Sage followed after Rand, Egan nudged me in front of him, and Nato brought up the rear of our group. When I glanced behind me, Theon was looking around the room, almost as if he expected to find something.
Egan turned me back around before Theon caught me watching. I offered him a grateful smile; that could have ended badly if Theon thought I was paying too much attention. He seemed spiteful like that. There was only one guard left as I passed, probably to make sure no one ran away.
The hall had the same stone walls and dim lanterns as the cell. We came to the stairwell and the guard leading our crew ran up the stairs in a stiff, robotic fashion. Rand jogged up behind him, while Sage did a little zig zag as he hopped from side to side up each step. But me? I wasn’t about to take the stairs of a thousand deaths with the same enthusiasm.
I took my sweet time at a normal pace. Egan poked me in the back, but I did a damn good job of ignoring him.
I touched the wall with my hand, gliding my fingers over the rough stone of the stairwell. The men grumbled behind me but no one was chasing us or threatening our life, so there was not a chance I was going to exert myself. I’d save that little burst of energy for when I needed it.
Once we got to the top of the thousand stair climb, the room opened up to an opulent gallery. Paintings upon paintings covered the walls, all in a classical theme, and clearly impeccably preserved. If Rainer’s place was the idyllic rustic lodge, then this place was the Biltmore, or maybe the Louvre.
The guards took us to a door on the far side of the room, walking on a long runner specifically for foot traffic. The close proximity to the wall allowed me to study the art as we passed. All different size canvases of landscapes and portraits, in elaborate gold frames, graced the walls.
The gallery was completely empty of people, but loud bouts of conversation echoed around the room. Some kind of congregation must have been happening close by. I wondered if this was like a true court from the old days where the elite of the elite all stayed on property and hung out together for every meal and activities in between.
God, I hoped not. That meant there were more people I’d have to talk to and my people skills right now weren’t where I wanted them to be.
Another ten minutes and two sets of stairs went by before we reached a narrow corridor with four doors on the end. The guards stopped abruptly, almost causing Rand and Sage to run into them. In unison the guards looked to Theon, apparently waiting for the next instruction.
Theon skirted around the LL and gestured toward the door on the end. “This room is the largest, so I suppose you’d want to take that one, Mazza. The rest are smaller suites. Two of the men may need to share. Unless you’d like to keep one with you?”
He was being sneaky sneaky, trying to figure out who my favorite was.
I see your game T-man.
“I think we’ll all go in the big suite for now. Thank you, though.”
“Dinner will be served in a few hours. I’ll send a servant up to bring court-appropriate attire.” Theon replied as if he was doing us a huge favor.
Well, you couldn’t do someone a favor if you’re the reason they need that favor. It cancels out. I guessed he hadn’t got the memo on that particular etiquette.
Theon bowed his head slightly and left us standing in the hallway. The guards were quick to follow, like the good little toy soldiers they were.
Nato opened the door so he and Egan could go through first. Again with this Oreo deal. Two in front, then two behind me. I felt like we were on some kind of reconnaissance mission where the room had to be cleared before I entered. I guess in a way it did, but it was both irritating and scary.
This suite was even more ginormous and opulent that the suite at Cabbie’s. The theme here was pearls and feathers, which happened to cover everything. An odd choice for décor but it worked.
Nato toured the rooms, checking everything out. “Egan, can you make sure there are no little creeping spies?”
Egan stopped in his tracks, his eyes glazing over. “Nothing. There’s not an insect to be found in the room. No birds by the windows and no mice in the walls. This place is free and clear of any potential listeners.”
“Good.” Nato took my hand, leading me over to the sitting area. There was an L shaped sectional with a square, glass coffee table. He sat in the corner and settled me on his lap, reminiscent of the first living room chat we had. The déjà vu brought a small smile to my face.
The guys spread out, taking up various spots around us as the lightness dissipated, and an ominous tone replaced it. If it was discussion time, I might as well find out what happened when I was out, among other things.
“So what happened? Start with Travon.” Leaning back into Nato, I placed my hands over his on my stomach.
Rand scooted closer, but I gave him the stink eye. I was still salty over what he said to Sage and I wasn’t going to let him forget it anytime soon. He had always been so sweet and that was out of character for him. He paused and decided to stay where he was.
Good choice.
“You came into your powers. From the things you said to Travon, it was your Zien powers. I think the powers overloaded your system and you passed out right after that. Travon—”
Egan cut Rand off and it was the first time I had ever seen him a little miffed. Egan usually had the role of the explainer slash talker, maybe even more so than Nato. He apparently didn’t like anyone taking his place. Rand tossed his hands up and fell back into the cushion.
“Travon about shit his pants. He was quiet on the ride to court. Nato carried you and we stuck close to make sure you were okay. Once we got here, he took us straight to the dungeon. I think that was him just being afraid you’d spill his secrets. What did you see?”
Nato hugged me closer. “It was amazing, tell us what happened for you.”
There was a feverish excitement leaking out of Nato. He vibrated at the change of subject.
“It was weird. All I could see was Travon and it was like I knew things about him. Personal things. What kind of person he is... It was like instincts on steroids. Then little pictures started flying past me like I was in some kind of picture wormhole, and I grabbed one. As soon as my fingers touched it, the picture expanded into my reality and I watched a scene. Almost like it was some kind of new age movie shit where you travel back in time to watch history play out. It was heartbreaking.”
“What was it?” Sage quietly asked.
“It must have been right after an attack. The smoke was still floating around and the houses looked pretty close to destroyed. Travon was trying to get a boy from his mother, stating that they needed to take him in, because he was the only survivor from the explosions. The mom said he was innocent, and Travon agreed.” My knuckles whitened from squeezing Nato’s hands. “But said her lover paid for him to be taken in. When the woman said take her instead… he knocked her out and took them both.”
The guys shook their heads around me. Their somber expressions didn’t change at all with my words, but they also didn’t seem surprised.
Sage spoke up first. “That sounds like Travon. When we were kids there was a time when Fennina looked to blame anyone just to make themselves feel better, more in control. Luckily, that stopped about ten years ago.”
“I didn’t catch a name. Are the people they took still alive?”
“Yes. When they stopped taking people, everyone was released.” Sage shifted closer and pulled my feet into his lap. He removed one boot at a time and then started lightly stroking the arch of one foot.
I would have expected this from Egan. From Sage, it felt different, more sensual. There was a question in his eyes and I nodded my head almost imperceptibly.
“Let’s go back to this picture thing. What exactly did it look like?” Nato redirected the conversation.
He was the most interested in how my powers formed, maybe because I came into my Zien powers first?
“Yeah. What does it look like for you?” Egan parroted.
“It doesn’t. I don’t have that power. It looks like you have either different powers than I do, or you’ll have mine plus more and be a force to be reckoned with.”
My brow furrowed. “Then what powers do you have? I know you have the ability to knock people out.”
“That and I can make people feel specific emotions if I need to. I also have a sense about what type of person someone is. Strong instincts. That we seem to share.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa. My mind backpedaled on the emotions comment.
“You can make someone feel emotions?” I led in a monotone voice.
Nato saw something in my eyes and I thought he knew exactly what road my thinking had gone down because his eyes widened. “No, Iss. I would never make you feel emotions you didn’t feel.” He bent forward, moving me into an awkward position.
“Nato, you bonded me without telling me exactly what we were doing. Let’s not forget about how you obtained me. You can’t really say you haven’t used your powers on me before. I did accept everything so easy… Too easy. I thought it was just destined.” I trailed off.
“What the hell, Nato?” Rand yelled from the end of the couch, but I didn’t pay any attention to him.
The room was closing in on me, stealing the air, making it hard to breathe. There was no way Nato would have done that to me. Right?
I tried to stand up but Nato refused to let go. My emotions were riding an emotional roller coaster of turmoil as I thrashed around in his arms.
“Let go, Nato! I need to get up.” My voice came out way louder than I intended, betraying my panic.
“Isolde. Listen. Listen to me.” Nato whispered in my ear and holding an arm over my own to keep me trapped. “I would not do that to you. I didn’t tell you what it meant to bond, that’s true but I didn’t force your emotional compliance. That crosses a line I set for myself a long time ago. I detest that power. I never want to wonder if the only reason you’re with us is because of my fucked up manipulation.”
I pulled a deep breath through my nose and stop struggling. My heartbeat throbbed in my chest, and in my ears. What he was saying made sense. There was no way I could be with someone if I thought they didn’t have real feelings.
Wow, I was such a hypocrite. That was exactly what happened with Sage, accepting the bond for practical purposes. I at least had hope that he would one day love me like the others.
The desire to believe Nato was strong, but there was this niggling doubt that wouldn’t let go of me.
“How do I know, Nato?” I peered at him, hoping to see some kind of reassurance on his face.
“Know that I didn’t do it?”
He loosened his arms enough that I spun around in his lap to see him fully. The linen of his pants rubbed against the back of my thighs.
“Did you ever feel like you were in a bubble? Like you were making decisions that weren’t normal for you?” Nato asked.
“Uh, this was a whole new experience for me so yes, it did feel surreal.”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I mean. Okay, I’m going to show you what it feels like. Then you’ll know how it feels. Is that all right?”
My heart settled even more. He was being extra careful asking my permission.
I blew a breath out and relaxed into him. “Go ahead.”
A warm finger slid under my chin and tipped my head up. Nato stared deep into my eyes and I was caught in the gold band dominating his one iris. It was so out of place in the dark chocolate of his eyes.
A warm sizzling sensation rolled down my arms and legs. It almost tickled when it reached the bottom of my feet. I felt light. Happy. Uncontrollable giggles burst out of me without my control, looping around the room before coming back to me. That wasn’t right. Giggles didn’t come back to people.
“I think I’m drunk.” I framed Nato’s face with my hands and planted a sloppy kiss on his lips.
He returned it, but when he pulled back to look at me, I bounced out of his lap and onto Sage’s.
“Hey, Lover.” I purred then laughed hysterically.
Sage smirked right as I licked at the seam of his smiling lips. He immediately opened and slid his tongue against mine, driving my emotions into a frenzy. He was such a good kisser. It made me so bubbly! I couldn’t wait to have some alone time with him again.
“Isolde,” Nato pulled at my arm, but I shooed him away.
Rand was sitting there all alone and I needed him to be as happy as me. I left Sage and tackled Rand with special sweet kiss. Sweet kisses made people happy. They made me happy.
“You didn’t want to be in my Lusty Legion, but I might steal you anyway.” I grinned down at him where I pushed his torso over the arm of the couch.
Rand gently tried to push me up, but I didn’t want to sit up. My hands were motivated to make him happy and they found their way under his shirt. They must be cold because Rand jumped.
“Isolde. Sit up.” Rand’s voice was stern.
“No.” My lips twisted into a playful pout. He needed to lighten up. It was okay, he could be in my Lusty Legion anyway. That would make him as happy as the others. Another bout of giggles emerged. “You’re mine too.”
“No, Iss. I’m not.” His words were so heavy I could practically see the blue of his sorrow coating his body like an unwanted wet blanket.
Hands jerked my head to the side where Nato was waiting to hit me with the intensity of his stare. Once my gaze found his, the warm sizzling abandoned me. I felt almost bereft at the loss. I look down where I had Rand pinned, then I scrambled away from him.
“What the hell?” I sputtered. My eyes darted from Rand to Egan and then Sage.
I just told Rand I wanted him to be in my LL right in front of three of my actual LLs and true Janer mate.
There was an awkwardness between us all that wasn’t there before. At least Rand didn’t look hurt or offended, he looked more concerned for me.
My face was on fire. I was mortified. If I could have crawled into the cushions of the couch and disappeared for a while or a century, I would have.
“I—I didn’t mean any of that.”
Sage’s face was just as red as mine with his fists clenched on his thighs.
“Sage, I didn’t mean that.”
“You did.” Sage gritted out. “You meant that you want him. Just as much as you want me. Maybe more.”
“Sage, give her a fucking break. I made her feel like she was the happiest person in the world. She never would have acted like that and you know it.” Nato pushed his hair out of his face and tried to come to me, but I waved him off.
“It was like I was drunk. I don’t even know why I did any of that.” Tremors started in my hands, showing just how bad this was affecting me if not on a physical level then definitely an emotional one.
“Yeah, well a drunk man’s word is the sober man’s truth. Ever hear of that?”
I just did to Sage what I was afraid he would do to me. Guilt burned so bad. How did I never know guilt would be so painful? My heart was saying to move to Sage, to take him somewhere private.
His jaw was defined where he was grinding his teeth and he turned away from me. Anything I could do right now wouldn’t be welcome.
Well, fuck. What did I do now?
A robotic chime sang through the room. It was a welcome distraction to my mortification. And Sage’s too, probably.
Egan unfolded from the couch and approached the door. His movements were slow as if he physically trudged through all the embarrassment in the room.
The door had large white pearls that line the doorframe, giving it a feminine feel. Egan touched a string of pearls with his fingers before he opened the door. I wanted to see what the others were doing, what they might have been thinking but I couldn’t yet. I
needed another minute to prepare myself for what I was going to find.
I was pretty sure Sage was going to hate me. Rand would be uncomfortable. Nato would be just as guilt-ridden as I was because he put me under that ridiculous spell. Couldn’t he have made me feel pain? I wouldn’t have been trying to add randos to my LL then. Maybe even fear. I would have clung to him until he removed it.
The door swung inward, and a small boy stood on the other side, his arms filled with tons of clothes.
“G’day sir. Dinner will be in one hour in the main dining room. Someone will be here to escort you. Master Theon said you might need these, does the lady require assistance?” The boy bobbed down into an awkward bow, holding his arms out in offering.
Egan took the clothes, arranging everything in one arm. “No, we will do just fine on our own.” His words were firm but kind as he shut the door.
The pile of clothes was so tall it almost covered Egan’s face. How did the boy not get covered completely?
“Iss, you’re going to need to start getting ready now. I have sisters, I can help you.”
I nodded, grateful for an excuse to leave the room. I hopped up and sped walked to the closest door, ready to disappear. A broom and shelves of towels greeted me. I slammed it shut and went to the next door. Shelves of canned food took up the space.
This was fucking ridiculous.
The next door was a few feet away and I walked at a regular pace to hide my frustration. The guys were probably staring at me like I had completely lost it, but I would never know. When I peeked inside this room, it opened up to a large bed in the center of the floor.
Hallelujah!
Egan followed me in, shutting us away from the others. I felt better already just out of their sight where they couldn’t judge me. I stood there for a minute and drank up the room. It was gorgeous. The bed had tall wrought iron posts with sky blue and gold netting woven around the canopy and draped over the bed.
A hand caressed my hip and Egan rested his forehead on my temple. I closed my eyes and greedily accepted the comfort he was offering.
Bonds of the Mazza Page 16