Chapter 26 Izzy
IZZY
Why did Rook have to be so damned… hot! And sinfully delicious, such a good kisser.
Oh… right, he was a sex demon, that’s why.
If he’d been only that, I might have been able to forget about him. But he was also a good teacher and maybe even… a friend? He’d healed me, comforted me, helped me, when so few others here would.
But… why?
It was clear he was still interested in me, but I’d thought we’d made it clear to each other that first time, we both wanted one night and nothing more. Not that I’d turn down more life-altering sex… once I’d forgiven him, that was.
But I had a feeling he wanted more.
And a part of me did too.
And that wasn’t a good sign. If I let him in — let anyone in — I’d just be setting myself up for pain and suffering. Rook might move on, Vyns might be lying, Myel might die…
Huh… what would happen to me if Myel died? I had a feeling losing a bondmate wasn’t a good thing. I should ask Myel.
A shiver raced down my spine.
I shook it off, time for more pleasant thoughts… like shopping… and syphoning more money off of my arch-rival.
I called Vyns.
He picked up almost instantly. “Yeah?” He sounded eager.
“I need you to spend more of Saldrea’s money on me.”
I could almost hear the smile in his voice. “Sure, what on?”
“I made a friend yesterday and we’re doing a beach day tomorrow. I need a swimsuit. Could you buy me like… a couple dozen or so… so I can try on a few and see what I like?”
“On it, be there in a bit.”
We hung up, and while I waited for Vyns to arrive, I reviewed my notes on magic.
I still had a lot to learn, but I had a handle on the basics.
I was also feeling better physically. Working with Rook then studying on my own had excited me.
There was so much to learn. My exhaustion had fled, and I was starting to feel a bit more relaxed and easy-going when Vyns arrived a half-hour later arms loaded with bags.
“No one needs this many swimsuits,” he said with a chuckle, “but it was fun spending Saldrea’s money.”
“Want to stay?” I asked. I had a feeling he did. “I could model them for you.” His eyes went wide, a smile rounding his cheeks.
“Heavens yes!”
“Just… no talk about fate or changing the world tonight, okay? I need… a friend.”
“Got it.” He came in and dumped everything on my bed. “Most of these should be your size,” he said as he disgorged the bags. “The woman at the store had a good sense for your measurements since she’d help outfit you the other day.”
He stood back and waved his arm at the pile. “All yours.”
I dug in, grabbing two bags and taking them into the bathroom to change. I had a feeling Rook wasn’t around and I’d be safe in here. Not sure why I was so sure of that, but I was.
And so began a few hours of modeling for Vyns. He made all the right noises and even had a few perceptive critiques… for suits he must have sensed I didn’t like as much. I narrowed it down to three I really liked.
The first was a one-piece, black with white accents.
I liked the coverage and the fact that it didn’t ride up on my hips or ass.
The neckline was a tad lower than I liked and the white accents over the bust made it seem lower still.
That and the cut-aways long the side gave the suit a sexy flare. Conservative but sexy.
The second was a bikini in bright red, but not a tiny one.
It had good bust support, which I liked.
It was a criss-cross halter top with a solid band below the bust and a sexy little boob-window showing off my cleavage.
The bottoms weren’t too skimpy and covered well.
Alluring while not giving away all my secrets.
The last was a tiny string bikini swirled with vibrant colors on what little fabric there was. Daring, yes. Sexy, yes. Supportive, no. This is what you wore to get a great tan or get the attention of all the guys on the beach. Hell, even Vyns blushed when I made him looked me over for his opinion.
I didn’t mind the bulge in his pants. If he hadn’t reacted that way, I’d have assumed he wasn’t into women.
“Wear that tomorrow and you’ll cause accidents,” he said, breathy. “No one will be watching where they’re going, all eyes on you.”
“Not all eyes, the girls—”
“No, they’ll be staring at you too, though probably for a different reason. A suit like that makes other girls jealous that you have what they don’t.”
“And what’s that?” I asked, curious.
“Everything,” he breathed.
Oh…
Now I was blushing.
An awkward silence ensued.
“I… should probably go?” Vyns whispered. “It’s getting late.”
Shit! It was late, Myel would be here soon!
Vyns seemed to sense my panic and got up. “You okay?”
“Yup, just… late… like you said.”
He must have known I was being purposefully obtuse, but he said nothing, just nodded. I thanked him for that.
I escorted him to the door, and as a reward for him being so good these past few hours, I pulled myself up to my tip-toes to give him a soft kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you, for being a friend,” I said.
He smiled as his hand floated up to touch his cheek. “Any time,” he said wistfully.
He left, but I hadn’t gone three steps from the door when someone knocked.
Odd.
Myel wouldn’t knock.
“Who is it?” I called
“Zora, mistress. You’ve been in all day. Did you want me to tend to your room?
Right…
And odd idea occurred to me. “Sure!” I let her in and laughed a little when her eyes went wide at me in the string bikini. Then she took in the rest of the mess.
“Trying some things on?” she guessed.
I nodded. “Want to see my favorites?” I asked excited. I was curious for a woman’s perspective.
“I wouldn’t want to get in your way, mistress.”
“Nonsense. Do you have any other rooms to do?”
“No, just yours.” It was late, after all. I probably shouldn’t be keeping her any later; she might have a family to get back to, but… other than Tala I’d made no other women friends here. And Zora wasn’t a friend… yet, but maybe she could become one?
“Then hold on just a few minutes, I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
She raised a brow. “As you wish, mistress.”
“Great. So, first, what do you make of this one?” I spun around in the tiny bikini. “I know it’s a bit much, but I like it.”
“It’s… ah… well, it does show the world exactly how beautiful of a woman you are, mistress.”
I laughed at that wording.
“Thank you, Zora.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it with a smile. She’d probably been going to tell me not to thank her, then given up.
I changed into the more conservative bikini. “And this one?” I did a twirl.
“More sedate, but still quite… bold. The color works very well on you.”
I switched to the one-piece.
“Oh, now that’s lovely,” Zora commented. “It still lets the world know you’re all woman and beautiful without giving away everything to the eyes. I do like that one.”
I had a feeling she might.
“Great, thank you so much, Zora, and as a reward for your honest opinion, you can have all the rest of these suits.”
She blinked, surprised. There were over twenty swimsuits discarded on my bed.
“Oh no, mistress, I couldn’t.” She shook her head, blushing.
“Are we not allowed to give gifts to staff?” I asked.
“No, you can… but—”
“But nothing, they’re yours. They may not be your size, but some might fit you, and the rest you can give away or sell, whatever you like.”
“No one has ever given me anything like this,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “Even if I can’t use them, this is… too much.”
I went to her, taking her hands in mine, noticing how calloused and rough they were. “You deserve nice things too, everyone does,” I said softly.
“Might I hug you, mistress?”
I hugged her tightly. “And stop calling me mistress. Call me Izzy.” I sensed her hesitation, so I added. “You’ve seen me practically naked, so I think we can be on a first name basis.”
She laughed at that.
Good.
She did a quick tidy of my room as I changed back into regular clothes, then I bundled her up with the many bags.
But before she left, Myel popped into my room.
Zora started.
Myel started.
I didn’t know what to do.
Would she be obliged to tell the authorities on us?
Zora quickly looked between the two of us. Though something in how she looked at Myel — with not as much surprise as I might have thought — made me wonder.
“I won’t tell a soul,” she whispered, then winked at me.
I sighed with relief.
Myel… just nodded. Why did I get the feeling he knew Zora? Not in an intimate way, but… still.
Zora snuck out and left us alone.
I turned to Myel. “Do you know her?” I asked directly.
He started, seeming shocked I’d ask, but then he nodded.
“Yes, she’s… a friend of a friend.”
That was a simple explanation and perfectly reasonable. I lowered my voice in case Zora wasn’t far away, I didn’t want to insult her with this question. “And… is she an ogre?”
Myel laughed. “No, she’s a hobgoblin or brownie, the names are interchangeable. An ogre would be much larger than she is, and their skin is more gray than green.”
I nodded, glad to have that cleared up. “Thanks!”
Myel’s gaze drifted to the string bikini slung over the top of my desk chair.
I went to him, whispering in his ear in my most seductive voice. “Want to see me in it?”
Our bond had grown tight over the course of the day, we’d be having sex tonight, might as well give him a show beforehand.
He nodded vigorously and I sensed his building lust straining through our connection.
I quickly changed, then gave my best sexy strut as I came out to model the tiny suit for him. He groaned and shifted, clearly uncomfortable at the bulge in his pants. Our bond grew intense, taut, desperate.
“You’re amazing,” Myel whispered, and something in his tone suggested it wasn’t a comment on my look, but my entire being.
I cocked my head. “Oh?” I leaned back on a wall, one leg up and bent.
He came to me, but his gaze was locked on mine, ignoring the feast of flesh below. “First, you look sexy in everything. It isn’t the clothes, it’s you Izzy: your body, yes, but also your soul and spirit, your grace and inner beauty.”
I would not have expected a man to be focused on my eyes talking of inner beauty while I was wearing this. Myel was full of surprises, especially since I was seconds away from tearing his clothes off, the bond demanding it. He had to feel the same.
“Second, you’re amazing because even though we’ve been forced together, you still wanted to give me a show, be… playful with me instead of just giving in to the bond and forgetting about the rest.”
Ah.
Also… fuck. Somehow me giving him a flirty show had given him the impression we were getting closer emotionally. And perhaps he was right, I had wanted to be playful and see his reaction instead of just stripping and fucking.
I’d have to be more careful in the future.
“Are you going to fuck me or what?” I breathed, hopefully he’d see it as playful, even though I was hoping we could skip over any emotions and get to the sex.
Myel’s eyes lidded, his body shivering as he undid his pants and let loose his thick erection. Then he undid the little tie on my bikini bottoms and lifted me easily, pinning me to the wall as I settled on his hardness.
After that, it was all sweat and moans and orgasms.
As we lay in bed, my body and soul soothed by his nearness, I remembered something I’d wanted to ask him.
“What happens to the other person if one bondmate dies?”
He shivered. I felt his fear and dread through our link.
“The other either dies or goes mad.”
Holy fuck!
If he died, I was screwed. I rolled over in his arms, his face too close. “Do you want that to happen to me?” I asked sincerely.
“No, of course not,” he breathed.
“Then you need to work your ass off and fight your hardest and promise me you’ll survive whatever this shitty world throws at you… for my sake,” I said. And yeah, I was being selfish, but I also didn’t want him to die for any reason.
He kissed me softly. “I promise.”
Yet even after that, despite how relaxed and reassured his presence made me feel, a cold dread filled my gut.
Something told me it wouldn’t be so easy for Myel to keep that promise.