The Flames that Bind Us

LYDIA

Lydia burst into her palatial bedroom and slammed the door shut behind her. Hyperventilating, she pressed her back against the door, slowly slid down, and closed her eyes, trying to regain composure.

But she was losing it. Lydia was about to become the protector of Imarnia. She had agreed to the King’s terms. She had accepted she would have to sleep together to solidify the bond.

Only now, in Lydia’s bedroom, did the full enormity of the decision begin to hit her.

“Lydia, are you all right?”

Lux bounded over, nuzzling her leg. Head in her hands, rocking back and forth, Lydia hardly even realized her feline friend was there.

“Lydia, what is it?” he asked, purring.

“I…I did it, Lux. I made a deal with the King.”

“You mean…?”

She nodded, still in shock. Lux hopped onto her lap, forcing her to meet his red-eyed gaze.

“Are you sure that’s what you want, Lydia?” he asked.

“It’s the only way to gain full control of my Slifer powers,” she said shakily. “If I’m serious about being a great wizard, I have to do it.”

“But you’ll be his now. How—?”

“He says, once I’m claimed and the bond is…consummated…”

She shuddered. Even saying that word made her imagine all sorts of naughty possibilities that were about to unfold with the King.

“…then he won’t care what I do after. That I can leave the kingdom. I’ll be free.”

“Oh, Lydia,” Lux said, rubbing his cheek on her palm, trying to comfort her. “That’s…a lot.”

“I know.”

“When will the ceremony be?”

“I’m not sure. Soon. Preparations are already underway. The King mentioned a royal announcement will come first. Some visitors are on their way.”

Lux nodded, frowning. “And what about me? Will I still be able to stay with you?”

Lydia realized she hadn’t even asked. Of course, Lux was going to stay with her. If Gabriel refused, she would force them to rewrite their contract.

She was about to tell him as much when a heavy knock on the door behind her made her jump. She could feel the thumping vibrating against her spine.

“Lydia, open up,” a gruff voice said.

She knew that voice, and her eyes scrunched into a scowl. She slowly stood up and opened it only a crack.

“What do you want?”

Lucius, looking red-eyed and drunk, stood on the other side, swaying.

“I think we should talk…”

***

The old wizard sat on a chair facing Lydia’s bed. His shoulders were hunched. In his hands, he held his trusty flask. Lydia noticed it had a fresh dent in it from when she’d thrown it aside outside the palace gates.

She sat on her bed with Lux curled up in her lap, waiting for him to begin.

“Well?” she asked impatiently. “What is it?”

“I understand you and King Gabriel have come to an agreement…” he said. “How do you feel about it all?”

“It’s not like I had much of a choice, Lucius. He told me I’ll only be a true Slifer once we’ve bonded—a fact you never thought to bring up during all our training.”

“I didn’t know how…”

“So, all our lessons, they were just for show? A way to keep me occupied? After all, I’m still weak. I couldn’t even fend off a werewolf.”

“No!”

His shout took her by surprise. The passion in his voice was something she was unaccustomed to.

“No,” he repeated quieter. “It all mattered. When your powers are fully activated, you’ll see. Everything I taught you will have laid the foundation.”

“Why should I believe a word you say?”

Lucius nodded sadly. “If I were you, I wouldn’t trust me either, Lydia. I’m going to leave you in peace. Now you have the King, you won’t need me anymore. But before I go, I want you to know something…”

Of course, the old drunk was going to leave her. This only proved what she’d come to believe: that he never really cared for her.

But then, when she looked into Lucius’s eyes, she saw they were full of tears.

“Hundreds of years ago, before I began to drink, something happened to me. Something that changed me. I can’t tell you what. But suffice to say, I died a little bit inside.”

Lydia couldn’t believe Lucius was opening up—though his vagueness, his refusal to totally cum clean, infuriated her at the same time.

“I forced you to be nothing but my apprentice, Lydia, because even though I was raising you, I knew this day would come. Where I would have to say goodbye.”

“Lucius,” she whispered, eyes brimming with angry tears.

“No, Lydia,” he interrupted her. “Call me what you’ve always called me. Your Grandpa. That’s how I want you to remember me.”

Then, before Lydia could stop him, Lucius stood up and embraced her, holding her head against his chest. She could smell the rum on his cloak. It smelled like home.

He handed her a silver bracelet. “Keep this with you. Always, Lydia.”

Lydia didn’t understand why or what Lucius meant, but she felt like the bracelet was important.

“I will miss you,” he said. “Be good to the King. Although there is a darkness in his heart, you can show him the light.”

“Grandpa, wait!”

But he was already pulling away, stopping only to kiss her on the forehead.

“Goodbye, Lydia…”

Then, he hurried out of the room and shut the door behind him, leaving Lydia alone, with only Lux for company.

So overwhelmed by emotion, Lydia could do nothing but collapse on her bed in tears. She slowly put on the silver bracelet.

After all those years, after all his secrets and betrayals, the truth was, the old wizard had loved her like family.

How was she going to survive without him?

GABRIEL

“Is everything set, Aero?”

King Gabriel bustled into the large courtyard with Aero following closely behind. Everywhere, servants were preparing for the Honoring Day, setting only the finest tables and cutlery for the upcoming feast.

Oil lamps illuminated the garden, making it glow with an almost mystical light.

“King Morrison is set to arrive with a special guest any moment,” Aero said, nodding. “Once they have rested, the festivities will commence first thing in the morning.”

“Excellent,” Gabriel said. “I am curious to meet this mysterious woman.”

Many had spoken about the girl who had apparently come out of nowhere to capture the King of Freyr’s heart. This was the closest neighboring kingdom, and although not of the size or prominence of Imarnia, it was a historical ally of the highest significance.

Gabriel would be more curious to see how his new protector, Lydia, performed now that she had agreed to the deal. The idea of announcing their union did not sit well with Gabriel.

But after his conversation with Lucius, once he understood what was at stake, the King had come to realize he had no choice.

It was either claim the Slifer or put the entire kingdom in jeopardy. As the King, he had to put his kingdom first—his own feelings be damned.

Still, the idea of sleeping with the girl made him tingle with a flurry of contradicting emotions. On the one hand, she was only eighteen, still a virgin, and undignified in every way he’d come to expect of royalty.

But there was also something raw and animalistic about Lydia he couldn’t help but hunger for. The longer he looked into her fiery eyes, the more he wondered what it’d be like to see them widen as he entered her…

Just the idea alone was enough to make him stiffen with anticipation.

He cleared his throat as a distant familiar voice broke his reverie.

“Gabriel! Is it really true?!”

He turned to see his sister, Lis, beaming, running toward him and Aero through the courtyard. He sighed, exasperated.

“Yes, Lis. Lydia has agreed to the terms. I am set to claim her. On a purely transactional level, understand. She will not be family.”

“Whatever you say, Gabriel,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. “I am so happy.”

Despite himself, Gabriel smiled. Making his sister smile was one of the only vestiges of joy the King still held close to his heart. The rest, he’d sacrificed in return for power.

The shadow magic within him made his soul grow darker every day.

But Lis—she reminded him of who he once was. She made him believe he could be that warm-hearted King again one day.

As if she was reading his mind, Lis pulled back and looked at her brother closely.

“Are you prepared for what the bond between you two will unleash?”

He didn’t like talking about sex with his sister. It was improper on every level. But her concern wasn’t about the act of intimacy itself, only the results.

Lis understood that not only would the Slifers’ powers be magnified, but so would his own. After he and Lydia had sex, who would remain? The King, or the shadow?

“Don’t worry, Lis,” Gabriel said, brushing it aside. “I have everything under control.”

But now, all he could think about was losing it. With Lydia…

LYDIA

His fingers curled through her hair.

His hips thrust between her spread legs.

His hot breath moistened the nape of her neck.

Never in her life had Lydia experienced a sensation as primal, as insatiable, as overpowering as this. The King was on top of her, his stormy gray eyes locked onto hers, fiery red. Urging her, begging her to lose herself.

She could feel the fire in her belly uncurling like a snake and slithering through every appendage of her body. Consuming her.

With his every thrust, she was more aflame.

Her skin was rippling with the heat. How he didn’t burn, she couldn’t understand. She was pure molten lust…and he was darkness.

His shadows and her fire were wrestling and dancing with one another as they made love.

Soon, both would be totally conquered by their basest desires, by their carnal hunger, by their raw power.

“Lydia,” he whispered, thrusting.

And she could tell he was getting close. She tightened in anticipation, eyes rolling back, fire blazing through her hands.

“Gabriel…” she begged. “Your Highness…”

And all at once, just as the King was about to release, Lydia detonated with fire…

***

Lydia awoke with a start, breathing shakily. What the hell was that?!

She threw aside the covers and got out of bed, feeling like she was still aflame. At the end of the bed, Lux was curled up, still asleep.

She was grateful for that. The last thing she wanted was to explain what she’d just experienced.

She opened the window of the balcony quietly, letting the cool air cleanse her skin and calm her down. She breathed.

Of course, she had felt curious sensual instincts about the King before. But never like that. Never in a dream so unforgivably, viscerally ~real~.

“Get a grip, Lydia,” she scolded herself.

She was about to close the window and go back to bed when she heard a curious distant sound. A most pleasant and mysterious voice…singing.

“A mermaid smiles by the shore,

Stretching her hands to the sea.

And as the water flows,

She hums along with a melody.

Sad it may be, joyless the sound,

The mermaid grins,

Stringing pearls for a crown.”

For reasons Lydia couldn’t understand, she found herself drawn to the voice. She had to know its source. So, grabbing a cloak, she quietly stepped out of the room and followed it.

***

As Lydia followed the voice into a clearing, she felt an unmistakable power surge through her. A familiar magic, so powerful and elemental, she had to know to whom it belonged.

“Tears line her face.

Her throbbing heart aches.

As the silver moonlight bathes in her eyes,

She smiles again and says goodbye…

Lydia stopped in her tracks when she saw the figure of a young woman lying by a riverbank alone. The bright moon above cast a silvery glow on the crystal-clear water.

Then, Lydia saw what she was doing and felt like her heart had stopped. Grazing her hand along the surface of the water, the woman was creating a delicate stream midair.

She was circling and waving her hand, creating the shape of a swan in floating water.

It was the most beautiful sight Lydia had ever seen.

And as her stomach lurched, she realized this wasn’t any ordinary magic. This strange woman by the riverbank was just like her.

Lydia had found another Slifer…