Page 5 of Twisted Bonds

I can’t help but wonder what her thoughts would be on our mission to reunite the Shards and bring back my true mate, Dan’thiel. A pulse of heartache rips across my chest at the thought, but I don’t pay it any heed. That is what they want.

Sunder shakes his head. “It isn’t her. It’s… I feel like…” his cheeks turn a color that isn’t quite my shade of Chroma red, but a lighter pink instead. His long inky hair frames his sharp features as it ripples in the light breeze.

Sunder is… blushing?

“I feel them in the same way I feel the Third,” he finally murmurs. “It’s like an echo in my head of the bond with you, Mira. I-I crave them as well.”

A stunned silence washes over me, but Bobble moves to place an arm over his shoulders with a knowing nod. “I feel it too. The echo of you in my mind. The crave.”

Their gazes lock, and in that fleeting instant, something passes between them. It’s a delicate tenderness. A bud fighting for its life against a late spring frost. Lately, there has been a growing connection between the two of them - something that feels a little more than just two guys enjoying their soulmate together. A warmth spreads through my chest, the corner of my lips curl into a knowing smirk.

Bobble looks down as he pulls his arm awkwardly away. The moment passes. Placing a hand on the granite that is Sunder’s chest, I say with a soft smile, “Thank you for telling us. I agree. If it feels like you… feel for Bobble, you’re probably right.”

He looks away with a grunt, clearly uneasy about being comforted like this. “I just can’t always tell where they are. Exactly.”

Until now, I thought we were following up on a clue from Yurghen’s old logbook we found before we left his tower. An apprentice who wanted to learn soul magic was dismissed and sent to study with some other wizard guy.

“Well, I agree this takes precedence over finding the apprentice. The Shards are more important. I have a feeling a bath and a hot meal will go a long way for all of us then.” I take his hand and kiss it. “How about you find us that first, then we can explore how you feel about the other Shards?”

Sunder glances back at Bobble. “Third. Does your mental map include an inn?”

Bobble puffs his chest up before a poof of yellow magic clouds around him. A tiny orange tabby cat emerges, tail upright and flicking. He strides purposefully into the growing dusk.

Sunder leans down, picking me up. “I can walk,” I protest weakly.

Laughing, Sunder presses a kiss against my temple. “You have walked enough, my Mira,” he murmurs into my hair. I wrap my arm around his neck as he cradles me, and we stride forward with big steps after Bobble. “Rest, and when we get your bath, we will tend to you further.”

I relax in his arms with eyes closed, breathing in his scent, and letting my mind wonder if my other mates could ever be as wonderful as these two.

three

Mira

As we finally reach the town Bobble had recalled, I realize I must have slept for a sizable portion of our journey. Despite being carried in Sunder’s arms, his steps are steady enough to give me a sense of being transported rather than just bounced around. It isn’t exactly a smooth ride like a car would be, but it is far more stable than if anyone else had been carrying me.

I wake up disoriented in the complete darkness. However, a faint light shines through the fog ahead, guiding us like a beacon.

“Mira,” Sunder breathes, kissing my neck in a way that causes my blood to heat instantly. “You must walk from here, lest we suffer questions about your mental state.”

I let out a small laugh as he carefully lowers me to the ground. My feet throb from bearing my weight once more. It will take at least a week of soaking to relieve all the tension and soreness in my muscles. “Is misogyny not a thing in Illuemera?”

“There are merely questions if anyone, male or female, arrives at such an establishment without full control of their facilities.”

“Ah. So, this is a classy inn and not a roadside special?”

He furrows his brow as he observes Bobble, who is nonchalantly licking his paw with a little too much skill for it to seem natural. “The Third insists that this establishment is one more worthy of our mate.”

Aww. Bobble doesn’t want me to get grossed out by the Illuemera version of a Super-8. I give him a playful wink, reassuring him I can handle whatever they throw at me. “Thank you. That’s very sweet.”

He gives me a light “mew” in response as Sunder and I follow him toward the town.

I’m not sure exactly what to expect. My experience with hospitality in Illuemera hasn’t been the warmest reception, as humans are basically nonexistent and hated. Traveling with a shifter doesn’t do much for our likability either. Apparently, they’re notorious spies and not trusted. Then, there’s the matter of Sunder’s haughty attitude…

The town is encircled by a towering wall of timber, dark and imposing against the night sky, a silent but unmistakable warning of the mistrust and hostility lurking within. It’s enough to confirm my suspicions that this may not be the most pleasant welcome.

“Please tell me this place will have a bath,” I whisper to Sunder. Bobble has disappeared, presumably to find a route into the ringed fort that only cats can manage, to avoid further suspicion.

Sunder shoots me a curious look. “Do you assume the more upscale option would not provide baths?”

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