Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
“Aren’t you a silver-tongued son-of-a-bitch,” I growled as he straightened up, grinning. “Is anyone else here?”
“No, and I don’t expect there to be—I kept the ceremony quiet.” Rive frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want your Sire here to see you get Bound?”
I shook my head.
“If I invite him, I’ll have to invite Lyrah too. You know how I feel about her. Fuck that.”
“Yes I know—enough said. And no swearing in the Holy House.” Rive shook his finger in mock indignation. “Ah—here comes the priestess now.”
As he spoke, a female dressed in a long, red robe came towards us. The crimson cowl of her robe was up, hiding everything but her glowing red eyes.
“Greetings, children,” she said smoothly as she glided up to us. In her hands she held four tall candles—one pure white, one deep blue, one scarlet, and one black. When she reached us, she threw back her hood, revealing the rest of her face and head.
I heard Aurora give a muted gasp and she took a slight step backwards before finding her courage and coming back to my side. I could understand her momentary fear—the priestess was a Sympath—a race composed of all female beings who are uniquely suited to the worship of the Goddess due to their physiology.
Much like the statue of the Goddess in the center of the Holy House, Sympaths had four faces—each with different features. When one face was speaking, the others were quiet—the eyes and mouths closed. Otherwise trying to have a conversation with one would have been fucking chaos. Of course, during a holy ceremony things were different—then all the faces got involved.
“Greetings, Mother,” I said respectfully, for that was the face the Priestess was showing. It was middle aged with lines of wisdom and care at the corners of her eyes and mouth—a face that had been marked with both joy and sorrow.
“Greetings, my son,” she said formally. “I understand that you have found your Fated Mate and are ready to Bind yourself to her.”
“I am.” I nodded. I waited to see if Aurora would object or not, but she seemed slightly stunned by the Sympath priestess and said nothing. I wasn’t surprised. I was pretty fucking sure they didn’t have anyone who looked the four-faced being on the tiny planetoid where my new bride had grown up and lived such a sheltered existence.
“Very well.” The priestess nodded. “I shall place and light the candles to call the blessings of She of the Four Faces. Then the ceremony can begin.”
She walked up to the statue of the Goddess and began placing the candles. The white one went into the cupped hands of The Maiden, the blue candle went to The Mother, the scarlet candle was for The Lover, and the black candle went to The Crone. The priestess lit them as she placed them.
Then, with a motion of her hands, she lowered the lights. Soon the only illumination in the entire round marble room was the golden glow of the candles.
I felt a knot of tense excitement forming in my belly. At last the moment I had waited for was at hand.
Finally I would Bind Aurora to me and Bind myself to her.
8
AURORA
I watched as the strange, four-faced priestess began walking in a circle around the statue of the four-faced goddess in the center of the room. This was all so foreign and bewildering to me, I couldn’t even find it in myself to object. Also, I was still stunned by Slade’s words—he had called me his “Fated Mate.” Did he really believe that his strange goddess had made me just for him?
We had no such beliefs on L’Crist. On my home world, no one looked for true love or waited for a special person. Girls might giggle about their crushes on various men at Court, but in the end, every single one of them married the man their father chose for them and that was that.
Men and women married early on L’Crist in order to have as many children as possible. Which was the reason I was considered so far past my prime. It surprised me to think that Slade had been watching and waiting for me for some time—though for how long, I didn’t know—because he thought I was somehow meant for him.
Then the priestess started singing and every other thought fell out of my head.
Earlier, only the face that was facing us had been in use and the others all has their mouths and eyes closed. But now all four sets of eyes opened, blazing red in the candlelight and all four mouths began to harmonize.
It was a beautiful melody with every head singing a different part from low, tuneful contralto to a high, clear soprano. But they all sang the same words—a hymn to the four-faced goddess.