Life Bonds (Binding Words Book 2)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Fiona was shaking her head in disbelief when he finished his run. “You’re inhuman,” she told him. “Your joints flexed more than I would think a joint should. You didn’t slow at all, and your turns were right next to the markers.”

  “I want a try,” Myna said as she came over. “I’ve been watching, and I’ll go back to Shaping after I give it a proper run.”

  Fiona nodded. “It might help if I see it run by you. Sean isn’t a good example of how it should go.”

  “You have a point,” Myna said as she settled at the starting point.

  When she finished, Sean was nodding. Her turns were sharper than Fiona’s, but not as sharp as his had been. Fiona confirmed that with her own comments. “Okay, I might be able to match that—one day, at least—but even then, you seem more flexible than I am.”

  “I can show you the exercises my mother started me doing when I was young. I still do them today, just not as often,” Myna said.

  “I’ll come over to where you’re Shaping,” Fiona said. “Sean, I don’t think the course will help you at all. Maybe you should do weapon forms to help you access the Talent in your mind more.”

  Nodding, Sean went and retrieved Dark Cutter from where he had left it next to the fire. “Call it in an hour so we can get some sleep?”

  “Yes,” Fiona said with a smile.

  “Agreed,” Myna added.

  Chapter Six

  Waking with the first light of day, Sean wondered dreamily how he had come to this moment. A firm pair of breasts were pressed into his back, while a firm ass was pressed against his groin. When he realized it wasn’t a dream, he took a deep breath and tried to calm his morning wood. Sean closed his eyes and hoped that would help him focus.

  He missed seeing Myna’s ears twitch from his deep breath and her eyes coming open. Feeling him pressing into her bottom, she purred contentedly as she subtly shifted her hips.

  Fiona woke too, and wrapped her arm around Sean. Placing a kiss on his neck, she whispered, “Morning, Sean.”

  “Morning,” Sean croaked as he felt the weight of her arm around him and the shift of the taut ass in front of him. “Please let me up.”

  Myna shifted away quickly. “Morning, Sean.” Her tone was quiet, almost meek.

  Fiona let go of him and sat up, looking at Myna with puzzlement. Seeing where Myna was staring, she looked over Sean’s waist and saw the obvious bulge. “I see,” Fiona murmured. “We’ll be back in a minute or two, if you want to start breakfast.”

  Getting up, she corralled Myna and led the Feline Moonbound away. Sean, hearing them walk away, let out a deep breath. Good gods, can you not perv on her in your sleep, Sean? he thought to himself as he got up and went to start tea, hoping that it would help distract him from his pressing issue.

  By the time the two women returned, he was still blushing, but at least he wasn’t standing at attention. Once they were back, he excused himself to go use the woods. When he got back, Fiona and Myna were chatting amiably and had food and drink waiting for him.

  “Thank you both,” Sean said, taking his seat. “Do we have a plan for today?”

  “Besides more walking?” Fiona asked with a light laugh.

  “Besides more walking,” Sean agreed.

  “We practiced Mage Sight all morning yesterday, and it was tiring,” Myna said. “If we wish to learn it as best we can, it is a good thing to practice—it would be more useful on a daily basis than Camo. Once we get to a town, that is.”

  “So, we do Mage Sight in the morning,” Sean said. “In the afternoon, Fiona and I can work on Camo and scouting. We’ll trade off who stays at camp like we have been.”

  “That sounds like a good plan,” Fiona agreed.

  “I concur,” Myna added.

  Once they were done with breakfast, they packed up and started walking further west. A chilly wind began blowing from behind them and light grey clouds started moving in. Sean eyed the clouds with worry, as they didn’t have any rain gear.

  The weather got colder and the wind picked up more as the day went on. When they stopped for lunch, everyone was grateful to have hot tea with the Fawntin jerky. Conversation was minimal during the meal, and as they started walking again.

  “We might want to camp earlier,” Myna said, looking at the now solid grey clouds above them. “Especially if we find something that will shelter us from the weather.”

  “Keep an eye out,” Fiona said as they walked. “If we can find a decently sized tree, we can probably Shape something from it.”

  Another couple of hours dragged by as they kept moving. Myna finally spoke up, “What about those two trees?”

  Fiona looked to where Myna was pointing. “Yes, we can make that work.”

  Heading off course, the trio came to two large trees that grew closer than any others they had seen. Sean looked at them, thinking of how he could craft a shelter from them.

  “Sean, if you will lend me the energy, I can do this,” Fiona said. “Myna, you should watch me with Mage Sight to see what I’m doing.”

  “Okay,” Myna said, going to stand right next to Fiona.

  “I’ll give you as much as you need,” Sean said. He wondered at the cold, though he didn’t feel it as sharply as the other two did.

  Pulling up his own Mage Sight, Sean watched as Fiona cajoled the two trees into a roof, a floor, and walls to block off the wind. Surprised at how much energy she needed, Sean kept giving it to her. Once she was done, he made sure she was still good before he stopped the flow. The moment he shut down the exchange, his knees wobbled.

  “It will be cozy, but it will keep us warm,” Fiona said, smiling as she looked back at Sean and saw him wobble. “Sean?”

  “Haven’t given that much energy since we brought Myna back,” Sean said. “You just crafted a hut out of two living trees.”

  Fiona blinked as she looked back at what she had done. “Oh, you’re right. I just wanted it to be warm. I wasn’t considering the cost, because I didn’t feel the strain.”

  “Let’s get him inside,” Myna said, helping guide Sean into the simple ten-foot-square room. She stripped the rucksack off him and had him sit. “Do you feel okay?”

  “I just got a little shaky for a second, I’m fine,” Sean said.

  A strong gust of wind hit the hut, the cold air swirling around to come in the door. Fiona looked outside with a frown. “We should grab some firewood while we can.”

  “You’re going to make a fire in a wood hut?” Sean asked her incredulously.

  Fiona went over to the middle of the floor and Shaped a fire pit. “I just need to reinforce the edges, and it shouldn’t burn easily. Besides, it will keep the interior warmer longer.”

  “No sleeping with it lit,” Myna added with a smirk.

  “Of course not,” Fiona sighed. “Come on, let’s go find some wood. We have enough rations to last us for a day or four.”

  Myna nodded as Fiona dropped her pack. “Sean will stay here.”

  “I can go out,” Sean said, but shut his mouth as both women stared at him. “Or, I can stay here.”

  Without another word, Myna and Fiona left the hut. Sean looked around, then decided to do what he could to make the hut more comfortable; including a smoke hole above the fire pit and covering the door with a blanket. He started tea brewing, then sat and wondered how much longer they would be.

  Fiona and Myna came back together a little while later, carrying stacks of wood. They shivered with the sudden cold, and gratefully accepted the warm tea and blankets Sean offered. Once they were situated, he got the fire set up and going. Sitting down between them, he pulled them in close to share his warmth.

  “Winter comes fast, does it?”

  “Sometimes,” Fiona shivered. “It comes faster if the Winter Queen is displeased with something.”

  “From what the storm looks like, she is in a very bad mood,” Myna added.

  “It’s been years since I’ve seen a storm this severe come ahead of the Queen,”
Fiona added.

  “Well, we have a fire, we have good company, and we’ll have food once the two of you get warmed back up,” Sean said, giving each of them a squeeze at the waist.

  “I’ll get it,” Myna said, starting to move.

  “No, you will stay here and get warm first,” Sean said. “If you get sick, it’ll slow the whole trip down.”

  “He’s right, Myna,” Fiona added.

  “I understand,” Myna said, settling against his side again. “Will you tell us more of your old world while we warm up?”

  Sean gave her a smile. “Sure. I’ll tell you the story I had started to tell Fiona, about my friend James.”

  Fiona frowned. “Yes, you never finished that story.”

  “Yeah,” Sean agreed. “I’ll start from the beginning, though, for Myna.”

  “I wish to hear it,” Myna said.

  “Okay. It starts with James and me at a bar,” Sean said, thinking back to the night James had gotten them both rejected by the bartender, “neither of us were big on drinking, but we wanted to play some pool...”

  Telling the story, his voice softened for a moment when he got to the point he had stopped telling it before and Fiona shuddered, obviously thinking of Oakwood. Rubbing her arm, he continued the story, making them smile with his description of how James had tried to get the bartender to hit on Sean.

  By the end of the story, Myna was giggling outright. “That pretty much sums up James. He can be such a nut,” Sean chuckled.

  “It was funny,” Myna said from where she leaned against Sean.

  “Yes, it was,” Fiona said, her body pressed against his other flank.

  “I should grab us some food,” Sean said, finally becoming aware of the two beautiful women all but laying on him.

  Both women eased away, so Sean was able to get the last of their bread and some of the smoked meat from a pack. He started a new pot of tea, then went right back to sharing warmth and blankets with Fiona and Myna. They ate in silence as the storm blew outside.

  A hard gust of wind forced a little smoke back down into the hut from the smoke hole. “Good thing it's only gusting that hard,” Sean muttered.

  “Yes. I don’t think it will snow, not yet at least,” Fiona murmured as she rested her head against his shoulder. “Even if it did, we’ll be fine—we have enough warmth to share.”

  “Yes,” Myna added from where she rubbed her head against Sean’s other side. “Very warm and comfortable.”

  “Ladies?” Sean asked, his cheeks heating.

  “We’ve agreed that we can share you,” Fiona said softly. “Myna will win you over in time. That is inevitable. Currently, I am only going to be with you for ten years. Myna asked me what I intended to do at the end of those years.”

  Silence stretched out for a moment before Sean filled it, “What do you plan?”

  “I thought of extending our time together in a number of ways, but any of those require your approval.”

  “I know you love Fiona, and it would sadden me to think that you might lose that love,” Myna added from his other side. “One can never have too much love in their life. My mother firmly believed that, and I do as well.”

  Brow furrowing, Sean shook his head. “I don’t get what you’re saying.”

  “I think you, me, and Fiona can come to an arrangement where none of us is unhappy,” Myna replied. “It will take some work and understanding, but I know it can be done. My grandfather had five wives by the time he died.”

  Blinking, Sean’s jaw dropped and his mind raced. Five wives? What would I do with five women…? He shook his head, trying to clear it. He didn’t want five women, he wanted Fiona.

  “Myna, I don’t feel like that about you,” Sean said.

  “You will,” Fiona said softly. “It’s inevitable, Sean.”

  “I won’t hurt you, Fiona,” Sean said firmly.

  “You asked what I was going to do. I’m going to ask for something I never thought I would ask for,” Fiona’s voice shook slightly, her nervousness evident. “Will you Life Bond me?”

  Eyes popping wide, Sean shook his head. “What? Why?”

  “It’s only been a tenday.” Fiona replied. “Yet, in that time, I’ve grown to love you and am willing to spend the rest of my days with you. Sean, from the moment I met you, you picked me up and tried to show me my worth. You’ve changed my view of myself. I want to repay that. More than that, I want to be with you. Myna will eventually have your love. I want an equal share of that love, without the worry that it will be lost.”

  “Having her as a Life Bonded will also help with her Shame in a way,” Myna added. “Fiona’s Shame precludes her from being able to do a lot of things on her own. Many won’t take her wares, because they fear angering the Queen. If she is Life Bonded, they would be getting their wares from her owner, which is different.”

  “Wouldn’t being Life Bonded make her even more of an outcast?” Sean asked.

  “In a way, yes,” Fiona said, turning his head so his eyes met hers. “Your love will help me, though, no matter how much others spurn me.”

  “I just don’t know if this is a good idea,” Sean said.

  “Do you love me?” Fiona asked, keeping his eyes trapped with hers.

  “Yes.” Sean knew he did.

  “Then accept this,” Fiona said as she kissed him.

  When the kiss ended, she was panting, her face flushed. “I, Fiona Mithrilsoul, Life Bond myself to Sean MacDougal. I pray he will never send me from his side, and give me an equal amount of love as his other Life Bonded.”

  Sean blinked as he felt her energy reach through her hand to his face, gently probing. “Errr…”

  “Accept her offer, Sean,” Myna said softly from behind him. “The two of us will be with you for all time. We will be your arms, your blades, and your lovers. Whatever you would have of us, we will do, but we wish to be equal in our love of you.”

  Fiona nodded, her eyes pleading with him. Taking a deep breath, Sean nodded, “I accept your Life Bonding pledge, Fiona Mithrilsoul.” He embraced Fiona, and the warmth of her entered him and mingled with his soul, before rushing through his arms and into her.

  Myna nodded. “Look at her now with your Mage Sight.”

  Sean, reeling from the rush he had just felt, opened his Mage Sight to look at Fiona. The green of Fiona’s aura was now swirling with white, with thick bands of white at her wrists and neck. “Oh.”

  “Yes. We are equal to each other,” Myna said as she put her arms around him, mirrored by Fiona.

  “We shall not fight, at least not for your affections,” Fiona mumbled with a pleased sigh, then passed out.

  “What?” Sean blinked, rolling Fiona onto her back to check on her.

  “Your soul probably overloaded her,” Myna said softly. “It is rather strong. Let her sleep, and in the morning, she will be fine.” The fire was dying down, and Myna yawned as she lay down beside Fiona. “Don’t stay awake too long, Sean.”

  Sitting there in the dying light of the fire, he tried to figure out what had just happened. It was hours before Sean gave up on trying to figure out how he had been maneuvered into letting another person Life Bond with him. Laying down on the other side of Fiona, he covered them all with a blanket and was soon fast asleep.

  Chapter Seven

  Soft voices woke Sean from a dreamless slumber. Yawning as he sat up, Sean saw Myna and Fiona conversing quietly next to a small fire. “Morning.”

  “Morning, Sean. I’m sorry for worrying you when I passed out,” Fiona said.

  Those words brought back what had transpired the night before. His eyes opened wider and he could clearly see the bands around her neck and wrists. “Uh… sure. I mean, it's fine.”

  “He still doesn’t understand the nuances of this world,” Myna said, pouring a cup of tea and holding it out to him.

  Shifting so he could grab the cup, he frowned at Myna. “Why do you say that?”

  “I clearly recall the look on your fac
e when I mentioned five wives,” Myna said, sipping her tea.

  Looking away, Sean sighed, “Okay, yeah, that is well outside the norm on my old world.”

  “It isn’t common here, but it’s not unheard of, either,” Myna said. “My Grandfather was Life Bonded to all of his wives, as well. That’s a more accepted practice, as it is well known that Life Bonded people develop love in time. The only ways to stop that are to never have any feelings for them in the first place, to keep the Life Bonded away from yourself, or to kill them. Actually, the second only delays the process. The only real way to stop it is to kill the Life Bonded person.”