Where It All Started

Where It All Started
Layla

I was so jittery. Bouncing from one foot to the other. Today was the day, today would mark the beginning of a new life for me.

Of course, that should probably have been the day that I became a vampire. But this day would also mark a change in history. In the entire world.

The magic would change, and existing would become safer for all of us.

The palace felt so different. It was so busy, and I could hear the chatter, the movement, the music, and undeniable joy that filled every room.

I walked toward the mirror, groaning to myself when my thighs turned to jelly. I thought soreness would be something I would no longer have to deal with. But I guessed making love repeatedly would be enough to take anyone out.

I was surprised anyone managed to convince us to leave the bed long enough to do this. Kai was reluctant, much more than I was and threatened to curse everyone that kept interrupting us. 

A blush crawled up my neck at the memory of it, but here we were. 

I adjusted the skirt of my dress, fixing the veil on my head when there was a knock at the door. I looked over to find Draven leaning against the frame. “You ready?”

I shrugged. “I’ve been ready. This is just for show, really.”

He smiled at that, true joy on his face. “He shouldn’t be worthy of you.”

I laughed a little, making my way toward him and tucking my arm under his. “But?”

He took my hand, threading his fingers with mine. “But I suppose he could be worse.”

“I love him,” I said, looking down at the ground, missing the feel of my beating heart. 

“I know you do, and I know he loves you, more than I have ever seen.”

I turned up to face him, cupping his cheek. “You’ll find your half one day.”

His brows pulled at that, but I had no time to question him. We now stood at the edge of the hall, staring out into the rows of chairs filled by people, some that I recognized and some that I didn’t. Vampires stood alongside humans and that was enough to make my pain worth it. Kai was enough to make it all worth it. 

Decorations hung from the ceiling and the chandeliers, candlelight filling the space with an ethereal glow. 

They had prepared it quickly, but none of this felt rushed. It felt right, inevitable. 

“Are you ready?” Draven’s voice came from beside me. He had a smile on his face, and when I followed his gaze, I found dad making his way toward me. 

He looked visibly shaken, eyes red rimmed as if he had been crying. It was a shocking sight. I looked over at Draven, and we shared a teasing look that dad chose to ignore. 

“Your mom said you looked beautiful, but you are breathtaking, little sun.”

My answer was a bright smile as I threw my arms around him. 

“You nervous?” he asked, holding me tight. 

“Not at all,” I answered truthfully. I wanted to get this over with, to get back to Kai’s side and never leave it again. 

He was standing at the other end of the hall and all I had to do was walk to him, meet him in this new beginning of our lives. The bond pulsed impatiently in my chest. He wanted to get this over with, too. 

“You can still walk away,” dad said quietly, but I knew he was teasing.

I pulled out of our hug and shook my head. “I’ll never walk away from him, dad.”

He smiled at that, patting Draven on the shoulder. “Go, your mom is waiting for you.”

Draven nodded, leaning in to press a kiss to my cheek and then walk inside the hall, to the first row where mom was already seated. 

Dad studied me. “I hope you’re not doing this simply because of the prophecy.”

I shook my head. 

“Or because he’s your mate, you don’t have to force it—”

“Dad.”

“I just,” he sighs. “I mean it. You can walk away whenever you need.”

I shook my head, cupping his cheeks. “Will you just walk me down, now?”

He laughed softly at that, taking my hand and tucking it under his elbow. “Anything for you, my little sun.”

I felt tears poking in my eyes, but I didn’t want to ruin my makeup. I inhaled, holding back the emotion that knotted my throat. The walk felt longer than it was.

Every step echoed against the hall, every heartbeat in the room filling my ears. But when I looked at Kai, everything else disappeared. 

He stared at me with wide, green eyes. The bond was hammering insistently between us, demanding we join again. 

“I love you” he said in my head.

I smiled at him. “I love you. More than you know.”

Kai’s hand came up slowly, and I stepped into it. His fingers closed around mine, the air shifting. The eldest witch stood beside us, watching us as she moved her fingers, lightly mumbling things between her lips. I couldn’t care less what she was saying. My eyes were on Kai. 

Isidora moved into view behind Kai, and Fen stood behind her, watching everything with quiet intensity.

“You both understand what this means, for you and for the world?” Isidora said.

“No,” I said honestly.

A few quiet chuckles moved through the room.

“But we choose to fulfil the prophecy, anyway.”

Isidora nodded, her eyes focusing on the eldest witch. She stepped closer, her hands lifting, one landing on Kai’s shoulder and the other on mine. 

“This bond,” she continued, her voice carrying through the hall, “cannot be taken. It cannot be forced. It must be given freely.”

Her gaze flicked between us. “Once given, it cannot be undone.”

Kai didn’t hesitate. “I choose her.”

The bond flared in response.

I took a breath. “And I choose him.”

The bond snapped, but it wasn’t just between us anymore. It moved outward, through the room, through the people standing there. I gasped, my fingers tightening in Kai’s as the sensation expanded.

Magic rushed through the hall in a violent wave, the chandeliers above us rattling as wind tore through the room. Gasps sounded around us, chairs scraping against the floor as people stood abruptly.

But Kai didn’t let go of me.

Outside, something cracked loudly, followed by the distant roar of people shouting. Flowers bloomed violently along the walls of the hall, vines twisting up the pillars faster than the eye could follow. 

“Kai,” I whispered, overwhelmed.

His eyes never left mine. “I know.”

The bond moved again and suddenly I felt everything. Every pulse of magic in the room hummed, balanced in a way I couldn’t explain. Then the room erupted. Cheers broke through the hall, loud enough to shake the walls. 

But none of it mattered, because Kai was looking at me like I was the center of his entire existence.

His hands suddenly framed my face and then his mouth was on mine. The crowd only cheered louder around us, but I barely noticed. The bond was unbearable now.

“Kai,” I gasped against his mouth as his arms wrapped around me.

“I’m done sharing you,” he muttered.

I laughed breathlessly, but the sound dissolved into another gasp when he suddenly lifted me effortlessly into his arms. He turned, carrying me toward the exit while people shouted after us. 

Kai ignored all of them.

The second we stepped into the hallway, he moved faster. The palace blurred around us, my veil slipping down my back as I wrapped my arms around his neck. 

I expected him to turn toward my room, instead, cold wind suddenly whipped across my skin. He ran into the forest, through the trees, over a trickling creek. 

My breath caught when I realized where he was taking us. The cabin was exactly as the first time I saw it, the trees exactly as I remembered it. Emotion hit me so suddenly my chest ached.

“Kai…”

He finally looked at me then, green eyes softer than I had ever seen them. “This is where it all started.”

He carried me up the steps without another word, shoving the cabin door open before bringing me inside. He set me down once we reached the bed, but his hands never left me. They moved over my waist, my throat, my face.

The bond burned hotter beneath every touch. I barely had time to breathe before he kissed me again. And this time, whatever restraint he had left finally shattered.

His hands gripped my dress urgently, the sound of tearing fabric filling the room as he ripped it open like he physically couldn’t stand another barrier between us.