Page 26 of 3013: Dreamer
“I do. The new color and style suits you, mate. Now, are you ready to fully bond with me?”
“Here?” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “In front of all these people?”
He chuckled. “Not that kind of bonding, my love. I wish to share my magic with you in front of your friends and family. It is meant to honor you in front of your people.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks heated and flushed with pleasure. “I’m ready. What do I need to do?”
“First, let’s get you changed.”
She was about to ask what he meant by that, then she gasped as he used a swirl of magic to change her leather outfit into a set of robes that matched his own. Her shoulder-length hair was twisted up on the sides, and she reached up to touch the diadem secured on the top of her head.
“What the—?”
“You look beautiful, mate. Let me handle the introductions,” Kyryl said, taking her hand in his.
He turned her to face the crowd. She noticed all of her friends and family were there, some looking shocked, while othersgrinned at her. There was also a group of staff members that had gathered close by, and a cluster of females who lived at the sanctuary were huddled together a little farther away.
“Did you invite everyone at Wonderland?” Charm whispered.
“Just about.”
She did a double take to gape up at him, but he just squeezed her hand and smiled at the crowd.
“Greetings. I am Alpha Charm Barra’s mate, Prince Kyryl Lux of Ilius. We would like to thank you for taking the time to join us this evening to witness our bonding,” he announced. “This place is near and dear to our hearts since it is where we met, and the Festival of Lights is what brought us together.”
Murmurs swept through the crowd.
Close by, Jade Vyper said, “My cousin is a very smart male.”
“I know that, but why are you saying that now?” Lucian asked.
“He introduced himself, stating his title, but downplayed it by using hers. He also marked his connection to this place, so he is no longer considered an outsider. And he thanked everyone for joining the important ceremony, which will make them more curious than fearful about the show of power they are about to witness.”
“He did all that in a couple of sentences?” Magnus Artane asked.
Brielle leaned against his side. “Yes, if you read between the lines.”
“How are they mates?” Raek asked, sounding bewildered.
“He just got here!” Fenris added. “He doesn’t even know my sister!”
“He does,” Juliet corrected. “I promise I will tell you all about it later.”
“They look like a couple of gods wearing those robes. What is this ceremony?” Gia asked as she linked hands with Ruckus.
“He is going to honor her with the mating pledge,” Alestra told them. “It’s a royal custom. First, they will pledge themselves to one another. Then, he will bond with her as he calls upon the elements to bless their mating. It is a big honor since he is giving her full access to his magic. Doing the ceremony here will also connect them to this place, so he is declaring this is his new home.”
“Why didn’t we do this?” Jais asked.
“Because I had no idea who I was when we first bonded,” Alestra reminded him. “Once I got my memory back, and I shared my magic with you, you almost split the world in half.”
“Right. Fun times.”
“They’re not going to do that here, are they?” Fenris asked, sounding alarmed.
“No, nothing like that,” Alestra assured.
Charm frowned as Kyryl pulled her away from the crowd and toward the lake. “What are we doing now?”