He turned away. “Who wants to go first?” Rowan asked the three anxious candidates.
“Me,” Breakfast insisted.
“It will be difficult,” Rowan warned.
“That’s why I want to go first,” Breakfast replied, stepping forward. “I don’t want to know how difficult and have any time to freak myself out.”
Rowan coached Breakfast, Tristan, and Una through the pain of bonding with a willstone. Their ordeals weren’t as intense as Lily’s had been, but they still suffered the feeling of being invaded as the willstones attached themselves to their minds. To Lily, it had felt like an infection, as if a foreign thing were trying to claw its way inside her—and then, suddenly, her willstones were no longer foreign, but a new and beautiful part of her. Lily covered her three little hearts protectively and encouraged her friends as she watched Breakfast, Tristan, and Una sweat and shiver through the bonding ritual.
When it was over, Juliet brought extra blankets into the living room for everyone, but even though they were all exhausted from the bonding, the new mechanics found that they couldn’t sleep.
“My teeth feel amazing,” Una said, giggling. “I can’t stop running my tongue over them.”
“You sound so high right now,” Breakfast teased, pulling Una close to him. She didn’t shy away from his touch like she normally did when they were in public. Lily and Rowan exchanged knowing smiles. Touch was one of the senses most dramatically enhanced by a willstone.
“I think I can see through my hand,” Tristan said dreamily. He was lying on his back on the floor, an arm raised above his face. He spread his fingers wide and peered at his skin. “Yeah, there are my metacarpals and phalanges. I can see my freaking bones. Unbelievable.”
“I’ll teach you how to look closer so you can see your cells. And then I’ll teach you how to speed up the repair of them,” Rowan said. “Mechanics need their witches for higher magic, but there are a lot of things you can do on your own. Healing on a small scale is one of them.” Rowan looked at Lily and smiled. “Unless you’re trying to heal a witch and she’s blocking you.”
Lily smiled back at Rowan, remembering how he’d tried to heal her broken ankle when they’d first met, and how she’d blocked him because she didn’t trust him. She’d been terrified of Rowan and had to heal her ankle herself. That all seemed so long ago to her now, and even the memory of fearing Rowan was strange.
Tristan rolled over onto his stomach and faced Lily and Rowan. He had his willstone cupped in the palm of one of his hands. He opened his hand and showed the softly glowing smoke stone to Lily. She wanted to reach out and grab it. Knowing how tempted Lily would be, Rowan wrapped his arms around her in a hug that unobtrusively held her arms down.
“What happens when someone else touches it?” Tristan asked.
“If Lily were to touch it, and if you were to allow it, she’d claim you,” Rowan answered in a low voice. “If I were to touch it, and you were to touch mine, we’d become stone kin. I wouldn’t be able to possess you like Lily can—or you me—but we could share memories and mindspeak with each other. Even some of our energy and power. In order to function smoothly as Lily’s mechanic’s circle, it isn’t necessary for us to become stone kin, but it might be a good idea.”
“And how long does that last? Being stone kin?” Breakfast asked.
“As long as you have that stone, and I have this one,” Rowan said, lightly touching the willstone around his neck. “But if one of us were to smash our willstone, the connection would be broken.”
The three neophytes cringed at the thought of smashing their stones.
“That sounds awful,” Breakfast said fearfully.
“Like gouging out an eye,” Una added.
“For people with little or no magic it would be painful, but tolerable. Their connections to their willstones are weak, as are their abilities to use them. Their memories aren’t perfect, like ours are, and most can barely share mindspeak, even with their stone kin. For them, touching stones is still intimate, but it’s not as intense as it is for us. Our willstones are a part of our bodies and minds.” Rowan’s voice dropped. “I had to smash my first willstone. I wouldn’t recommend it unless your life depends on it. So think before you share your stone with anyone. It’s a vow people like us can’t just walk away from.”
Breakfast and Una looked at each other and their faces softened. They both reached out at the same time and gave each other their willstones, one hand taking as the other hand received in a mutual gesture of perfect trust. Their breathing stopped, their eyes widened and then closed. Lily leaned her back against Rowan’s chest as they watched Breakfast and Una melt into each other.
So beautiful.
There’s nothing like sharing that first moment together. I’m sorry ours was so rushed, Lily.
Really? I wouldn’t change a thing.
Rowan tilted his head and looked down at Lily. He opened up his heart before he kissed her so she could feel his love as clearly as she could feel his lips.
Tristan’s dying inside, Juliet told Lily in mindspeak.
Lily pulled away from Rowan and saw Tristan watching them. He held out his hand to Lily, offering her his willstone.
“Claim me,” he said quietly.
Lily looked at Rowan. “It’s his decision,” Rowan said. “If he wants you to claim him, then I
think you should.”