Page 48 of Once Upon a Woven Wish
“No more bargains, Serena Windriver,” he murmured.“Only this.”
And then he kissed her.Not as the cursed Weaver, but as the prince he had once been.And for the first time in centuries, the Well fell silent.
Chapter 18
Themomenthislipsmet hers, it wasn’t magic he felt but something older, purer.Heat blooming through his frozen veins, thawing centuries of loneliness in a single heartbeat.Light burst from the Well, not gold but searing blue-white, scouring the shadows from the tree line.For the first time in an age, Caedon felt the world hold its breath.
In his arms Serena trembled, the golden runes flickering and dimming on her skin.The Well growled, a sound like stones grinding in a deep chasm, spitting threads of gold as it tried to recover what it had stolen.But its grip slid off her like water.
Caedon realized then the kiss was not only love.It was a choice.Hischoice.His first true act of freely given magic.
The Well emitted a long, low growl.It rumbled, growing restless, trying to belch out the golden magic to get what it wanted.Her.
You tried to take her from me, prince, but she is still mine.And I will have her, the Well raged.I will take her true name and make her forget you.
“You won’t,” he snapped.“You can’t.Because I’ve already said it—Serena Windriver.”
The world shivered around him.
The price must be paid!
“Bargains built on cruelty and theft are not binding,” he snapped.
He understood.More deeply than he ever had.Love was the only magic stronger than the Well’s hunger.And though the golden magic swirled upward from the deep, dark chasm of the well, it could not latch onto her.
Or him.
The Well railed against this.
Because he felt love and admiration for her—this small girl he held cradled in his arms.
“You cannot break this bond we have,” he said.
It sneered.And what is that, PRINCE?
“She sacrificed herself to release me, as I gave myself to her freely.That is the only bond stronger than you and your hunger.”
The frost that had coated the rim of the well thickened.The golden tendrils trying to escape dissipated, snuffing out.And beneath him, the mountain shifted.A loud crack.The stone well split down the center, creating a deep fracture.It groaned one last time and then…there was silence.
Only the sound of the wind fluttering the treetops remained.And somewhere, in the distance, the twitter of a bird.
He had not heard birdsong in a century.
Serena stirred as she drew in a breath and then her eyes fluttered open.She looked at him in confusion.A breath escaped between her lips as she blinked, understanding and awareness lighting there.A smile tipped the corners of her mouth.
“Caedon.”
The laugh bubbled up from his lungs and escaped before he could stop it.He cradled her against him in a hug, inhaling her deep scent—of snow and horse and leather.When he pulled back, he kissed her again.
This time, she kissed him back.
A deep, sweet kiss that stole his breath and made his heart tumble in his chest.A kiss of forever.A kiss that meant he would never let her go.She was his.
When they broke, she pressed a hand against his smooth cheek.
They both noticed, then, the golden light of the runes had faded from her skin, leaving behind faint scars.Proof she had paid the price.She sat up, leaving the cocoon of his arms as she examined her skin.Her gaze snapped to his.
“It happened, then, truly.I was—” she started, then pressed her lips together, as though unsure what she wanted to say.
