Updated Nov 6, 2025 • ~8 min read
They made it exactly three minutes into the drive before Thorne pulled over.
“I need to say something,” he said, hands tight on the wheel.
Sage’s heart hammered. “Okay.”
“You said you love me.”
“I did.”
“Did you mean it?” He turned to look at her, and the vulnerability in his eyes made her chest ache. “Or was it just adrenaline? Fear? The bond marks influencing you?”
“Thorne—”
“Because if you didn’t mean it, I need to know now. Before this goes any further. Before I—” He stopped, jaw working.
Sage unbuckled her seatbelt and twisted in her seat to face him fully. The bond marks hummed at the movement.
“I meant it,” she said firmly. “Every word. I love you. Not because of the bond, not because of adrenaline. Because you’re brave and protective and you make terrible jokes to hide when you’re scared. Because you held me while I cried and you trust me with your family’s history and you threw yourself in front of a cursed blade for me.”
“Anyone would have—”
“No, they wouldn’t. But you did. Without hesitation. Like protecting me was as natural as breathing.”
Thorne reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. His hand lingered on her cheek. “I love you too.”
The words hung between them, real and solid.
“When did you know?” Sage asked.
“That I loved you?” Thorne thought for a moment. “Probably that night we stayed up comparing family histories. You were so angry about the lies we’d been told, so passionate about finding the truth. And I looked at you and thought ‘I could spend forever with this woman.'” He smiled. “Terrified me.”
“And now?”
“Still terrifies me. But in a good way. Like standing at the edge of something beautiful and knowing you have to jump.”
Sage leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his. “Then let’s jump together.”
He kissed her again—softer than the first kiss, slower. Like they had all the time in the world instead of a curse counting down and bond marks forcing their hand.
When they pulled apart, Thorne rested his forehead against hers, breathing her in.
“We should get back to the cabin,” he said eventually.
“Probably.”
Neither of them moved.
“Sage?”
“Hmm?”
“I want to complete the bond. Not because we have to. Because I want to spend forever with you.”
Her breath caught. “The third stage requires…”
“I know what it requires.” His thumb traced her jawline. “And I’m saying I want that. With you. When you’re ready. No pressure, no timeline except what we choose.”
“The marks are progressing. We might not have much time to choose.”
“Then we make the choice now. On our terms.” Thorne pulled back enough to look at her properly. “Sage Mitchell, I love you. I want to bond with you fully. I want to merge our magic and our lives and face whatever comes next together. But only if that’s what you want too.”
Sage’s heart felt too big for her chest.
Three weeks ago, this man had been her enemy.
Two weeks ago, she’d thought she could work with him professionally and nothing more.
One week ago, she’d been terrified of the bond marks.
Now?
Now she couldn’t imagine a future without him.
“I want it too,” she said. “All of it. You, the bond, forever.”
The marks flared so bright they lit up the car’s interior.
Thorne laughed, giddy and relieved. “Is that a yes?”
“That’s a yes.”
He kissed her again, and this time there was promise in it. Not just for now, but for always.
Back at the cabin, reality set in.
They stood in the living room, suddenly awkward despite the declarations in the car.
“So,” Sage said.
“So,” Thorne echoed.
“We’re really doing this.”
“Appears that way.”
They looked at each other.
“I don’t actually know how the third stage works,” Sage admitted. “I mean, I know what it requires generally. But the specifics…”
“Physical intimacy that seals the bond permanently,” Thorne recited. “It can be as simple as—” He paused, color rising in his cheeks. “Actually, the texts are pretty vague on the minimum requirement.”
“Convenient.”
“Very.”
More awkward silence.
“We don’t have to do this tonight,” Thorne said quickly. “We could wait. Do more research. Figure out—”
“I don’t want to wait.”
He blinked. “No?”
“No. I want to choose this. Choose you. On our terms, before the magic decides for us.” Sage moved closer. “Unless you’re not ready?”
“I’m ready. I just don’t want you to feel pressured.”
“I’m not. I’m scared, yes. This is permanent and huge and we’re basically magically married after this. But I’m not pressured. I’m choosing.”
Thorne’s expression softened. “Okay. Then we do this together. Slowly. And if either of us wants to stop at any point—”
“We stop. Agreed.”
They stood close now, the bond marks pulsing in sync with their heartbeats.
“I should probably shower,” Sage said. “After the Thorne gathering and the magical battle and everything.”
“Good idea. I should too.”
They headed for the bathroom together—their awkward choreography so practiced now it felt natural. But this time, there was anticipation beneath the routine.
This time, after they showered, after they prepared…
They would complete the bond.
Forever.
Sage showered quickly, her mind racing. She tried to remember everything she’d read about bond completion. The magic would merge automatically once the physical component was satisfied. Their powers would combine. They’d be able to sense each other’s emotions, share thoughts if they chose, live extended lives together.
Unbreakable.
She stepped out, dried off, pulled on soft pajama pants and a tank top.
When she emerged, Thorne was waiting. He’d showered too, changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt.
They looked at each other.
“Still scared?” he asked.
“Terrified. You?”
“Same. But I want this anyway.”
“Me too.”
They moved to Sage’s bedroom—the room they’d been sharing for over a week, him on the floor, her in the bed.
Tonight would be different.
Sage sat on the edge of the bed. Thorne sat beside her, close enough that their thighs touched.
“I don’t know what happens next,” Sage admitted.
“Neither do I. But we figure it out together?”
“Together.”
Thorne took her hand, lacing their fingers together. The bond marks glowed softly.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you too.”
He leaned in slowly, giving her every chance to pull back.
She didn’t.
Their lips met, gentle at first. Then deeper. Sage’s hands found his hair, his hands curved around her waist, and everything else fell away.
There was just this—them, together, choosing each other.
The bond marks pulsed once.
Twice.
Then exploded with light so bright Sage had to close her eyes.
Magic surged through her—not just hers, but Thorne’s too. Shadow and earth intertwining, merging, becoming something new. She felt his presence in her mind, warm and solid and right.
Felt his love for her, his fear, his hope.
Felt everything.
Sage, his voice in her head, wondering and awed.
I’m here, she thought back.
Forever?
Forever.
The magic settled, finding its new equilibrium.
When Sage opened her eyes, the bond marks had changed again. No longer just vine and shadow patterns—now they were unified. A single design flowing up both their arms, beautiful and complete.
“We did it,” Thorne breathed.
“We’re bonded.”
“How do you feel?”
Sage took inventory. Her magic felt different—stronger, more complex. She could feel earth energy like always, but now there was shadow too. Protection wards and defensive spells that had been foreign before now felt natural.
And beneath it all, a thread connecting her to Thorne. Unbreakable.
“I feel whole,” she said. “Like a part of me I didn’t know was missing just clicked into place.”
“Same.” Thorne looked at their intertwined hands, at the matching marks. “I can feel you. In my head. My heart. It’s…”
“Intense.”
“Yeah. But good?”
“Very good.”
They sat in the quiet of the bedroom, processing the enormity of what they’d just done.
“Our families are going to freak out when they realize the bond is complete,” Sage said eventually.
“Let them. We’ll face it together.”
“Together,” Sage agreed.
Thorne pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow we focus on breaking the curse.”
“What if we can’t? Now that we’re bonded?”
“We will. Combined earth and shadow magic, remember? We’re stronger now. Strong enough to end this.”
Sage settled against his chest, feeling his heartbeat steady under her ear. The bond hummed between them, content and certain.
“Thorne?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being worth jumping for.”
She felt his smile against her hair. “Back at you, Mitchell.”
“It’s Blackwood now. Or Mitchell-Blackwood. We should probably figure that out.”
“Tomorrow. Tonight, just sleep.”
But as Sage drifted off, wrapped in Thorne’s arms, she felt the curse lurking at the edges of her consciousness.
They were bonded now.
Stronger.
But was it enough?
Tomorrow, they’d find out.
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