by Susan Hayes
“But we vowed—” Ak started to protest, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand that sent both brothers staggering back several feet.
“I don’t care what you promised my parents. They made their choice, and I’ve made mine.” She grabbed her collar with both hands as rage poured through her. All the hurt and suffering, all the long years of loneliness and misery finally broke through, and she could do nothing to stop the outpouring of emotion.
Tears scalded her eyes as she tore at the collar that had kept her a prisoner for so long. “I will never let anyone force me to do their bidding ever again. Never! Do you hear me?” Her last words came out as a roar that shook the room, and a surge of power flowed through her, leaving darkness and pain in its wake.
Vamir sensed what was happening too late to stop it, and his heart shattered in his chest as her defiant cry turned to an agonized wail. White light flared from beneath her hands, and there was a loud crack as the torc around her neck broke apart. He reached for her, expecting her to collapse as she had the last time.
Only she didn’t.
Instead of crumpling to the floor, she drew her hands back from her throat and glanced at the broken remains of her slave collar still in her grip. With a grimace of distaste, she crushed both pieces to powder and cast the last traces of her slavery into the soft breeze that blew in from the balcony.
“I am free,” she declared as she dusted her hands together and turned to smile at Vamir. “I finally managed to do it.”
“Hells, woman! Didn’t you swear you’d warn me the next time you planned to do something like that? You could have died.”
He wanted to shake her, to rage at her for taking such a terrible risk, but more than that he wanted to hold her and share in her moment of celebration. He snatched her up and hauled her into his arms, kissing her as he ran his hands over her body looking for the slightest sign of injury.
Her laughter eased his worries, as did the strength in her arms as she hugged him and kissed him back. “I didn’t plan this. It just happened,” she pointed out between heated kisses.
“You are going to be the death of me, little one,” he whispered.
“No. I’m going to be your life, and you’re going to be mine.”
Her words filled the last empty corners of his heart. She was his, and no matter what the future held, he wouldn’t have to face it alone. “Mine,” he growled and sealed her mouth with another kiss. It wasn’t the most elegant of statements, but it was all he could manage. She was his, and he would offer up his life before he’d let anything happen to her.
Tyrion cleared his throat. “That’s sweet and all, but do you think you’re soulbound could maybe remove the fucking spell that has the rest of us frozen in place? My nose is itchy, and I can’t so much as twitch my fingers right now.”
Gwyneth blinked in surprise, and both of them looked over to where the others stood, all of them holding remarkably still. “Little one, what have you done to my men?”
“I…um, I didn’t realize I’d done anything to them.” She made a dismissive sweep of her hand, freeing them to move again. “I’m sorry. It would seem it’s going to take me some time to learn what I can do now that I’m finally free to do it.”
Ak nodded slowly, his expression a mixture of curiosity and wariness. “How did you break the spells on that collar? Is that how you got free, Vamir? Can she actually undo the enchantments of the Magi? That’s….not possible. No elemental can do that.”
“I can.”
The strength in Gwyneth’s voice filled Vamir with pride. He kept her snug in the circle of his arms as he spoke to the others. “Gwyneth wasn’t raised on Essa. There were none of her people to teach her how to use her abilities. Because of that, her powers are as unique as she is. With her help, we can finally complete our mission and destroy the Magi.”
Understanding finally dawned on the faces of Akhal and Aztar, who nodded in unison but said nothing more.
“Trust you to get summoned by accident and wind up finding your soulbound and a weapon to use against the Magi at the same time,” Tanor said, giving Gwyneth an approving look. “Are there any more like you back at that citadel? If so, I’m officially volunteering for the rescue mission.”
Gwyneth shook her head. “No others like me, no. But there will be more slaves to free. My master—” she paused, then corrected herself. “The Magi who enslaved me kept a number of others. House slaves, the pleasure slaves, and those the apprentice uses for his breeding program. Do you think there will be room for them all to come here? At least until we can return them to their home worlds.”
“We will find room for them all,” Vamir assured her.
“What apprentice? Are we going to be going up against two of these bastards?” Tyrion asked, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword.
“The apprentice is mine. He spilled my blood, I intend to spill his. All of it,” Vamir stated before glancing down at Gwyneth. “Are you feeling strong enough to help us plan while we eat? I can call the rest of my council. If you’re ready, little one, then it’s time we began planning our assault.”
“Call your council, Vamir. I’ll tell you all I know about how to defeat my former master.”
***
Chapter Ten
It was late by the time the planning sessions were finally over, and the last of Vamir’s men had finally bid them goodnight. They were left alone in the large room where they’d gathered to talk and plan. The walls and floor were the same white and gray marble as the other rooms, but here, most of the stone was hidden by tapestries. They were of wildly different styles and designs, but all of them had one thing in common. They depicted scenes of war.
The remains of their evening meal was strewn across one large table, while the surface of another was completely covered by an elaborate set of maps they had drawn based on Gwyn’s descriptions of the citadel and the area that surrounded it.
Gwyn was tired but buoyed up by the knowledge that tomorrow the man who had stolen so much from her would finally meet his end. She had no doubt that would happen. They had formulated a sound plan. Her former master was protected by his forces, yes, but they were far outclassed by Vamir’s company of Guardians, all of them battle-hardened and spoiling for a fight.
When they were finally alone, Vamir tugged her close and wrapped his powerful arms around her, bowing his head to nuzzle her hair. She loved it when he held her, it made her feel cherished and protected in a way that she had never known before.
“It’s long past time I took you to bed. The healers will skin me alive when they find out I have had you awake so long. Are you sure you’re feeling all right? I can have Gisela come and check on you?”
She laid her hands on his arms and leaned against him. “I’m fine. Truly. A little tired, but that’s all. I’ve not had a chance to test my new abilities, but I’m fairly certain that I healed myself in the moments after I broke the torc. Is that even possible?”
“Uncommon, but not unheard of among your people, or mine, for that matter. I think that it’s going to take time for you to learn everything you’re capable of, now that you’re free.”
“It doesn’t bother you? That I’m so different, I mean,” she asked, giving voice to the doubts that whispered in the back of her mind.
“Why would it bother me? I am the only male Garda ever born without a twin, remember? I have spent my entire life knowing I was different from everyone else. It’s our differences that make us who we are. It took me a long time to understand that, and even longer to accept it.” His mouth nibbled along the top of her ear, tasting her with slow, deliberate care.
She shivered as his breath warmed her neck, and flames of desire began to kindle deep in her core. “No regrets, then?”
His large hands reached up to cup her breasts, the heat of his palms searing her sensitive skin. “My only regret is that we had to spend the day planning our attack instead of spending it in bed, teaching you every pleasure I could think of un
til we were too tired to move. I ache for you, Gwyneth.”
“Then take me to bed, guardian. For the truth is, I ache for you, too.”
A low groan of desire rose from his throat, making her pussy cream and her breath quicken. He turned her in his arms and dropped his head to brush a kiss to her upturned mouth. Flames washed over her skin as his large hands drifted over her body, hungrily exploring every inch as his lips plundered hers.
When her lungs burned, and her blood sang in her ears, he lifted her easily and carried her down the hall to his bedroom, his mouth never leaving hers. He settled her in the center of their bed, then stood up and began stripping his clothes off at a speed that spoke volumes about his need for her. Pinned by his gaze and set ablaze by the desire gleaming in his eyes, she stretched, cat-like and then banished her clothes with a thought.
“Of all your powers, I think I’m going to like that one the best,” he told her as he fought to toe off his boots, nearly losing his balance in the process.
“I think I might like this one better.” She concentrated for a moment, and his garments vanished, only to reappear in a neatly folded stack in one corner of the room.
He glanced down at his now naked body, then grinned before wagging a finger in her direction. “I like that one, too. But let’s agree to keep that talent restricted to the bedroom, hmm?”
“I make no such promises.” He prowled his way toward her, giving her time to appreciate every powerful inch of his body. Vamir was solid muscle, from the sculpted lines of his arms to the broad chest and chiseled lines of his stomach, and she intended to learn every part of him intimately.
Vamir felt as if he’d been waiting for this moment for his entire life. His soulbound mate safe in his bed, her arms open in welcome, and her beauty enough to stop a man’s heart. This time, he intended to savor every second of their lovemaking. He planned to fuck her until neither of them had the energy to move, to sate himself in her sweet body until the dawn.
As he settled himself beside her, she reached between them to wrap her soft fingers around his cock, and he groaned aloud at the pleasure of her touch. His hips jerked forward, and she grew bolder, sliding her hand along the length of his dick and then back down again. His cock thickened and grew impossibly hard as she stroked him, and all his intentions to move slowly went up in flames.
“That feels so damned good, little one. By the hells, I like having your hands on me.”
She laughed softly and gripped him harder, pumping his cock several times before slowing her movements and swiping a fingertip over the tip of his now throbbing dick. Her cheeks darkened with a heated blush as she looked up at him, and then she made a confession that sent him reeling. “I’ve never touched a man like this before. The other times…” she trailed off, and for a moment her eyes were dark with the shadows of painful memories.
“You are welcome to touch me as much as you like. I encourage it in fact.” He brushed her flushed cheek with his fingertips before stretching out on his back with his hands tucked behind his head and giving her a teasing grin. “I’m all yours.”
She laughed at his antics, and her eyes lost their haunted look as she let her gaze drift over his body. When she licked her lips, his cock surged to attention in her hand, and she began stroking it with long, sensual touches that made his blood burn. He forced himself to stay still as she leaned over him, her silken hair flowing over his bare skin as she brushed tiny kisses across his chest. Each kiss was lower than the last, and soon her mouth was mere inches away from his cock.
When she finally took him into her mouth, his hips came off the bed, and a low groan tore loose from his chest. Her mouth was hot, and when her tongue began drawing delicate swirls across the head of his cock his balls tightened with the pleasure of it all.
“Fuck, yes!” he cried out as she sucked lightly, taking him deeper into her mouth.
She hummed in delight at his response, and soon she had him on the verge of orgasm. Her tongue and mouth worked their magic until he had to make her stop or risk emptying himself into the sweet heat of her mouth. There would be time for that later, but first he had other plans for his little soulbound.
“My turn,” he told her as he coaxed her onto her back. He kissed her hard, letting their tongues dance as he stroked down the soft covers of her body to the apex of her thighs. Her pussy was already slick with arousal, accepting his fingers easily as he pushed them into her folds and began to tease her clit, circling it with one fingertip until she gasped and bucked beneath him.
“Please,” she uttered the word in a breathless whisper.
“Please, what?” he asked without slowing his fingers.
Gwyneth blushed again, her eyes going wide as she realized what he wanted from her. “I want…”
“Say it, Gwyneth. Tell me what you want. There is no shame in this.” Vamir deliberately slid a finger into her tight channel, making her moan.
“I want you. I want to feel you inside of me. Loving me. Fucking me.”
Her words shredded the last bits of his control. Vamir snatched her into his arms before rolling them both over so that she was above him, her thighs spanning his hips and his hands on her waist, helping her to keep her balance. He laughed at the surprised look on her face, then arched his hips so that his cock slid along the lips of her pussy. “Take what you want, little one.”
Empowered by his words and motivated by the desire flowing through her, Gwyn wriggled experimentally, settling herself so that her knees were on the bed, and her pussy pressed against the thick length of Vamir’s cock.
“That’s right, just like that.” His voice was thick with lust as he moved a hand to one of her breasts, pinching the tight nub of her nipple between his calloused fingers.
She rolled her hips and moaned at the pleasurable friction between their bodies. Gaining confidence, she reached between them to grip Vamir’s cock, settling her body around the wide head of his dick with another moan as he slid a few inches into her body.
“I love the way you feel around me, so tight and hot. You were made for me, a perfect fit for my body and my soul.”
“We were made to be together,” she agreed as she removed her hand from between them and allowed herself to relax, taking him deeper. He was so big that she could feel her body give way to his until he was fully sheathed in her body, every twitch and throb of his cock sending shivers of delicious pleasure through her.
Unsure what to do, she did a slow roll of her hips and was rewarded with an explosive groan from Vamir. “Fuck! That’s good. Do that again. Ride me, little one. It’ll feel good for us both.”
She leaned forward and kissed him, letting her breasts brush his chest as she moved her hips in a slow figure-eight. It felt so good that she did it again, and after that, Gwyn followed her instincts, letting them guide her. Pleasure built on pleasure until she was drunk with it, her fears and doubts vanishing as she gained in confidence.
Vamir began to buck beneath her, and she used his thrusts to drive them both closer to release. Time blurred, and the rest of the world faded away so that it was only the two of them, locked together as they shared their bodies and their souls. The connection between them grew stronger until she could feel his ecstasy and he could feel hers, the sensations echoed and amplified until it consumed every thought.
Vamir’s hands caught her hips and lifted her a few inches so that he could take her hard and fast, driving himself into her pussy with powerful thrusts as she cried out his name. When her orgasm hit, it came hard, leaving her dazed and sated.
Her strength gone, she slumped over him, her cheek pressed to Vamir’s chest. She could hear his heart hammering a staccato beat against his ribs as he thrust upward one last time and then erupted into orgasm. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as he filled her with hot jets of his seed. As they lay together, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, Gwyn found herself at peace. For the first time she could remember, there were no doubts or fears, no dark sh
adows stirring in the corners of her mind. She was whole and happy, and more than that, she was safe in the arms of the one man in all the planes she had been fated to love.
***
Chapter Eleven
Gwyn woke to find Vamir already gone from their bed, though she could hear the familiar rumble of his voice and knew he wasn’t far away. She bathed and made ready, aware that the first battle today would not be with the enemy, but with the man she loved. He wanted her to stay at the outpost while he went to face the enemy, and there was no way in the hells she would stay behind. This was her fight as much as it was his.
She conjured a gown similar to the one he’d described for her the day before, only this time she chose the color to match his eyes. The color reminded her of the ocean on a distant world she’d visited more than fifty years before. Now that she was free, she could go there again and see if it was still as beautiful as she remembered.
As she swept her hair back over her shoulders, her fingers brushed her throat. It was strange to feel nothing but smooth skin where the cold metal of her slave collar used to rest. It would be a long time before she got used to its absence, but she was grateful she could live the rest of her life without it.
Dressed and ready, she followed the sound of voices down the hall, locating Vamir and several of his closest advisors deep in conversation. They all stopped talking as she entered the room, and those seated came to their feet as they noted her arrival.
“I thought you’d sleep a while longer. Did we wake you?” Vamir asked, gesturing her to join him.
