“Stop, both of you.” I try to push at Rivern’s side, but he is an immoveable statue.
“Get back, Little Dove. I will not let harm come to you.”Well, actually, I was doing just fine until you showed up.
Gideon has been a perfect gentle-wolf, and if my gut feeling about him is true, he is just as much a servant as I am.
“Oh, stop, Rivern. Gideon won’t harm me. He is the one who fed and clothed me.” Obviously sensing the lack of a real threat, Gideon retracts his teeth, straightens his body and leans against the opposite wall as if he didn’t just lose himself to his wolf moments ago.
“She’s right. I have no interest in harming the songbird. Just you, fae,” he spits the last word on the floor in front of us, and a polished rumbling sound starts to come out of Rivern’s body.
His whole form is tense as his body stands stiff in front of me. Through the threads connecting us, I have the innate need to send feelings of assurance to him.
Moments tick by, and neither male moves or speaks, instead resorting to a very intense stare-off.
“You are both ridiculous!” Throwing my hands in the air, I skirt around Rivern and towards the courtyard door Gideon must have just returned through.
“Dove!” Rivern bellows as Gideon grabs my arm to stop my procession.
“I wouldn’t go that way if I were you,” Gideon grumbles in my ear.
Rivern is pulling me away from him before the last syllable leaves his lips, his sword under the wolf’s chin. “Put your hands on my bonded again, and it’s your death sentence.”
“Oh, please. That’s enough, Rivern,” I harshly murmur behind him.This fae is giving me serious whiplash with his bonded antics.
Gideon lets out an ominous chuckle, pushing his neck into the sword balanced there. “Bonded? Do you think that’s stopped a dyre wolf before? You are out of your league, little boy.” Gideon continues to walk forward, but the blade does not pierce his skin.
Rivern’s face does not give away the surprise lurking within the bond. “Impossible…” his voice trails off.
“You are not the only God creation here, boy.” Gideon pushes the blade aside with his hand, not a scratch in sight. Well, not a fresh scratch. The light scars littering his caramel skin tell a story of pain and survival.
Gideon makes his way back down the tunnel without a glance backward. “If you don’t want to die by the hands of my brother, I wouldn’t go out that door.”
His broad, hulking form disappears behind the curve of the tunnel, and I turn on Rivern, who is still stuck in place. “He’s shown kindness towards me, so I think he can help.”
Rivern turns to face me, sheathing his sword, harshly stating, “He wants you.” Ferocity is a potent potion, making the heat within me rise.
“Gargh! Why does it matter?! Neither of us want this bond. I don’t want it, and I don’t need you to save me,” I speak bitterly. Rivern’s eyes storm with irritation that burns our souls in equal madness, an insanity that brokers on pain.
“Stop.” I grip my chest as the flames lick my skin.
“It is not me. It is the bond. You angered it.” The harsh reality of our connection makes itself clearly known.
“Iangered it?! What ofyourtalk of going to Terra to find a way to dissolve it?”
I do remember some minor discomfort at the thought, but not outright anguish—not what I am currently feeling at my utter disregard for it.
“I never said I didn’t want it,” Rivern seethes back at me as if the bond won’t hear our conversation if we are quiet enough.
“Same, same,” I want to shout, but the echoes within the small dungeon space do enough of that for me.
My eyes begin to water at my frustration, and Rivern grabs my shoulders, pushing our bodies together and wrapping strong arms around me. Grief and regret spill through my chest. “Let’s just forget about it,” he responds.
Anything to stop this sting. It pokes at the dragon guarding my cave, reminding me of old wounds long buried.
I squeeze my eyes, sucking in the forest and the suns emanating off the fae male gripping me tight, his nose in my hair, doing the same thing, setting a smile on my face.This bond has crippled us both.
nineteen
Dove
