Spellbound

by Amber Carew

  "I’m sorry. It was a hasty spell and I didn’t quite adjust properly." He stepped back to give her room to stand up. "You know how hard it is when you’re pulling someone else, especially when you’re in a hurry."

  She pushed herself to her feet and brushed herself off. She glanced around at the dark leather furniture, the shelves of books lining the walls, and the large stone fireplace against one wall. The mantel was lined with several beer steins and a familiar soapstone sculpture stood in the center position. A line of dense trees was visible through the front window. Rand’s place.

  "Why did you feel it was necessary to drag me here like this?" she demanded.

  "I thought you might resist coming."

  She crammed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Might resist?" Her voice had careened at least one octave too high. "You’re darned right I would have resisted."

  Her hands clenched into fists and she stalked back and forth across the carpeted floor. "It’s bad enough that you walk in on me unannounced in my own home, then manipulate my business schedule to your own convenience, but you’ve gone way too far invading my personal freedom this time."

  She knew she was angrier than Rand’s misdeed deserved, and she also knew it was because of the sexual adrenaline still flooding her system, but she didn’t care. She wanted to get back to Nyte.

  "I’m leaving." She raised her arms, ready to fling herself through space, anxious to continue what she and Nyte had begun.

  "No, wait!"

  The urgency in Rand’s voice made her hesitate.

  "You’ve got to listen to me," he pleaded.

  She sighed impatiently. Her heart still pounded with her desire for Nyte.

  She plunked down on one of the two armchairs and folded her arms across her chest. "All right. I’ll give you two minutes. Explain away."

  "It’s about Nyte. He has his memory back."

  She narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. Last time she’d seen Rand, she’d finally convinced him Nyte had lost his memory in the first place. Now Rand hoped to convince her he had it back?

  "No, you’re mistaken," she said.

  "It happened a few hours ago." He settled into the large gliding rocker, which was his favorite chair.

  Doubt coiled through her. If Rand spoke the truth, it would explain why Nyte had gone off by himself. If a flood of memories had swept through his brain, he’d want time to sort through them.

  But when he came back....

  She slid her arms onto the armrests, her fingers curling around the edges. "No, he would have told me." Wouldn’t he?

  "What did you teach him today?" Rand asked.

  "Teleportation."

  "That could have done it, considering." Rand stood up and paced across the floor. "It could have triggered the return of his memories just like a second bump on the head could bring back the memories of an amnesiac suffering from a concussion." He stopped in front of her. "Lucinda, you must realize that now he has his memory back, he also has his full magical power, too. Since you were called specifically to help him regain his power, that means he doesn’t need you anymore."

  Didn’t need her?

  The thought spiked straight through her heart. Is that why he’d hesitated this afternoon when she’d kissed him? Because he now understood she’d only been a temporary stand-in as mentor?

  But the kiss? The way he’d picked her up and carried her up the stairs? His goal clearly to make love to her?

  "Lucinda."

  She felt Rand’s hand on her arm and she shivered.

  "Nyte and I were very close once. I’m worried that he will do anything to hurt me." He stared straight into her eyes. "And the best way to do that would be to hurt you."

  She clutched the dragon pendant hanging around her neck, stroking the stone it held in its claws.

  Rand planted his hands on her shoulders and stared deeply into her eyes.

  "Tell me, Lucinda. Have you slept with him?"

  Every bone in her body turned to ice. "That’s none of your business."

  "Lucinda, think about it. That’s one way he’d try to hurt me. By coming between you and me. I can already see he’s gotten to you, tricked you into caring for him."

  Tricked? She felt her face drain of blood. Could it all be based on a lie? His intense looks filled with desire. His seductive smile that melted her heart. His promise that they were meant to be together forever.

  A queasy feeling rolled through her stomach.

  She shoved her hair behind her ear and sucked in a deep breath.

  No. She couldn’t reconcile that thought with what she knew of Nyte, and with the feelings she had for him. He was sensitive and caring, not the sinister stranger Rand described.

  She eased away from Rand, and his too-close scrutiny, and settled onto the couch, clinging to the armrest.

  "But what’s the point, Rand? Say we did... well, you know. How could that hurt you? Are you afraid I’ll be devastated when it ends?"

  "Yes, because I know that you wouldn’t ‘you know’, as you call it, unless you’d fallen in love with him."

  Her gaze locked with his. He thought she loved Nyte? How did that make him feel? Did it hurt him to think she might love someone else and not him?

  "If you’re expecting him to love you back...." He shook his head. "Believe me, Lucinda. He’s not capable of the emotion."

  Rand took both her hands in his, turning her to face him. Looking into his glittering blue eyes, she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what he had to say next.

  "Lucinda, I know we’ve never talked about it, and we should have...."

  She stared at him blankly, one part of her knowing where this was going, another not believing that after all these years, he might actually talk about it. He shifted on his feet and scowled.

  "It always seemed there were too many years between us and...." His voice trailed away.

  Her stomach clenched. She knew she should stop him, but now that he’d finally broached the subject, the rejected little girl inside wanted to hear what he had to say. He shook his head and strode to the fireplace, then leaned against the mantel.

  "I’m talking about a Love Bond. The one that should have formed between you and me."

  "But never did," she finished.

  He turned back to her, his blue eyes glittering with emotion.

  "Because we never let it." He shook his head and glanced away from her. "Because I never let it."

  Now that the topic had finally been opened, Lucinda felt all the pain that had been locked away deep inside her, open up and flood her being. When she was younger, she’d thought he was just waiting until she got a little older, then when she got older, to the age when most other wizards had long since formed their bonds, she didn’t understand why he still waited. She had wanted to talk to him about it, had made a few feeble attempts, but he’d always dodged the topic.

  "Why, Rand? Didn’t you want me?"

  He approached her and took her hands in his, a soft light of kindness glowing in his eyes.

  "It’s not that I didn’t want you, Lucinda. It had nothing to do with you. It was me. I didn’t think... I couldn’t...." His eyelids scrunched tightly closed.

  The pain she saw in his face shocked her. "What is it, Rand?"

  "When you came along, I had already lived so many years. I thought I was well past my prime. In fact, by my own reckoning, I was already an old man. I couldn’t reconcile that fact with the thought of," he stroked her hand, "...of falling in love with a beautiful young wizard like you."

  She covered his hand with her own. "Rand, I understand what you’re saying. I...." She shifted a little, averting her gaze from his. "I was concerned about the age difference between us, too."

  His eyes grew misty. "And as far as Love Bonds go, I’ve never quite trusted in Fate, Luce. I’ve seen things happen that have tested my faith."

  Lucinda understood having her faith tested. Her life hadn’t been exactly textbook. She wanted to tell him it wa
s all right, that she had accepted the fact they would never form a Love Bond, but the tortured look in his eyes warned her to delve deeper.

  "Rand, there’s something else, isn’t there?"

  "I never felt I deserved you."

  She squeezed his hand. "That’s ridiculous."

  "Lucinda, there are things you don’t know. I...." He drew his hand from hers. "I did something, long ago, before you were born. If you knew, you would understand."

  The agony in his eyes tore at her heart.

  "Tell me."

  "I can’t."

  He paced again.

  "I wasn’t being fair to you. I hadn’t realized how much you needed that kind of love in your life. I had thought the friendship we shared would be enough, but...."

  An uneasy feeling prickled through her.

  "Rand, are you telling me you want to...?"

  Did he really think he could consummate a Love Bond with her now? After all these years? Panic streaked through her heart.

  How could she tell him that she knew they weren’t meant to be Bonded? If she rejected him now, it would be a major blow to his self-esteem.

  He pulled his shoulders back and drew his head high. "Is it really so unthinkable?"

  "No, it’s not that," she replied hurriedly. "It’s just that... well, this is so sudden."

  She stared into his eyes, trying to read his feelings. Was he just doing this to keep her away from Nyte or did he truly feel a closer connection with her than she’d always believed?

  "Rand, are you serious? Do you really feel this way about me?"

  She loved Rand, there was no question of that, but to be lovers?

  Rand leaned toward her and she knew he was going to kiss her. As his lips touched hers gently, almost reluctantly, her eyes fluttered closed. At first it was a sweet, friendly kiss that held no magic. But suddenly, she felt a tingling through her whole body and... the kiss changed.

  The world swayed precariously and she felt as though she were going to fall. His arms came around her and the heat that raced through her body shocked her.

  She couldn’t be feeling this for Rand!

  His lips moved persuasively on hers and she felt a growing need build inside her.

  This was outrageous!

  She didn’t want to hurt him, but she couldn’t let this go on. She pushed him away, gently but firmly.

  "Rand, I--"

  Midnight eyes stared into her own. It was Nyte, not Rand, who held her in his arms.

  Her eyes widened and she gasped. "Nyte!"

  She glanced around and realized she was in her own living room. "How did I get back here?" She felt certain Rand had not returned her, especially at that particular moment.

  His eyes darkened to onyx hardness. "You thought it was Randalph kissing you?"

  She hesitated, confused feelings swirling through her head like colored leaves caught in an autumn breeze. Rand had kissed her. Rand wanted a different kind of relationship with her. The kind he thought they were supposed to have had all along.

  "I thought he was just a friend," Nyte demanded.

  "I never said Rand was just a friend." The words came out even and flat. She knew she should be bristling at his proprietary tone, but shock still gripped her at Rand’s suggestion.

  Nyte’s eyes flashed. "Why was he kissing you?"

  Indignation broke through the shell encasing her. She pushed out of his arms. "That’s really none of your business."

  "Considering what we were about to do when you disappeared, I’d say I have a right to know."

  She saw the intense emotion in his eyes. He deserved an explanation. She just didn’t know how to give it.

  "Nyte, you’ve got to understand. Rand is my mentor and he believed... we both always thought...."

  "That you would form a Love Bond with him?" he demanded.

  Her eyes widened.

  "You know about that?"

  He grasped her shoulders, a little too tightly.

  "Believe me, Lucinda, you are not meant to bond with him. You are meant to bond with me. You know that but for some reason you’re fighting it, lying to yourself."

  She shook her head.

  "I don’t know what to think anymore. Nothing works right with me. I had a textbook mentor relationship with Rand, except for the fact there was no spark between us. Now with you...." She glanced at the mesmerizing intensity of his ebony eyes.

  "You can’t deny we have the spark."

  She pulled out of his grasp, then stepped toward the couch.

  "How can I trust that? Nothing else about this mentor relationship makes sense."

  She leaned on the back of the couch, her fingers digging into the plush upholstery. The weight of her dilemma felt planetary in scale. She didn’t want to hurt Rand. She didn’t want to hurt Nyte.

  And she didn’t want to be hurt.

  His hands stroked over her shoulders, squeezing gently with reassurance, his thumbs pressing on her muscles with a firm, circling motion. Stress eased from her a little.

  "It doesn’t have to make sense." His words whispered across her ear. His hands slid along her shoulders and warmth radiated through her. He drew her back against him. "Just feel." His lips caressed her temple and she felt energy dance along her spine.

  It would be so easy to just surrender. Turn into his arms. Give herself over to the need boiling inside her.

  But she didn’t want to make a mistake.

  "No." She sidestepped out of his reach.

  "You were already a wizard when I found you. I was only intended as someone who would help you back on your feet, to teach you what you’d forgotten. Once you get your memory back, you won’t need me any more."

  "That’s not true."

  Her fists clenched by her side and she turned to face him.

  "Nyte, I know you believe we are meant to be together." She paced. "With your amnesia, you don’t remember, but... you were bonded to someone else."

  Nyte’s face curled into a scowl.

  "Randalph has been filling your head with lies." He tugged her around to face him. Anger rippled from him in waves. "Don’t you understand? He dragged you out of here to seduce you into his bed, to convince you that you belong to him--"

  She thrust her chin up. "I don’t belong to anyone."

  With a fierce expression, he grasped her shoulders. "Yes, you do. You belong to me."

  "No," she denied even though her body seemed to pulse at his closeness.

  He sucked in a deep breath and softened his voice. "And I belong to you." He stroked her cheek, a gentle caress despite the raging feelings she sensed surging through him.

  "Lucinda, I was born long ago, just as Randalph told you." Turbulent emotion stormed through his eyes. "Something went wrong. I was not... available when you were born, so Randalph was called in my place. Just as you were called to help me when I reappeared. Our bond is real."

  Emotions bubbled within her like fizz in a shaken pop can. She felt like she would explode any minute. She broke away from his hold. "How can you possibly know that?"

  He dragged her into his arms. "When you’re an adult wizard who has been denied your life mate, you feel a deep, dark emptiness that you know will only be filled when you join with that special person. You feel a rightness between you that transcends understanding. You anticipate a sense of completeness that will echo through the chasm of time and heal your innermost scars." He cupped her face between his hands, his touch tender yet potent. "Listen to your body now."

  His lips joined with hers and the swelling tide of desire that rose in her crushed the breath from her. She backed away from him. Somehow, he’d found a way to put into words exactly what she’d been feeling.

  Frightening emotions churned through her and began falling into alignment. The pattern they formed disturbed her. She shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts into some comprehensible order.

  "You feel it, Lucinda, I know you do, but you’re fighting it. Listen to your heart."


  Her heart? It told her to throw herself into Nyte’s arms, but maybe it wasn’t love that drew her to Nyte, but a basic, physical need. Lust could drive away common sense. It could lure her down the wrong path. A path filled with pain.

  Nyte watched the confusion spiraling in Lucinda’s eyes. He wanted to drag her into his arms and kiss her until she surrendered to the need that held them both captive. But he needed her to accept the rightness of the situation. And more, he wanted her to want him.

  The hazy look in her eyes crystallized and she turned to meet his gaze. A disturbing sense of distance chilled him. He stepped forward, intent on closing the gap.

  She held up her hand and he stopped. "I-I need some time. To think about all of this."

  His gut clenched painfully. "You’re going to go to him, aren’t you?"

  Guilt cracked the edges of her composure. She linked her hands together in front of her and started to pace.

  "Try to understand, Nyte. He and I have known each other a long time. He’s very important to me. I need to discuss this with him. He’ll help me sort it out."

  Her sense of loyalty to Randalph was fierce.

  For the first time, Nyte understood the immense power she controlled, for only a very strong wizard could block herself from the overwhelming force of a Love Bond.

  She was too damned strong for her own good, and his. And she allowed Randalph to influence her too much. If she went to Randalph, he would confuse her further, delaying her from accepting her true destiny. To be by Nyte’s side.