Summoned and Bound (Summoned Series Romances Book 3)

by Susan Hayes

  “You’re not going to lose me anytime soon. I’m tougher than I look. How else do you think I survived as a slave?”

  He tapped a finger to the tip of her nose. “Don’t try being logical with me right now. I mean it, no more risks. Why didn’t you tell me what it might cost you to break the spells that bound me?”

  “Because, you pushy man, you would have told me not to do it, and then where would we have been? No matter which plan we chose, there was going to be some risk.” She smiled up at him, and he could feel her love and happiness through the bond they shared.

  “No more risks. Promise me.”

  Gwyneth shook her head. “Can you make me the same promise? I know you can’t. You’re a warrior tasked with defending this place and everything it represents, not to mention that minor matter of finding and destroying the Magi.” She lifted a hand to stroke his cheek, cradling his face against her palm. “I haven’t been free to make my own choices since I was a girl. I will not abdicate that right the first day I have my freedom. I will promise you this, instead. No more risks without warning you first.”

  “Agreed.” He turned to nuzzle her hand. “So, now that we have that settled, how are you feeling?”

  Gwyn felt better than she had in as long as she could remember. It was as if the shadows she lived in for so long had finally been banished. “I feel wonderful. Lighter, somehow.”

  He touched a finger to her collar. “That would be the effects of the spells blocking your torc’s control. The spell-weavers said you might feel different. They also said that the collar blocked you from accessing all of your powers. They aren’t sure if it’s by deliberate design or an accidental side effect, but you’re stronger than you know. Much stronger. They think that’s why you were able to break the spells on my collar and survive it.”

  “I’m glad it worked. You shouldn’t have taken the risk of bringing me here, but I will confess I’m very pleased to here, with you.” She kissed him happily, and he kissed her back. A sweet, tender kiss that made her heart soar.

  “Love me,” she whispered against the heat of his mouth.

  He groaned and shook his head. “There is nothing I want to do more than keep you in this bed all day and show you every pleasure I can think of, but it will have to wait. The healers will want to check you again now you’re awake, and my men are waiting to meet you.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, Gisela and the other healers were very clear that I was to send word the moment you stirred. As for the others, you have to understand they’re rather curious to see the woman I was carrying when I materialized in the middle of the courtyard, bellowing for the healers and threatening to tear the arms off any man who touched you.”

  “You threatened…wouldn’t that make it difficult for the healers to help me if they weren’t allowed to touch me?” she asked, trying to keep from breaking into riffs of laughter at the image his words conjured.

  “It’s possible that I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time. You see, my soulmate had just done a very reckless thing and freed me without any concern for her wellbeing.”

  The look in his eyes pierced down to her soul, and she let her laughter fade away. “It’s been a lifetime since I had anyone care if I lived or died, Vamir. All that mattered to me was that you got away. For once, I wanted to know what it felt like to do the right thing.”

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit, little one. You did what you could, whenever you could manage it. It’s not your fault you were forced to do the bidding of a cruel and evil man. You treated me with kindness when I was summoned. Don’t confuse who you are with what you had to do.” Vamir placed his hand over her heart. “I’ve touched your soul. I know you’re nothing like the man you served.”

  “Say that again, please,” she asked, barely able to speak past the lump in her throat.

  Vamir looked down and saw nothing but anguish and doubt in Gwyneth’s beautiful eyes. If it took him the rest of their lives, he was determined to banish those doubts and teach her the truth about herself. “If you can’t trust yourself, trust me. You’re my soulbound. I know your heart, Gwyneth. You’ve lived through so much, but you never stopped caring for those around you. You were ready to sacrifice your life to set me free. You are nothing like him.”

  There were tears shimmering in her eyes as she leaned in and kissed him. “When you say it like that, it gets easier to believe.”

  “Then I will say it as many times as it takes for you to believe it,” he vowed. After all these years, he had found his purpose again. To protect his love, and one day, to bring her home, to Essa.

  ***

  Chapter Eight

  Vamir had left to inform the healers Gwyn was awake, and in the short time she was alone, she’d cleaned herself up and managed to comb out her sleep-tangled hair. Then the healers had arrived, and she had to put up with their poking and prodding for what felt like forever.

  After the healers had satisfied themselves that she was well enough to be allowed out of bed, they finally left, though not nearly quick enough for Gwyneth’s liking. Every bruise and scar on her body had been muttered over, and she’d been told several times that she was too thin and should take better care of herself. She knew the healers meant well, but their catalog of concerns only reminded Gwyn of the way each newly summoned slave was assessed and assigned a value.

  She would never allow anyone to treat her that way again.

  Once they were gone, she left the bed immediately, only to realize she didn’t have a single thing to wear. What few things she had considered hers had been left behind at the citadel. For the second time in her life, she was in a strange place with no clothes, no possessions, and no idea what to expect. It was disconcerting, but at least this time she had Vamir.

  She wasn’t alone anymore.

  As if her thoughts had summoned him, Vamir reappeared, his boots ringing on the stone floor. It was strange to see him dressed in his own clothes. Gone were the slave’s robes and tattered pants she’d known. Instead, he wore a dark blue shirt with the laces only loosely tied, and a pair of black pants that fit snuggly against his well-muscled legs. He came in through the same door the healers had used, and she wondered if he’d been waiting out there for them to leave. Judging by the impatient look on his face, she’d guess that waiting was exactly what he’d been doing. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, arms folding over his chest and a wicked smile playing across his face as he took in her lack of clothing.

  “Not that I’m complaining, but why are you naked?”

  She shot him an irritated look and gestured around them. “Do you see anything here I could wear? I could probably make something out of the sheets if I had to, but then what would we sleep on tonight?”

  Instead of laughing, or finding her something to wear, Vamir pushed away from the door and crossed the floor to crush her against him in a hug so tight she could barely inhale her next breath. “I’m sorry, little one. I should have thought about that, but I keep forgetting that there’s so much you don’t know about your abilities.”

  Stung by his words, she placed her hands on the wall of his chest and pushed back until he let her put a few inches between them. “What do you mean? What don’t I know? Your healers have already fussed over my scars and told me I’m too skinny, and now you’re saying I don’t even know how to be me.”

  Vamir winced as he heard the pain in her voice. Pain he’d caused because he’d screwed up and put his foot in his mouth. He’d led men into battle, fought wars and commanded the respect of entire legions, but somehow, when he was around Gwyneth, he could never be sure what idiotic thing would fly out of his mouth.

  He drew her back into his arms and sighed. “I’m sorry, little one, I didn’t say that very well. As for the healers, I’ll have a word with them. It seems that working on thick-skinned Garda warriors has eroded their bedside manner. Your scars are part of you, a testament to what you’ve survived. I will be happy to see you eati
ng more, but that’s because I’ve tasted the vile slop they served back at the citadel, and I wouldn’t wish that poison on my worst enemy.”

  Her expression softened slightly, but there was still worry gleaming in her eyes, and he could feel her unease through their shared connection. “They made me feel self-conscious. Like I was back with the Magi, being sized up for sale. And you still haven’t explained what you meant when you said there were things I didn’t know.”

  He cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her before answering. “You have nothing to be self-conscious about. You are incredible, Gwyneth, in mind, body, and soul. As for what I meant, I will try to explain, but you must promise me not to take offense.”

  She frowned at him, her brow creased as doubts reappeared in her beautiful eyes. “I’ll try.”

  “You use magic unlike any other elemental I’ve ever met. Your people tend to create what they need as they need it and then dispel their creations when they’re no longer required. I’ve also never known an elemental that can enchant objects like the Magi can, or break spells woven into physical items like our collars. You’ve somehow learned to combine the abilities of your people with the skills of the Magi. I didn’t think about finding you clothing, because I didn’t remember that it wouldn’t occur to you to simply create yourself something to wear.”

  “I can just…conjure things out of thin air?” she asked, her tone one of disbelief.

  “Of course you can. You summon a portal into existence each time to travel to other worlds or planes. I even watched you summon the tub and bath water you used to bathe the morning you freed me. You already do it.”

  “No, I didn’t create that water, I only borrowed it from the master’s bathing room, and the tub, too,” she argued.

  “Are you sure about that? Didn’t you notice the water you conjured for me was scented differently than yours? I think you conjured it out of the essence. Only you didn’t realize what you were doing.” He released her long enough to turn her around so that she faced away from him and then pulled her back against his body again. He loved having her close enough he could feel the warmth of her skin and breathe in the scent of sunshine and flowers that seemed to cling to her skin.

  “I was sure…” she murmured, her words trailing off into silence.

  “You were only beginning to come into your powers when you were taken. You learned from the only teacher you had, the master. The Magi have never truly understood what the elementals were capable of because they could only steal and twist the essence, never be part of it.” Vamir nuzzled his lips across the silken fall of her hair as he spoke, comforting her as he explained as best he could. “Close your eyes, Gwyneth, and let me guide you. I am not a spell-weaver, but I think I can help you understand.”

  Gwyn was still reeling from Vamir’s explanation. If she could truly will things into existence, then she had suffered countless days of starvation and discomfort for no reason. “Did the master know?” she asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

  “I imagine he had some idea, but why would he tell you? It would be easier to control you if you didn’t know.”

  “All the times I was cold, or hungry, locked away in that stark cell with so little…”

  He tightened his arms around her. “If I could, I’d kill him a hundred times over for what he did to you. I’m sorry, little one. I wish I’d found you sooner.”

  She pushed her pain aside and turned her head to smile up at him. “I’m grateful you found me at all. The rest I will come to terms with, in time. Now, will you explain how you intend to guide me through the use of magic you don’t actually have.”

  He chuckled, the deep rumble sending a sizzle of lust darting through her. Even his laugh made her heart race. “I have magic, little one. It’s not the same as yours, but I have some. I summoned the portal that brought us here, didn’t I? And I can alter form, something you can’t do at all.”

  “That’s right, you can. I want to see that, Vamir. I want to know what you look like when you change.”

  He paused, and she could feel his tension rise before he finally answered. “Are you sure you want to see me that way? I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”

  She laughed at that. “We are soulbound. I know your heart, and you know mine. I will never be afraid of you. No matter what you look like, I know the real you.”

  Then once we have you dressed, I’ll show you my other forms. Gown first, though, or else I fear I’m going to be too distracted by your lovely body to do anything other than take you back to bed. Close your eyes, little one, and do what I tell you.”

  She shut her eyes, but a smile playing on her lips as she did it. “You want a chance to tell me what to do for a change.”

  His voice was a low growl right beside her ear. “Damn right. No more collar means no more orders. I’m the fucking commander of the last Company of Guardians, I follow no orders but my own.”

  He kept one arm wrapped around her waist and lifted a hand to her shoulder, running his fingertips along her bare skin until goose bumps danced across her skin. “Imagine yourself in the most beautiful gown you’ve ever seen. Soft fabrics that whisper and rustle when you walk, flowing all the way down to the floor. I think you’d be gorgeous in pale blue, like winter ice over deep water, shimmering and cool.

  As he spoke, Vamir traced his fingers over her body, describing every part of the dress as he drew delicate patterns across her skin. She focused on his words, imagining every detail and calling on the essence to create the vision she held in her mind. At first nothing happened, but then his touch blended with the caress of satin as it materialized around her, taking the shape and form his words had invoked in her imagination.

  “Beautiful. Open your eyes and see for yourself.”

  Gwyn did so and discovered she now wore a flowing gown of palest blue that sparkled in the light that poured in the windows. The color shimmered and shifted as she moved, the fabric draping over her curves to fall to her still bare feet. She wriggled her toes and laughed in pleasure. “I forgot shoes.”

  “Stay barefoot. It will give me the perfect excuse to carry you everywhere.” He spun her around so that the dress flared around her legs, then lifted her into the air to beam up at her. “You did it, Gwyneth. You look utterly beautiful, and you created that dress out of nothing at all.”

  “I did, with your help. I think I understand it now, though. Thanks to you.” She laughed as he twirled her around the room. “You know, if you ever tire of being a commander, I think you’d make a fine dressmaker, you described this gown to me so prettily.”

  “Free less than a day and already, you’re sassing me. Hells, what have I gotten myself into?”

  “We’ll have to find out together,” she declared as he finally set her back on her feet again. Before she could get her bearings, his mouth was on hers, cutting off anything else she might have said as he kissed her with-soul searing need. She fisted her hands into his shirt, partially to bring him closer, and partially to help hold her up as the world spun and dipped around her. He was her rock, the one thing she could cling to in this strange new place.

  He splayed one large hand across her backside, pushing her up against the hard ridge of his cock as his tongue swept into her mouth. She rubbed herself against him, and he groaned in response, a low, rumbling sound like a slow moving rockslide. The kiss went on until both of them were panting, their skin flushed and the air between them nearly shimmering with the heat of their mutual need. He nibbled on her swollen lips before lifting his head, and she stood on tiptoes to claim a final, tender kiss from him before snuggling deeper into his arms and resting her cheek on his chest.

  “I love you.” He uttered the words so softly that she nearly missed them.

  Gwyn let go of his shirt and wrapped her arms around his waist as she tipped her face to beam up at him. “I know. We’re connected, remember?”

  He smiled back, but she could sense an intensity to him she didn’t quite understa
nd. “We are, but I needed to say it. I needed you to hear it. The connection between us will always be there, but that doesn’t mean I ever want to take it for granted that you know how I feel. Until I found you, I thought I was supposed to go through life alone. I never dreamed you existed, and now here you are. My beautiful, impossible, soulbound. I will lay down my life to protect yours, and nothing in the planes is going to keep me from your side.”

  “My life is only just starting, Vamir. I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.” She hugged him hard. “I want to see your other form. Show me who you are, all of you.”

  For a moment, his lips quirked up into a sexy as sin grin. “You’ve already seen all of me.”

  “That’s not what I meant, and you know it!” she retorted.

  He released her reluctantly. “If you truly want to see the other me, then you’re going to need to step back a few feet.”

  “It doesn’t matter what form you take. You’re still going to be my soulbound.” She hugged him one last time before letting go. She took a few steps, and when he waved her back again, took another two. “How much bigger are you in this other form?”

  “Some. Though it’s not my size that’s the problem, it’s my wingspan.”

  “Wingspan?” she sputtered, the only word she managed to speak before she was no longer speaking to Vamir, but to a massive creature made of living stone. Only his face stayed the same, and there was amusement mixed with concern in the familiar glowing teal depths of his eyes.

  “Yes, wingspan.” Vamir’s voice was a gravelly baritone that boomed from deep in his chest as he stretched out two massive wings that looked a bit like those of a bat.

  “You’re huge,” she stammered, still staring at the beast her lover had become.

  He was so tall she had to tip her head back to see all of him and his already large body seemed to have nearly doubled in size. His clothes were gone, replaced by a simple loincloth that appeared as if carved from the same stone as his body. His feet had transformed into lethal-looking talons, and his fingers ended in claws as long and sharp as daggers. A pair of horns now adorned his brow. They started below his hairline and rose a few inches before tapering off to a sharp point.