Soulbound (The Return of the Elves Book 1)

by Bethany Adams

Arlyn’s brows rose. “You got something like that for just a few minutes in the Veil?”

  “Sometimes it takes more effort. In this case, the seamstress wanted several rare plants used in making several rather expensive dyes.” He turned the vest so she could better see the back, where gentle rays of light whispered over the trees. “That shade of gold was one of them, in fact. The place where the plants grow is not easily accessible from this world. I had to make two stops before we reached the place, and it required a great deal of energy. After that, and the fortune I saved her, she was more than happy to make this for me.”

  “I had no idea that a guide’s work was so valuable. You must be quite wealthy.”

  “I suppose.” He shrugged, then set the vest aside with a grin. He pulled another, bulkier bundle from the chest and moved back to the shelves. “Are you bonding with me for my wealth?”

  Arlyn gasped, then grinned as his amusement flowed along the bond. “Really, Kai, be serious. You know I’m bonding with you for your body.”

  His startled laugh shot pleasure through her. “I assure you it is yours whenever you want it.”

  “Well…” She lost what she had planned to say when he unwrapped the bundle he’d placed on the shelf. It was a breathtaking figure of a fairy rising from the water, so lifelike that for a moment she wondered if it would take flight. “May I see it?”

  Kai brought it over, his steps hesitant. He almost seemed to hold his breath as he placed the glass figure in her hands. Her mouth fell open at her first close look. From a distance, it appeared painted, but up close, she realized that the glass itself was painstakingly colored. How long it had taken, how it had even been accomplished, she could only imagine. Done in shades of blue, the figurine was a water fairy come to life in her hands. The wings alone must have taken hours, even days.

  Arlyn ran a finger along the delicate tendrils of the fairy’s hair. “Where did you have to guide the artisan to earn something this beautiful?”

  “I…” Had he reddened? “I made it myself.”

  Her gaze darted to his in shock. “You made this? I had no idea you had such a talent.”

  “It is only a hobby.”

  “A hobby?” She stared at him. “A piece like this belongs in a gallery.”

  He took the figure back from her and placed it on the shelf. “In the human world, perhaps. You should see the work of the artisans on the Rieren branch, as the bulk of their magic lies in craft. I can only aspire to what they create.”

  “You’re not giving yourself enough credit.”

  Though he shrugged, Kai’s eyes held amusement. “One of the greatest artisans built his entire house of glass.”

  “That sounds inconvenient.” Arlyn wrinkled her nose. “Not to mention the lack of privacy.”

  Kai chuckled. “The inner rooms are shaded. But it’s a sight to see, nonetheless.”

  “Maybe you can take me there sometime.” Her gaze shifted back to the figure on the shelf. “So are fairies real? I expected to see more fantastic creatures here.”

  “Many of them stayed in realms more closely connected to Earth, and the few who decided to come to this world tend to keep to themselves. There’s a group of fairies who live at the edge of Braelyn. The largest is the colony of dragons on an island in the eastern ocean.”

  Her brows rose. “Dragons?”

  “Don’t expect to see them.” His expression hardened. “The history between our races is not peaceful.”

  Forget etiquette books. She needed to plunder the library for a primer in Moranaian history. Arlyn opened her mouth to ask more questions, but a knock on the door interrupted her. She sighed as Lynia poked her head in to remind them of dinner. She’d much rather hear about dragons than try to navigate a formal meal with a prince.

  Even one as friendly as Ralan.

  Arlyn sat at Lyr’s right hand, Kai beside her. As their highest-ranking guest, Ralan was across from her, with Selia to his left. Then Eri and Iren, with Lynia taking up the other end. So far, this meal was more subdued than any she’d attended before, thanks to the odd blend of family, friends, and new acquaintances.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Arlyn thought she caught Lyr fidgeting with his napkin, and she held back a smile. She suspected he’d rather be joking with Kai and Ralan, but his mother’s presence kept him at his most formal. Not even elves wanted to tick off their mothers.

  Selia had certainly been quick to grip Iren’s arm when the prince had been introduced. But although the boy’s eyes had twinkled, he’d behaved. When he wasn’t staring at Eri. They leaned together even now, talking in quiet tones. Arlyn had the uneasy feeling she didn’t want to know what they discussed with such intensity.

  A groan from Ralan caught her attention. He’d just taken a bite of bread, and his eyes had slipped closed in appreciation. Arlyn couldn’t stop a moment’s appreciation herself, though of the prince and not the bread. She was bonded, not dead, and he was one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. Not that it would go beyond admiration. Even if she’d never met Kai, Ralan wasn’t her type. Still, she couldn’t help but stare at him. He looked so familiar. But where could she have seen him before? A man like him was not easily forgotten.

  Kai stiffened beside her even as Ralan caught her gaze. A grin twisted the prince’s lips. “Bored with Kai already?”

  “Sorry for staring.” She frowned. “Have we met? I could swear we have, but I have no idea where.”

  “He was probably famous,” Kai muttered.

  “Famous?” Arlyn studied the prince for a moment before it came to her. “Roland Morn, the fashion designer! A couple of my friends were convinced you were gay until—” She cut her words off mid-sentence, suddenly aware that everyone, including the children, had stopped to listen.

  Ralan laughed at her blush. “What is it with humans and their strict concept of gender roles?”

  “I suppose you used that to your advantage.” A grin lit her face despite the lingering blush. “You know, I thought that eighteenth century court gown you sent down the runway looked quite authentic. I guess it was more so than anyone could have guessed.”

  He smirked around his teacup. “I saw quite a few of those gowns up close and personal.”

  “If you don’t stop flirting with my bonded,” Kai began, leaning forward, “I will flay you. Prince or not.”

  Selia gasped, and Lynia’s eyes narrowed. “Kaienan! You will not threaten a guest at my dinner table.” She glanced at Ralan. “Even when said guest has forgotten basic rules of conduct.”

  Lyr coughed into his hand as Kai murmured an apology. Though Ralan’s mouth still curved up, he inclined his head. “Forgive me, Lady Lynia. I have been away too long, I’m afraid. I will cease my teasing if it disturbs you.”

  Lynia nodded. “If I might suggest another topic, perhaps you could tell us more about the energy on Earth. My research suggests the poison is no accident.”

  “I would like to hear about that, as well,” Kai said. Though he leaned back in his seat, tension radiated from Kai like a living thing. She gave him a concerned glance, but he only shook his head. “So far, the energy problem has seemed restricted to the underrealms. The man who stabbed me warned me away from interfering with the Sidhe. But nothing about Earth.”

  “Eri couldn’t draw in natural energy on her own. I wasn’t sure why but assumed it was her human blood.” Frowning, Ralan set down his tea cup. “Yet she does so with ease here. Lial said my channels were raw from all of the energy I purified.”

  “You mean you did not notice?” Selia asked, then pinched her lips closed. “Forgive me, Prince Ralan. That was too personal a question.”

  He waved a hand. “No, it’s fine. It’s a valid question. The truth is I rarely used any of my gifts on Earth, especially the last few decades.”

  Selia’s mouth opened, but she snapped it shut. Arlyn watched her teacher struggle not to ask more and took pity on her. “Why not?” Her gaze flicked to Lyr, then back. “I mean, why not us
e any magic? I’m not sure I could have resisted if I’d known how to use mine.”

  Ralan’s gaze slid to his plate. “It makes discovery more likely. Human technology has made life on Earth more pleasant, anyway.”

  “Too bad you never tried to track down the source of the poison,” Lyr said.

  “By the time I realized it wasn’t natural, I had my hands full taking care of Eri.”

  Though she had not appeared to be paying attention, Eri turned from her quiet conversation with Iren. “I know who it is!”

  Ralan frowned down the table at his daughter. “Did we not discuss this, Eri?”

  “I cannot hide what I am, laial,” she answered in a serious tone. “Besides, I’m not going to tell you who it is. If you want to know, you’ll have to look for yourself.”

  The manor was quiet as Allafon wandered its halls. None of his servants—and here, they were servants—would dare to interrupt him in his present mood. He bunched his hands in his short, white-blond hair and glared out the nearest window. Where was Morenial? After killing that nameless, worthless little half-blood failure a few days ago, Allafon had realized only one of the whelps remained. They were tough to find and even more difficult to train, a valuable resource that could not be wasted. Coupling with a human was repugnant, or he would have created an army himself. Even he was not willing to go that far for revenge.

  He would have to bring his son in on the plot. Morenial hated the Dianore family as much as he did, so it should not be a problem. If only he would return from that foolish alliance wedding. Why even bother? The woman would only betray Morenial’s friend in the end. Allafon’s own mate, his bonded, had done so. Everyone in the Dianore line would die for their part, all but Lynia. Telien’s mate would replace his own. Perhaps he would even let Lyrnis live long enough to see it.

  His footsteps rang with rage as Allafon returned to the desk in his study and pulled out a piece of parchment. He would not wait for Morenial to return. It was time for him to stop relying on others for his revenge. The letter would require careful wording and much planning, but Allafon might have found a way. Blood would run soon. Much blood.

  “What do you mean, you aren’t going to tell?” Ralan stared at his daughter with a perplexed frown. “It makes no difference which seer the information comes from. If you know the cause of these problems, then say so.”

  The girl looked directly at her father, a light in her eyes he knew all too well. “If I tell you now, then everything will be ruined. I see no good future descending from any line where you do not find the truth for yourself. When you Look, you will know.”

  Ralan’s hands gripped the edge of the table. Megelien. “The healer told me to avoid using my talents for a day or two while my channels finish healing.”

  “When you are finally ready, the time will be right,” she answered. Then Eri blinked a few times and smiled, and the eerie sense of a Presence was gone.

  Why hadn’t the goddess spoken in his mind, as she once had?

  The table had gone completely silent, all attention focused on the two of them. Honey spread in a puddle from the fruit Lyr had dropped on his plate at Eri’s words. Kai gripped his mug of tea with such force his fingers were white. It did not take a seer’s ability for Ralan to know that questions would be imminent, but he didn’t know how to answer them. Even though Lyr and Kai were friends, two of the people he trusted the most, Ralan had not wanted them to know of Eri’s talents. He ground his teeth together at her disobedience. Had he been so reckless with his own abilities as a child?

  “She is not yet seven?” Selia whispered from beside him.

  Ralan fought the urge to snatch up his daughter and flee. She would not be used. “I was in my eighth year when I began to See. I had hoped she would not inherit this from me, and I beg of you to say nothing.”

  Before any of them could answer, Eri spoke once more. “We should not hide what we are, laial. If anyone should try to force a prophecy from me, I will gladly lead them to a future they do not want. The futures where we live in fear are not good.”

  His breath left him at her words. Had he been living in fear rather than justified anger? It had once seemed logical to abandon his talents after his father’s betrayal, for then no one would be able to make him work against his own interests again. But had he allowed himself to be a victim? Though the king had commanded Ralan to Look at Kenaren’s activities, he could have refused. Even his father knew it was folly to try to force a seer. So why had he gone along with it? He knew he would have to consider that question carefully.

  “Even so, it is not necessarily wise to announce your talent to everyone who will listen. There is much you need to learn of subtlety.”

  Face pale and expression grave, Lyr met his eyes. “By Arneen, Ralan, teach her.”

  Kai was too quiet. His shoulders were taut with tension as he carried more glass figures to the shelves, and he avoided meeting her eyes. Worse, Arlyn sensed the upset churning through him, though she was hesitant to intrude upon him by searching deeper along their bond. Was he that bothered by the little girl’s words?

  That presence had certainly made Arlyn’s hands tremble with dread. She’d never been close to a Deity before. Never really felt the pull. After studying so many theories on magic and religion when looking for information on the elves, she’d become decidedly agnostic. How could anyone know which version of the Divine was true? Or if they were all true? Until now, she’d received no direct evidence.

  “Did Eri’s words bother you?” Arlyn asked.

  Kai looked up from the miniature glass forest he’d placed on the shelf. “Not as much as the interference of the goddess. Megelien’s interest is concerning.”

  “Is it that bad?”

  “Bad enough,” he answered, returning to the open trunk.

  She frowned at his back. “Bad enough to put you in this snit?”

  “Snit?” Kai spun, and she almost jumped back at the anger in his eyes. “With our bond, you can’t tell it’s more than that?”

  Arlyn’s fists clenched, and her eyes narrowed. “I choose not to intrude on your privacy. If you have a problem, talk to me.”

  The sound of her heart pounding in her ears filled the sudden silence. Hurt and anger surged along the bond even as his face twisted with it. Kai took a few steps forward. “Do you want to break our bond?”

  “What?” she asked, brow scrunching in confusion even as pain sliced at her heart.

  “Ralan. The way you were with him.” His expression hardened. “I could feel your attraction to him. Do you want free of me?”

  Her breath whooshed out in a surprised laugh. “Are you kidding?”

  Kai closed the distance between them, his gaze capturing hers. “You didn’t want this bond in the first place. I would not see you miserable”

  “Just like that?” Arlyn’s chest squeezed, and she pressed her fist against her breastbone. A futile gesture against the building ache. “You’d let me go, just like that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know? After all of this?” She poked a finger into his chest. “You sound pretty certain to me. I can’t believe this.”

  “Clechtan, Arlyn, I…” He yanked her against him, and she caught a hint of the hurt threaded deep through his words. “Fuck it. You will always be mine.”

  His mouth took hers, and heat flared between them. Kai’s hands slid up her side and around her back, catching in her hair, as he consumed her. Emotion pulsed through the bond. His jealousy. Her hurt. Desire. All entwining like their bodies as Arlyn slipped her own arms around him and pulled him closer.

  If they didn’t join together soon, she was going to explode. And not in the way she’d prefer.

  Her heart slammed as he nudged her back, her legs hitting the edge of the bed. Arlyn tugged him, and they both toppled down. She slid her hands under his tunic, along his back. A moan hummed between them at the touch. His sound? Hers? Their fire was one and the same as they started tugging
clothing free.

  Kai pulled back at her hiss of pain when her dress caught against her arm. Panting, his eyes met hers. “Gods, Arlyn. You’re hurt. We shouldn’t do this now.”

  “Not a damsel, remember?”

  She tossed the dress aside, the corner of her mouth curving as his focus shifted to her body. Still, he shook his head. “If we do this, the bond…”

  “Shut up, Kai.”

  Arlyn yanked him back down, her mouth cutting off more discussion. Damn, her body burned. Even her soul was on fire as the bond tightened between them. Hadn’t she picked him the moment she’d accepted his necklace? Her conscious mind might not have known, but her spirit had. Now the rest of her was on board. Stubborn man. Couldn’t he feel it?

  She rolled him over. Rose above him. “Are you changing your mind?”

  “Arlyn.” Kai’s gaze softened, and he ran a finger along her cheek. “Never.”

  “Then why?”

  He gripped her hips. “I want you to choose me.”

  “I already did.”

  Arlyn trembled as she poised above him. Met his eyes. They shivered together as she lowered, joining their bodies. A glow built between them as she began to move, and her breath gasped out as their souls merged. Gripping his hands with hers, she let the passion consume her. Consume them both.

  Light filled the room as they exploded together.

  She slumped across his chest, energy spent, and snuggled closer as his arms wrapped around her. Peace—rightness—filled her, and her sigh slid against his neck. The tension between them was gone, washed away by their joining. Nothing but happiness remained as his fingers made lazy circles on her back.

  Finally, Arlyn tucked herself against Kai’s side, settling her injured arm across his waist with a wince. He shifted beneath her, and she could practically feel his frown. “Are you well?”

  She cracked one eye open. “You need to ask?”

  “Not in that way.” His chest shook with his chuckle. “I meant your arm.”

  “No worse than any other scrape I’ve had over the years,” Arlyn answered, shrugging.