Troubled (The Binding Chronicles #4)

40. Nothing Short of a Miracle

Nothing Short of a Miracle

T he silver planes were bright, and every path shimmered as though it was imbued with moonlight.

The air was light as Marius bent and picked up a path. His mouth, which seemed to have been stuck in a permanent smile in the week and a half that had passed since he Bound himself to his vampire, stretched into a grin at the sight of the black markings wrapped around his wrist.

He’d never get enough of seeing those intricate swirls stretched across his flesh. A reminder of the incredible vampire he’d Bound his life to, he would forever wear his Markings with pride.

He and Vivienne had fallen into a deep sleep after the Binding Ceremony. Their bodies had needed time to heal, both from the battle with the First, and the strain of tying themselves together.

Three days after the Binding, he’d woken up fully clothed on his bed beside Vivienne. Luna and Sebastian had been keeping vigil next to him, and the royals sighed in relief as he stirred .

Marius had been relieved to be awake, but it quickly turned to worry when Vivienne continued to sleep. Two entire days passed, where Luna had to force Marius to eat and shower, before Vivienne’s hand twitched in his.

When her stunning obsidian eyes blinked open, relief so potent he’d barely been able to breathe had swept through him.

Marius had gripped Vivienne’s hand tightly, leaned over, and kissed her. He couldn’t help it.

She was alive and awake and the Binding had worked .

Everyone agreed that it was nothing short of a miracle. The First was dead. The other tombs were still sealed, and Sebastian had sent a group of witches to cast new spells on the stones, ensuring they would never open. The Forsaken Blade was safely stored at Lightriver Abbey. The country was at peace.

It felt like a dream, which was why Marius had elected to walk the silver planes. He wanted to make sure nothing was hiding from them.

Running his fingers down the first path, he cataloged the visions of the future as they flashed before his eyes. He Saw Castle Sanguis. His sister. A mountain he didn’t recognize. The Black Sea, shimmering in the distance. Vivienne, standing in front of it, smiling.

Pulling his hand away, Marius reverently placed the path on the ground.

That was a good future.

He picked up the next one, and it was similar. No darkness. Nothing to fear. No hint of the First or any of her dark creatures.

On the third path, he played cards with Vivienne and Felix. The groom said something Marius couldn’t hear, and Vivienne laughed. Gods, that sound was everything . He knew right then he would do whatever it took to hear it again and again .

In the fourth vision, a redheaded elf was chatting with Luna. The two women were laughing as young children chased the queen’s cats around the throne room.

Marius picked up another path. And another. And another.

When he put the last path on the ground and reached within himself for his magic, he felt lighter than ever. Each future was different, but they all had one thing in common: they were good.

Tugging on those silver strands that were as much a part of him as his mortal blood, he grinned as the silver planes disappeared.

Marius drew in a sharp breath as he returned to his body. His fingers curled around the velvet armrests of his chair, and he breathed in the cool scent that meant his vampire was nearby.

They weren’t Tethered and they didn’t need to remain in the same space, but Marius hadn’t wanted to leave Vivienne’s side since she woke. She seemed to agree because even though they hadn’t outright discussed it, they’d both been living in his room in Castle Sanguis and sharing his bed.

They hadn’t done anything other than share a few kisses, what with her healing after the Binding, but neither had strayed far from the other. Every time he woke, he rolled over to ensure she was still there, still breathing, and still Bound to him.

“Well?” The vampire he loved was perched on the edge of their bed and staring intently at him. “What did you See?”

Gods, she was stunning. She must’ve showered while he was walking the silver planes because her damp red hair hung in an intricate braid across one shoulder. She wore black fighting leathers that hugged her curves, harkening back to her outfit the first night they met.

Her skin had returned to its normal shade, and her red lips were calling to him. Her wings were fanned out behind her, her leathers made to accommodate them. The black appendages were perfect, lacking all evidence of the trauma they’d endured in Death Mountain.

He still couldn’t believe Vivienne had Bound herself to him. It was an honor he didn’t deserve, but he would become worthy of her attention and love if it was the last thing he did.

After all, they’d be together for an eternity. Bindings meant that vampires only required a single Source, and it would also extend his lifetime to match hers.

He couldn’t think of anyone else he’d rather spend eternity with. This was such a far cry from where he’d been a short while ago, sneaking out of the university ball to stop the First on his own. He never would’ve believed that this would be the end result of his adventure: in love and Bound to a powerful, stunning vampire who was his better in every single way.

He was the luckiest man in all the Four Kingdoms.

Marius stood and crossed the room, sitting next to her. “I Saw many things, and they were all good. There wasn’t a trace of darkness in sight.”

Vivienne exhaled, her shoulders loosening. The curtains were drawn, night was still a few hours off, and a Light Elf orb flickered, casting her in a violet glow. It only added to her beauty.

“Thank Isvana.” She reached for his hand and traced his markings. “How are you feeling? Did walking the silver planes drain you?”

He paused, considering the question. Walking the silver planes should have drained him. After all, the act had never been easy. And yet, as he searched within himself for that well of magic that was his birthright, he found it brimming with silver as if he hadn’t touched it.

“I feel fine,” he told her.

If anything, he felt better than before.

“Really?” Vivienne’s eyes searched his, and it was like she was seeing into his soul. Her fingers tightened on his, and a smile stretched across her face. Her wings fluttered behind her, which was absolutely adorable. “That’s incredible.”

“It is.” He leaned close, his free hand landing on her thigh as he kissed the corner of her mouth. She inhaled, the sound going directly to his core. Gods, he loved this woman. He whispered against her lips. “It must be the Binding. Thank you.”

It was an added benefit that he hadn’t considered.

She opened her mouth, probably to say something, but he swallowed her words with a kiss.

He’d only intended for this to be a quick embrace. A peck, nothing more. A show of gratitude for the way that she’d changed his life for the better in so many ways.

His intentions didn’t prepare him for the softness of her lips, the bitter aftertaste of the coffee she must’ve had while he was walking the silver planes, or the moan that slipped from her as their mouths fused.

They kissed, and he lost himself in the embrace.

His heart raced, and warmth ran through him as he swept his tongue across the seam of her lips. She parted them willingly, and he ran his tongue over the tip of one of her fangs. Even when they’d kissed before, he hadn’t dared touch them.

But now?

Now she loved him, and he loved her, and they were Bound together. She shivered beneath him, her hand reaching behind his neck and pulling him closer.

“More,” she murmured against his lips.

As if he needed to be told twice.

He brushed his tongue against each fang, learning what made her shiver and moan. Each gasp and sound was a further incentive for him to continue.

Her grip tightened around the back of his neck.

He moved his hands to her hips, lifting her off the bed.

Their mouths remained fused, their kiss seeming to stretch on for an eternity as he placed her over his lap. Her wings spread out behind her, blocking the violet orbs nestled in sconces on the walls.

“I love you so much,” he murmured, his hands traveling over her body. Touching. Learning. Caressing.

He would never get enough of this. Of her.

Every other time he’d been with someone, their time together had been rushed. Very few emotions had been involved, and he’d never felt like this. Like his entire world started and ended with her.

The castle could crumble beneath them, and he wouldn’t care. How could he, when the most beautiful woman in the entire world was sitting in his lap, kissing him with the same passion that coursed through his veins?

He wasn’t sure how much time passed before she lifted her mouth from his. Her eyes were dark, and her cheeks were flushed as she rested her forehead against his. They shared the same air, breathing in deeply as their chests heaved in time with each other. Her lips parted, giving him a glimpse of those sharp fangs nestled in her gums.

She was so gods-damned beautiful... and she’d Bound herself to him.

Marius wasn’t sure whether it was the knowledge that this incredible vampire loved him that had him moving or the desire to feel those bat-like membranes beneath his fingers, but either way, he banded his left arm around her middle, held her gaze, and reached behind her to graze the fingers of his right hand down her wing. It was soft in a way that he hadn’t expected but also far tougher than it looked .

Just like her.

“Oh,” his vampire exhaled on a gasp, shivering at his touch. “You shouldn’t?—”

“Do this?” He laid his palm flat on the black membranes.

The responding shudder that ran through Vivienne had him sucking in a breath.

He kissed her, trailing his fingers over her wing. “How does it feel?”

“It feels...” She sucked in a breath as he laid his hand over the wing again. “Oh, gods. It feels good .”

He’d already come to that conclusion based on the way she was breathing heavily in his lap, but hearing her say those words and watching her chest heave as he touched her wings made the moment even more powerful.

He traced the membranes of her wings, following a line that led to the spot where they connected to her back.

“I... Oh.” She groaned, writhing in his lap. Her fingers found their way underneath his shirt, running over the planes of his stomach. “I want you, Marius.”

When she’d told him that she loved him, he thought those three words were the most incredible ones he’d ever heard. He was wrong.

His hand stilled on her wing, and he paused to look into her eyes once again. “Are you sure that you’re feeling strong enough?”

He wouldn’t push her on this. They had an eternity. They didn’t need to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with. Not now, not ever.

Her eyes widened, and not even a heartbeat later, she’d flipped them. He was on his back, looking up at her as she straddled him. Her wings flared out behind her, stretching across the length of the bed. Her fangs glistened in the violet light, and a look of amusement danced across her face.

“Are you questioning my strength, Your Highness? ”

“Never,” he breathed.

Her lips quirked up into a smile, and she bent, kissing him. “Good. I wouldn’t want you to forget which of us is the vampire in this relationship.”

He reached for her braid and wrapped it around his wrist, tugging her down. His lips danced over hers, and his entire body yearned for more of her.

“Perhaps I need a little reminder.” His tongue grazed her fang, and he whispered into her mouth, “Bite me, Viv.”

A sharp inhale followed, and she pushed him back onto the bed. Her dark gaze swept over his, and for the longest moment, neither of them spoke. Did she think he would take back the request?

Never.

She slowly nodded, her braid still caught in his fist. “Do you trust me?”

“With my life,” he replied honestly. He’d never trusted anyone as much as he did her.

She exhaled, her wings snapped behind her, and then, her mouth was at his throat.

Her fingers gripped his shoulders, and she kissed his throat before two sharp points met the skin of his neck. He inhaled as she bit, the flash of pain quickly giving way to something else entirely as she drew his blood into her mouth.

They both moaned, the sound filling the room as she drank.

This was nothing like when she’d fed from him in the past. It was more. Deeper. Better.

The bond between them sang, his magic pulsed, and the marks on his wrist tingled as she pulled his blood into her.

How could he have ever thought that having a vampire drink from him would be anything less than pleasurable ?

Their hands roamed over each other as she drank. He slipped his fingers beneath her leathers, delighting in the resulting shiver that ran through her when his fingers grazed her smooth, soft skin.

She found the collar of his shirt, and with a show of strength that made him want her more, she ripped the fabric off him.

Her fangs left his neck, and she breathed, “Too many clothes.”

He wholeheartedly agreed.

Within seconds, their garments were piled on the floor.

Marius couldn’t help but admire the beautiful vampire he was Bound to.

Every part of Vivienne was incredible, as if she’d been sculpted by the gods with him in mind. She was a piece of beautiful dark art, and he would admire her every day for the rest of his life.

She was his .

He couldn’t wait to explore the world with her at his side, spending every day together, traveling and experiencing life.

“I’m yours, Vivienne,” he murmured against her mouth, claiming a kiss.

Her black eyes shone with an ocean of love as they swept over his. “Yes, you are,” she agreed. “I love you, Marius.”

His hands found her hips, and he flipped them around, guiding her to lay on the bed. She retracted her wings, looking up at him as he gently pushed her down.

He fit himself between her legs and kissed her again, relishing in the feel of her mouth against his. He gathered her wrists, marveling at their matching Markings, and held them above her head.

Lowering his head, he kissed her, murmuring against her lips, “I will love you forever.”

And then there were no more words between them .

Her fangs found his neck once more, and she drank as the final barriers between them were torn away.

Two became one.

Prince and vampire.

Bound Partners.

She was his, and he was hers.

Forever.