CHAPTER 166
CHAPTER 166
SELENE
"Bear with it,” Darius snarled through clenched teeth, voice raw.
“Just a while more, Selene. Don’t you dare let go. We’re winning this fucking battle, mate,” he rasped, voice strained but burning with that dark, stubborn fire.
“Light and fucking darkness can get the divine middle finger from us. They don’t get to decide. We do.”
A broken, half-hysterical laugh tore out of me despite the agony ripping through every nerve.
“Oh sure,” I gasped, voice shaking,
“because telling ancient cosmic forces to fuck off is working so well for us. Next you’ll suggest we flip them off while we’re at it.”
“Already doing that,” he growled, forehead pressed hard against mine, sweat mixing with mine. “
“Now hold the fuck on. I’ve got you. We’ve got this.”
I focused on him, on the bruising, unbreakable pressure of his hand in mine, on the fierce promise in his eyes
The pain peaked without mercy.
It felt like my entire body was being torn apart from the inside — every nerve, every vein, every fragile thread of magic screaming at once.
My spark blazed like a dying star, clashing violently against Darius’s endless shadows.
Sweat poured down my face, stinging my eyes.
My vision blurred.
My palm was slick, slippery, trembling from the sheer force ripping through me.
My hand trembled.
Then my grip slipped.
My thumb slid first, then my fingers began to loosen from his, slick with sweat and shaking uncontrollably.
Terror flooded me, sharp and icy.
No, no, no.
Not now.
If I let go now, the spell would tear us apart completely.
We'd fail.
The fragile balance we'd been fighting for wavered.
I could feel it — the bond howling in fury at the momentary weakness, ready to rip open the fragile weave we’d barely begun to form.
Darius's eyes widened.
For the first time all night, I saw genuine panic.
"Fuck."
The word tore from him.
His hand tightened around mine instantly, fingers sliding back up between my own and locking together so hard it hurt.
Like he could physically force the connection to stay intact.
Like he could hold us together through sheer stubbornness.
The bond struck back viciously at that split-second vulnerability —brutal spike of pain tearing through both of us like lightning splitting a tree.
Pain exploded through both of us.
A savage surge.
A punishment.
I cried out.
The world tilted.
For one horrifying heartbeat I thought I was falling.
Like the darkness wanted to drag him one way while my light pulled me another.
Like everything we'd fought for was about to be ripped apart.
"Selene!"
Darius's voice cut through the chaos.
My eyes snapped to his.
Sweat streaked down his face.
His breathing was ragged.
His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might crack.
But he hadn't let go.
Not for a second.
"Look at me."
The command was rough.
Demanding.
Terrified.
"Don't you dare let go." Darius shouted through clenched teeth, voice raw and stred, barely human.
"Just a while more, Selene. Hold on to me!”
I whimpered, tears streaming down my face.
“Darius…”
“Bear with it,” he repeated, forehead slick with sweat, pressing harder against mine.
“We’re almost there. Hold on.”
I focused on his voice, on the steady, bruising pressure of his hand in mine, on the unbreakable promise in his eyes.
Slowly — agonizingly slowly — something shifted.
The forces didn’t surrender.
They wove.
Light threaded through dark in jagged, reluctant patterns, bright gold filaments piercing endless black voids like veins of fire through obsidian.
My light stopped trying to burn through his darkness.
His shadows stopped trying to smother my spark.
The air around us shimmered and warped — one side of the circle blazing with searing white light, the other plunged into absolute, sound-swallowing darkness.
Where they met in the middle, reality flickered and cracked, sparks of raw energy exploding outward in silent bursts that made the ground tremble.
Thrn they began weaving together.
Reluctantly.
Unevenly.
Like enemies forced into a dance neither wanted.
Golden threads of light wound through endless black.
Darkness curled around brilliance.
Chaos found rhythm.
The bond screamed one final time, a deafening roar inside my skull that shook my bones.
Every nerve burned.
Every muscle seized.
I felt like I was being remade from the inside out — torn apart and forced back together in a new, unstable shape.
Then… it settled.
The violent clash softened into a deep, throbbing ache. Light and dark no longer tried to devour each other.
They braided together in jagged, imperfect patterns — a living, breathing tapestry of night and wildlight.
The rope around our hands cooled.
The runes on the ground dimmed.
The candles flickered once and steadied.
I sagged forward, gasping, vision swimming.
Darius caught me instantly, pulling me against his chest, arms wrapping around me like he’d never let go.
His heart — unnecessary but present — beat hard against my ear.
Morgana’s chanting stopped.
She looked exhausted but satisfied, shoulders slumping as she lowered her hands.
“It’s done,” she said, voice rough.
“The bond is stabilized. Reality hasn't exploded. The forest is still standing. And despite your collective talent for making terrible decisions, neither of you managed to kill yourselves.”
Midnight jumped into her lap.
Morgana scratched behind the cat's ears.
“Frankly, I'm as surprised as anyone.”
I blinked.
“That's... reassuring.”
“It wasn't meant to be.”
She pointed a finger at us.
“And if either of you starts dramatically testing your newly stabilized bond by licking each other's faces in the middle of my ritual circle, I swear to every god listening, I'll undo the spell myself.”
I blinked.
“Licking each other's faces?”
“Don't act surprised,” Morgana said flatly.
“I've met both of you.”
Heat rushed into my cheeks.
“Oh my God.”
Beside me, Darius looked completely unrepentant.
“I fail to see the problem.”
“Of course you don't,” Morgana muttered.
I elbowed him in the ribs.
“Don't encourage her.”
“I'm not encouraging anyone,” Darius said, sounding deeply offended.
Then he glanced at Morgana.
“Though threatening to undo a life-saving ritual because I kiss my mate feels a little excessive.”
Morgana stared at him.
“You survived because of me.”
“You also threatened to turn my dick into a cactus.”
“A completely separate issue. So no licking, kissing or whatever...”
I snorted.
Darius actually looked like he was considering that.
Morgana pointed at him.
“See? That's exactly the expression I'm talking about. Behave yourself.”
His arm slid around my waist immediately.
“I make no promises.”
“Oh, for fuck's sake,” Morgana sighed.
I laughed out loud.
I looked up at Darius through tear-blurred eyes.
The bond still hummed with tension, raw and new, but it no longer tried to destroy us. It felt… alive. Steady. Like two rivers finally learning to flow together instead of crashing.
“You okay?” I whispered, voice hoarse.
He smiled — tired, relieved, fiercely proud.
"Better than ever."
Roxy let out a whoop that cut through the heavy crimson silence like a blade.
“Holy shit, you two didn’t explode! I owe Xander money.”
Xander exhaled sharply, the tension in his massive shoulders finally loosening a fraction.
“Yes, you do,” he muttered, shooting her a look that was half-exasperated, half-relieved.
“And I expect full payment. No excuses, no loopholes, no magical disappearing act this time.”
Darius gave a low, disbelieving sound, his arm still locked around my waist.
“What the fuck did you two bet on?”
Both of them froze.
Roxy suddenly became very interested in a patch of grass near her boot.
Xander scratched the back of his neck like the answer might physically escape him if he didn’t hold it in place.
“Roxy? Xander?” Darius hissed, voice dangerously calm.
“…Nothing important,” Roxy said quickly, flashing a guilty grin.
“Just… betting on whether you’d get through the binding or not. You know. Friendly stakes. Small wager. Harmless fun.”
Darius let out a rough laugh that vibrated through me. “You bet against us?”
“Not against,” Xander grumbled defensively.
“Just… hedging. You two have been one dramatic flare away from spontaneous combustion for days. Figured the odds were fifty-fifty.”
Roxy nodded sagely.
“Exactly. Smart money, big guy. I had faith in you. Mostly. Sixty-forty. Tops.”
I couldn’t help the tired laugh that escaped me.
Even after everything — the pain, the feeling of being remade from the inside out — these idiots were still these idiots.
It was strangely comforting.
Above us, the eclipse hung heavy and blood-red, like the sky itself had been bruised open.
The air felt charged — still in a way that wasn’t peace, just pause. Like the world had inhaled and was refusing to exhale.
The binding was complete.
And it didn’t feel like victory.
It felt like a lock clicking shut on something fragile and new.
The real fight was still coming.
Xander shifted first, too aware, too alert. His gaze kept sweeping the tree line on instinct, even when nothing moved.
“This is too quiet.”
“Enjoy it,” Darius replied, voice low.
Before I could react, he pulled me down onto his lap with an ease that left no room for argument.
His arm settled firmly around my waist, anchoring me against him like I’d always belonged there.
His chin rested on my shoulder, cool breath brushing my neck.
“Because Eron won’t give us many more moments like this,” he added, the words quiet but heavy with promise and warning.
I let out a slow breath and leaned back into him.
The spark responded, steady and warm, like it recognized safety even when everything else screamed the opposite.
For a brief, fragile moment, I wasn’t bracing for impact.
I wasn’t waiting to lose something.
I just was.
And somehow, in the middle of all this chaos, that felt like strength.
Roxy flopped down nearby, stretching her legs out with a dramatic sigh.
“You two are disgustingly cute right now. I hate it. But also, please never change. It’s giving me life after watching you both almost explode like magical fireworks.”
Xander remained standing, arms crossed, but his shoulders had dropped slightly.
“We should move soon. The longer we wait, the more time Eron has to prepare.”
“I know,” Darius said, not loosening his hold on me.
“But we take one minute. We earned it.”
Morgana snorted from her chair, Midnight still curled in her lap like a smug shadow.
“One minute. Then you lot get off my lawn before I change my mind about helping you. I’ve had enough near-apocalypses for one lifetime.”
I smiled faintly, turning my head just enough to press a kiss to the underside of Darius’s jaw.
The bond hummed between us — raw, new, imperfect — but it held. Light and dark no longer trying to destroy each other, but learning, however reluctantly, to share the same space.
Whatever came next — Eron, the rescue, the consequences of a bond that had been forced back together — we would face it.
Together.