Chapter 21
Nell
“Do you know what a Quad is?” the siren asks suddenly, leaning on the balcony railing while we watch the stars.
“I read something in the book,” I admit. “Some kind of bond between four elementals, one of each type. But I didn't understand much more than that.”
Sabina sighs, and the sound reminds me of a wave breaking against the beach.
“It's much more than that,” she explains, turning toward me to look me in the eyes. “And when a Quad creates a true bond, it becomes the most powerful union known in our world. Four elementals who become, essentially, one. Their powers don't just add up, they multiply exponentially.”
“And what does that have to do with us? And what's this about a true bond?”
“I think Kaelisar is manipulating us to form a bonded Quad,” she confesses, shaking her head. “It's no coincidence that he's gathered precisely one elemental of each type. He wants us bonded, but under his control.”
“Is that why you've been so distant with me until the party?”
“I've been fighting against that idea with all my strength,” she admits. “But I'm failing, Nell. Every day that passes, it becomes harder.”
“What do you mean?”
As her only response, Sabina slides the tips of her fingers gently across my cheek, and I feel my breathing stop.
“This is what I mean,” she whispers before kissing me.
The first contact is soft, almost shy, like the caress of a small current.
But when I respond to her kiss, everything changes.
That tenderness gives way to an intensity that leaves me breathless.
She traces the outline of my lips with her tongue before venturing inside in search of mine, exploring, savoring, claiming.
She slides her hand under my waistband and pulls me toward her while mine tangle in her hair.
A soft moan escapes from my throat when she bites my lower lip and the way she brushes her breasts against mine while kissing me makes the air stir around us, responding to my arousal.
“That's what I've been fighting against,” she sighs.
I breathe deeply, trying to calm the whirlwinds of air surrounding us. I've never experienced a kiss like this, so complete, so perfect, as if our lips had been designed specifically to fit together perfectly.
“And why would you want to fight against something like this?” I ask, seeking her mouth again.
“Because this is precisely what Kaelisar wants,” she responds, though she makes no attempt to pull away. “And because I'm not the only one of us who feels it,” she adds, gesturing toward Sylara, who's watching us from inside.
I decide to face the situation and go in to talk to her alone.
I don't want to cause any problems in the group.
We need to work together, but above all, I don't even understand the situation myself.
It's true that I've only kissed Sabina, but I feel equally attracted to Sylara or Althea and that's not normal.
Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.
“Do you know what a bonded Quad is?” I ask without beating around the bush, positioning myself in front of the elf.
“I see Sabina has already told you,” she responds calmly. “Yes, of course I know what a bonded Quad is. Althea and I have discussed the possibility that one is forming.”
“Does that mean you two also...?” I leave the question hanging in the air, feeling heat rise to my cheeks and spread between my legs.
Sylara simply smiles.
“Do you want to know if we're also attracted to you? What do you think? Do you feel attracted to us or only to Sabina?”
I breathe deeply, remembering the dream I had a few days ago where all three of them made love to me in ways I didn't even know were possible. That dream I can't get out of my head. The idea that it could become reality leaves me momentarily speechless and with trembling knees.
“It's possible,” I admit reluctantly.
“The problem is we don't want Kaelisar to have that kind of power at his disposal,” Sylara continues, breaking my trance. “A bonded Quad under his control would be devastating. Too dangerous for the world, though I don't even know if it's possible to resist.”
“What if we could use it against him?” I suggest. “If we're as powerful together as you say, couldn't we defeat him?”
Sylara opens her mouth to respond, but is interrupted by Althea's voice.
“Nobody can be sure of that. There hasn't been a truly bonded Quad in a long time. And many Quads have destroyed themselves in the past because they thought they were bonded and in reality all they managed to do was create tensions among the elementals who formed them.”
Sabina slides silently back into the apartment, closing the balcony door behind her. Suddenly, the tension in the room changes. Both Sylara and Sabina seem suddenly uncomfortable, almost hostile toward each other, though they try to hide it.
“What's happening?” I ask, bewildered by the change. “Why are you like this all of a sudden?”
Sylara sighs, and for the first time since I've known her, her elven composure seems to vanish.
“I suppose your kisses with Sabina have accidentally introduced some tension between us,” she confesses, casting a look at the siren. “It's an unwanted effect of the early stages of Quad formation.”
“Jealousy,” the siren clarifies. “It's not something we can easily control. I suppose all this must be too confusing for you right now. Even for us, knowing what could happen, it's proving very difficult to handle.”
“Maybe I should leave,” I suggest, getting up slowly. “It's better if I go back to my apartment until you sort things out among yourselves.”
“No!” all three exclaim practically at the same time.
“Give me a moment,” Althea murmurs, disappearing down the hallway toward her bedroom.
We remain in an uncomfortable silence, Sylara and Sabina avoid looking at each other and I have no idea what to do or say to ease the tension.
Fortunately, Althea returns a few minutes later with a book so ancient it looks like it will disintegrate if you touch it.
“This book contains stories about bonded Quads in ancient times, though it's difficult to know what's real and what isn't. We Kobolds always like to exaggerate stories. True Quad bonding is a rarity. It's already difficult to form a normal Quad, but a truly bonded one...”
Althea translates from the Kobold language, pointing to the illustrations and telling the stories. Most used their power to do good, but some Quads conquered and enslaved entire realms.
“Power is always neutral,” Sylara explains. “It simply magnifies the nature of whoever wields it.”
Althea nods slowly, turning the pages until she reaches what appears to be a theoretical section.
“According to this, it's possible that a truly bonded Quad has enough power to face someone like Kaelisar,” she explains. “But it has to be a true union. It wouldn't work if our main reason is to defeat him.”
“It has to come from the heart. A complete bond, in every sense,” Sylara adds and those last words make me very nervous.
“And what exactly would that mean?” I ask, though I think I know the answer.
The three of them exchange a quick look and smile.
“It means all four of us would feel a strong mutual attraction,” the elf explains, her eyes fixed on mine. “Not just you toward us, or us toward you, possibly all of us toward each other. A complete bond in every sense.”
“Wow! And is that a problem?” I let slip before realizing what I've said.
All three look at me with different degrees of astonishment.
“Uh, not for me,” Althea acknowledges, raising her hands.
“If it's meant to form, it will, whether we want it to or not,” Sylara explains.
“With the risk of becoming exactly what Kaelisar wants,” Sabina adds, who keeps looking at the elf in a strange way, as if she suddenly doesn't like her.
“I'm already tired of Kaelisar controlling our lives,” I respond, slapping the table lightly.
“If this is what he wants, we'll find a way to use it against him. And if not...” a silly smile escapes me without being able to help it.
“Well, I wouldn't mind being bonded with you guys,” I admit, feeling myself turn red to the tips of my ears.
The four of us exchange a look that says more than a thousand words.
Althea smiles, showing those fangs that no longer seem threatening to me.
Sylara finally relaxes that rigid posture she always maintains, as if she'd been carrying an invisible weight on her shoulders for centuries.
And Sabina... Sabina looks at me as if I'd just given her something precious.
For an instant, everything seems possible. Defeating Kaelisar. Being free. Being happy.
For an instant.