"Tell me about the prophecy," I said the next evening as we sat around the fire in Kai's dorm room.
The four of them had been taking turns staying with me ever since my powers started manifesting unpredictably. Tonight was Kai's turn, but the others had joined us for what was becoming our nightly strategy session.
"It's old," Asher said carefully. "From the time of the First War."
"The war between supernatural factions," Zephyr explained when I looked confused. "Vampires, fae, elementals, shifters—everyone fighting for control of the magical realms."
"The war nearly destroyed both the human and supernatural worlds," Magnus continued. "Until the first spirit elemental appeared and ended it."
"How?"
"By binding the leaders of each faction to her," Kai said quietly. "Creating a connection that made violence between the groups impossible."
Understanding began to dawn. "A reverse harem bond."
"The technical term is 'pentad bond,'" Magnus corrected. "Five individuals connected by spirit magic, representing the major supernatural bloodlines."
"And the prophecy says this will happen again?"
"Not exactly," Asher hedged. "It says that when the worlds are again in danger, a spirit elemental will arise. She will either unite the factions through the bonds of power, or…"
"Or?" I prompted when he trailed off.
"Or she'll go mad from the power and tear apart the barriers between worlds," Zephyr finished grimly.
Silence fell over the room as I processed this.
"So no pressure," I said finally.
"Luna," Kai started, but I held up a hand.
"No, it's fine. I just need to either save the world or accidentally destroy it. Simple."
"You won't destroy anything," Magnus said with quiet certainty. "You're stronger than the last spirit elemental. More grounded."
"How can you possibly know that?"
"Because," Asher said softly, "you're not trying to control the bonds. You're letting them grow naturally."
"The last spirit elemental tried to force the connections," Zephyr explained. "She chose her bondmates based on political necessity rather than true compatibility."
"And that drove her mad?"
"Spirit magic feeds on authentic emotion," Kai said. "When you try to fake or force the bonds, the magic turns unstable."
I looked around at the four of them, feeling the truth of what they were saying in the warm, steady glow of power that connected us.
"But our bonds are real," I said softly.
"Very real," Magnus confirmed, his ice-blue eyes intense.
"And growing stronger every day," Asher added.
"Which brings us to the real question," Zephyr said, leaning forward. "What do we do about it?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Kai said carefully, "that spirit bonds of this strength typically culminate in a claiming ritual."
"What's a claiming ritual?"
The guys exchanged glances.
"It's a magical ceremony that permanently binds the pentad together," Asher explained. "Heart, mind, body, and soul."
"All five of us?" I asked faintly.
"All five of us," Magnus confirmed.
The implications of that hit me like a freight train. Not just the magical aspects, but the personal ones. These four men weren't just my mentors or friends—they were becoming something much more significant.
"And if we don't do the ritual?" I asked.
"Then the bonds