“Bonded. Yes.”
Her eyes widened, nearly bugging from her pretty little head.
“Others have ruined the thing that binds us and gives us peace, but they are not as they should be. Death Bringers are among us once more. I’ve heard it foretold it will bring a time of greater peace.” I couldn’t help but steal glimpses of her. It was killing me not being able to stare at her as we conversed, but perhaps it made it easier on her? The little goat man had once claimed, quite loudly, to my amusement, he found my stares unnerving. Plant man, Greniv, had agreed. “I would not force you to dreamwalk, my heart,” I rushed to reassure her. “I am not a beast of Geddendon.” A tiny chuckle left me but it fell flat. My Sunshine just stared at me. I made a mental note to introduce her to the creatures and lore of The Helm and ease her into the endearments, but I could make no solemn promises on the latter.
“What would you- How would you force me to- I mean, how would one force another to dreamwalk?” she asked suddenly.
Her heart was beating so hard it resembled a hummingbirds’ or a Pixie’s wings, buzzing wildly, loud to my ears. When that happened to her, I wanted it to be for all the right reasons, never fear. Noting the cause, my heartbeat began to pick up as well. Who has been terrorizing my female? Possessive thoughts rushed to the fore, anger and worry spilling over into them, until they threatened to ruin my mood.
My flesh itched in the beginnings of a ‘glow’, as my sire referred to it. Unlike his cursed flesh, I was conceived of this plane and thus spared the runes that ruled him. My rune spots, as we thought of them, were similar to his own runes, but it was as if the curse had been scrambled, leaving me spotted with the better part of his magicks without the war within me he was endlessly battling within himself. I was lucky to have been spared such a fate, as he and I knew it.
Thinking of my Queen’s pain, I wanted to roar at something and destroy it, stomp around as if I was some large beast hellbent on decimating a village. No. I wanted to destroysomeone—whatever creature had caused my intended bonded such harsh thinkings. I had a pinch of a temper compared to Da’s and all the self control he lacked. But make no mistake, it did not do well to cross this Troll.
Pulling in front of my sanctuary, my home above The Helm, I put the van in park and cut the engine. Unbuckling, moving fast, I turned to my Queen. Reaching for her without any reservations whatsoever, without a single solitary thought on my part but of comforting her, I cupped my sunshine’s shoulders. My thumbs brushed over the stiff muscles. She felt so fragile beneath my large hands. She was so small compared to me, breakable beneath my capable hands. And yet for all of that, I knew her to be resilient and sturdy. I vowed then to never be the source of any of her pains. My sunshine did not break easily but I would not be one to try.
She’d snarled in the face of our breaking in of her own sanctuary to win the Cyclops’ female back, fierce in the face of being overpowered by a troupe of large males with magicks. She had the spirit to match her heart. Passionately empowered. I never wanted anything to try and take that from her. It was needed in these trying times in both of these ever changing worlds. “Tell me, my Queen. Who has forced themselves upon you in such a way?”
Swallowing thickly, she then took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she breathed, “How can one be forced to dreamwalk, Segrid?” Her hand closed over mine then and she began stroking her much smaller fingers over my thicker ones. The gentle caress did things to me. Never had I stirred with such feelings for one before. Possessive instincts did not prickle within me or trickle in, they roared.
This was not how I’d wished to hear my name upon her lips or garner her favor, but I drank it up all the same. Her voice was soft but troubled. A jolt of pleasure rushed through me, nonetheless. She’d touched me, willingly, all on her own. Shewantedto touch me.
Trolls were not particularly handsome males, or ones who were so openly given careful handlings and soft gestures, but we had other attributes. The way she stroked my flesh caressingly made me want to purr like some great beast.
“Blood magicks,” I said finally. “An exchange of blood between those who wish to walk the dreams, to begin to solidify a bond.”
Her eyes opened, moisture filling those large, shimmering gems, swimming with some as of yet unknown to me sadness. “And how does one break such a bond?” she asked, her words escaping her on hoarse croaks.
“No one will be forcing my Queen to do anything she does not wish.” My voice was a low, deep rumble. Not anymore, I silently tacked on, not if I could help it. “You have nothing to fear now. I am here. Who has forced their hand with my lady?” My voice rumbled out of me, a gravel deep, dark grumble that promised to decimate whomever was torturing my female in such a way. Forced bonding and dreamwalking? My female? MINE. Someone had a death wishing upon them.
Delicate fingers slid down the back of my wide hand, clasping my wrist. My wrist was too thick for her to encircle it in her smaller fingers but I relished her touch, the strength of her grip. Her skin was cool. I wanted to drag her close and offer her my warmth.
As if to grant of my wishes, she gave my flesh where she held it a squeeze and sidled closer. Our knees touched, hers sliding in between mine. We were so close I’d forgotten how to breathe. Oh, how I wanted this, to simply be near to her, to breathe in her scent and feel surrounded by it. “You can help me fix it, right?” she croaked out uncertainly. Her voice was so small, like a tiny mouse’s. It was not of my vivacious Vivienne of the little blue house with white shutters on La Mont Street.
Ah, and here’s where it got tricky. I had to tread carefully. I didn’t know my sunshine Queen well enough to judge just how squeamish she might be if I spoke of certain things. I could kill whomever she named, a quick, easy fix, and thus sever their tie, so long as she allowed it, or it could swiftly grow complicated. She could bond herself to me, but I didn’t necessarily wish that to be how she came to me. And if she held any loyalty or ties to her tormentor, my Queen may resent me at a later time for so quickly ridding her of this problem. The idea of having to share her with another, one who forced her to do things, had my skin prickling harder. My fingers flexed and I rolled my shoulders.
“Who?” I entreated softly, demand lacing my tone. I tried to keep the order out of my voice, but the words came out bordering on a growl. I couldn’t help it. Some scourge of our worlds was injuring my lady. I’d have their head on my wall and settle for nothing less.
Studying me, a small sniffle escaping her, like my reaction was what she’d needed, she smiled at my words. Oh, how that sun shined. Her hand lifted and she reached out. I froze in place as she swiped at her eyes with one hand and smoothed her soft fingers over my heavy brow with the other. My skin was so rough compared to hers, her touch a feather light caress. Leather being smoothed out by silk. Her actions were tender, caring. Was she as equally affected by our proximity? Did she feel as if she might burst into magicks and dust at any moment, as I? Everything inside of me purred like one of those Human pets, a housed cat. I wondered if she liked those. They reminded me of a great beast. Perhaps we would acquire one, as Greniv had? Or a dog… A little dog. The small ones were fierce. I’d once carried one attached to my leg for quite some length of a journey. It was a test of the animal’s pure stubbornness, and that which had endeared me to the smaller ones.
As if realizing what she’d just done, she blinked, the soft look on her face wiping clean. Her hand fell quickly and she buried it in her lap. And just like that, that imminent explosive feeling was snuffled. A grunt left me and my shoulders, tense in anticipation of what she might boldly do next, deflated.
Taking her hand in mine, I brought it to my face, smoothing the back of it down my cheek. Her pretty, pale cheeks flushed with an even prettier pink flush. “A name, my lady. I’ll have one before our dating is through.”
“A dating? Like a… date, huh?” Her nose crinkled adorably, eyes narrowing shrewdly, yet a tiny hint of a smile curved her pretty lips. “What makes you think this is a date? Er, a dating?”
I smiled so widely I took my whole face with it. My eyes crinkled, my lips tugged so far up my face. “Is it not, my Queen?” I countered. “I wish to spend time with my sunshine and she has requested sustenance, lust satiation, and rest afterward. If that is not a dating, an attempted wooing on both our parts, I am unsure what is. I am feeling softly wooed.” Nodding, I conceded, “I would like nothing more than to claim my Queen and be claimed by her alike, it would be an honor to share a bond with you and dreamwalk… when you are ready, and only when.”
“That would sever this bond with the dreamwalker stalking me?” she whispered. Her hand went to her neck again, a curious action that got me to thinking. Her heart began thundering at the idea, the sound loud to my ears. Or was it at whatever was triggering her to touch her nape? She was desperate, scared, paranoid. I wished not to be her mistake to fix a bad situation, but I was loath to leave things as they were.
“A name?” I requested once more.
Her blue-green eyes darkened as they narrowed once more. That pretty, pouty mouth I wondered at the taste of pursed. “It will, won’t it?” Her hand slid over mine, tugging it from her cheek to settle it in her lap with hers.
It was hard to breathe. She willingly enveloped my hand in hers and brought it to her person. It was everything. This glorious moment would be etched into my mind for all of eternity. Assuming she was raised in the Human realm and would think as such, as her sibling did, I’d thought I’d be taking this slow. I was a patient male, more so than most when it came to what I wanted. Or so I kept telling myself. My heart gave several wild thumps and my chest rumbled. I wanted her more than anything I’d ever desired in my existence.
I’d found my Queen. Elation filled me anew. This was every being of Mordenne’s dream. I’d discovered, purely by accident, my one.
But I clearly recalled, joyous as I felt in this moment, she had yet to offer me the name of the cur who’d done her so horribly.
