Summoned and Bound (Summoned Series Romances Book 3) (9 page)

She was his now.

Gwyn kept her eyes closed and clung tight to Vamir, holding onto the moment for as long as she could. For one brief, glorious moment, they had been one, and she wasn’t ready to let it go. She wasn’t ready to let
him
go, but in her heart, she knew she had to. She would never regret what they’d just done, but it made all their planning for naught. They would never be able to hide their bond from the Magi. He would be able to sense the change, even if he couldn’t understand precisely what was different. She needed to free Vamir so that he could return home, and she would have to stay behind to face the master’s wrath. If things went wrong, this might be the last time she held him until they found each other again in their next life.

Letting go of him would be the hardest thing she’d ever done, but Gwyn knew there was no other way.

***

Chapter Seven

Gwyn pressed one last kiss to his mouth, then unwound her arms from around his neck and released him from her embrace. “I got distracted from my intended plans. You still need to bathe, and I need to clean up again. Carry me over to the tub, and I’ll see it done. Then, my soulbound, it’s time for you to go.”

He lifted her into his arms without withdrawing from her body, carrying her easily. He walked the few paces back to the tub and stepped into the heated water before finally putting her down so that she stood mere inches away from him. Once she was back on her feet, he cupped a hand to her cheek, his eyes narrowing and a stubborn light flaring in his eyes. “I don’t want to leave you, not even to return to my cell. Tell the master that I am healing, but it would be best if I stayed where I am for now. I’ve no intention of leaving your side until I know you are safely away from this hellish place.”

She placed her index finger on his furrowed brow and shook her head, trying to keep her voice light despite the pain in her heart. “Stop glowering at me, guardian. I’m not one of your men to be intimidated and ordered about. I wasn’t telling you to go back to your cell. I meant that you need to go home. What we’ve done can’t be hidden. The master will sense the change and demand I tell him what’s happened. I won’t be able to disobey, and then we’ll both be damned.”

Vamir reached up to take her hand in his larger one, drawing it down to his lips to press a kiss to each of her fingertips. “What do you mean, it can’t be hidden? The sorcerer can’t see the
essence
like you do, can he? I was taught the members of his order could only twist magic to their own use through glyphs and incantations and the like.”

“I don’t know who taught you that, but it’s not entirely true. They can’t see the
essence
like an elemental can, but right now, the bond between us thrums with enough power that even the apprentice will be able to sense it.”

“Well, shit,” he muttered, but his lips were quirking up into the beginnings of a smug smile. “I guess this means we’re back to my original plan, huh? You and me heading out of here before anyone’s the wiser. You’re finally going to be free of this place, little one.”

Gwyn bit the inside of her cheek to distract her from the ache in her heart. “No, guardian. You’ll be going alone. If you take me with you, then my master will be able to locate your outpost through my collar. It’s too dangerous for me to go with you. The outpost has to remain hidden. Just promise me you’ll hurry back.”

Vamir felt her pain through their connection, and it echoed the hurt in his own heart at the thought of leaving her behind. He couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t abandon her here to face the Magi’s anger. “I swear that when I return here, I will bring enough men to tear this cursed place to the ground, and we will not leave until the sorcerer, and his apprentice are gone.”

He made his vow in earnest and hoped she wouldn’t notice that he said he’d come back to finish off the Magi, not to rescue her. She wouldn’t need rescuing because he was taking her with him whether she approved of his plan or not.

She gave him an intent look, but he did his best to dampen his emotions and hide his deception from her, and it seemed to work. Instead of pressing him, she raised her hands over her head and gifted him with another of her sweet smiles. “Lift your arms and close your eyes.”

He did so, and seconds later they were both surrounded by a swirling vortex of warm, scented water. It was a strange but pleasant sensation that did little to distract him from the fact his beautiful soulmate stood a scant few inches away. More than anything, he wanted to carry her to the bed they’d shared last night and make love to her for the rest of the day. If only he could. He wanted to protect her and cherish her, but before he could, she had to free him. In doing so, she would suffer, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

Vamir reached for Gwyneth blindly, pulling her hard against him. She gasped in surprise, and the waterspout collapsed, refilling the tub at their feet and sending droplets of water flying across the room. He opened his eyes to find her staring up at him with a look of laughing dismay.

“I see we’re going to need some ground rules. Rule number one, no grabbing me when I’m working with the
essence
. It gets…messy.” She glanced around them at the now soaking floor. “How is it that whenever I’m around you, I end up soaking wet?”

The sound of her laughter was the most exquisite sound he’d ever known. Her joy filled his heart and banished every doubt and worry from his mind. “I don’t know, little one, but I hope it’s a lifelong habit.”

Gwyn lifted a hand to his cheek and tried to hold onto her smile. “I hope so, too. A long, wonderful lifetime.” Without warning him first, she called up a whirlwind of air that dried them both and did a fair job of drying the floor as well. When it was done, she knew there was nothing else she could do to delay their parting. The time had come.

She stepped back and banished both the water and the tub with a quick flick of her fingers. “Best you get dressed, unless you want to arrive home as naked as the day you were born.”

He flashed her a grin as he donned the tattered remains of his pants. “I’ve felt naked since I got here. I’ve never gone so long without wearing my weapons. The first thing I’m going to do when I get home is reclaim my sword from whichever of my men found my things after I was summoned. And gods help them all if they left anything behind.”

“I’m sure they found your things at the spot where you were standing when you were summoned. I’m also certain they have been looking for their commander since the moment you disappeared. They’ll be relieved to see you alive and well…if slightly battered and abused.”

“They’ve seen me look a lot worse than this. They’ll be happy to see me, and even happier to learn that I’ve found them an enemy to fight.”

With her heart hammering against her breastbone and her hands trembling with emotion, Gwyn crossed the room to stand in front of him and placed her hands on his torc. Pain tore through her as she focused on the spells forged into the metal itself. “I will see you soon, guardian.”

“Very soon, little one. I promise.” Vamir dipped his head to give her one last, brief kiss. He had to fight the urge to break her hold on his fucking slave collar and protect her from the pain he knew she was about to endure. She hid it as much as she could, but she couldn’t shield him completely, the bond between them was too strong.

The only thing that kept him from stopping her was the knowledge there was no other option. She had to do this to free them both. He vowed that he would find a way to make this up to her every day for the rest of their lives.

A strange pressure began to build, and then a surge of power that made his senses reel and filled his vision with gold and crimson lights that danced and whirled like dust motes in a sunbeam. Finally, there was a terrible cry of pain, a sharp cracking noise, and the torc broke apart and fell to the floor.

The dazzling lights faded from his vision just in time for him to see Gwyn sway and then collapse. He caught her before she hit the floor, her body limp in his arms and her face as pale as moonlit snow.

“Damn it, Gwyneth! What have you done?” He could still feel her life force through their bond, but it was too faint for his liking. She didn’t respond to him at all, and his stomach twisted with dread. She had to be all right. He wouldn’t accept any other outcome.

He cradled her in his arms and dashed over to the bed to snatch up a blanket to drape over her, covering her as best he could. Then he moved to the middle of the bedroom and let the change take him.

It took less than two heartbeats for him to shift to his stone form. The moment it was done he tucked Gwyneth tight against his chest and reached out to the
essence,
using it to teleport himself and his precious bundle as far from the citadel as he could manage.

All of the Garda had some magical abilities, but most of his kind found it easiest to be in their primal form when they used their gifts. Useful for combat, but not helpful when even something as simple as teleporting meant changing into a seven-foot-tall beast of solid stone with an impressive wingspan. Indoor shifts tended to result in things getting broken—furniture, possessions, even the occasional wall.

When they rematerialized in the middle of a verdant valley with no one around as far as he could see, Vamir stretched out his wings, threw back his head and roared to the sky above them. He was free!

His celebration was short-lived. Before the echoes of his roar had faded, he’d already begun the incantation that would summon a portal. Teleportation was a simple thing, but to move between worlds or even planes required a proper gateway. It would have been easier to work the spell without Gwyneth in his arms, but nothing in the worlds would make him let go of her, not even for an instant. She was still limp and unresponsive, and he knew that he had to get her back to his people. There were a few gifted healers who had chosen to stay with the defenders, and her best chance of recovering lay with them.

As the portal shimmered into existence, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was time to go home. The next time he came to this world, it would be with an army at his back.

* * * *

Gwyn woke with a start, escaping the endless cycle of nightmares she’d been trapped in. From a place of darkness and pain, she opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by light and comfort. Before she could even begin to work out where she was, Vamir’s voice rumbled in her ear.

“About time you woke up, little one. I had started to wonder if you’d sleep another day away.”

“
Another
day? How long have I been out?” she sat up and looked around in bewilderment. “And where in the seven hells am I? You were supposed to leave me at the citadel, Vamir.”

They were in a bed that dwarfed the one she normally slept in, with clean linens and a mattress so soft it was like being nestled atop a cloud. The walls and floor of the bedroom were white marble marked with veins of silver and gold, and the light streaming in the windows made the stone gleam brightly. The bedroom was large enough to accommodate the bed, several pieces of ornately carved, wooden furniture, and still have room left over for a cabinet that appeared to hold nothing but weaponry. There were several doorways set into the walls, all of them leading to more light-filled rooms beyond.

He sat up beside her and drew her back into his arms so that she rested against the hard planes of his chest, his voice a warm caress near her ear. “You freed me yesterday morning and have been unconscious ever since. You collapsed, Gwyneth. Your life force was so weak I feared you were going to die, so I brought you with me. You’re home. Or at least as close to home as any of us can get until the portals are unsealed.”

Home.

She’d never even permitted herself to dream about this moment, but here it was. Here
she
was. Her heart soared, and for one perfect moment, her entire being was at peace. Then it all came crashing down as terror slammed through her. “I can’t be here, Vamir! I’m not free. He’ll find me, find all of you. You have to send me back.”

Vamir was expecting her reaction, and when she tried to bolt from the bed he merely tightened his arms around her. She would never set foot near the sorcerer again, not so long as he drew breath. “Hush, little one. You’re safe. We’re all safe for now.”

She struggled against his hold, her movements wild and her voice rife with fear. “No! I have to go back. Maybe there’s still time…”

“That black-hearted bastard can’t find you right now, no matter how hard he tries. Not all the Garda here are warriors. Some are healers, and others are gifted spell-weavers. The weavers have found a way to temporarily block the magic in your collar. It won’t last more than a few days, but that will be long enough for me to kill him and free you. They tried to remove the torc completely, but Garda battle magic is too different from the incantations the Magi use. They also told me you are not to try and remove the collar yourself. The dampening spell would likely fail if you attempted it. It could kill you.”

She went still so suddenly he feared something was wrong. The healers had made it clear to him that his soulbound had come perilously close to dying when she freed him from his slave collar. Was she having a relapse?

“Gwyneth?” he called her name through a throat tight with worry.

She drew in an uneven breath and twisted her head back to look at him. Her eyes were wide, and there were tears glistening on her pale lashes. “I’m free of him?”

“He can’t follow you, and he can’t control you anymore. You nearly died to give me my freedom, little one. The least I could do was return the favor.” He lifted her into his arms and sat up straighter before settling her in his lap. “Speaking of which, I want you to swear to me that you will never take that kind of chance with your life again. When I got back here, I was damned near out of my mind with worry I was going to lose you.”

“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?”