Life Bonds

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Sean stopped before they got to the doorway. He glanced back at her and held out a hand. “One of your knives, please.”

  Ryann frowned, but handed over a throwing knife. “Why?”

  He gave her a grin, before spinning around and planting the knife into the post beside the door. “Throw one to each side but touching it,” Sean said simply.

  Ryann lips twitched and her brow furrowed, but her hands whipped the two blades free and out in quick motions. The blades sank home to either side of the one Sean had thrown.

  Sean nodded as he walked to the post. “Did you see the lizard?”

  Ryann blinked, suddenly noticing the lizard skewered three times and stuck to the frame. “No…”

  “I did. I also wanted to remind you that, because of the Bond, I can do what you do. Once you have the capacity for more, you’ll be able to see things like the lizards easier.”

  Ryann blinked. “I see.” Brow furrowing, she pulled her knives free, cleaned them, and returned them to their sheaths.

  Sean left the point where it was and entered the inn. Ryann followed behind him, lost in thought. When he got up to his room, he found a tray with wine and glasses beside the door. He knocked once on the women’s door and opened it. “Wine, ladies? I would like to chat in my room.”

  “If that’s your wish, Master,” Myna said, getting to her feet. “Thank you for the extra food,” she said with a small, secretive smile on her lips.

  “We enjoyed it,” Fiona added as she picked up the clothing she had been working on.

  “Ryann, will you join us to talk about tomorrow?” Sean asked as he opened his door and picked up the drink tray.

  “I’m not needed,” Ryann said after a pause. “I’ll just be guarding you. I would like to retire for the night, if that’s okay?”

  “That’s fine,” Sean said, “thank you for the company. We paid for baths, so feel free to use them as well.”

  Her eyes searched his face. Shaking her head, she entered the other room. “Goodnight,” she said as the door shut.

  “Did we miss something?” Myna asked.

  “Not really,” Sean shrugged. “Come on inside and we’ll talk.”

  When the door shut behind him, Sean wondered what tonight was going to bring after they finished talking. Breaking the wax seal on the amphora, he poured wine into three glasses. When he turned, the other two were sitting on the floor next to the bed, as the room only had a single chair.

  Sean handed over the wine and retrieved his before joining them. “Okay. Let’s walk through what we need to do tomorrow?”

  “As you wish, Master,” Fiona smirked at him. “We have items to sell, but I can handle most of that. You will need to come with me to sell the hair clips. We also need to put a maker’s mark on them, and as soon as we get to a city, we’re going to need to register your mark.”

  “A city,” Sean said with a twist to his lips. “Can’t say I’m looking forward to that.”

  “Why?” Myna asked.

  “Consider the difficulties we’ve had with villages, then expand that to city size. I’m also betting each city has at least one minor noble attached to it,” Sean said.

  “That is true,” Fiona replied, “but they mostly stay in their manors. I would find it odd if we bumped into one.”

  Sean winced at her words. “Yeah, let’s move past that. Besides those two things, what else do we need to do?”

  “We should have the stable master here check the shoes on the horses,” Myna suggested as she sipped her wine.

  “Okay,” Sean sighed, taking a sip of his own wine. The flavor was a mix of plum, raspberry, fig, and spices that melded together surprisingly well. “Is there anything else? Do we have enough to get the horses checked and buy our supplies?”

  “The clothing was somewhat expensive,” Fiona said, not looking at him. “Once we sell our extra stuff, we should be fine. If we sell a clip or two, we’ll be more than fine.” Fiona kept her head down and sipped her wine.

  “Why are you avoiding my gaze, Fiona?” Sean asked. “We needed the clothes, didn’t we?”

  “Yes, but I used most of our free coin on it,” Fiona replied, meeting his gaze with trepidation.

  “We needed them,” Sean said, puzzled. “Did you think that was going to make me mad?”

  “I wasn’t sure,” Fiona said. “Normally, it would upset a Holder that his Bonded spent all of his coin without checking. I know you’re different, but…”

  Sean chuckled softly, “I love you, Fiona, but you need to push those thoughts out of your mind. If we need it, I’m not going to be upset about it.”

  “It's hard to change the way we’ve been raised,” Myna said softly.

  “I know how that is. It’s why my hands clench every time someone insults you,” Sean told her.

  Myna bowed her head. “You have no idea how much that makes my heart soar, nor how worried I get.”

  Reaching over to rub her ears, he bumped her with his shoulder gently. “We’ll all work on this. It does remind me of something James always used to say. Communication, honesty, and trust are the three pillars of a relationship, which is only truer when you have multiple people involved. Never be afraid of honestly telling me things, and trust me to understand.”

  “You’re always talking about your friend,” Fiona said as she took a deep drink of her wine. “Do you think he would have liked us?”

  Turning his head, he gave her a soft kiss, then did the same to Myna. “Yes, he would have. James would also have been able to accept this long before I did, the kinked bastard that he was.”

  “Master—” Myna began, then cut off and looked past him to Fiona.

  “We talked while we had our dinner,” Fiona said, seeing the pleading look Myna sent her. “We find that we would rather both stay with you, than to have one of us sent away.”

  Sean froze for a second, choking as he accidentally gulped wine and air at the same time. Both women began patting his back to help him while he tried to breathe again.

  Once he could breathe again, he looked at both of them. “I, um,” he swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Things are going to go wrong, and I’m going to do and say things that will hurt you. I have to ask for your patience and understanding, especially when it comes to some things that you take for granted on this world.”

  Both Fiona and Myna leaned in and kissed him, and each other, in a triangle of lips. “I understand, and will not be upset. I’ll do as you said and talk with you,” Fiona said.

  “As will I,” Myna agreed.

  A peaceful warmth washed over him at their words. “We need to bathe. A real bath, not just the sponge bath from earlier.”

  “We can finish the wine and let the other guests vacate the bath, first,” Fiona said as she snuggled in next to him.

  “She makes a good point, Master,” Myna said, doing the same on his other side. “We don’t want others catching sight of her left side.”

  Sean winced. “Myna—”

  “She is right, Master,” Fiona said softly. “She doesn’t hurt me by saying it.”

  Sighing, Sean shook his head. “I need to grow a thicker skin.”

  Chapter Thirty

  After finishing the wine, the three lovers stayed snuggled on the rug by the bed. Eventually, Sean got to his feet. “Let’s get that bath and turn in for the night.”

  Fiona picked up a set of his new clothes. “We can change into dry garments after.”

  “I’ll go grab a set of ours,” Myna said as she slipped out of the room ahead of them.

  “We’ll meet you downstairs,” Sean told her as he shut the door behind him and led Fiona down the back stairs.

  The door to the bathing room was shut when they arrived. “It seems there is at least one person in there,” Sean sighed as he opened the door for Fiona.

  Ryann spun around as the door opened, blinking at them as she realized who it was. “I thought you had all gone to bed,” Ryann said, turning quickly away from Sea
n.

  “No, we were waiting until the chamber would be less busy,” Sean said, frowning when he caught sight of the crisscrossing scars on Ryann’s back.

  The blonde woman’s back hunched as she quickly climbed into the tub she had prepared. “I won’t be long.”

  “Enjoy your soak,” Fiona said, “we’ll try not to be too loud.”

  “Master,” Myna said from the door, “Ryann is… here,” her words changed when she saw Ryann in the tub.

  “Thought I ran away?” Ryann asked coldly.

  “No, I was concerned that you might have run into trouble with someone,” Myna said as she entered and shut the door behind her.

  Ryann snorted, closing her eyes, “I don’t think that’s going to be a real issue while I’m in Sean’s employ.”

  “Not when you can cripple people easily,” Sean chuckled.

  When Fiona looked at him quizzically, Sean motioned them to start getting things ready. “Ryann and I discussed what she can do now that she has access to some energy. It seems her targeting ability can also help her know which spots will cripple or kill a person, and places markers on those areas.”

  “That would make her quite deadly,” Fiona nodded as she started to put kettles on the fire.

  “I’ll fill the tubs,” Sean told her. “Don’t worry about the kettles. In fact,” Sean grabbed three buckets and filled them with hot water, setting them by the washing blocks. “There we go, now we can start with the clothing.”

  Fiona and Myna set the clean clothes on a bench near the door before stripping out of their clothing. Sean was already naked and washing his clothes by the time they joined him. His eyes kept dancing from one to the other, just admiring them.

  “Master, that is impolite,” Myna said softly, even as she arched her back slightly to give him an even better view of her firm breasts.

  Sean coughed, looking away. “Sorry, it’s difficult not to admire sometimes.”

  “Men,” Ryann muttered, “only ever thinking about sex.” The sound of sloshing water told them all Ryann had shifted. “You should… Silvershame?”

  Fiona’s smile vanished, her eyes meeting Sean’s as if asking what she should do. Sean looked over his shoulder to Ryann, who had sat upright in the tub and was staring at Fiona. “Apparently, it’s not just men who stare impolitely.”

  Blinking, Ryann’s gaze snapped away from Fiona, her cheeks taking on a pink hue. “I wasn’t…” She sighed deeply and looked back at Sean, who had already turned around to finish washing his clothes. Her eyes tracked over his back, then back up to meet the eyes of both Fiona and Myna, who were watching her with raised brows. “Umm…”

  “Master doesn’t wish her to be known by the name you used,” Myna advised Ryann. “Her name is now Mithrilsoul.”

  “But—” Ryann began, but cut off when Sean stood up and carried his clothes toward the stove to hang them to dry.

  “I would be thankful if you didn’t use her old name,” Sean said, not looking at her as he walked past. “Fiona is much more than she used to be, and I love her.”

  Ryann took a good long look at him as he walked past her, and she quickly sank back into her tub as her face heated more. “I’ll do my best, Sean. I meant no harm.”

  “Thank you,” Fiona said as she gathered her clothes.

  “It is appreciated,” Myna added and followed the other two.

  “Sorry,” Ryann said as they walked past her tub.

  The three washed themselves down, then climbed into tubs that Sean had filled with hot water after they adjusted the temperatures to their liking. Sean caught Ryann watching him circumspectly as he worked, but he ignored it.

  Sean got into his tub just as Ryann stood up, giving him his first good look at her. She was sickly thin from a poor diet. She still supported a bit more in the chest than the other two, and once she had some meat on her, her hips would flare nicely, too.

  Pulling his eyes off her, Sean mentally chastised himself as he lay back in the water. What are you doing, you asshole? You’ve got two beautiful women who love you already, why are you eyeing Ryann? Closing his eyes, Sean submerged his head, leaving only his mouth and nose out of the water.

  Ryann glanced at the women, who both had their eyes closed, before she stepped out of the tub and began to dry off. While she did, she took another good look at Sean, shaking her head. Setting the towel aside, she dressed in her mostly dry clothes and quickly left the room.

  As the door closed behind her, Myna and Fiona sat up and exchanged a glance before looking at Sean's tub. After a long moment, they laid back in their tubs.

  They finally got out of the tubs as the water went cold. Drying off and dressing, Sean, Myna, and Fiona gathered up their freshly laundered clothing and headed back upstairs. Sean motioned both of them into his room, following and closing the door behind them.

  Putting his back to the door, Sean looked at the two women laying out their clothing. Watching them go about the mundane task, Sean felt a moment of happiness and peace. Maybe it will be like this once we find a place to settle down for a bit, Sean thought. That would be nice. Might actually feel like a family.

  Lost in his thoughts, he missed it when they had finished laying out their clothes for tomorrow and began to undress. Blinking as he came back to his senses, he saw they were both down to underwear and standing by the bed. “Umm…”

  “We can just sleep for the night, Sean,” Fiona said. She held out her hand to him with a bright smile.

  “We only want you to be happy, Master,” Myna added, holding her hand out as well.

  A bright smile came to him. “Sleep would be good. Give me a little more time before we try expanding things again, okay?”

  Both women giggled, but Fiona was the one who spoke, “We’ll do our best.”

  Taking off his clothing and laying it beside theirs, Sean eventually took their hands. “Now, about who is sleeping where—” Sean began before he was cut off as the women shoved him onto the bed. “Hey, now.”

  Myna purred as she snuggled up against him next to the wall. “I’ll sleep here.”

  Fiona snickered as she took the side closest to the edge. “And I’ll sleep here.”

  “I can’t complain about being between you two,” Sean said as the women lay their heads on his chest. He began to slowly caress their backs. “Goodnight Fiona, and goodnight Myna.”

  “Goodnight Master,” Myna said, “goodnight Pointy.”

  “I forgot the lantern,” Fiona sighed, getting out of bed briefly to snuff out the lamp. She climbed back in and went right back to where she had been. “Goodnight Sean, and goodnight Kitty.”

  Sean snorted at their back and forth, but felt sleep starting to call him down to the depths. “Both of you are wonderful.”

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Sean woke slowly, aware of the soft bodies that wrapped around him from either side. It took a moment for him to remember why he was in the position he was in. Recalling his time with Myna the night before, his body stirred, and the body in front of him let out a soft sound and pressed back into him.

  “I think someone is awake,” Fiona murmured as she continued to rub her firm ass against his rapidly hardening cock.

  “Stop it,” Sean whispered in her ear. “That isn’t fair. You’ll wake Myna like that, and we have things to do today.”

  Myna’s hand began to gently stroke his chest. “I’ve been awake listening to you sleep, Master.”

  “Ladies, I asked for you to give me time,” Sean sighed and closed his eyes as they both played with him.

  Fiona rolled away from him and got to her feet. “You did, I’m sorry.”

  Sean let out a ragged breath, as part of him wanted her back on the bed. Myna’s hand vanished from his chest and he felt her shift. Opening his eyes, he saw them both dressing, and his disappointment grew. Sean frowned at the unaccustomed tone of his thoughts and shook his head.

  Myna and Fiona were waiting by the door when he got his new clothes and f
urs on. “Breakfast first?” Sean asked.

  “We need to let Ryann know our plans for the day,” Fiona said.

  “She’ll want breakfast as well,” Myna added.

  “Okay. Which one of you wants to tell her to meet us downstairs?”

  “I’ll do it,” Fiona said, stepping over to Ryann’s door.

  “Let her know I have Master, and he’ll be fine until she can make it down,” Myna said.