Summoned and Bound (Summoned Series Romances Book 3) (7 page)

“It doesn’t matter how many times I tried, I always failed!” The guilt was like a thousand whips, flaying her soul. “I wasn’t strong enough to stop it, and I wasn’t brave enough to do the one thing I could have. I should have killed myself. He couldn’t use me if I were dead.”

“You will never say that again. Hells, woman, you’re not to even think it!” Vamir had seen anguish like this before, in the eyes of soldiers who had seen too much death and horror ever to forget. He wouldn’t lose her to that darkness. He couldn’t.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, guardian. Only the master can do that. I’m his to command until I’m dead, or he is.”

“Then help me kill him. Don’t you see? You’re the greatest weapon we could have. You know the Magi better than anyone. Hells, you can even undo their magic! Teach us what we need to know to put an end to them, and then we can all go home.”

For a moment, there was silence between them as she weighed his words. He was about to try again to convince when her expression turned solemn, and she nodded stiffly. “I’ll try.”

“That’s my girl.” The possessive term was out of his mouth before he even knew he was going to say it, but once said, it became the truth. She was his. She wasn’t a potential mate. Gwyneth was the only one he would ever want.

“I’m not a girl.”

“No, you’re a woman, beautiful and brave. And if I have my way, you’ll be
my
woman soon. All you have to do is give in to what’s already growing between us.” He kissed her again, gently this time.

“I don’t know you well enough to make that decision.”

“You don’t know me that well, yet. If you drop your guard, you could know me better than anyone else ever has.”

“Not until I’ve got you fixed up. Then you must rest. I’ve been ordered to see to it you heal quickly, and you can’t do that if you’re exhausted.”

“If I could change forms safely I’d be healed in minutes. But if I’m seen it would prompt questions neither one of us wants to answer.”

“I wish you could. I’d like to see you in your other form.”

“You will, soon. But for now, this gives me an excuse to have your hands on me, so I can’t say I’m sorry it will take me a day or so to heal up. Do you think I might need more ointment tomorrow?” he asked and winked at her.

“Are you always like this?” She set aside the water and cloth and began gently applying the ointment to the worst of his injuries.

“Only with you. When I get you home, you can ask anyone, and they’ll all tell you I’m usually a serious, grumpy bastard.”

She snorted in disbelief and dropped her head again so he couldn’t see her face, bracing herself for another wave of pain as she spoke of freeing him again. “I don’t believe you. And Vamir, you cannot take me with you. I have to stay here.”

“If you stay here, the sorcerer will punish you. I can’t leave you here knowing that.”

“I’ve been punished before. I’ll survive it. Especially if I know you are coming back to kill him and take me away from this cursed place.” Agony tore through her as her words triggered the collar again, and Vamir tensed beneath her hands.

“What’s wrong, little one? You’re hurting.”

“I’m fine,” she whispered, hoping he believed her.

“Liar.” He cupped her chin in one strong hand and made her lift her head so he could see her face. “You’ve gone pale.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Something else you should know about soulmates. When they’re in close contact, like we are right now, there’s enough of a connection that I can tell when you’re trying to hide something from me. It took me a while to understand what I was sensing, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

She frowned at him. “Well, hells. You might have mentioned that earlier.”

Her comment made him throw back his head and laugh until the sound bounced off the walls. “This is all new to me, too. Now, what aren’t you telling me?”

“I’m bound by more rules than you are. The master was distracted last night. Your arrival was not expected, and he dislikes surprises. Because of that, he didn’t give you all the commands he normally does. He assumed I would have done it for him, but I didn’t.”

Vamir already knew he wasn’t going to like the answer to his next question, but he needed to hear it. “What rules?”

She answered him in that same matter-of-fact tone she’d used before, as if she were talking about the weather and not her life. “I’m not permitted to consider escaping or helping any of the other slaves to escape. I am not to think or act out against the master, and I am forbidden from ever using my powers to counter his. In fact, the only place I am permitted to use my powers freely is this room, or when I have his express permission.”

“You’re telling me that every time you discussed freeing me, or escaping, your slave collar punished you?”

“Discomfort is a small price to pay for what we’re planning.”

Vamir wanted to kill the bastard who had done this to her. Now he was paying attention, he had started catching on to the vague way she worded certain things. She was dancing around the edges of the collar’s control. It was subtle, which is why he hadn’t noticed before. Like anyone forced to live in the shadow of violence, Gwyneth had learned how to walk the knife’s edge between safety and pain.

“From now on, let me do the talking as much as possible. You stick to pain-free words like yes and no. Okay?”

Her quicksilver eyes darkened, and she shook her head. “You’ve already…”

He placed a finger across her lips, stopping her words. “No arguments. I’m pulling rank on you, little one.”

“Right now, I’m in charge of you. Not the other way around,” she muttered rebelliously.

“Only if I let you speak.”

He had her pinned under him seconds later, his mouth sealing hers before she could utter a single word. For a split second, she was utterly still, her eyes wild and wide as she stared up at him. Her expression was fearful, and it made his heart ache to see it. She’d been used and hurt by men before, and he was hell bent on seeing to it she never knew a moment’s fear again. He gentled his touch, then gave her a slow wink before kissing her again, feather-light touches of his lips to hers.

With each kiss, she relaxed a little more, until at last, she kissed him back, her pale lashes fanning her cheeks as she closed her eyes and let him guide her. She reached up to wrap her arms around his shoulders, her fingers stroking the short hairs at the back of his neck. He braced his weight on his elbows with one leg thrown across hers to hold her in place. The soft curves of her body pressed against his, scorching him everywhere their bodies touched.

Their kiss deepened as passion overcame them both, and she uttered a soft moan that had his cock turning to granite. Need built on need until gentle touches weren’t enough anymore. He slipped his tongue past her lips, savoring the sweet heat of her mouth as she yielded to him. He moved in closer until he could grind the aching length of his dick against her thigh. She was a fire in his blood, a need that overwhelmed every other thought or desire, and it took all of his remaining control to give her the time she needed to accept what he already knew.

They were destined for each other.

Gwyn was lost in a storm of passions and desires she’d never felt before. She clung to the one person in the entire world that she trusted. She held him close as she dropped her guard and truly let herself feel for the first time since she’d been summoned into the hellish life of a slave. The air around her nearly crackled with the energy of the
essence
, and she knew that if she opened her eyes that she would be able to see the flow of energy between herself and Vamir. She could feel it, a steady pull that drew her in, promising her everything missing from her heart and soul. Companionship, trust, laughter, and even love.

She allowed herself to feel his energy. It wasn’t that she could read his thoughts or see his memories, it was both less than that, and so much more. It was the truth in his soul that she sensed, the light and dark that made up his very being. Their energies were soon as entwined as their bodies, growing closer with every touch. If she allowed it, they could stay like this, their souls bound together for the rest of their lives, not just for one life, but for all the ones that followed. He could be hers, forever.

It was too much.

Heart pounding, she broke their kiss, drawing in a lungful of air to try and cool the fire that raged inside her. “That’s what it would be like, forever?”

“If we became soulbound, then yes.” His words came out in a roughened growl, and there was no missing the need that blazed in the dazzling glow of his eyes as he stared into hers.

“And if we don’t?”

“Then over time, the fire between us will burn down to embers, and then to ash, but only if we stay away from each other. Being close like this will always fan the flames between us.”

“All or nothing, then?” she asked. Lying here with him, Gwyn didn’t know if she would have the strength to stay away from him, to forever deny herself the pleasure of being in his arms.

“Exactly. I know what I want, Gwyneth. I want it all. When we’re free of this place and the Magi, I’ll ask you what your choice will be.”

“And until then?”

He grinned down at her. “Until then, I intend on doing everything I can to convince you to say yes.”

***

Chapter Six

In the end, Vamir won the argument, but he learned that Gwyneth’s stubbornness matched his own. She’d wanted to free him immediately, but Vamir had argued against it. If she released him while they were still in the citadel, it would only be a matter of hours at best before the sorcerer noticed. It would be obvious that she’d helped to free him, which would leave her at the mercy of her master. Vamir had come up with a better plan.

Not much better, but still an improvement.

Both because of her abilities and because her master never left the protective walls of his citadel, Gwyneth was tasked with transporting all the slaves to their new homes and masters. It was a task she despised, but this one time, it would be a blessing instead of a curse. That last journey would provide them with everything they needed to escape: time, distance, and most importantly, the ring that enslaved him. It meant risking another day or so in the presence of the master, but Gwyneth grudgingly admitted that they would not see much of him so long as the sorcerer was assured Vamir was recovering from his injuries.

Vamir still didn’t want to leave Gwyneth behind, but she insisted. For now, he was going along with her plan, but if he saw a way to bring her with him, he intended to take it, consequences be damned. He could deal with her anger at being taken far easier than he could live with himself if he left her behind.

Having her in his arms all night had been an experience he would never forget. Whether she consented to be bound to him or not, he would always have the memory of her falling asleep beside him. She’d slept with her head on his shoulder and her beautiful hair falling like a silken blanket across his chest. When he’d finally allowed himself to fall into a healing sleep, his last thought had been that whatever it took to free her, he’d see it done.

Gwyn woke up to the unfamiliar sensation of being both warm and sheltered. It took her sleep-addled mind a few moments to remember why, and when she did she registered another new sensation, contentment. While they’d both slept, the bond between them had strengthened, and now she felt more connected to Vamir than she would have thought possible. It wasn’t invasive or overpowering, more a sense of his strength and determination, along with the feeling she wasn’t alone anymore.

After so many years alone, it was a wonderful feeling.

She rose from the bed, careful not to wake her sleeping patient. His wounds looked much improved. The angry red welts had faded, and his cuts appeared to be healing without infection. Only the bruising looked worse than it had last night. Starbursts of deep purple and red bloomed all over his body. Today, she would have to find another balm, one that worked to ease aching muscles and speed the healing of bruises.

The master would not give him long to heal, and when the time came for them to put their plans in motion, Vamir would need all his strength…and so would she. Gwyn knew she would have to defy her master’s commands to ensure Vamir escaped. Defiance meant pain, and this level of disobedience was going to invoke the worst punishments she’d ever endured. She hadn’t told Vamir, but there was a chance it would kill her to free him. She couldn’t be sure, and even if it did cost her everything, at least they would both finally be free.

After glancing at Vamir one last time to ensure he still slept, Gwyn removed her robe and moved over to the window. Standing in the one small patch of sunlight that made it through the narrow opening, she focused her thoughts and conjured a small wooden tub full of fresh, heated water that smelled faintly of spring flowers. Stepping into the tub, she raised her arms over her head and closed her eyes. With a thought, she sent the water spiraling upward around her. She let the water settle back into the tub while she soaped and washed, then reformed the waterspout to rinse herself off. It was an indulgent use of her magic, but one she enjoyed a great deal.

When the water was back in the tub once more, she felt a shift in the energy in the room and knew that Vamir was awake. “You better not be peeking.”

He chuckled, his energy resonating to the sound. “If you’re insinuating that I’m lying here watching you frolic with a waterspout like a naked water sprite, you’d be absolutely correct. And I am not the least bit sorry, either. After all, you’ve already watched me bathe.”

“You have a point, guardian, but as I recall, I didn’t stand and stare. I went to find you something to wear.” She glanced over her shoulder to find him watching her, a smug smile on his lips. His eyes gleamed with admiration and a blatant desire that made her clit throb.

“That you did. Would you like me to return the favor? I could fetch you something to dry yourself with, or better yet, I’ll dry you off myself, make sure you got every drop,” he offered.