Amber stood at the edge of the cliff, her golden cloak billowing in the night breeze. Below her, the lake shimmered like liquid starlight, reflecting the moon's pale light in trembling ripples. Trees crowded the edge of the forest, casting elongated shadows across the rocks. The night felt alive, the air thick with unspoken words and pulsing energy.
She pressed her hand against the mark on her skin—it was warm again, thrumming with quiet power. It hadn't stopped tingling since that moment in the cave with Nate. The feel of his hands. The heat in his eyes. The unspoken promises that passed between them in the space of a breath.
But it wasn't just desire. No, it was deeper than that—like threads from a forgotten past were wrapping around her heart and pulling her toward something inevitable.
She heard him before she saw him—the quiet crunch of his boots on the forest floor. Even his footsteps sounded like temptation.
"I thought I'd find you here," Nate said, his voice low and rough like velvet over stone. "You disappeared."
Amber didn't turn at first. "I needed to breathe. Too many questions. No answers."
Nate stepped closer, and her pulse picked up. His presence was a storm rolling in, quiet at first, then all-consuming. When she turned to face him, the breath she didn't know she'd been holding escaped her lips.
Gods, he was beautiful.
The moonlight kissed the sharp edges of his face—strong jaw, high cheekbones, those smoldering silver eyes that held too many secrets. His dark hair was tousled, like he'd been dragging his hands through it in frustration.
Or longing.
"You scared me," she said softly. "Back there… I didn't know what was happening."
He looked down, guilt flickering across his face. "Neither did I. Not completely. I only knew that being near you made the magic surge. Like my soul recognized yours."
Amber's heart thudded. "So you feel it too."
Nate's eyes locked onto hers, intense and unreadable. "I feel everything, Amber. That mark on you—it's not just a symbol. It's a tether."
"To you?"
"To us."
He took another step toward her. She didn't move away.
"The mark," he continued, "is ancient magic. Forbidden. It binds two souls who've been connected in past lives. Reincarnated lovers. Fated… and cursed."
Amber's breath caught. "Cursed?"
His jaw tightened. "No bond like this comes without a cost. The more we give in to it, the more it owns us. It blends our magic, our emotions, our desires. It can drive people mad."
Amber stared at him, but she didn't feel fear. Not really. Not when she looked at him and saw someone just as lost as she was. "And yet, you kissed me anyway."
"I didn't plan to," he growled. "But when I'm near you, I lose control. I want to protect you… and ruin you. All at once."
She stepped closer, heart pounding. "Then stop fighting it."
"Amber—"
She placed a finger against his lips, silencing him. "I don't want lies. Or half-truths. I want you. All of you."
For a moment, he stood frozen, his body trembling with restraint. Then something in him shattered.
He grabbed her like a man starved, one hand gripping her waist, the other sliding into her hair. His mouth crashed onto hers, wild and unrelenting. Amber moaned into the kiss, her fingers clawing at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin beneath.
Their bodies pressed together, and the world around them seemed to vanish. The wind howled louder, the trees bent as if bowing to their power, and the mark on her skin seared with white-hot heat.
Magic erupted between them—raw, electric, undeniable.
His lips moved to her neck, trailing fire down her throat. "You don't know what you're asking for," he whispered against her skin. "If I take you now, if we finish this… there's no turning back."
She tilted her head, giving him more access. "Then don't turn back."
He growled low in his throat, the sound vibrating through her bones. "You'll be bound to me. Your soul will belong to mine. You won't be able to want another—not without pain. And I'll feel every thought, every emotion. You'll be mine, Amber. Completely."
She shivered—not in fear, but in anticipation. "Then take me. I don't want anyone else."
Nate's hands roamed her body, gripping, exploring. He lifted her effortlessly, pinning her against the stone wall of the cliff. Her legs wrapped around his waist instinctively. His mouth devoured hers, and for a moment, she forgot everything but him—his taste, his touch, the wild beating of his heart against hers.
"I should stop," he groaned against her lips. "But I can't."
"Don't," she gasped, her fingers tangling in his hair. "Don't stop. Ever."
Their clothes were in the way—frustrating, useless. His hands tugged at the laces of her dress, and she arched against him, heat pooling deep in her belly. Every inch of her skin felt too tight, too sensitive. She was unraveling in his arms.
He pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against hers. "Amber… if we do this, you become mine in every way. Are you sure?"
Her eyes met his, filled with fire. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
That was all he needed.
With a whispered word in a language she didn't recognize, magic surged around them. The mark on her shoulder glowed brighter, pulsing with golden light. She cried out as warmth spread through her chest, her spine, her limbs—her magic awakening, shifting, changing.
He kissed her again, slower this time, reverent. And when they came together—bodies and souls—everything exploded.
Magic raged through the forest. Stars blinked and flared above them. The ground trembled with the force of their union. And deep inside her, something ancient clicked into place—like a lock finally opening.
She was his.
He was hers.
Their bodies moved in perfect rhythm, like they'd done this before in a hundred lives. Every touch sparked power, every kiss sealed their bond tighter. She cried his name, and he whispered hers like it was the only word that mattered.
And then, as they reached the peak of it—breathless, shaking, lost in each other—Amber felt the magic seal the bond. A final pulse of light surged from the mark, and then settled.
It was done.
She collapsed against him, trembling, her fingers still clinging to his shoulders. Nate held her tightly, one hand stroking her back as he whispered soothing words against her hair.
They stayed like that for a long moment, wrapped in silence and afterglow.
Then, softly, she said, "That was…"
"Everything," he finished for her. "And more."
Amber looked up at him, something new blooming in her chest. Love? Or the beginning of it?
But then his expression changed—something dark flickered in his eyes.
"What is it?" she asked, frowning.
He cupped her face, eyes intense. "Now that we're bonded, they'll come for us. The Order. The High Circle. They'll sense the magic and they'll know."
"Let them come," she said, voice fierce. "We're stronger together."
A slow, dangerous smile curled on his lips. "Damn right we are."