The path to the bonding cottage was lit with fairy lights, and I ran for all I was worth. To fulfill the ancient rites, he would have to fight his way past his ceremonial keepers and then catch me before I could latch the cottage door. If he wasn’t able to capture me, the Goddess was said to have deemed him unworthy, and he would have to repeat the ritual under the next full moon to earn bonding rites.
I didn’t know how far away it was, but I had zero doubts he’d catch me quickly. Still, I wasn’t going to make it easy on him. I whooped with glee as I ran, the soft grass and moss squishing underfoot, and the cool night air blowing against my overheated cheeks. The path twisted and turned gently, but I never lost sight of the twinkling lights, and before long, the lovely, ivy-covered cottag
