Bound by the Mist (Mists of Eria) (38 page)

“What’s wrong?”

“My bracelet! It’s gone.” She reached for his wrist, where it rested on her stomach. “Yours, too.”

He’d forgotten to tell her. His face blanched, and he heard her draw in a sharp breath. She’d believe he’d yet kept another thing from her.

“What? What is it, Relian?”

Her demand rang in his ears. He couldn’t fault her, even though he hadn’t intentionally kept the news from her. She wouldn’t know that unless he told her. He hoped she believed him.

“They are as they should be.” Her face darkened, and he hastened to explain. “This wasn’t kept from you on purpose. I just…forgot.” He shot her a contrite look.

“Forgot?” she echoed.

“I was preoccupied with the effects of the bond, as I explained to you last night. It didn’t even occur to me to mention it. Indeed, it didn’t even cross my mind.” He cupped her chin. “Forgive me for letting the bracelet’s disappearance cause you alarm.” Frowning, he paused. “That’s actually the wrong word. It didn’t disappear; it just fell off your wrist.”

At her surprised look, he smiled. She parroted, “Fell off?”

He nodded, trying to pull off a serious demeanor. “Yes, fell off. I imagine it’s somewhere in this bed.” He cracked a smile and lent down to nuzzle at her neck. Her quickened pulse rewarded him, and he murmured against her soft skin, “Lost somewhere in this bed that has been so rumpled by our bed sport.”

She cuffed him playfully on the head. “Are you making fun of my choice of words? We haven’t been completely bonded but for a few minutes, and already you’re having fun on me.”

By the look on her face, she realized her poor choice of words too late. He wriggled his brows, trying to make her laugh. “Oh, I’m definitely having fun on you, and I intend to do so again.”

Cal gasped. “Naughty old man, that’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“You did say bed sport, and I believe it was a satisfactory win for both of us, was it not? I played up to my lady’s every desire. I know I did.”

“How do— Oh, our bond. Not much was secret while….” She blushed and looked down. “While we made love.”

“No, there were no mental barriers in place to stop the even flow and exchange of information, which is how it should be during such times.” He lifted her still flushed face from his chest and gave her a smile. “You also had to note you satisfied me beyond every hope.”

“That’s because…well, I could sense you.” She shook her head, at a loss for words.

“Exactly.” He rested his forehead against hers.

After a few moments, she bit his ear. “So how old are you?”

He pinned her underneath him. “Old.” Finally giving in to her demand, he whispered the answer in her ear.

Her gaze flew to his. “What!” He nodded and she muttered, “Geez, you
are
old, ancient even.”

Amusement welled up. He knew he was old to her. But among his own kind, he was still fairly young. So he humored her, sensing she would get over the shock soon enough. “Indeed, though I believe you find nothing decrepit about me.” He shifted over her, and she squeaked in surprise. “Now this old man wants to engage in another round.”

All talk halted when hands and mouths met in a sensuous dance that left both of them satisfied participants once again.

Chapter 35

Cal walked hand-in-hand with Relian in the late morning sunshine. The crisp air woke her senses, and she basked in the sights only autumn could bring. The clearing would soon be appearing before them, and she relished these last few moments of peace. So did Relian, apparently. He pulled her off the wooded path and led her to a large tree.

His body pressed against hers, sandwiching her firmly between him and the tree as he parted her lips with his. Once inside, he began a lazy exploration that quickly turned heated. He skimmed his hands over the sides of her waist until they settled on her hips. Inserting a leg between hers, he shifted her up higher so his sex pressed against hers. Heat gathered in her core. She rocked against him and wrung a moan from him.

She groaned in dismay when he pulled away. He sighed, pink tingeing the high planes of his cheeks. “There’s no time. How I wish it weren’t so. But we’re expected.” He stepped away from her and straightened her rumpled gown. His hands shook, and she couldn’t even catch his gaze.

She reached out a comforting hand. Why he was acting so strangely? As soon as it made contact with his chest, she knew the answer. His strong desire rattled him, causing him to flounder. While no means dictatorial, he was used to being in control, whether over people or his own emotions. He didn’t want to appear any less in her eyes, in his people’s eyes.

She cupped his face, nerves burning in her stomach, and prayed she would say the right thing. “Oh, Relian, you do the same thing to me. Feel my heart.” Her hands grasped his and placed them against her pounding heart. “There’s no shame in that. We just completed our bond, after all. But there’s time aplenty to come back to what we just cut short. We now share an immortal life together.” Her voice choked.

Immortal life
. Just a few little words. How could they change the course of her life so much? She had a hard enough time saying them, and the actual contemplation of their meaning lay beyond her right now. To be immortal or nearly so until she
gave up her life
. She couldn’t wrap her mind around that vastness, that next-to-eternity that stretched before her.

“It’ll take time, my love.” The understanding in his voice almost broke her, for he wasn’t referring to what made him lose control but to what shredded hers. His hands framed her face, their roles turned around, making her want to sob. She would not; she couldn’t. Everyone expected them shortly. She would
not
arrive with red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked cheeks.

She should be comforting him, not the other way around. She sniffled a few times until the irony overwhelmed her. Laughing, she tried to explain what she found so humorous, but her gasping breaths made it a slow process. Between those words and their bond, he soon figured it out and joined her in her merriment.

His laughter trailed off as he looked down at her. “Yes, we’ve the rest of our long lives to learn, live, and love. Let that be enough for now.”

“I couldn’t have phrased it better.” She sent him a smile, his bright eyes giving her the hope all would be right.

He stepped away and held out his hand. “Come, or we’ll truly be late for our own receiving.”

“I want a honeymoon,” she muttered good-naturedly.

They walked back to the path. “That trip you mentioned where a bonded couple retreats to a private locale to indulge themselves?”

“I didn’t say that. They might go there to sight-see, and their retreat most certainly doesn’t have to be private.” She paused when he looked at her dubiously. That hadn’t come out quite like she meant it. “Well, the bedroom should be private but not the locale necessarily.”

He bowed his head, shooting her a veiled look. “No, of course, they wouldn’t want to perform for an audience.”

“Relian!”

***

Cal stared at the ring Relian had gifted her with at the receiving. She lurked near a tree, trying to hide away from the crush of people in the clearing. Touching the ring, she turned it on her finger and watched the light glint off the band. Its golden glow highlighted the engravings painstakingly etched in the precious metal. Less than half an inch wide, the band sported a nature scene not unlike the forest they wandered from this morning.

The most surreal part were the two figures holding hands in the midst of the scene, one tall and the other much shorter—about a foot, if she and Relian were anything to go by. The clarity of the etchings floored her, as did their surprising life-likeness. It was beyond her how something so small contained such intricate depictions. She’d treasure it for the rest of her life, not only for the craftsmanship but also for what it represented to her.

When Maggie sashayed up to her and the tree, Cal groaned. Her friend looked way too perky for her liking.

“That was an awesome ceremony, don’t you think?”

Yikes, that perkiness even came through her voice. She eyed Maggie warily. “Yes, it was.”

“It was out of this world. But then this place is out of our— What?” Maggie asked, frowning. “Why are you looking at me that way?”

“You either had too much to drink last night, or you’re hiding something.” She gazed at her friend with narrowed eyes, her way of telling her to come clean.

Maggie glanced away. “What? Now who’s spray painting the kettle black? I saw somebody quite tipsy after their own bonding ceremony, hanging all over their beloved.”

“I don’t deny that. But what did you do?”

Discomfort flashed over Maggie’s face. Cal’s unease skyrocketed.

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Cal slapped her hand against her forehead. “What did you do?”

“Nothing. I needed to get away from the rat king. He was torturing me. No, I really mean it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he got out the whips and chains.”

“There’s no reason to be kinky. What you and Relian do is your own business.” Cal slapped Maggie in the arm and sent her an affronted glare that demanded seriousness. Maggie threw her hands up in surrender. “Okay. Okay. I hooked up with Kenhel and Avrin, and they kept me out of the king’s sadistic paws and entertained.”

“Maggie!” For the second time this day, Cal infused her voice with shock—only this time it was real, and her voice rang out louder than she intended. She gave an apologetic smile to the few that turned their way, startled. They smiled back politely, but she could tell they thought she and Maggie gossiped about the wedding night, what with the knowing looks that lingered behind those smiles.

She rounded back on Maggie, who had a look of shock on her face. “What! No! You think…. No!” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “They’re good-looking, funny, attractive, but no. And especially not two at a time.” She sighed in exasperation. “Please, I was not that lost to my senses.”

“Glad to hear it.” And she was. That could’ve been a sticky situation.

Maggie grimaced and slanted a glance at her. “When have I ever acted like that, anyhow? I don’t bed hop, tipsy or not. Heck, you were with me during most of my dates, right along with your own. And you saw what happened during those—nothing.”

“Well, you have to admit your words were misleading. Hooking up with someone often means sleeping with them.” Cal flushed. She’d indeed been doing that activity herself last night. She had bonded to him, though—it was sanctioned, legal, whatever she wanted to call it. She just had to let it sink in that Relian was hers and would be for the rest of their lives.

“Are you blushing?” Maggie chortled. “I thought you would be thoroughly cured of that last night. You know, no longer the blushing bride. Last evening, you two seemed like you were on some type of mission to hightail it out of here. You
did
do it last night, didn’t you?”

She glared at Maggie. “What do you think?”

“The way he was looking at you this morning I would guess yes.”

How was it possible to feel mortified and pleased at the same time?

“Not that you were much better, mind you.”

Any pleasure fled, leaving mortification alone to gasp in the dust.

Cal buried her face in her hands. “We’re that bad? Really?”

“Yes, but not in a bad way. It’s not lewd but kind of sweet. You two never do anything outside the bounds of propriety”— Maggie gave a teasing grin—“at least not in public.”

Ha, Maggie didn’t know about their bench episode. “That’s a relief. Now everyone thinks we go at it like rabbits behind closed doors.”

“Oh, come off it, Cal. Everyone knows what married people do. They’ve been doing it since the dawn of time and will continue to do so after I’m long gone.”

Her heart clenched at Maggie’s reference to time, but she shoved it to the recesses of her mind as something to mull over later.

“When you were leaving last night, I overhead more than one couple say you and Relian reminded them of themselves when they were young and newly married.”

Cal jolted when a hand slid around her waist. She relaxed as she recognized the touch and the familiar scent of pine and sandalwood that made her senses swim. Relian prodded her into movement. “Come, my ladies, no hiding behind trees. Many people are eager to meet you but fear to intrude.”

She sent him a smile. He returned it with adoration in his eyes. Maybe meeting the rest of his people—no, their people—wouldn’t be so bad.

***

Cal stood in Relian’s arms, gazing out over the terrace of the private dining room. Their meal that night had been informal, since they missed the near feast that took place in the Great Hall. There were still guests who had yet to depart, so those more elaborate suppers would continue until they left.

The buzz of conversation inside the room floated out to her. Maggie was laughing gaily with Kenhel, Avrin…and Sardon? She listened closely and smiled. Yes, with Sardon. Were human women growing on the austere lord? She certainly had made an impression on hers. Her hand slid down Relian’s arm, the muscles tightening in response.

Through their bond, the mutual satisfaction of a day well carried out hummed between them. More than likely it was a temporary feeling, for much remained to be solved. Her and Maggie’s discovery of the parchment was fortuitous, due to being in the right place, at the right time. So far, their presence hadn’t done anything miraculous, except shake up the status quo a bit.

While she bit her lip, a thought filtered in, startling in its simplicity.
Their presence….
Maybe that was all the veil needed, and everything would ripple out from there, just like a pebble upsetting the calm of a pond. There might be no grand scheme for her, no great prophecy or role. In fact, her path in Eria wasn’t as clearly mapped out for her as it would’ve been in Wisconsin. But she had Relian and a possibility of visiting her old home. Right now that was all she wanted. Well, that wasn’t quite true, but what she wanted would require a more private spot.