Soulbound

by Archer Kay Leah

  She hesitated before slipping her hands into his. He led her to Mayr's side.

  "Wait here," Tash instructed. From the table, he retrieved the salt dish and a pitcher of water. Once he rejoined Mayr and Arieve, he placed the pitcher on the floor. Emeraliss, please let this work.

  Salt dish in hand, Tash walked around Mayr, Arieve, and the place he would stand. "Goddesses of all that we hold sacred, hear my call," he murmured, casting salt down in a circle. "Bless us with the grace to love and learn. Give us the strength to rise from our past and courage to forge the future. Lend us the wisdom to overcome fear and find reason beyond what we see or touch. Bless this, our sacred space, a place to dream and hope and speak without words."

  With a last pinch of salt, he closed the circle and laid the dish on the floor outside the barrier. He took the pitcher and went around again, flicking water above the salt. "Emeraliss, most radiant of hearts," he whispered, "let us see each other in all ways. Help us weave the threads of desire and joy, snagging not on our worries but building from what lifts us high. Give our deepest selves the wings to soar and valour to make the journey."

  Closing the second circle, Tash set the pitcher down directly across from the salt. "Here we begin with balance, grounded by the earth, in flux as the water." Tash smoothed his robes before draping his veil around his shoulders. "Let our words flow and give comfort in this space—our space. No other may enter. What happens here leaves with us, and may it continue to grow as a flower that has found both root and sun." He took his place in front of Mayr and Arieve then clasped one hand of both. "I'll try to limit how much priest I talk," he said, glimpsing Mayr's confused expression, "but this is how I can say what I need you to know. I'm fine with this, what we're doing, and you can be, too."

  The instant Arieve looked ready to protest, Tash squeezed her fingers. "You have my blessing to touch and taste, to be together and find what you could've had," he assured her. "I'm thankful to be involved, not cursing what exists. You’re both dancing around it with so much care it's excruciating." Tash lifted Mayr's hand to his lips for a quick kiss. "It's sweet but painful."

  "Yeah, but you've got a sweet tooth," Mayr argued.

  "So stop stalling and I'll put it to good use." Tash lowered their hands. "I've cast this circle so we may state our intentions, shed ourselves of doubt, and take strength from each other. We will give ourselves permission to release our inhibitions. I'll start."

  A deep breath settled Tash's nerves while he grasped Mayr's hands and caressed the underside of Mayr's wrists, aware of Arieve as she wrung her fingers. "Mayr, I love you, stubbornly and without apology. You will always have me, come life, death, and every moment between. I cherish the love you give in return. This is our truth, our peace of mind." Tash eased Mayr forward, his fingers creeping up Mayr's arms in circles. "What we do tonight and afterward is a reflection of our feelings. It isn't running away but running towards something we can share. It isn't a suggestion that we don’t love each other but a sign that we love so deeply we'll do anything to be happy together."

  Tash pulled Mayr close. "It's all right to care for her," Tash whispered. "Showing her love doesn't mean I feel your love any less. It doesn't mean you have less to give me—it means you have more to give her. You have so much to offer. Let me help you do that."

  He sealed his declaration with a kiss, drawn-out and tender, until Mayr coaxed him deeper. By the time they parted, both were at the mercy of laboured breaths and a crushing hold.

  Despite the fierce desire in Mayr's eyes, Tash guided him back and took Arieve's hands. He stroked her fingers, his touch sweeping across her trembling palms and wrists. "Arieve, I welcome you into the home our hearts have built. We have called you friend, and now we shall call you lover. You shall be part of us howsoever it pleases you." Tash planted a kiss in each of her palms. "I promise to respect you and honour what you offer. Your place in our life shall be sacred, tended and protected. When you speak, I will listen. Whatever your needs, I will seek to make you happy. I swear you will be cared for."

  The kiss he brushed across Arieve's lips was met with surprise, her body rigid. As he clutched her hands to his chest, her lips opened cautiously to accept him. Arieve moved into him, trading gentle push for coaxing pull. Their kiss was chaste but warm. She withdrew first, slow to release his lips and hands.

  A subtle glint in her eyes suggested something new was finding its way between them. She smiled and dipped her head. Hopeful, Tash looked to Mayr. "Your turn."

  Mayr swallowed uneasily and rocked on his heels, hands clasped behind his back. The yearning on his face diminished, hidden behind a mask of alarm. "Yeah, I can't even begin to match that."

  "You don't have to," Tash argued. "This is about honesty, not judgment."

  "Honesty," Mayr muttered. A long moment passed until he took Tash's hands. "I honestly don't know what to say except this: come the end of the world, I will be here for you." His gaze steadied on Tash's. "I don't want to be anywhere else. I've been there and I hate it, but you've made love worth living again. You make it feel so good it hurts to breathe." He gestured to the three of them. "Whatever comes of this, I'll do right by you. Goddesses strike me dead if I don't. I'll deserve it."

  Mayr claimed Tash's lips with unbridled vigour. Tash stumbled, taken by the force of it, until Mayr jerked him forward, answering Tash's moan of approval with his own. Cupping Mayr's smooth cheek, Tash drove the kiss further, wanting Mayr's tongue on more than just his mouth.

  "Pace yourself." Mayr laughed lightly against Tash's lips. "This is only the beginning."

  "And I've got a plan for where it'll end." Tash nipped Mayr's jaw. "Stop making Arieve wait."

  "As if I haven't had help." Mayr turned to Arieve, his smile apologetic. He fumbled as he clenched her hands to his chest. "I'll do right by you too, Arieve. I've waited so long for this. Whenever someone digs their way this deep into your heart, it's impossible to completely walk away. A part always lingers. A wish always hangs around." Mayr stroked her cheek. "For years I've thought of you in all the ways I shouldn't. You've had my love since we were kids, but I couldn't get things right. I couldn't tie you to me when I felt so low. I wanted you to have more—everything you deserve. Now, even when I can give you what you want, I worry I'll mess it up. I promise I'll try not to. I'll do what I should've done before." He glanced at Tash. "No more holding back."

  A silent question hung in the air but vanished the moment Mayr leaned down to kiss Arieve. Both hesitated, their arms appearing to be frozen in place.

  Once they embraced, their misgivings seemed to melt away. Arieve relaxed, clutching Mayr's shirt in one fist as she kissed him full on the lips. Mayr's mouth chased after Arieve's, his eyes opening to peer at Tash as though ensuring he was still there.

  Tash smirked and drew his fingertips across his lips. Inside, part of him sighed, satisfied with their progress. Another part of him wanted to touch the places where Mayr and Arieve's bodies met, to take in their heat and meld it into his own, becoming part of them.

  It was the most intimate parts of him that tested his patience, demanding wet warmth and the flood of pleasure. He craved the first touches. He cherished the journey from the new and unknown to the clarity of sureness. Above all else, Tash treasured the precious moments when Mayr reverted to how he was their first night together: vulnerable with fragile trust and the need to be steadied on a new path, everything that had prompted Tash to protect Mayr.

  I'll always take care of you. Even if this falls apart, I'll still be here, for both of you.

  Arieve parted from Mayr, swaying until he rubbed her shoulders. "I guess that leaves me," she said.

  "Take your time," Tash said.

  "Huh, time. Funny that." Arieve's gaze darted back and forth over the floor at her feet. "I've had so much time, and such rough bouts of it." She peered at Mayr. "But this… this is time coming back around. We'll never know what could've been, but now we can figure out new things. Maybe this is how it was su
pposed to be." Her hands were steady as they wrapped around Mayr's. "You weren't the only one avoiding us. I denied my feelings, keeping you as a friend when I wanted something different. I stole time—I waited for when your heart was broken and took what I could, wishing you'd love me the way I do you. I used to dream of you leaving your lovers so I could finally tell you what I felt, but when the time came, I didn't do anything. I hid behind my own lovers." Arieve kissed his fists. "No more hiding. I'm in this. I've called you family, but I want you to really be family."

  There was no mistaking the heated way Arieve kissed Mayr, or how she grappled to pull him closer than they could physically be.

  Passion and confidence burned in her gaze as she turned to Tash. "Thank you for giving us this," she said, gripping his hands. "I've envied you for having him. I've admired your grace and compassion. Now you're sharing them with me. I will care for you as you do me." Arieve held Tash's hand to her cheek. "I will take your kindness and give it back four-fold. Any child would be incredibly blessed to have you as their father."

  Tash swallowed and choked. She had no idea how untrue that was.

  He flushed as she kissed him, her desire strong and in control. Instead of refuting her words, he let her explore him with the gentle thrust of her tongue. Arieve's hands traveled down his chest with the warmth he lusted for. Her corset shifted beneath his hands, focusing his attention on the body beneath. Since first meeting Mayr, he had not touched a woman so intimately. Even then, he remembered how good it felt—and how gorgeous Mayr looked with a naked woman in his arms, both of them coming hard and quick.

  Pushing Arieve back, Tash cleared his throat. "I believe we've achieved what we needed." He took her hand, then Mayr's, and kissed their fingers. "We have declared our intentions and sealed them with affection. Blessed be love, the greatest of gifts."

  "Blessed be," Mayr and Arieve intoned.

  Tash dragged his boot through the salt, breaking the circle. "The sacred space is now once more part of the whole." He led Mayr and Arieve over the barrier. "We should get back to dinner. I noticed someone made an effort at dessert."

  "Ha. Someone." Mayr snorted and wrapped his arm around Arieve's waist. "I suppose he expects that same someone to suck his cock later. Wonder if he'll remember their name then?"

  Arieve laughed, sending ripples of relief through Tash. "To be fair, there are two someones now. Unless he gets us mixed up?"

  "I very much doubt that." Tash waited for Arieve to sit before he leaned down to murmur in her ear. "But you'll have to suck my cock first."

  Her mouth dropped open. She faced him, catching his lips on hers. "Why, your priestliness, that's the crudest thing I've ever heard you say." Arieve nipped his bottom lip. "I like it."

  "He's got plenty more." Mayr reclaimed his seat and tipped back, grinning as he locked his hands behind his head. "He saves it for the bedroom, where it does all the best damage." He winked at Tash. "The real fun will be seeing who screams first."

  "And the loudest," Arieve added. "I'll bet it's you, Mayr. I'll even put a wager on it—unless you don't enjoy the pressure of a little friendly competition?"

  Mayr laughed. "I love friendly competition. I love the pressure even more."

  "So we'll put it to the test? You, me, half a day's wages?" Arieve looked at Tash. "Would you like to get in on this?"

  "Priests are discouraged from gambling," Tash answered, coiling strands of her hair around his fingers. "Besides, it would be unfair. I've learned Mayr's body but not yours. Perhaps you'll teach it to me tonight?"

  The glow in Arieve's silent reply was every answer in one perfect glance.

  *~*~*

  However stilted the dinner began, its end came with suggestive murmurs and lascivious gazes. Desire played a careful game of chase-and-catch, where even the simple act of clearing the table was spirited with expectation. A comfortable quiet fell as Mayr took the last of the dishes to the kitchen, leaving Tash with Arieve.

  In an instant, she was in Tash's lap, arms around his neck. Her mouth distracted his, their unspoken words tangled together, trapped between the intent of their meal and the seduction of primal urge. Unabashed and persistent, she drew more than one moan from him, grinding hard on his aching cock. For a long moment, he almost believed she wanted him as much as she did Mayr.

  That was a fool's wish, lost among the shadows laughing in his mind. Her heart was in Mayr's hands, with Tash to bear witness. They were not equals in her affection.

  Still, however he failed in comparison, he would make up for it in touch and whisper. He had once admitted to Mayr that love was the quickest way to kill him and sex was his strength. Arieve would reap the benefit of what Tash knew of pleasure, even if she never wanted him for anything else.

  "Such good thinking, what you did," Arieve muttered between kisses. Her hands crept beneath his veil and around his neck. "I was sure I was getting it all wrong." As his fingers slid beneath her bodice and rested on the small of her back, she groaned. "Thanks for saving me. Us."

  "Whatever I can do to make it easier," Tash said softly. "I'll always—"

  A knock on the door startled them both. They jolted apart. Arieve was quick to catch herself before she slipped off his knees.

  Metal clinked as the person walked away.

  "Merely a guard." Tash offered her a mischievous smile. "Apparently the second part of our evening is ready."

  "Dare I ask?"

  "You could, but seeing it will be better."

  Worrying her lip, Arieve brushed her fingertips across his mouth. "I don't how to do this, not with the three of us," she whispered. "I have ideas, but that's all. It's difficult enough to share a bed with someone new, but being with two friends is worse. There's too much to lose, too many things I shouldn't do. For all I know, I'll make it horrible. So if I make a fool of myself, forgive me?"

  With a restrained sigh, Tash pressed his forehead to hers. Mayr and Arieve were more similar than they realized. "Mayr and I are here for you, however you need. Don't let the fear of inadequacy deter you." Tash caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "You are more than enough. The rest will follow if you relax and let yourself experience it. I promise you're not alone: I've held Mayr through his struggles in confidence and my own. If you place your fears in our hands, we'll care for them like they're ours." He cupped her jaws. "There isn't a right or wrong way. We'll find what works for us."

  Arieve sank into his touch, rubbing her cheek into his palm. "No wonder he chose you. You know how to suck the pain right out of it."

  The twisted, gutting burn in his heart disagreed, reminding him of a hundred bad decisions he had made. Decisions that had caused a dozen types of pain he could never take back.

  In words meant to praise him, she dealt him an agonizing blow. He prayed she would never fall victim to his selfish choices and careless mistakes.

  Just as he pieced together a reply, the door opened and Mayr slipped into the room. "Here I thought you'd be naked." His roguish grin eased a portion of Tash's miseries. "Not that I'm complaining. I'd like to be the one taking everything off." He held out his hand. "Shall we?"

  Thankful for the rescue, Tash helped Arieve up as he stood. She curled her arm around his and accepted Mayr's hand. They led her from the room, their steps echoing in the empty hallway. Every other torch had been lit, casting long shadows into the corridor, though the light brightened as they neared the main staircase. Before dinner, a single torch had lit the foyer, with both the stairs and the floor cleared.

  Now, ice-blue petals littered the floor and steps, scattered among vibrant mauve petals on a path up the staircase. Thick white candles sat on either end of every fourth step, their light replacing that of the torch. All else was dark and silent, a flickering picture of serenity.

  Arieve faltered at the base of the stairs, her eyes wide. "You're pulling everything out, aren't you?"

  "Give or take a few tricks," Mayr murmured, nuzzling her ear.

  "You remember I approa
ched you, right? You don't have to woo the one who started the wooing." Arieve caught Mayr's lips in a brief kiss. "This is sweet, really, and beautiful. No one's ever done this for me. Thank you."

  Taking their hands in hers, she followed Mayr and Tash up the stairs. The corridor at the top was unlit, though a shadow appeared to rush across the opposite end.

  Once inside their bedroom, Arieve paused and muttered a curse. Warm light greeted them, emanating from the dozens of white candles placed around the room. The heady fragrances of honey and spice scented the air, their entwined essences a silent call to temptation. The bed looked perfect, smooth with layers of black sheets and pillows under rich mauve blankets. Glass vials containing various oils sat on both bedside tables, their contents golden in the candlelight. Ice-blue petals lay around the bed and chest at the end.

  "If we're to offer you commitment," Tash said, closing the door, "we thought we'd start with the clearest of intentions."

  "Plus I'm a perfectionist," Mayr added. Stopped between the bed and the door, he drew Arieve into his arms. "But you already know that."

  "Since you were fifteen. You're worse than our mothers combined." Arieve nipped Mayr's chin playfully, one hand curled around his neck. "Maybe we'll balance each other out," she said, bringing his lips to hers.

  The calm burst into a scream for more. Through every small movement of Arieve's body, Tash all but felt her surrender: the diminishing tension while she held Mayr and teased him with slow strokes, her relaxed slump into Mayr's embrace as she tilted her head to better taste him. She curved into Mayr as if they melted in the fire of memory and want, molding her to him.

  Tash knew the feeling well: the need to clutch what was and lose himself in what could be, giving up everything just to have something. Every intimate moment with Mayr reduced him to that terrifying state, his control torn asunder. Moments when he was so vulnerable, one word could shatter him and a single glance could turn his world inside out.

  Like the lustful look Mayr cast him right then, threatening to bring Tash to his knees. A confirmation. An assurance. A promise.