without flinching. “I invoked nothing intentionally. The registry misinterpreted my command.”
“Convenient.” Voss’s mouth curved, humorless. “You think the Council will accept that? They will not care what you meant. The law is binding, and when they rule, they will rule for bloodlines that have power to trade, not those that squander it.”
“Then take your complaint to the Council,” Apex said calmly.
“Oh, Iwill,” Voss replied, his eyes flicking to Emmeline. “And when they strip her from you, Iwill see to it she is never whole again.” His smile sharpened. “You’ve taken what was mine, Lord Vettar. Pray you can keep it.”
The auction master’s hand lifted sharply, signaling guards to block Voss’s advance. “House Voss,” he said with carefulauthority, “the registry has spoken. No protest will be heard until the Council convenes. You will withdraw.”
Voss’s stare lingered on Apex, burning with restrained fury, before he turned away. “This is not finished,” he said softly, the words equal parts promise and threat. Then he vanished into the departing crowd.
Apex drew a slow breath. “Release her.”
“Release her?” the auction master echoed. “She belongs to you, my lord.”
Emmy’s voice broke through, trembling and furious. “I do not belong to anyone.”
Her defiance struck like a blade. He stepped forward slowly, aware that every eye was on them. “You are under my protection,” he said, careful to keep his tone even. “Not my possession.”
Her glare met his. “Protection is an awful lot like another cage.”
Before he could answer, the room erupted into whispers. The Valenmark still burned bright, the seal of lineage now visible to every noble in the chamber. They knew what it meant. They knew who hewas.
Apex caught movement at the edge of his vision, apair of guards approaching too quickly. He shifted, drawing his arm around Emmy to pull her behind him. The first guard hesitated, recognizing the crest at his wrist. The second froze outright.
“Enough,” Apex said. His voice carried the sort of command honed by years of battle. “The law has spoken.”
The auction master inclined his head. “Then she is yours to escort, my lord. The contract is sealed, the bond unbreakable. The Valenmark does not err.”
He wanted to argue, to undo it, but the mark pulsed again, an ache that synchronized with his heartbeat. His words with the auction system echoed back through the registry, confirming the misinterpreted command. The ancient algorithms confirmed the transfer as a sacred act, stamping it with the House’s living authority seal and completing the Valenmark.
A low tone reverberated in the air, the same sound once used to validate Council decrees. The mark brightened, burning against his skin as if acknowledging the completion of ceremony. The system had integrated the bond into their very biology, each pulse of light a coded reflection of the ancient law he had accidentally invoked.
He looked down at Emmy. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her golden eyes fixed on his. The faint blue glow circled her wrist like living fire. “You,” she whispered. “You did this.”
“I do not intend to let anyone touch you.” His voice dropped low, acommand edged in steel, the kind that had made entire units obey without question. The words vibrated with restrained fury, the air itself seeming to tighten around him. “The bond was not of my choosing, but the moment it formed, it became law. And I do not surrender what is mine.”
“I don’t want to be yours,” she protested. “I don’t want to be anyone’s.”
The pulse of the Valenmark flared under his palm, and for a breath he thought it answered her protest. He caught her chin, forcing her gaze to his, his voice dark and sure. “I will find a way to free you, but until then you will stand behind my protection.” The words came rough, low, threaded with the command of amale who didn’t ask. “No one will touch you. Not Voss. Not anyone.”
Guards escorted them toward the exit. The nobles parted in silence, some bowing, others whispering. Apex felt the potency of their stares, the fear, the awe. The Council would hear of this before the hour wasout.
In the corridor beyond, the light dimmed. The Valenmark faded to a faint shimmer, but the bond between them did not. Her heartbeat, erratic but strong, echoed faintly against hisown.
She walked beside him, chin high despite the tremor in her hands. “What happens now?” she asked.
