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The realization hit me like a freight train.
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When I woke up from my fainting spell and saw
my sister begging me to let her pick first, I
know I’d been given a second chance.
There we were, the whole family, staring at a bunch of caged boasts. Some had tails, some had animal ears poking out of their human heads, and then there was Kai, the merman.
“Beatrice, are you really gonna do this to your sistor? Are you trying to kill her?”
As Mom started to wind herself up, I cut her off. “Of course not! I may be the eldest, and
according to tradition Lehould chanee firet Rut
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according to tradition, I should choose first. But
Mom and Dad always say we should be close,
so I’m happy to let Evie have this one. The
merman is gorgeous, so it’s only fair.”
Evie didn’t seem to expect me to cave so
easily. She was happy, sure, but also
suspicious. She stared me down, trying to see if
I was lying.
I gave her my sweetest smile, pointed at Kai.
“Evie, I swear to the beast gods: the merman is
all yours, forever and always.”
In our world, when a woman comes of age, she is granted a special ability: to bond with a beast she chooses. That beast becomes her lifelong companion.
Once bonded, the beast shares our lifespan and everything else. We’re talking ride or die, for
better or worse.
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And oaths? Oaths were the bedrock of our
society. Break an oath, and you get zapped into
oblivion by a lightning bolt.
