It took a little less than two weeks for Wren to return to normal from the seals, but it wasn't as if that was a relief. In the less painful times, Talamayas had explained the process by which one became a soul bound, or a mate if they weren't a vampire. It was no wonder that Remus Shade and Neil Arc had forgone such things and also clear why the council practically required it. A dog pissing on a tree was a less subtle way of marking what was theirs. The council knew that once Wren was marked in this way, the mages would never take him back.

Not that Wren wanted that.

It did serve a legal purpose, even if it was a bit archaic. Harming or feeding from a vampire's mate was a capital crime in their society, while humans–mage or not–were treated no better than pets at best. If your neighbor ran the cat over with their car, it wasn't okay but no one was killed in retribution. The bonding mark publically distinguished who was protected and who was potential roadkill.

Wren waited in the room they'd chosen in the lower levels to perform the ceremony, clean showered and dried off, but wearing a loose robe over the normal airy pants of the desert people. To solidify the bond between them, Tala had to brand his neck as well as join them in a dark magic ritual that would forever taint his aura. It altered the way he was perceived by vampire and mage kind, shadowing his light magic with Tala's own. It was irreversible and the council knew that. Becoming a vampire's mate was for life.

Talamayas came in after Wren had collected himself and stopped to make sure that he was ready for lack of a better word. Such a significant life change was daunting, but neither of them had a choice, and it wasn't like Wren's life path could have veered elsewhere. A smile lifted his expression as Tala turned over to the sink to set down the knife he'd brought with him. Tala couldn't handle looking at him even though they'd both discussed this for days. Wren was okay with it, but he felt like Tala wasn't yet ready for this.

It wasn't at all because Tala didn't want him though. That hadn't been in doubt in decades. Tala just had a softer part of himself that cared deeply for his people, Wren included, and he preferred to give him more time to process this. While Wren would also like that, time wouldn't change the way they felt about each other, the way fate had brought them together, thrown them down, and then lifted them up in a strange series of events that had ended them up like this.

Tala gestured silently, and Wren went to his side, taking a seat on a stool in front of the stone basin. It was as big as a utility sink, and Wren took one last look at his red hair in the mirror where it hung on either side of his face. It had grown so long over the last few years, and the streak of grey had solidified on the left side of his face with only silver strands wandering here and there.

"This part of the ritual seems superfluous," Wren said as Tala bent his neck over the sink edge, the blade glinting in his hand on the edge of Wren's vision. "You can also use scissors."

"It's custom to do it this way," Talamayas whispered into his ear. "Also the least painful part."

Wren groaned as Talamayas threaded his hands through his hair and pulled it up to the blade. The slicing tore through him as the remnants of his past fell into the sink, long strands of red that had differentiated and defined him. He felt naked as Talamayas sat on a stool behind him and worked the edges of his hair into even ruffles that clung to his head much like Tala's did. The breeze on his neck brought a chill that was quickly replaced by a hot breath as Tala kissed the bare skin.

"You can grow it back after if you want," Tala said, running his hand through the finished product to even it out.

Even though Tala wasn't thrilled about all of this being rushed, his crimson eyes glittered with his inner happiness as he led Wren to the bed. There, they sat together, and Wren waited for instruction. Instead, Tala rubbed his hair like he always did when he was thinking too much.

"I have a lot to say, so if you have any terms, you better have thought of them by now," Tala managed after an awkward moment. The man ended it by callously pushing Wren onto his back but remaining intimidatingly hovering over him.

"Terms?" Wren asked up to him, relaxing as much as possible.

"Joining as soul bound is much like being mates, but it has a different meaning. We are both warriors, we stand for ourselves, and we have to be in complete agreement before we commit to this bond."

"All right," Wren said with a shallow smile. "I think we already understand what we expect of each other, but I will hear you out in case you add anything weird. Can we do it lying here or is it customary for me to stare up at you too?"

Tala grumbled but it was a sweet sound as the man settled on his back and crushed Wren to the spot he always occupied when they slept.

"This is serious for me," Tala eventually said against his forehead. "This is forever, Wren Song. We will be by each other's sides until the hillsides crumble into ravines and the history of man is waning. If you even look like you are dying, you will become one of my kind. I will not hesitate to change you, nor hear any argument against it in your last moments. Are you committed to that?" Tala pulled back so that they could face each other, and Wren was happy to not have the conversation into his chest.

"Yes, Talamayas. While I'm not keen on the idea of becoming one of your kind, I would prefer it to leaving you alone to wallow for the rest of your days. So we are in agreement." Wren pondered just what that would look like, Tala alone, and a chill wandered down his spine. Everything went up in flames when Tala was displeased.

"If you ever leave me, Wren, I will kill anyone you abscond with and drag you back. I won't hesitate on that either. No one takes you from me, and if you tire of me, then you damn well better tell me why. I want your happiness as much as my own. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Tala. I'm not going anywhere, and if I grow to hate you, we can always just torture each other for eternity. That's like win-win for you, isn't it?"

Tala chuckled but it was mirthless. "I'm a bit overbearing, demanding, and all around rough. I know that we disagree on things and it becomes heated, so much to a point that we fight each other, but I don't want it to ever be serious. I will bow before I lose you to a fight, so if you ever feel as if something is important that I'm not listening to, let me know. I'm a shitty listener, but I understand that we are different."

"I think we find resolutions well enough as it is. Plus, I usually win our fights," Wren said with a smirk.

"That was before they bound your magic, Wren," Tala frowned. "We aren't a match anymore, and I don't like that. You will train every day with my men until you are strong again. Once you best them, you will fight me until you're bleeding and too tired to stand each day. I will not rest until we are equals and you are safe."

"I'm still a grand general, even without my puppet magic, Tala. I can fight." True, it would take work for him to find which element his magic favored, but he was infiltrator class. That meant he could wield all kinds of incorporeal magic whereas normal mages were limited to a calling.

"I know, Wren. Having the crutch of your puppet magic gave you an ease of mind in battle that you will notice affects you when absent. You will agree to this training regimen?"

"Yes, Tala. I don't need your motivation to become stronger, but I will accept its help." There was so much going on out in the world with the new vampire mage alliance that Wren had no time to idle regardless of his situation. The mages didn't like him, but if the alliance needed him, if Tala needed him, he wanted to be there for them.

"Lastly, we will rule together," Tala slid his hand into his and brought it up to his lips. "Soul Bound have equal rights and power if one is a house head. My people will heed your commands as if they were my own, and you will truly be one of us in name and spirit. That being said, we must be as one, never putting my people in a position where they have to choose between us. It's not fair to them, as many like you, but they are fiercely loyal to my line.

"If you disagree with something I want, you will come to me in confidence. I will also stop what I'm doing if we are not in the castle and you object. Will you accept that responsibility?"

Tala's gaze was so vivid that it was hard for him to maintain eye contact, but looking away would be worse. It had been some time since he'd led his own people, and look how that had turned out. Wren hadn't the faintest how to lead a vampire house.

"I will accept the responsibility, but I'm not sure I'll be very commanding at first. I'll be happy to learn by your side until a time comes when you trust me with your people's safety and wellbeing." It was the best answer he could give when he thought about the weight of the Sols on his shoulders.

"I trust you with them now, Wren. You would never hurt my people," Tala said, dropping Wren's hand to slide one against the side of his face. The man didn't understand his trepidation.

"Not intentionally," Wren tried to clarify. "But I don't want to order something stupid and get them into any trouble. I have a lot to learn about the vampires' inner workings and the ways of your people. I will learn, and if I ever command anything of them, it will be in your best interests and theirs."

"That is all I ask." Tala stopped stroking Wren's new hair and focused on his eyes. "What do you want from me?" It was a daunting question that Wren had given some thought over the last week or so–what he wanted this whole thing to be.

"I have thought it over, Tala, and all I ask in return for everything you are willing to trust to me, is kindness, patience, and understanding. I will always have softer sentiments than you, and I can't watch you burn a man alive that I don't think deserves it. If I object to you killing someone, anyone, you have to stop. Toss them in the dungeon, leave them in shackles, but we will talk about it and you will listen, like it or not.

"I need that, to know you'll listen to me when our values and spirits clash on things. So far we've gotten along, but I do worry sometimes and I need to know that I can rest at ease. I want what you want, to be as one, to be united in the decisions we make. Just as I will learn about your ways and people, I need you to understand mine."

"I'm working on it," Tala said with a slow sigh. "I am no longer the man I once was, burning any mage who stepped into my territory. With you by my side, I promise to be tolerant and listen to what you have to say regarding your kind. I won't always agree, but I won't act rashly and hurt you in the process."

"Then I require nothing else, Talamayas."

Silence stretched on with Talamayas keeping just a foot of distance from them, contemplating something else he was having trouble mentioning. This day was full of hard topics, and one had been clearly left out so far. It didn't take much imagination as to what his new soul bound was hesitating to remind him of. Talamayas settled his mind by sitting up and Wren followed suit to face him.

"Do you hold any residual anger regarding my killing of your people?" Tala asked, his eyebrows dipping and his arms folding over his chest. "If you still bare any ill will toward what I did, no matter how little it is, it must be cleansed before we can be joined. So much as a thread of resentment can cause the bonding to fail, and it could kill you."

Wren let out a slow breath and dropped his eyes for a moment to the white sheets. "I can't say that I understand why you had to kill even those who were innocent, but I have come to terms with all of that over the decades. As a people, we were aggressors, and you outlive us, so any child could have grown to wield the same chains as the rest. After I took what was most precious from you, everyone who bore my blood was the enemy.

"I can't give you forgiveness because I don't feel you did anything wrong for a man in your position. You didn't want suffering, just peace, and we wouldn't let you have it. My people's downfall will always weigh on my heart, but I hold none of it against you, only myself. I was too blind to see your kind as people, not until I..." Wren's words fell away. Not until he'd felt the fear and sadness as he'd taken Tala's mother's life. "No one will talk about her when I'm around. I don't even know her name..."

"Yania," Tala whispered. "My mother's name was Yania Sol."

Tala pulled him into an embrace that nearly squeezed the life out of him, and it was questionable whether or not he was trying to ease his guilt or kill him. Everything about Tala could be either.

"Know that I do not say this with ease," Tala said into the air over Wren's hair. "It is a feeling I've held onto in silence for some time because just forming the words takes every ounce of my strength."

Tala slid his face into the crook of Wren's neck and shoulder, inhaling his scent and committing to the words buried in his heart. Considering the topic, Wren wasn't ready to face this, and he braced himself as Tala whispered the words into his neck, his voice trembling and hitching at the end.

"I forgive you, Wren Song." Tala's words cut so deep that tears filled Wren's eyes. "You didn't strike to kill, merely to stop what you saw as an enemy. I know you dropped your chains just as soon as you saw what she was, but my mother had always been frail. I can only forgive you because I know you have suffered over her death, wept because of your mistake, and cared for me despite what I've taken from you. My mother would have liked you, Wren Song."

"Thank you, Tala," Wren rasped, his throat so tight he barely got the words out. Sinking in Tala's arms, Wren clutched him and cried on his chest.

They'd gotten along, grown closer, cared for each other, but under all of it, Wren had always felt guilty. It had been shame to see the eyes of everyone around caring for and accepting him when he'd taken Tala's mother, their mother. No matter how much they'd laughed, fought together, or grown close, Talamayas had never said the words, the ones Wren had needed.

"Are you ready to be mine, Wren Song?" Talamayas asked, emotion weighing on his voice just as thickly as he nuzzled his neck.

"Yes," Wren answered.

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