Echoes of Her Soul

by Serena Lindahl

  Ian sighed again, weariness clear upon his face. "I know already of one adverse effect. I am the one most likely to leave the city considering my occupation, but I ask each of you to think about leaving Treleaven. Think about leaving without Kiarra."

  Clay frowned in confusion but followed Ian's instructions. He imagined going home to Sheldrake Port to visit his mother, and an immediate stab of pain pierced his gut. A groan from Seb and grimaces upon the faces of Mason and Reed told him they experienced similar symptoms.

  "We need to stay close to her," Reed said finally, his voice pained.

  "Aye. I'm not certain if this is a permanent effect, it may only be until the bond is completely formed. I once heard the bond described as a sentient entity. It worries and cares about its other half, or in this case, other mates. When it fears its mate is leaving or faces danger, the result is physical pain. Our girl experienced a preemptive attack of the same nature when I mentioned seeking Everett yesterday morning. I imagine it hurts her more than us."

  Seb screwed his face up. "You suppose we'll grow tired of each other after a while?"

  Clay guessed the Planner meant his question as a joke, but he answered it seriously. "It is a possibility," he admitted. "But the palace is massive. I doubt retreating to the other end of the courtyard will cause any physical pain but still lend space."

  "Speaking of the palace," Mason interjected, "we should tie up a couple loose ends. First, we should consider family members who can be used against us. Whether it's our own King, the Crown Prince, Baldony, or Acclesh, we have enemies. We need to ensure they can't blackmail Kiarra or us through the people we love."

  "I'll talk to the Planning Advisor," Seb said immediately. "He can manage the logistics of moving our families into the palace. Our parents may not want to," he said slowly, glancing at Reed.

  "And my mother will never leave Sheldrake Port, but they should be aware of the danger." Seb and Reed nodded simultaneously, their expressions concerned.

  "The other loose thread, more likely an asset in our favor, is Kiarra's brother. We should request an audience with the Soul Tender. I'm certain Rowan foresaw our relationship before I brought him to the North Tower. He told me to take care of his sister. His words conveyed a deeper meaning, and he targeted me specifically. Rowan could possess insight he might not trust to the King."

  The men nodded. Not only would it give them information, but Kiarra would love to visit her brother. Clay couldn't imagine a better gift. Reed automatically threw his intellect toward the logistics. "I'm not certain who to ask about visiting Rowan, not if we want to keep the King out of the loop."

  "Let me speak with the Information Advisor," Ian said wearily. "I think we should consider revealing everything we've learned to him. I've been acquainted with him for years, and his allegiance is to the Kingdom of Megreria, not the rulers. If we need help with Kiarra, he is the first, and only, person I would rely upon outside of this room."

  Nervousness trickled through the air. Clay shared the mingled apprehension. He didn't want to entrust Kiarra's life to anyone, but they couldn't accomplish their goals entirely on their own. They were five young men and a woman. Besides living in the palace, they didn't possess clout or resources.

  "If you believe that is what we should do, I will agree. But we trust no one else with the contents of the book," Reed said firmly. "And you should ask Kiarra before you divulge secrets. They are essentially her history."

  Ian nodded. The men formed a pact that Advisor Carson was the only individual they would entrust with the details of the journal. Clay hoped they wouldn't regret confiding in him. He found, however, as he searched within himself, that he trusted the men in this room without question. The bond might not have opened their inner selves to each other, but it had created a connection of its own. A common purpose firmly united them. They would protect the woman sleeping in the adjacent room from anything or anyone.

  Chapter 17

  Ian

  The bond was strengthening already. Ian could feel Kiarra sleeping; he sensed the moment she began to dream. The deep conviction which filled him when he questioned whether they could trust his Advisor was stronger and more specific than any feeling he'd ever experienced. He was eager to explore the city and test the effects of their merging, curious whether the bond had enhanced the skills of his House. He suspected it had. Kiarra said the men in Baldony complained because the women received all the power, but he didn't believe the exchange of energy was one-sided. The abilities already grew within him.

  The men lounged around the sitting room, sharing a collective reluctance to retreat to their rooms. Exhaustion pulled at Ian, but the idea of a door separating him from Kiarra felt wrong. He wondered how long this unrelenting need to be close to her would last.

  They wouldn't all fit in the same bed, and he suspected at least two of them wouldn't be comfortable with the arrangement. Reed's and Mason's reserve during the group sex hadn't gone unnoticed. The shared activity and stimulating sights had aroused Ian far more than anything he'd ever experienced or imagined, though. His penchant for voyeurism, his Saint given gift, expressed itself in the bedroom as well. If the bond had permitted him to orgasm outside of Kiarra's body, he would have climaxed several times throughout the night.

  He hadn't pictured a ménage for his first time with Kiarra, but it had been perfection. She was perfection. Her need hadn't been influenced or enhanced by the bond. She was a passionate woman, and he believed she would be insatiable once their connections settled. She might not be able to take them all on the same night again, but she would find a way to make sure they all reached satisfaction. Either the spell or the magic of the bond had alleviated her discomfort. She had been so tight, only a little supernatural intervention permitted them all to be inside her sequentially without causing her pain.

  Several minutes of silence passed before Seb cleared his throat. "Does anyone else not want to sleep in their own room or is it just me?"

  Clay shrugged. Ian examined the Merchant. He had worried Clay's limited mobility would hamper his participation during the evening, but he had seemed to enjoy every second. He hadn't shied away from examining their male bodies, either. Ian's cock twitched. From the first time he'd seen the Merchant, he'd considered him attractive. He liked the man's rugged handsomeness and honest nature. Clay's openness could be attributed to being raised in a brothel, or he might have a desire for men. If he tolerated being intimate with another man, Ian could imagine several positions he'd like to try with Kiarra and the Merchant.

  He pushed the fantasies aside. Completing the bond with Kiarra needed to be his first priority. Then, he would think about playing more, if any of the men were willing. Reed and Mason weren't likely candidates. Seb was an unknown. The Planner liked his sex rough; probably rougher than he had indulged in this evening. Although Seb might not act the same with a male partner, Ian's past wouldn't permit another man to exert control over him, in or out of the bedroom.

  "I imagine our reluctance is because the bond is still settling," the Merchant theorized. He yawned, starting a chain reaction around the room.

  Reed ran a hand through his messy hair. Ian wondered how he didn't go bald with all the times he pulled on the strands. "We can relocate a couple mattresses into her room until she wakes. She won't mind. Two of us will fit on her bed." For Reed to suggest this considering he remained slightly uncomfortable around them transmitted his need to be near Kiarra. Ian approved of the idea. They wouldn't sleep if they were all in their individual rooms. He motioned to Mason who rose gracefully.

  "We'll bring three beds in, and two of us can take either side of her," he said aloud. No one argued. He and Mason crept through Kiarra's room, both of them compelled to stop and stare down at her calm face for a moment. The bed frames wouldn't fit through the door but the mattresses would. The hard pallets weren't much of an upgrade from the stone floor, but they'd be warmer.

  "Do you think she's all right?" Mason asked quietly. His frie
nd's mind centered on their match's well-being, as always.

  "You feel her within you as certainly as I do, right, brother?" Ian made a fist over the center of his chest.

  Mason nodded. "Yes, I just worry. She was a virgin, and we attacked her like rabid animals."

  Mason had experienced Kiarra's desire as keenly as the rest of them, but his nurturing side begged for reassurance. "The spell and the bond were upon her, pushing her. Regardless, Kiarra is a passionate woman. She would have enjoyed it even if the bond wasn't being so insistent. She needed the assistance it offered in easing her body, but I don't believe it enhanced her desire."

  Mason quieted, his mind somewhat eased. Ian felt when the others experienced an intense emotion, but not as clearly as he felt Kiarra's mental state. Lust, agitation, anger, and fear transmitted evenly across the connection. He wagered the moments of shared emotion would overwhelm Kiarra when they occurred. Although he worried about his woman, Ian found the prospect amazing. He had never considered building a bond with mates of his true match. Then again, he'd never imagined his match might possess other mates.

  They hefted another mattress. Mason nearly threw the heavy pallet into the air when he lifted it up. Ian cocked an eyebrow at the Soldier. "Are you feeling stronger?"

  Mason frowned as he evaluated his body. "Yes, I guess I am."

  "I feel different as well. The bond is manifesting within us the same as within her. We'll also need rest to solidify the changes. With all of us in the same room, we will be safe."

  They quieted as they placed the three mattresses on the floor. The other men alternated between helping and using their bathrooms, but their muscles slunk with weariness. The bond affected them as well.

  Kiarra still slept soundly, having barely moved an inch. When the beds were ready, the men drug their bodies into the room. Clay approached Kiarra's bed, and no one stopped him. He would have difficulty maneuvering on and off the floor. The rest of the men contemplated the spot on the other side of Kiarra as Clay stripped off his shirt and lay down next to her. He placed his crutches against the wall beside the bed.

  Ian glanced at the three others. He shrugged and settled on the mattress closest to the sitting room door. "I've already had a night with her, so it wouldn't be fair for me to claim the spot."

  Reed claimed one of the other mattresses, the one nearest to the bed. "I sleep too soundly and I move a lot. I'm worried I'll wake her."

  Seb and Mason shared a glance. Mason relented, motioning Seb towards the bed. "Your turn, Planner. I'm used to sleeping on the hard ground."

  Seb didn't hide his triumphant smile. He stripped to his shorts and slid into bed on the other side of Kiarra. They settled quickly, all of them accustomed to rooming with others. Few citizens maintained a single room in Treleaven; the housing was maximized for efficiency. Additionally, exhaustion beat them into oblivion.

  When Ian woke, the full sun streamed through the high windows. He rose slowly, shaking the cobwebs from his mind. He couldn't recall a sounder sleep. The Planner snored lightly next to Kiarra, who appeared as if she hadn’t moved from the position she had passed out in. The Scholar still slept, his legs hanging off the edge of his mattress. Mason was absent, indicating he'd been awake for some time. The Merchant sat with his back propped against the headboard. One hand held a book while the other idly stroked Kiarra's loose hair.

  Ian rose, used the bathroom in his room, dressed in a fresh set of clothes, and returned to Clay's side of the bed. The Merchant glanced up at Ian, placing a finger between the pages of his book.

  Kiarra appeared healthy; her cheeks were rosy and her breath was even. She glowed like a light inside his chest. He perceived the other men to a small degree, particularly their location in relation to Kiarra. Following the golden cord with the characteristics of the strong, stable Soldier, Ian assumed Mason occupied the sitting room. Ian perched on the side of the bed.

  "How is she?" he asked softly.

  "She hasn't woken at all," Clay confirmed. "She appears to be in a deep, restorative sleep."

  Ian nodded and reached over Clay to push a strand of hair back from her face. Her skin had returned to its normal temperature. The heat he'd encountered when he woke next to her the other morning had dissipated completely. The sensation of her soft flesh against his fingers still sent a tingle through him, and his cock twitched in response. His lips twisted upward. Evidently, his body had recovered quickly.

  Clay watched him, questions in his eyes. Ian wagered he hadn't left the bed since he woke. His broad, muscular chest was still on display under the blanket, and his long hair escaped its hasty braid to fall in gold strands around his face. The Merchant boasted beautiful hair, more appealing than most females. Not Kiarra, of course, but others.

  "Are you feeling...different this morning?" Clay asked hesitantly.

  Ian met the Merchant’s dark green eyes. "This afternoon? Not particularly, but I did last night. When I considered telling my Advisor of Kiarra's secrets, I was overcome with an odd conviction as to his trustworthiness. Mason displayed enhanced strength when we lifted the beds. The changes are beginning to manifest within us."

  Clay nodded. He opened the book in his lap to the page he had been reading. Ian screwed up his face. A jumble of lines, numbers, letters, and the occasional word filled the pages. Although Ian surveyed the mess upside down, he doubted it would be much different turned the proper way.

  "I have been attempting to muddle through this physics text for months. Several times, I stopped because my brain became overwhelmed. This morning, it seems almost easy."

  "Hmmm," Ian mused. "If we are so changed after one night with our match, why did the men of Baldony claim the women stole their power? If they reaped the same benefits as we are, I don't believe they had much reason to complain."

  "I've been thinking the same thing," Clay admitted. "Something is either different with us because of Kiarra, because of our own original abilities, or because the journal didn't tell the true story."

  The difference could be attributed to Kiarra and her matches. She was magnificent in every aspect, and the men around him were no slouches. The King hadn't exaggerated their qualifications. Upon researching Kiarra's suitors, Ian had been amazed at the information he'd found. Their initial testing had placed many of them closer to first-tier than where they actually ended up. However, the Advisors or House Heads nixed their immediate progression, touting necessary experience as well as intelligence. Also, each of their parents had been sanctioned Soul Matches; except for Clay, whose father remained a mystery. The Fates had designed their existence.

  "I believe these changes are just the beginning," Ian murmured. He trailed his thumb along Kiarra's ear one last time. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled her torso closer to Clay. Her lower body pushed up against Seb, his arm curled around her waist. Ian nodded once to the Merchant and went in search of Mason.

  The Soldier was cleaning his sword in the common room. Food covered the table, and Ian shoved a few bites into his mouth before addressing his friend.

  "How are you feeling this morning?"

  Mason shook his arms, his muscles flexing impressively. "Powerful, to be honest. I am curious to spar or practice to gauge the truth, but I don't want to leave Kiarra."

  "Aye, I share the same reluctance. Can I request that you stay until I return? I need to speak with Carson and inquire as to whether Jeff has returned from spying on Everett. I won't divulge her secrets yet, but I want to ask about the visit with her brother and evaluate his opinion on the King. Reed and the Planner are still sleeping. She is vulnerable right now."

  Mason held up a hand, stalling Ian. His dimples flashed. "I'll stay, Ian. I don't think I could leave, anyway, not yet. I am too concerned with her waking up."

  Ian felt the same compulsion, but he wanted to address some matters before she woke. He needed to discover Everett's impending arrival time, for one. He ate a few more bites of food, nodded once to Mason, and slipped from the room. Curious
, he sidled next to the wall and merged with the shadows of the stone edifices, his gray tunic melding with the color of the rock. The guards didn't glance towards him even when he crept close enough to smell the spiced wine on their breath. They were clearly awake and aware as they discussed last night's poker game in quiet voices. Ian intentionally scraped his foot on the floor, and the men stiffened, their eyes rising.

  "Sir," the one named Cyrus greeted. His confused grimace suggested he was trying to determine how the Shadow had approached them without their notice. The other guard wore a similarly disturbed expression. Ian reassured himself they were paying attention; it was his new abilities which allowed him to sneak up on them.

  The knowledge that Mason wouldn't abandon her was the only reason he permitted himself to leave Kiarra's wing while she was still sleeping. If his friend's talents matched Ian's enhancement, no one would be able to get past him and retain their limbs.

  Ian crept through the palace like a ghost. Although the time of day painted the shadows at a minimum, no one noted his passage unless he specifically wanted them to. Ian found the realization both exhilarating and disconcerting. If he possessed this ability, what would stop anyone else from having it? A country populated by citizens of enhanced skills would be impossible to fight. The known kingdoms didn't possess magic in the strict sense. Mishok was rumored to have minor spellcasting capability, and there were several witnesses to their prophecies. If they owned other magic, it remained secret.