Updated Nov 6, 2025 • ~6 min read
Sage woke the morning before the ceremony to an empty bed.
Through the bond, she could feel Thorne—awake, anxious, somewhere outside.
She found him in the garden behind the cabin, sitting among the flowers she’d grown for tomorrow. The early morning sun caught in his dark hair, turned his eyes gold-green.
“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked, sitting beside him.
“Too much thinking.”
“About tomorrow?”
“About everything.” He picked a flower—a deep purple bloom shot through with green. “A month ago, I hated you. Or thought I did. I’d never met you, but I was raised to believe you were my enemy.”
“And now?”
“Now I can’t imagine a single day without you.” He looked at her. “How does that happen? How do you go from thinking someone is your enemy to knowing they’re your entire world?”
Sage leaned against him. “I don’t know. Magic, maybe. Or maybe we were never really enemies. Maybe we were just waiting for permission to be something else.”
“The bond gave us permission.”
“The bond gave us an excuse. But I think we would’ve found each other eventually. Bond marks or not.”
“You think we’re destined? Beyond the magic?”
“I think we’re brave. And that’s better than destined.”
They sat in comfortable silence, watching the sun rise over the forest.
“What are you most nervous about?” Sage asked. “For tomorrow?”
Thorne thought about it. “My vows. I want them to be perfect. You deserve perfect.”
“I already told you—”
“I know. The alphabet would be fine. But it’s not fine to me. This is our moment to tell the world how we feel. I want to get it right.”
“Will you tell me what you’re planning to say?”
“Absolutely not. You’ll hear it tomorrow with everyone else.”
“What if I cry?”
“Then I’ll probably cry too. And we’ll be a mess in front of two hundred witches.”
“Sounds romantic.”
“Sounds like us.”
Sage smiled and threaded her fingers through his. The bond marks glowed softly.
“I’m nervous about the families,” she admitted. “What if something goes wrong? What if someone objects or tries to stop it?”
“Then we keep going anyway. No one can actually stop the bond. It’s already complete. Tomorrow is just the public acknowledgment.”
“But what if—”
Thorne turned to face her fully. “Sage. We’ve fought curses and family disapproval and a hundred years of hatred. We’ve absorbed dark magic into our souls and survived. Whatever happens tomorrow, we’ll handle it. Together.”
“Together,” she agreed.
“Besides,” Thorne added, “Iris threatened to hex anyone who tries to ruin the ceremony. And my cousin Rowan backed her up. I’m pretty sure they’ve become friends.”
“A Mitchell and a Thorne, friends? What’s next, world peace?”
“We’ll work on that next week. One impossible thing at a time.”
They stayed in the garden until the sun was fully up, then went inside to face the day.
It was tradition to spend the night before a bonding ceremony with their respective families. Sage would stay at the Mitchell estate, Thorne at the Thorne mansion.
The first night they’d spent apart in weeks.
“I don’t want to go,” Sage said as they packed small overnight bags.
“Me neither. But tradition—”
“I know. Tradition. It’s supposed to make the reunion tomorrow more meaningful.”
“Will it work?”
Sage looked at him. “I already miss you and you’re standing right in front of me. Tomorrow is going to be torture.”
“Good thing we get to spend the rest of our lives together after.”
“Not long enough.”
“Agreed. We’ll have to petition the universe for extra time.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You love me anyway.”
“Unfortunately.”
He kissed her, soft and lingering. “One night. Then tomorrow, everyone will know you’re mine.”
“I already am yours.”
“I know. But tomorrow, there’s no hiding it.”
They drove to the Mitchell estate together, and the entire family was waiting.
“Girls only night!” Iris announced, pulling Sage away from Thorne. “You’re being kidnapped. Say goodbye to your husband.”
“We’re not married yet,” Thorne pointed out.
“Close enough. Now go. The Thornes are waiting for you too.”
Sage managed one last kiss before Iris dragged her inside.
The Mitchell estate was alive with activity. Aunts decorating, cousins preparing food, magic humming in the air as everyone contributed to tomorrow’s celebration.
“Bonding ceremony eve is sacred,” her mother explained, pulling Sage into the kitchen where a dozen Mitchell women were cooking. “The family gathers, we share stories, we prepare the bride.”
“Prepare me for what?”
“Marriage. Bonding. Life with a partner.”
“I’ve been living with Thorne for weeks. I think I know what to expect.”
Her mother smiled. “Humor us.”
The evening was surprisingly fun. Her aunts told embarrassing stories about Sage as a child. Iris shared tales from their teenage years. Even Elder Mitchell contributed a story about Sage at age seven, trying to grow a tree overnight and accidentally creating a forest in her bedroom.
“You’ve always been powerful,” her grandmother said. “Even when you were small. I just didn’t see it for what it was—potential to change things.”
“Change is scary,” Sage said.
“Change is necessary. We forgot that. For a hundred years, we stayed stuck in hate because changing felt impossible. You proved us wrong.”
Later, after dinner, Iris pulled Sage aside.
“Last chance to run,” she said, but she was smiling.
“Not running. I want this.”
“Good. Because I really like Thorne, and it would be awkward if you ditched him now.”
“You like Thorne?”
“He’s good to you. Protective without being controlling. And he makes you laugh. That’s all I need.”
Sage hugged her sister. “Thank you. For everything.”
“That’s what sisters do. Now come on—Mom wants to do the traditional blessing.”
The blessing was beautiful. All the Mitchell women gathered in a circle, and Elder Mitchell spoke words in old magic, calling on the earth to protect Sage, to bring her happiness, to honor her bond.
Magic wrapped around Sage like a warm blanket, her family’s love made tangible.
“You carry all of us with you,” her grandmother said. “Into tomorrow and beyond. You are Mitchell, and you are loved.”
Tears streamed down Sage’s face.
Through the bond, she felt Thorne experiencing something similar—his family gathered around him, performing Thorne traditions, welcoming him into the next phase of his life.
They’re doing a blessing, he thought at her. It’s… actually really nice.
Mine too. I’m crying.
Same. Rowan won’t let me live it down.
Tomorrow, Sage thought. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Can’t wait.
That night, Sage slept in her childhood bedroom surrounded by family magic and love.
And dreamed of tomorrow.
Of standing in front of everyone she loved and declaring her bond with Thorne.
Of green and purple together.
Of ending a century of hate with a single act of love.
Tomorrow.
Everything would change tomorrow.
But tonight, she was just Sage.
Mitchell witch, beloved daughter, sister, granddaughter.
Tomorrow, she’d add one more title: Thorne.
And the world would never be the same.
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