Life Bonds

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Sean caught sight of the single story wooden buildings down the side streets, and even those had steeply peaked roofs. “We’ll need to get some warmer clothing here,” Sean said.

  “We wanted to in Pinebough and Pinehaven, but they didn’t have anything ready for immediate sale,” Fiona said, snuggling up next to him. “Not that I’m complaining about how I was able to find the warmth I needed.”

  Putting his arm around her, Sean felt a sense of peace wash through him. “We shouldn’t stay long, but hopefully we can get everything we need before we leave.”

  “I’ll make it a priority,” Fiona murmured as she leaned her head against his shoulder. “We might have small issues, since it’s just you traveling with three female Bonded. You should be prepared for people asking questions.”

  “We’ll see how that goes,” Sean said with a wry grin.

  “Just remember not to kill anyone, and if possible, let them start any fights,” Fiona told him. “Remember that magistrates live in the town. We’re just travelers.”

  “As long as they keep it friendly, then I will, too,” Sean said.

  “Words won’t hurt Myna, nor myself,” Fiona told him, poking him in the ribs. “So no defending our honor unless it gets vile.”

  “Who’s in charge here,” Sean chuckled, “you or me?”

  “You are, of course, Master,” Fiona grinned at him.

  Shaking his head, he leaned over and kissed her. “Uh huh.”

  Myna brought the wagon to a stop inside the stable yard of the three-story inn. “We have arrived, Master,” Myna said, setting the brake.

  An older man and two teens came out of a side building. “The wagon and horses for the night?”

  “We’ll be getting rooms for at least the night, but it might stretch for a couple of days,” Sean said, getting out of the back.

  “If you want to pay up front for three days, I’ll give you a deal,” the stable master said. “Or we can do it by the day, but the price will be higher.”

  “What’s the deal for three days?” Sean asked.

  “Twenty and five copper,” the stable master said. “I’ll throw in some extra attention and better oats for thirty, though.”

  Sean nodded. “Pay you or the innkeeper?”

  “I run the stables. My brother runs the inn, so you pay me for the wagon and horses,” the old man said with a strained smile.

  Sean handed over three of the larger copper coins from his pouch. “Thank you,” Sean said with a smile.

  “Grab the important things,” Sean told the Myna and Fiona. “I’ll get our rooms.”

  Sean didn’t say anything when Ryann followed him inside, but he was glad to know she was taking her job seriously. The common room was empty of customers, for which Sean was grateful.

  A grumbly old man stood behind the bar. “Room?”

  “Two rooms,” Sean said. “One is for my Bonded, so I need it to have a couple of beds.”

  Eyebrows rising, the man nodded. “I’ve not seen you before. Where are you from?”

  “Waterrock,” Sean said with a grin. “I would prefer the rooms to be next to each other.”

  Frowning, the man snorted, “Fine. It will be seventy copper per day.”

  “What if I was to pay for three days in advance?” Sean asked.

  “For two bronze, I’ll include both meals and two bottles of wine with each,” the man said.

  Sean dropped two bronze onto the counter. “Done.”

  The old man slapped the bell next to him and a middle-aged woman came out of the back. “They’ll be in rooms seventeen and eighteen,” the innkeeper told her.

  “Of course, father,” the woman said with a tight smile. “Follow me, please.”

  “One moment,” Sean said. He waited until Fiona and Myna came in from the stable yard, then addressed the woman again, “Lead on.”

  The woman looked the two Life Bonded women over, blinking and finally nodded slowly. “Of course. Please follow me, sir.”

  She led them up to the second story, and brought them to their rooms. “Seventeen has two beds for your Bonded and eighteen has a larger bed for you, sir. The baths are down the back, as would be expected. Dinner will be served in two hours.”

  “Meals are in the common room?” Sean asked.

  “If you would prefer your Bonded to eat in their room, I can arrange that,” she replied.

  “I’ll be eating with him,” Ryann said.

  The woman took another look at Ryann, her brow creasing in recognition. “Wait, I thought you were Bonded to Oriv?”

  “He doesn’t win all the time,” Sean chuckled. “He should have known when to quit.”

  The woman gaped like a fish for a moment, before nodding slowly. “I...see. Is there anything else?”

  “No,” Sean said. “Thank you.”

  Once the woman scurried off, Sean motioned for them to enter his room. “Okay, Myna and Ryann will be sharing the other room. Fiona will be bunking in here with me.”

  “Ahh,” Ryann said with a pensive look. “I thought both of them were…”

  “Not yet,” Myna sighed. “I’m waiting until he says I can join him.”

  Sean could see the hopeful look in Myna’s eyes, and felt bad for not accepting her as Fiona’s equal. “Fiona, do I need to go with you to sell things?”

  “The hair clips, yes, but not the other items,” Fiona said. “I would suggest we deal with the hair clips tomorrow. Before dinner, I think Myna, Ryann, and I should go arrange for better clothing, in case it takes a few days to be ready.”

  “Sounds good,” Sean said. “I’m going to sit in the common room for a bit and see if I can’t learn anything useful.”

  Ryann shook her head. “If you go to the common room, I need to be there.”

  Sean sighed and frowned, “Fine. I’ll wait here, but please don’t take too long. I’ve had enough of inn rooms.”

  “We’ll be back as soon as we can,” Fiona said, stealing a quick kiss.

  Sean reached out to give Myna’s ears a quick rub. “Keep her safe for me.”

  “Of course,” Myna purred.

  “I will keep them both safe,” Ryann said with a glance at him.

  “Thank you, Ryann,” Sean said, giving her a smile. “I’ll stay here and wait for you to get back.”

  ~ * ~ * ~

  Sean woke to the sound of the door opening. Sitting up, he saw the trio of women coming into the room with bundles draped over their arms. “Guess I fell asleep,” Sean yawned. “I see you got new clothes.”

  “We did,” Fiona said, “as well as some clothes for you, Master. You’re going to stand out if you’re not dressed similarly.”

  “That’s fair,” Sean said, getting off the bed. “What did you get me?”

  “I’ll put these in our room,” Ryann said, backing out of the room.

  “I’ll be right back,” Myna said, following Ryann out.

  With raised brows, Sean shook his head. “Is this the part where I do the modeling?”

  “If you don’t mind,” Fiona batted her lashes at him.

  Sean thought about it, but realized that he didn’t mind if they both ogled him, which was odd. The Bond not only seemed to help him accept the love of both women, but was also breaking down his old shyness.

  Myna stepped back into the room, shutting the door behind her. “Dinner isn’t for half an hour,” she said. “Do you wish our help changing, Master?”

  “No,” Sean said quickly, his cheeks heating a little. Apparently, his shyness wasn’t completely gone.

  Fiona giggled and set his new clothes on the table, separating the pile into three outfits. Each was made of thick linen, mostly in off-white. There was a thick fur coat, a set of split-fingered linen mittens, and a fur cap. “Cleaning the blood out of these is going to be a bitch,” Sean sighed.

  “Actually, it might not be,” Fiona said. “I’ve never had the energy reserve to try it before, but with the linen at least, I might be able to push the blood f
rom the fibers.”

  “We have similar outfits,” Myna stated. “Though what we have leaves our necks bare.”

  “To show that you’re Life Bonded,” Sean nodded. “The cap will also hide your ears.”

  “Yes,” Myna said softly. “I’ll be wearing it any time we’re outdoors. If I wear it in the common room, though, it will draw some looks. Not as many as my ears, but enough.”

  Sean reached out and gave her ears a rub. “I need to try these on still.”

  “Yes. We’ll change into ours after our dinner is brought up,” Fiona said.

  “Well, let’s get on with it,” Sean said, stripping off the clothing that Fiona had purchased for him in Oaklake.

  The shirt was a little baggy, and the pants were a touch tight in the inseam and loose at the waist. Fiona knelt next to him, touched his pants with a frown, and focused. A moment later, she had the pants Shaped to a perfect fit. “There, now I can make the others match,” she grinned up at him with a wink.

  Sean stepped back, feeling his reaction to her closeness. “That’s good,” he managed, a bit roughly.

  “I want to try altering one of them,” Myna said. “I need practice.”

  “Good point,” Fiona said as she reached out and undid the top button of Sean’s pants. “Let us have these for a few minutes please, Master.”

  Sean threw up his hands. “For being the Holder, I seem to get handled a lot.”

  “You can make us stop,” Myna said, slipping to his side and lifting the shirt over his head.

  Sean considered her words, then pushed them out of his head. “I’m not sure I want to.”

  Myna leaned in and kissed him after the shirt came off. Her body molded to his side as he let the kiss deepen. A contented purr came from Myna as Fiona slipped the pants from him.

  A minute later Sean stepped back, breaking the kiss and letting Fiona take the pants. Panting heavily, he saw raw desire and need in Myna. “Myna… I...” Sean stammered, even though he knew his arousal was obvious.

  “I’ll go fix these,” Fiona said quickly, gathering the clothing and slipping out of the room, leaving Sean and Myna alone.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Sean stared at the closed door, then turned back to Myna, feeling like a man trapped in a cage with a wild animal. “Myna—” Sean began.

  Myna cut him off, her eyes focused on his, “Please…” The single word held all of her hopes and desire, and Sean felt it cut deeply into his heart.

  I care for her… No, call it what it is, Sean. You love her as surely as you do Fiona. Bowing his head as he came to terms with his feelings, he looked back up at her and saw worry and fear, but also desire. You’ll hurt her if you turn her away now. They both want this, why are you fighting it? Are you some kind of anime protagonist who needs to be hit with a clue-by-four just to do what should be done?

  Swallowing, Sean shook his head, meaning to clear it. Myna’s lips trembled and her eyes began to mist with tears, as she took it to mean he was rejecting her. As she turned to flee the room, Sean snagged her wrist and pulled her back to him, crushing her into his arms as he kissed her again.

  Myna purred as her lips met his, her arms going around his nearly nude form and clinging tightly to him. Sean swayed with her, moving her to the bed as the kiss lingered. When her knees hit the bed, she dropped onto it and broke the kiss. Panting heavily, she looked up at him with a mixture of need and worry.

  “I’ve never—” Myna began, then Sean’s finger touched her lips.

  “You’ve said, Myna,” Sean said gently. “Don’t worry, I do love you. I’m sorry it's taken me this long to see the truth of it. I’ll show you the way, just trust me to love you.”

  Myna nodded, her eyes wide and her pupils dilating. “Yes, Master.”

  “That’s my good kitty,” Sean said as he let his fingers gently curl under her chin.

  Eyes fluttering, Myna’s head tilted further back, waiting for a kiss. Sean didn’t disappoint her. His lips met hers softly and gently. He made the kiss be one of love and exploration, and not the demanding, passionate ones they had already shared.

  The kiss was long and lingering, as he took his time to let it deepen. Eventually, he got her back to where his tongue met hers. This time, it was the slow dance of new lovers, not the frantic tangle of wild animals.

  His free hand had been deftly unbuttoning parts of her clothing, which she hadn’t noticed until he eventually brought their kiss to an end. Sean briefly wondered about how deeply the moment seemed to be affecting Myna, who looked like a druggie getting a fix. When her hands tentatively began to trace his abs, he looked down at her. Seeing the love, adoration, and need in her made him forget his thought.

  Gently pulling her top off, he was reminded again how similar her body was to Fiona’s, with pert, high breasts and a flat stomach. Leaning down, he began to nibble on her neck as his hands traced up her sides and gently cupped both small mounds.

  His thumbs grazing over her nipples caused both already hardening points to become diamond tips. Trailing kisses down her neck, he let his lips lead him to her right breast. Slowly spiraling kisses and licks inward, he reached her nipple and gently suckled the tip.

  Breath catching in her throat, Myna moaned and arched her back, pushing her breast into him. One of her hands came to rest on the back of his head as if encouraging him, while her other continued to rub his back.

  Releasing her nipple, he began to trail kisses toward her other breast. His focus was on pleasing her, but he paid close attention so he would know which spots she responded to the most. Myna reacted exactly as she had on the other side when he gently suckled her other nipple.

  Sean took his time lavishing her breasts with attention and adoration. All women are different, Sean thought as he began to notice the small differences between the two women he loved. Fiona has a silky feel, and has hints of cedar and orange. Myna is more vanilla and sandalwood. Shaking the thought from his mind, he wondered why he was comparing their tastes to trees and scents.

  Pulling his head away from her lovely chest, Sean gently eased Myna back onto the bed. “Give me a minute,” he told her, walking over to the ledge near the window and grabbing the basin and rag. Quickly putting some water in it, he set it aside and peeled off the rest of his clothing. He brought the basin to the bed, giving her a soft smile as he peeled her out of her clothing as well. “A little cleaning before we continue. We’re both covered in road sweat from the last few days.”

  “Anything you wish, Master,” Myna whispered as she watched him with large, luminous eyes.

  Letting the water cool a little so he wouldn’t burn her, he dipped the cloth, wrung out the excess, and then began to run it over Myna’s skin. Myna’s eyes closed as she enjoyed the sensation of Sean cleaning her, knowing he wanted her first time to be special. Her love for him continued growing with each day, but the act of him trying to make this perfect only made it stronger still.

  When he gently lifted her leg, Myna purred as he cleaned her from toes to thigh. Biting her lip, she waited for him to go further, but he switched legs instead, and a small whimper escaped from her.

  “Patience, my pretty kitty,” Sean soothed her, doing to her second leg what he had done to the first. “I’ll get to what you want, do not doubt that. I want it just as much.”

  Shivering, Myna purred as she waited for what he would do next. After a few seconds, when nothing happened, Myna opened her eyes and saw him coming back to her. She was puzzled why he had moved away from the bed, even briefly.

  “Making sure I was clean as well,” Sean told her as he wetted the rag again. “Now, it's time to see just how much you squirm.”

  Getting onto the bed between her legs, Sean continued cleaning her at her thighs, going from leg to leg, slowly moving ever closer to her sex. Myna watched him with excited, yet worried eyes, her lower lip firmly in her teeth. Her eyes rolled up as his hands finally found her sex, and a sweet, mewling moan came from her.

 
; Sean made sure she was clean before he tossed the rag aside and replaced it with his tongue. His first lick made her eyes snap open as she stared down at him between her legs, his mouth over her dripping slit. “Master… no… you shouldn’t…” Myna stammered, her words breaking up as he continued to lick her with long, slow strokes.

  When she stopped protesting, Sean took the time to explore different speeds and areas, judging which Myna preferred by her movements and sounds. He settled into long, slow, powerful licks with a quick flick of his tongue at the top across her clit. Minutes crept by as Sean assaulted her flesh with his tongue, and it dawned on him that he should be feeling an ache in his jaw from the time he spent pleasuring her, but he didn’t. He was glad, though, because Myna’s mewls and moans were growing louder and her hips were starting to buck up to meet his tongue.