Page 28 of Tethered Thrones

“Who the fuck said that? You need your ears checked.”

But I couldn’t hear him admonishing me. Over twenty-five years, had I ever said it? Of course not, but that didn’t make it less true. And wasn’t that what he was saying, more or less? That he loved me and cared that I wasn’t feeling myself and we needed to stick together as truly bonded mates, not just as master and slave?

Maybe I had always felt unworthy of anything more than the life and title of a slave. And now, with so much new knowledge, I was unhappy with that life. That could be the root of this littlerebellion. Rather than possession, I felt an inkling of freedom on this long, uncertain road I desperately clung to.

I, too, had forgotten my station in life and now felt unsettled and unhappy, unlike the last quarter century with Bracken, Kiar, and Hadi. Sun had upset that delicate equilibrium between us, and I should thank him on my knees for this.

“And stop letting that false priest fill your mind with nonsense. You are important and worthy. That crazy bitch wouldn’t have entrusted you with the fate of the fucking world if you weren’t. He’s nothing, insignificant and jealous. Glean his secrets and discard that fool’s taunts, Clem. Be stronger.”

I kicked a rock to keep myself from throwing myself into his arms. We’d gone one step forward and two steps back, then leaped into another planet altogether. Master—Brackenwas being so contradictory.

“I mean it, Mas—” I caught myself. “Bracken, I love you, and I love Sun, too.”

He rubbed his face, and I could not read his emotions again. What was wrong with me tonight?

“So, tell him. Why tell me?” he asked.

Now it was my turn to grimace, whispering ruefully, “I did.”

“Enough of this! You’re making my head spin, Clem. You used to look at me as if I hung the stars and set the moon into motion. But after Sun, you’ve changed. Don’t push your luck; come back to us now.”

And with that, he ended any chance of me conveying my more profound meaning. To be acknowledged as his equal, because being bonded was not the same as that. To say he loved me, to be worthy of that from Bracken, would mean more than a slave or a servant, or yes, even a bond mate would.

He stopped abruptly as we were about to step into our camp.

“I will protect you, Clem. With my heart and soul, I swear this to you. Now pull yourself together.”

But I was too lost in my thoughts to grasp his confession fully. I would be respected if I could unlock more power. I was sure of that. Respect was earned. Wasn’t that how it was in the human world where power was more equal? Only social customs and traditions differentiated them much. But in noc society, only physical power mattered.

Even a lowly crawler noc had crawled onto the throne because of power. Secrets he might have gleaned from an ancient book of spells like the one I clutched behind my back, under my wings, hiding them from my master as if he hadn’t seen it already, trailing behind his mighty steps.

I wanted to transform into someone new and different and feel worthy of the great cause thrust upon me.

Respect.

As we reached our camp, the word thudded in my mind like a drum. The tether was warm and inviting as we approached, shedding the overt lust from earlier.

Whatever ugly mood that had descended had lifted as Sun laughed, leaning into Kiar, who stroked his hair and breathed in his scent with tenderness in his gaze. And Hadi was close, kneeling, hands flexing, wanting to touch but content to be so close to Sun, who chatted with him as if they were old friends about stories we weren’t involved in.

Me and Bracken glanced at each other in unison.

Sun was… Sun was so very?—

“Happy,” we whispered.

“I don’t want to ruin that with whatever that was. So as long as that creep doesn’t come back, let’s keep that between you and me,” Bracken sighed, and I nodded in agreement, transfixed by Sun.

He had never smiled that openly before, and now he did, not because of us but because he had met Atlan and Jia again. His friends were alive and well.

And we had all been too jealous to soak in the bliss of seeing the center of our world so unburdened.

Of course, I’d do whatever it took to protect his light. Nguyen was right. I would read his book cover to cover, learn all I could, and be more than dead weight. I would be more than an idiot savant who had cast a spell he didn’t even understand. I’d master the dark magic fluttering like crystals in the air as Nguyen’s mirage was fully shattered.

Bracken and I rejoined our bonded.

I would harness new powers and command respect like Nguyen and Shizumi did, even though they were weaker than all the other nocs here.

I clutched the book of spells to my beating heart as Bracken drifted to sleep by the warmth of the campfire and willed this future into existence with all my might.

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