The emerald glowed between them, its pulse syncing with Rebecca's own heartbeat. Every thrum seemed to tighten the air, drawing Nathaniel closer until she could feel the heat of him, the centuries of restraint breaking at last.
His lips claimed hers again, harder this time, the kiss searing. Rebecca's breath caught as her fingers slid beneath the loosened edges of his shirt, tracing the planes of his chest. His skin was hot beneath her touch, each brush sparking through her like fire in her veins.
Nathaniel groaned low in his throat, pressing her back against the wall, his hands skimming her sides before anchoring at her hips. He kissed her as though he could pour every unspoken word, every year of longing, into her mouth.
Rebecca pulled at his shirt until it slipped from his shoulders, baring more of him to her hands. She trailed her palms across the hard line of his back, the bond humming so strong it felt like lightning coursing through both of them.
He lowered his mouth to her throat, tasting her skin, reverent and fevered all at once. She gasped, tilting her head back, her hands tangling in his hair. Every kiss, every caress, sent waves of heat rolling through her body, leaving her trembling but hungry for more.
"Rebecca," he whispered against her skin, his breath ragged, his control fraying. "You don't know how long I've waited. How many lifetimes I've carried this."
She pulled his face back to hers, eyes burning into his. "Then don't wait anymore."
Their mouths met again, desperate, consuming, the bond blazing until it felt as though the very walls of the room vibrated with their need. Fabric ripped way under impatient hands, the barrier of clothes slipping away as skin pressed to skin.
The emerald's glow flared bright, casting green light over their entwined bodies. In it, Rebecca swore she was on fire, she couldn't get enough of his touch.
Nathaniel broke the kiss only long enough to rest his forehead against hers, his voice rough and unguarded. "This bond can serve as amarriage if you will have me. If you choose, Rebecca, take my name, and seal it now. Before the Circle forms. Before the Hollow can tear us apart."
Her breath shook, the bond tugging deep inside her, urging her toward him, toward love, toward fate itself.
Rebecca swallowed hard, her voice fierce though her lips trembled. "Then I choose you, Nathaniel Edgeworth. I take your name. And I give you mine."
The words hung heavy in the air.
The emerald burst with light, brighter than fire, brighter than candle or sun. A shock of warmth surged through them both, knocking Rebecca breathless. The bond pulsed once, twice, then settled deep, etched into their very souls.
Nathaniel staggered with her, gripping her tight as the glow faded into their skin. His eyes shone, wet and fierce, his mouth curving into something like awe. "Rebecca Weatherman-Edgeworth," he whispered, tasting the name. "You've bound us. Truly, wholly bound us."
Rebecca's heart thundered. She kissed him again, fierce and sure, their bodies pressed close, the bond now blazing steady instead of sparking wild.
For a long moment, there was no Hollow, no Circle, no danger. There was only them, sealed by love older than time, stronger than shadow.
The emerald's glow pulsed hotter, brighter, until Rebecca felt as though her very heartbeat belonged to Nathaniel. His mouth claimed hers again, the kiss deeper, hungrier, his hands anchoring her as though he could never let go.
With one fluid motion, he lifted her into his arms. She gasped, clutching at his shoulders, but his strength was effortless, sure. He carried her across the room and set her gently on the edge of his bed, he traced her breast with his fingers.
His lips traced down her throat, over her collarbone, each kiss leaving sparks that danced over her skin. His fingers brushed lightly along her side, reverent yet urgent, tracing her form as though he were memorizing her. She arched into his touch, her breath catching in sharp, delicious waves.
The bond burned brighter, electricity crackling between them. Nathaniel's hands framed her as he hovered above her, his gaze locked on hers, his eyes dark with centuries of longing finally loosed.
"Rebecca," he whispered, his voice ragged with need and devotion. "You are the only truth I have ever known. If I fall, let it be into you."
Her answer was another kiss, fierce and unyielding. She drew him down to her, wrapping herself around him, the bond blazing until it felt as though the Hollow itself could not breach the fire they made together.
Nathaniel's breath mingled with hers, his forehead pressed to hers, the emerald's glow casting them both in green firelight. His hands moved slowly down her abdomen till they rested right at the top of her panties,m, as though he feared the moment might shatter if he rushed it. He slid his hand in and she was slick for him.
Rebecca urged him down. "Nathaniel take me."
Rebecca's heart pounded, her body alive with heat, every nerve alight beneath his touch. The bond thrummed between them, not just magic but something deeper, older — love carried through centuries, now burning fresh and fierce in her veins.
When he kissed her again, there was no restraint left,he slid her pantries off with ease, and licked the curve of her thigh back to her perfect opening. He licked her hole once and electricity zapped his tongue in pure pleasure. She moaned his name and he commenced giving her every ounce of affection he had. Rebecca's breathing quickened at his changing movements he knew she was close to cumming. He sped up and slipped a finger in and it sent her over the edge. She set up to grab him to her. He guided her gently back against the pillows, his hands framing her hips,his lips tracing paths along her skin. Rebecca felt him at her entrance, she looked into his eyes pleading and The bond surged, their breaths tangled, and the world narrowed to the fire blazing between them.
She clung to him, pulling him closer, surrendering to the pull of the emerald, the bond, and the man who had waited lifetimes for her. His voice broke against her ear, raw and unguarded. "I love you, Rebecca. If this is all eternity grants me, it is enough."
Nathaniel pushed himself into Rebecca and she gasped with pleasure. She was pleading for more from him he began to move in and out of her, holding her close and kissing her.
The bond flared white-hot, sealing them not with vows but with love made flesh and spirit, a union beyond shadow or time. Electricity crackled in the air, the room alive with their joined fire until it felt as if even the Hollow itself dared not intrude
The emerald blazed, casting wild green light across the chamber. Rebecca felt its power thrum through her veins, mingling with the heat of Nathaniel's body, the centuries of longing breaking loose between them.
He pulled her close, but this time she pushed back, steady and sure, pressing him down against the bed. His eyes widened, a flicker of surprise quickly replaced by awe as she climbed over him, her hair tumbling like fire and shadow around them both.
The bond flared at her choice, alive with her will, her strength. She pressed her hands to his chest, feeling the thunder of his heart beneath her palms. "This is mine too," she whispered, her voice fierce, trembling with love and power. "Not just your centuries. Not just your vows. Mine."
Nathaniel's breath caught, his hands gripping her waist and hips as she was grinding into him. "Then claim it, Rebecca," he murmured, his voice raw. "Claim me."
She lowered herself on to him, riding him into complete pleasure,their mouths meeting in a kiss that was more vow than hunger, though hunger burned through it too. The bond roared, sparks of green fire dancing across the emerald at her throat, as if the Hollow itself recoiled from the strength of their joining.
The emerald pulsed hotter, brighter, until Rebecca felt it sing through every vein in her body. The bond roared like a storm, her heartbeat pounding in time with Nathaniel's, each kiss and touch sparking with electricity that made the very air hum.
When the moment broke when fire and light surged through them both, both climaxing at the same time,Rebecca cried out his name, her voice carrying like a vow. Nathaniel's answer was her own name, ragged and reverent, his hands gripping her as she spasmsed as if he would never let go
The emerald's glow flared, then steadied, casting them both in soft green light. Rebecca collapsed against him, trembling, her hair spilling across his chest. Nathaniel's arms wrapped around her, holding her close, his lips brushing her temple as their breathing slowed in unison.
For a long moment, neither spoke. The bond pulsed steady, deep, not wild now but strong and sure.
For once, Rebecca wasn't pulled along by fate she chose. And in that choice, in the fire of her body and soul, she bound them together more surely than any circle ever could.
At last, she whispered his name, and he hers, their voices carrying like vows into the glowing emerald between them.
In that moment, they were one not Weatherman or Edgeworth, not anchor or keeper, but two souls entwined, bound stronger than any shadow could unmake.
Finally, Nathaniel whispered, his voice unguarded and raw, "Rebecca, I have loved you from the beginning. Through shadows, through centuries, through every silence the Hollow pressed on me. Loving you is all I have ever wanted."
Rebecca lifted her head, her eyes shimmering, and pressed her lips softly to his. "Then you'll never be alone again. Because I love you, Nathaniel. I love you."
The emerald warmed between them, as though sealing the vow. And in the quiet that followed, the Hollow dared not intrude
The chamber was quiet now, save for the faint crackle of the fire in the hearth and the soft cadence of their breath. Nathaniel's arms held Rebecca close against him, her head resting on his chest, their heartbeats still finding the same rhythm.
The emerald glowed faintly at her throat, no longer blazing, but steady — warm, reassuring, alive. Rebecca brushed her fingers over it and closed her eyes.
Bianca.
Penelope.
Gabriel.
Their voices whispered like laughter carried on the wind, tender and bright, not as visions but as presence. They were there with her, in her blood, in her bond with Nathaniel. She felt their joy as clearly as her own.
A tear slid down her cheek, but it was not sorrow. It was hope. She pressed her lips to Nathaniel's chest, her voice low. "They're with us. I can feel them. They know."
Nathaniel's hand traced gently along her hair, his voice rough with love. "Then they're already stronger than any shadow. Just like their mother."
Rebecca smiled faintly, her eyes heavy, but her heart lighter than it had been in weeks. She let herself rest there, in his arms, in the certainty of their bond. For a few precious moments, there was no Hollow, no Circle, no gathering storm.
Then, far off but insistent, the deep clang of the dining bell echoed through the stone halls of Edgeworth Estate.
Rebecca stirred, groaning softly. "Already?"
Nathaniel's lips brushed her temple. "The Nine wait for no one. Not even us."
She lifted her head, their eyes meeting in the dim glow. "But they'll know, won't they? They'll see what we've done."