Page 126 of Death of a Mortal

“Noxie, is this real? Are you in my head for real?”

He blinked at me. “Yeah, kid, I’m back, and I’m never leaving.”

I smiled, and happy tears spilled from my eyes immediately. Eyes that couldbothsee, but such very different things. But right now, my only friend was all that mattered. “Good. I missed having someone to annoy whenever I pleased.” I wiped my tears as he hopped up onto my leg. “Does this mean we’re officially bonded? Now that my magic is free?”

“If you choose the bond, it’ll snap into place.”

“Don’t you have to choose it, too?”

“I already have, kid.”

My heart felt like it swelled as I thought, without hesitation, that I would choose this bond always, in every lifetime.

The feeling intensified, like my heart was expanding beyond the confines of my chest. I gasped as magic pulsed through my entire body in warm waves, a silver glow surrounding Noxie and me. Heblinked rapidly as his eyes began to change, the midnight black now speckled with gold. He ruffled his wings as the tips of his longest feathers tinted gold as well.

I didn’t know what was happening to me, but when the waves subsided, I felt a featherlight imprint on my heart and in my magic that hadn’t been there before. Like Noxie was a physical part of me now.

When the glow subsided, tears streamed down my face, and I pulled him into a hug.

He hated his feathers rumpled, but I knew neither of us cared right now. We were bonded. I couldfeelit. He cawed long and loud. Proud.

His caw must have drawn someone’s attention, as the door to this barrack opened.

It was Aerie. “How ya feeling?” she asked as she sat down next to Noxie and stroked his feathers, noticing the gold and gasping. “Is that… are you… oh, Naci!” She shrieked with excitement. “Your shoulder!”

I looked down to the left and visible under the thin straps of Aerie’s tank top I was still wearing, I found the imprint of a familiar crow’s talons etched onto my skin in black. As if Noxie had stood one legged on my shoulder with black paint on his claw—three claws to the front and one extending back. The bond left his mark on my shoulder, and mine in his eyes and feathers.

I beamed.

“How do I look?”he asked.

“Better than ever. How do you feel?”

“Better than ever.”

“You’re stuck with me forever now, Noxie. Hope you knew what you were doing.”

“Oh, I couldcrythis is just so perfect!” Aerie actually had tears in her eyes. “You’re bonded, aren’t you?”

I nodded, wiping the last of my tears.

“How does it feel?”

“Really good.” I couldn’t even bring myself to be sarcastic. I was too happy, too overfilled with joy and love.

She hugged me, her grin contagious. “And what about last night, how are you feeling physically?”

“Surprisingly okay.” I realized that my body didn’t hurt like I thought it would. “What happened last night? I remember anger, rage, and darkness. And fear.” I remembered the click before everything went black and frantically checked my wrists.

No cuffs. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Bramick cuffed you before your magic could consume you. But only for a minute. He took it off as soon as you passed out.” She looked sheepish as she resumed stroking Noxie’s black and gold feathers.

I sat up, shame threatening to consume me as the entire scene played in my mind, sped up across mere seconds. “It’s alright, I understand. I’m just glad I didn’t hurt anyone.” I hadn’t, right?

Aerie threw her head back and laughed, and underneath I could hear the avian caw of her vey form. “You didn’t, but you sure burned all the clothes off Dray. Don’t panic, he has water magic, so you didn’t burn him, just left him naked and fuming. But between you and me, he deserved it for keeping those cuffs on you.”

I smiled back and suddenly felt better about how the night went. With the anger monster asleep in my chest, I could think clearly, and while I wasn’t happy that Drayce had lied about having the key, I understood, especially after seeing how my power exploded last night, why it was the right thing to do.