Soulbound

by Archer Kay Leah

  Between them, Arieve panted and whined. By the time Tash realized Mayr's intent, Mayr had eased Arieve forward and down by the shoulder. Arieve smiled and leaned onto Tash, lifting slightly.

  As Mayr breached her second entrance, Arieve's breath hitched. She choked on a sob and broke into a string of curses between staggered mewls. While Mayr pushed deeper, she squirmed and arched into Tash, scraping his chest with her nails.

  Tash gritted his teeth, partially against the shredding of his skin, but mostly to counteract the extra pressure. He felt Mayr as though they shared the same space inside her. Arieve's body contracted and pushed hard, fighting to stretch and accommodate and do something. The tension was an even sweeter torture than earlier.

  "I didn't think you were ready to do this yet—" Tash cursed loudly as Mayr slid in further, almost to his full length. He snapped his head back, every part of him taut as his back bowed from the intensity.

  Mayr's rumble of a laugh was cut off by a moan. He guided Arieve back into him, both hands on her hips. "Nearly there," Mayr said softly, caressing her shoulder. "Bear with us, love. Just a little…" At the same time he gave a final push, Tash joined him.

  Arieve cried and whined, rocking and writhing as Mayr and Tash found a gentle rhythm. She ground against them then froze. One arm wrapped around Mayr's neck, she clawed Tash's thigh and exhaled deeply. "Good now," she whispered.

  Mayr's response was a tender kiss, his flattened hand over her stomach. She laced their fingers together and held tight.

  "We practiced a bit while you were away," Mayr said, his attention back on Tash. A mischievous grin spread across his lips, and he pulled out slightly. "After we got your gifts and really touching letter—" Mayr thrust hard into Arieve, making her scream and buck forward until she slammed into Tash's chest "—we thought we'd give you a gift of our own."

  "Because…" Arieve panted as she pushed up and back. "We missed you."

  Moans overcame words as they moved together, steady even when they quickened their pace. Arieve's body accepted them with growing ease. When Mayr withdrew almost the whole way and rammed into her, Arieve fell forward again. Tash caught her face in his hands.

  "This feels… so good…" Arieve rasped, straining upwards to kiss Tash. She ground against him, her clit a whisper of needy touch.

  Touching her was irresistible. Not touching her was ludicrous.

  Sorry… and so very not sorry. Tash slid his fingers between Arieve's swollen folds and spread her wide.

  Arieve screamed. She clawed his chest hard enough to draw blood. At the same time, Mayr thrust into her.

  Heat exploded around Tash, seeping with wetness. Arieve came once, twice, and again, fierce and tearful. From the desperation on Mayr's face and his trembling, he was close to release.

  I can't… hold… Not anymore—

  His world crashed into a dizzy, screaming existence of blacks and whites and spinning stars. Tash jerked Arieve against him and wrapped his arms around her head, covering her ears as he hollered his release.

  Soon after, Mayr came, yelling and panting and cursing. Arieve complained Tash was suffocating her. Everything else was a blur, woven together and spiraled out, a mess of noise and colour punched out by gaps of silence. They were done for.

  All three collapsed. Arieve sprawled on Tash. Mayr draped over Arieve's back.

  Yeah, it's definitely time for bed. Tash closed his eyes. His thoughts crafted pretty pictures, shifting colours back into place. Hands and arms and flouncing dresses waved in the breeze, decorated with silk ribbons and beaded strands of jewels in every imaginable hue. The noise yielded to silence, drifting into the darkness. Tranquil and beautiful, he floated on a sea of stars, birds singing on the horizon…

  "Tash?" an airy voice called. "Wake up, love."

  Tash groaned in protest and opened one eye. Arieve stood beside the bed, leaning over him.

  "There you are." Arieve brushed hair from his cheek. "We're going to finish washing and we'll join you. You seem to be having such a lovely dream."

  Tash frowned as she walked away. Dream? Had he fallen asleep? He had closed his eyes for only a moment…

  A moment long enough to clean him of come and blood, he realized. He lay under the blankets, more relaxed than he had been for days.

  Tash closed his eyes again and listened to Mayr and Arieve talk quietly. Once they crawled into bed, they fell around him. Mayr and his calming warmth curved into Tash from behind, one arm around Tash's waist. Arieve lay in Tash's arms, facing him, her playful energy bundled up inside. Their legs and feet shifted over one another, finding a strange but comfortable position.

  With a sigh, Tash sank into their embrace. Ignoring everything he wanted to say, he surrendered to bliss.

  *~*~*

  Waking to the painful sounds of someone retching was far from what Tash had hoped for the next morning.

  He forced his eyes open, groggily meeting the soft light of day. Across the room, Arieve was on her knees, bent over the same bucket Mayr used for his own bouts of illness. Mayr hovered beside her with words of comfort, holding her hair away from her face.

  Not much for me to do. He's already got it handled. Tash rolled onto his back, his thoughts scrambled. He remembered falling asleep, but nothing in the way of dreams. Hopeful that Arieve and Mayr would return, he remained still and watched them.

  "Sorry," Arieve said hoarsely. "I think it's over now." She stood and swayed into Mayr's arms. "Ugh, I swear I'm not usually this much work."

  "It's fine, promise," Mayr assured her. He retrieved a towel from the table and wet it in the washing bowl. After wiping her hands and face, he dabbed her lips. "You're not work, not even a little. You're perfect."

  Mayr threw the towel onto the table and grabbed Arieve's hand. They crossed the room to the black chairs near the window, blue-green light playing over their nakedness. Before she could speak, Mayr snatched up the grey wool blanket from one chair and wrapped it around her. Under the folds of heavy fabric, Arieve stood covered from shoulder to floor, snorting back a laugh.

  When Mayr swept her up into his arms and fell into the furthest chair, she squeaked and struggled to get free. "Mayr!"

  "You're fine. See?" Mayr leaned back and settled her in his lap, draping her legs over the arm of the chair. Tash waited for Mayr to laugh and joke.

  There were no jokes. Mayr was solemn and quiet, his gaze on the floor. He cradled Arieve in both arms and rocked gently. Without further complaint, she curled into him, her head on his shoulder, one of her freed hands around his neck. They were a heartwarming image of trust and familiarity.

  We're good together, all three of us. With him, I feel complete, but with both of them… It transcends words. It's like tasting divinity.

  As though he had spoken the words, Arieve's glance caught his. She cast him a weak smile and a small wave. Tash returned her smile and waved back.

  "Sorry." Arieve cleared her throat. "Not the best thing to wake up to. I tried to fight it, but it all just… ugh."

  "Stop apologizing." Mayr kissed her forehead. "We'll take care of you. We're good at it, I think. Sort of. Maybe?"

  Tash slipped out of the bed and hurried across the cold floor to join them. "He's right. You are no burden," he insisted, pressing the back of his hand to her lukewarm forehead. Whatever ailed her was not due to fever. "You grace our lives, gentle one." His lips replaced his hand on her forehead, trailing light kisses along her hairline. "You're nothing less than wonderful."

  "You're much too agreeable in the morning," Arieve mumbled as he kneeled. She clasped his hand and turned his arm upwards. Her calloused fingertips traveled up his forearm, tracing and skipping over scars.

  Tash held his breath. No matter what she had said, what she truly thought…

  His heart raced while she kissed a path over his wrist, never once stumbling across the damage.

  "There are things going around," Arieve said. "I'm pretty sure I've caught one of them." She tucked Tash's hand i
nto her chest, then led Mayr's hand to his and laced her fingers with theirs. "I feel achy and disgusting—and not from last night. That was amazing. This is probably whatever Cook had. Or what you've had," she added, glancing at Mayr.

  Mayr's expression darkened. "No, I'm pretty sure it's not what I have. If it's contagious, we have bigger problems."

  Awkward silence fell between them. Once more, Mayr kept secrets, too stubborn to let Tash in.

  Not that I'm one to talk, Tash realized soberly. I'm doing the same thing. I want to tell them both what I learned about the Shar and how I feel, but I can't. I don't want to ruin this.

  "It's not a surprise," Arieve said, breaking the tension. "I get sick every winter. This is the same old thing." She sighed and pushed out of Mayr's arms. His grasp followed her, fumbling to pull her back. "I'm going to go home and get a long bath, then start up a cauldron of broth and drown in steeped everything." Paused next to Tash, she held the blanket around her. "It always gets worse, so I'll probably stay home for a few days. That means I won't be here with you," she said with a pout. "I don't want to make either of you sick."

  "I don't mind," Mayr argued. When she tossed the blanket over the second chair and retrieved her clothes, he slumped forward, his doleful gaze clouded with disappointment.

  Guided by heart alone, Tash held Mayr's face in his hands and offered a tender kiss. Beneath his touch, Mayr relaxed and returned Tash's restrained passion. On their parting, Mayr's eyes were clear with relief. He stole a second kiss, even as Arieve stood beside them, fully dressed.

  "I'll come back. Just give me some time," Arieve said, drawing her hand through Mayr's hair. "And I should probably tell you, since you're both here: Coye's decided to stick around. What you said… it shook her up. She's willing to stay, to work at it. She'll also be escorting me to your wedding. This is your two-month warning to play nice."

  "Great," Mayr grumbled. "I'll try my best."

  "You'd better. I know what your best looks like—absolutely breathtaking." Arieve kissed their foreheads before walking away. "I'll heal up quick," she said, opening the door. "Once I'm better, we'll get right back to it. I won't ever run away, not after waiting all this time."

  With a quiet "I love you," she was gone.

  Mayr sighed. "I wish she could stay forever, even when she needs the space. If only she had a room here, some place she can go that isn't Orae's."

  Tash shifted on his knees and rose up between Mayr's legs. "We can always ask her," he said, resting his arms on Mayr's thighs. "I wouldn't object."

  "You're too good for me," Mayr murmured, his lips gliding over Tash's. Their kiss deepened in an instant, urged by muffled moans as Tash caressed Mayr's hips. Mayr shivered and raked his nails across Tash's shoulders, his legs wrapped around Tash's back.

  "The bed," Tash whispered, coaxing Mayr forward by the elbows. "Need to be in you…"

  The words faded on his tongue. Out of the corner of his eye, something stole his attention: bright white where none had been earlier.

  Pinning Mayr to the chair, Tash glanced at the table. A small box sat on the edge, white as snow with silver gilding, glimmering as though sprinkled with crushed jewels.

  Tash froze, paralyzed by the icy chill surging down his spine.

  "What's wrong?" Mayr turned and blanched. "Where did that come from?"

  "I don't know."

  "You think—?"

  "I don't know."

  "We should probably—" Mayr was out of the chair and dragging Tash along before Tash could reply. They stopped beside the table, gazes locked on the box. No longer than their forearms and almost as wide, the metal box was beautifully crafted, every corner rounded. Engraved on each side were the swirls and vine-like markings of Emeraliss, accompanied by silver-streaked feathers in the corners and colourless crystal flowers on the lid. "Do we…?"

  "I would think so. I don't think it's meant to be stared at."

  "Ha, funny." Hesitant, Mayr reached for the box. "If I lose my arm, it's your fault." Holding the box in both hands, he pressed on the seam of the lid.

  A puff of crystalline cloud burst out of the box and dissipated. The gust passed over Tash and Mayr like a feather sweeping across the skin.

  Inside the box, two bracelets lay within gleaming folds of white silk and glass petals. At Tash's best guess, they were half the length of his bracers and just as thick, forged from the same white metal as the box with a heavier layer of the sparkling dust.

  Tucked between the bracelets and the white down that lined the back of the box was a folded piece of parchment. Woven from threads of glossy silver and radiant gold, the parchment was similar to one they had seen before.

  Mayr plucked the note from the box. "There's only one person… entity… thing I know that uses this." After a ragged breath, he opened the message. The glow of amber ink rose from the parchment. "Wedding wishes," he whispered, tilting the parchment towards Tash, "from Emeraliss." He laid the note in Tash's hand. "Your Goddess is giving us gifts."

  Too numb to move, Tash held his breath. The bracelets were an early wedding gift, the message said, meant to bring them luck.

  You need them now, not later, Emeraliss explained in the same script Tash recognized from countless notes protected by the temple. To enjoy their full effect, put them on, clasp hands, and kiss. Her name was scrawled across the bottom in gold light and red diamond flourishes.

  Tash nearly choked. Once more they had the attention of a deity—and he had no idea why. Few people received such regard. More than that, gifts were usually reserved for the consorts of the Goddesses, not insignificant servants like him.

  It can't get any more terrifying.

  "We should probably do what it says, shouldn't we?" Mayr asked.

  "That's probably a good idea." Tash laid the parchment on the table. As he accepted a bracelet from Mayr, his hands felt as if they belonged to someone else. They slipped the bands around their right wrists and secured the three silver clasps on the undersides.

  "Something like this?" Mayr suggested. Pressed flush to Tash, Mayr clasped their hands between their chests and interlaced their fingers. The bracelets were warm, soft on the inside as if crafted from fur and not metal. A white glow emanated from where the bands met, its intensity growing the longer they held hands.

  In the blink of an eye, strands of white light burst forth, hot and cold and everything in between. Minute bolts of lightning raced around their hands like narrow ribbons in a summer's gale. Spasms skittered through Tash, shocking his nerves.

  Tash claimed their kiss with full force, scared to question what was happening.

  Magic slammed into him, around him, through him. It ripped his insides apart and rammed them back together. His thoughts shattered, whisked away by a thousand voiceless questions. He was nothing and everything, the emotions of entire lifetimes shoved into him until he exploded. Nowhere and everywhere at once, he was liquid soul, squeezing through the voids between worlds, screaming Mayr's name in a never-ending chase.

  He moaned, sobbed, wept into the kiss. Touch faded, taking Mayr's lips with it, his hands gone.

  Hurled into a blackness so starved of life he choked for air, Tash clawed and scratched, desperation thrown back as if it had hit a mirror. His heart throbbed, convulsed, deflated. It sank into itself, robbing him of life and identity until all that remained was death…

  Sucking in the darkness, his heart pulsed back to life, hammering fast, beyond the simple beats of drums and breaths and time. The stuff souls were made of.

  Threads of white light spun webs sticky with purpose. In a flash, he was blind.

  From the depths, a second heartbeat drummed in harmony with his, filling his ears and vibrating his skin, stitching together the shreds of his being. Every beat was a word and every word a feeling. Joy. Sorrow. Uncertainty. Determination.

  And love. Above all others, the lightest feeling was love. Not his love, which pounded in his chest, bashing his breastbone. No, it was not his love shocking
his spirit. It was Mayr's.

  The name screeched through Tash's mind, echoed in a hundred pitches like a chorus of screams. Truth bombarded him with memory: their first touch, their first kiss. The first time they made love and destroyed the barriers between them. Beneath it all, his feelings floated on a calm of recognition. He felt Mayr's emotions seep into his, becoming one. Somewhere between horrified and stunned, he was safe.

  His calm wavered. Panic butted against the song playing between him and Mayr, souring the sweetness with sharp cries and flat effort. The heaviness pushed down, clawing apart their safe space. In the shadows, despair danced on fear's feet, taunting the rhythm, always two beats off.

  This is what it is to be bound, a familiar voice told Tash. To dance and sing and live in tune, fighting against all odds. Pitched high and light, Emeraliss's voice was femininity balanced by a soulful, masculine undertone, graced with a peculiar lilt. Her voice was more than sound: it was a presence, a connection felt more than heard. It was the resonance of the heavens crashing down.

  Tash could not speak, only feel.

  You are soulbound in the truest of ways, your link crafted by my own hands. Of this you can be certain, for now and always, Emeraliss continued. This is my gift to you in this lifetime: a chance to feel how closely tied you truly are. Your chance to touch what is most sacred in its rawest, most intense form.

  Emeraliss appeared beside him, a whisper of cool air and amber light devoid of discernable form. These bracelets are connected only to the two of you. Through them, you shall know the strength of your connection, translating spirit into sensation and imprinting two lives within the same self. Such are the bonds that hold your souls together, too fragile to be seen, too strong to ignore. Reaching into the nothingness around them, Emeraliss moved as though She plucked the strings of a harp.

  A harp that played love at the price of every breath he took.