Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
Senara
The voice was familiar, but in the haze of need that fogged my brain I couldn’t remember who it was until I turned my head and saw Wyn standing there, a man just behind her shoulder. He looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure if I’d ever met him before.
“No, it’s fine, we were just finishing up training.” Thorn tugged more firmly on my hands, forcing me to release him.
“I bet you were,” she replied with a smirk.
Annoyance bubbled in me, not at Wyn, but at the way he’d use any excuse to put distance between us, even when it was clear that he was deluding himself if he thought he could resist this forever.
“I wouldn’t normally interrupt your, ahem, training, but I thought you might like to know about the new spell I’ve been practicing.” Wyn crossed her arms over her chest as though trying to restrain herself from twirling about with excitement.
My curiosity was piqued. A new spell? The last time she’d talked to me about a new spell it had allowed me to grow a little, though I was still uncomfortably small for a fae, especially when compared with Thorn.
Thorn may not be on board with the idea of the bond, but sometimes, as though he wasn’t conscious of his actions, he showed me just how much he felt it, too. He may have set me down, but he didn’t let me go; instead his hand slipped around my waist, resting on my lower abdomen, as he pinned my back to his front. The position was enough to cause a blush to rise on my cheeks, especially when his hand slipped just a little lower.
If he tried to do anything in front of Wyn then he and I would have to have a serious talk about what was and was not appropriate. She was my best friend, my sister for all intents and purposes, and though we shared everything with one another, I wasn’t about to let him tease me in front of her, no matter how badly I ached for his touch.
“That sounds exciting!” I said a little too cheerfully, making Wyn snicker. “Tell me about it.” I tried to move away from Thorn, but his hand kept me in place and his fingers twitched. It was like I could hear the war happening inside of him. He wanted to keep me close, but he also knew that putting distance between us was for the best.
Forcing him to react was a tempting idea. All it would take was a slight shift of my body here and there and I was sure I’d be able to rub up against him in a way that would most definitely push his buttons. And if it got him to push mine, all the better. Or at least it would have been if it was anyone other than Wyn and her friend.
“It’s healing magic technically, but it’s also a little different. I think it should give you back some of what you lost while you two were apart.”
I’d told Wyn about us being soul bonded and she’d listened to the entire story and given me her opinions on it as well, most of which were something along the lines of no shit and could have told you that.
It hadn’t been any surprise to Wyn that the connection I had with Thorn was more than just a one night stand or mind-blowing sex. I mentally shook myself and forced my attention to the woman in front of me and off the man behind me. “Healing magic?”
“There are some mages that can only use healing magic, just like there are some that can only use fire magic or void magic. Gwyneira is one of the rare ones that can use any type of magic she pleases,” Volker said, looking at her proudly. I suspected he might be more than just a friend, or maybe he was just angling to be, but Wyn hadn’t mentioned anything just yet and I wasn’t going to stick my nose in until she was ready to talk about it.
It was Wyn’s turn to blush now. As far as I knew she’d never really had anyone besides me praise her before. It was nice to see, if I was being honest, and I was relieved that someone other than me could tell how amazing she was.
“Anyway,” she said before clearing her throat a little. “As I said, I think it can give you back some of what you lost and then some. It’s basically the same spell I used to make us a bit bigger, but with a healing twist on it as well.”
“She’s got a way with incantations, this one,” Volker said with a grin.
Her blush flared up her cheeks again. Before she could reply, a group of rowdy, young soldiers walked into the room, looking at the four of us with hesitation when they realized that the room wasn’t empty.
Thorn’s hand fell away from me before they could see it. “We should take this somewhere private,” he said quietly.
“My room?” I asked, looking between the three of them.
Thorn nodded albeit hesitantly and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was thinking the same thing I was. If this did make me bigger again, maybe it would be enough for us to be able to actually have sex and not just do everything but the act itself. If that was the case, then it would be a good thing that we were in my room.
I glanced over at Wyn and Volker, who both nodded in agreement as well, so the four of us set out for the room I’d been staying in since I left the healer’s wing. A strange silence fell over us, as though we had all somehow agreed not to speak until we got to our destination. Part of me wanted to break it, but I was also anxious to get to my room.
We wound our way through the halls, our footsteps echoing on stone floors, and up stairs before finally reaching the door that led to my private quarters. The hallway with the guest rooms had a rug running down the center, which muffled some of the sound of people coming and going.
The room was brighter than expected and I knew Wyn was surprised because of the sharp intake of breath that came from behind me. On the far end of the room opposite the door was a huge floor to ceiling window that was arched like those the Chantry used back in the human lands.
Purple and blue silk curtains hung next to the window, giving the room a sumptuous feel, especially when combined with the other lavish decorations. The window at the back was my favorite, though I had no idea how they did it; it was some kind of magic that allowed the viewer to see different landscapes. It currently showed a set of mountains that the room seemed to look out over even though I knew that wasn’t the case.
Different plants hung from the ceiling, though I had no idea how they survived. Some of them had small delicate white and pale purple flowers that scented the air, making the room always smell fresh, while others were just vines and greenery.
The four of us scattered around the room like ashes in the wind. Thorn went over and claimed the bed, as though he was staking his claim even now, though he had to realize that the mage wasn’t interested in me at all, at least not judging from the way he watched Wyn, who was awkwardly standing in the middle of the room, staring up at the flowers that hung from the ceiling.
“Magic sustains them,” Volker said quietly into her ear as he passed by, moving to the window at the back as though he wanted to inspect the view. He placed his hands behind his back, his long, flowing sleeves hiding them for the most part. For a brief moment, he reminded me of an old commander I had, one who hated facing the soldiers and would pace back and forth when he spoke, with his hands always behind his back.
I closed the door behind them and went to stand with Wyn. Her red hair gleamed in the candlelight and I wanted to reach out and touch it, petting it the way I used to when we were kids, but I restrained myself. She wouldn’t appreciate a gesture like that in front of others; we’d had a discussion about it before and I knew she worried that it made her look weak or childish.
“What do you need from me?” I asked, offering her a hopeful smile.
“Nothing much, just stand there.”
I waited, knowing she probably wasn’t done.
She took a breath and added, “Maybe put on some clothes that won’t get shredded if you grow a couple of inches?”
I nodded and went to the set of drawers that were built into the wall of the room, withdrawing what was essentially an oversized tunic. It was just a shapeless rectangle if we were being honest, but it didn’t have sleeves or anything that would restrict my arms so I figured it would work for this purpose. The fact that it was much too big for me didn’t hurt either.
“Uh, can you all turn around for a moment?” I asked. I could change without them seeing anything if I had to, being in the military had taught me that much, but if I didn’t need to, then why force it.
Wyn and Volker politely averted their gazes, whereas Thorn just stared at me.
I raised an eyebrow at him and he just crossed his arms over his chest, making him look even more imposing.
Fine. He wanted to torture himself, that was his business. Without any other fuss, I stripped down before slipping the tunic over my head. I didn’t bother with the belt since I wasn’t sure what was about to happen.
“Ready,” I said.
Wyn turned and glanced at me, giving me a nod before looking over at Volker.
He nodded at her. “Just like you practiced.”
I couldn’t deny that Wyn being nervous made me feel nervous as well, but I also trusted her and knew that if she really thought this would cause me harm then she wouldn’t have offered to do it.