Page 15 of Bound and Beguiled

It was intoxicating.

That I, too, felt pleasure was almost as startling. To discover that I was capable of such deep, intense sensuality filled me with both incandescent joy and bitter sorrow. But the sorrow was a fleeting thing, banished by dark, hungry eyes and lingering kisses.

There was a moment of awkwardness when the subject of contraception came up—when bad memories tried to rise with it—but Emyr and Mared’s simple willingness to do whatever made me comfortable effectively silenced those wretched specters. The way Mared licked her lips when I agreed to let Emyr finish wherever he wanted, since we were both protected...that did a lot to help me go from “accepting” to “excited”.

When the water had grown cool, we stumbled out of the bath. I laughed in surprise as magical winds swirled and eddied, drying us in a tickling rush. Naked, Mared and I ran hand in hand to the bed, collapsing on it and giggling as Emyr prowled after us, twirling an imaginary mustache.

There was a staccato rap against the door, then Efa’s muffled voice called, “Everything all right? We’ve got a rambunctious crowd down there.”

The doorknob started to turn, and I grabbed the corner of the blanket, pulling it over myself as much as possible, which wasn’t a lot, since it was pinned beneath Mared and I. She was unbothered, stretched out on her side looking like a Renaissance painting. I wished my eyes could take pictures.

Emyr spun, blocking my view of the door, so I didn’t see Efa’s reaction to finding us cavorting naked during business hours. But I heard it.

“Everybody’s rambunctious tonight,” she chuckled. “Alright. I’ll cover your shift, Babygirl. But you’ll owe me a punishment.”

The word was full of sensual promise, and Mared smiled, flashing dimples as she murmured, “Yes, Mommy.”

“I look forward to it,” Efa purred. “I expect Kynan will cover yours, Princeling. But his patience is thin tonight, so he’ll probably take his frustrations out on your ass.”

I winced. “If you need to go...”

“Tereza.” Efa’s tone was firm, with that husky edge that made my insides dance. Then she snorted. “Stand aside, Emyr. You don’t need to guard your prize fromme.”

Emyr twisted, meeting my eyes. I tugged the blanket higher before nodding, and he stepped aside enough for me to see Efa, her feet spread and her hands on her hips as her eyes traced over Mared and I.

“Beauty. Now, Tereza, I know my girl and the Princeling here. They wouldn’t be blowing off work unless this—you—were important to them. But we don’t know each other as well. So, I’ll ask.” She dropped her arms and took a half step closer. “Do you want them here?”

“I don’t want to put you out—” She raised her hand and I snapped my mouth shut.

“I do very little that isn’t my choice. Please answer the question.”

I nodded, then squeaked out, “Yes,” when Emyr mouthed “Use your words.”

“Good girl,” they purred in unison, making Mared giggle beside me.

Efa’s lips quirked. “You kids have fun. Kynan and I will bring breakfast in the morning. May I?” she asked me, gesturing towards Mared. At my nod, she strolled up, sank her hand in Mared’s hair, and gave her a long kiss. She paused for a moment with their foreheads pressed together. The two of them murmured softly enough I only caught a couple words; among them “love” and “lucky”. With a final heated glance my way Efa left, closing the door quietly behind her.

“Wow,” I muttered.

“Very much wow,” Mared agreed.

Emyr took the place of my blanket, propping his head up on one fist and throwing a leg over mine as his other hand came to rest on Mared’s hip. “Can I ask you a question?”

I hummed my acceptance.

“Honey’s talked with me a bit about her struggles adjusting to polyamory. But you seem...very relaxed about all this.” He gestured between himself and Mared, then to the door Efa’d just exited.

“Ah.” I pondered how to explain something I hadn’t really dissected in my own mind. “How much do you know about the Covenant?”

“Monotheistic religion, right?” Mared asked. “Ymet is the god, their followers are the Bound. Very big on keeping promises. That’s pretty much all I know,” she finished, a little embarrassed.

“Right,” I said, giving her a nuzzle and holding up my arm to display the golden bands on my wrist. “All of Ymet’s followers wear these. They’re God-given, and only they or their priests, the Keepers, can remove them. They’re the physical embodiment of our promise to be faithful to Ymet’s mandates.”

I fell silent for a moment, eyebrows furrowing as I thought. As I remembered. “If we are discovered to have broken a promise, our bands are removed to reflect our shame. One for smaller infractions, all of them for the greatest ones. To be Bandless is to be an oath breaker. They’re shunned. There’s no going back.”

“Katarina doesn’t have bands,” Emyr observed delicately.

“No,” I agreed. “She renounced her oaths. It’s...a grey area. The family hasn’t shunned her.”Except for my mother, I thought. “But she’s not welcome among the greater community. My Aunt Nina—Katarina’s mother—is devout. She believes in Ymet’s Covenant with her whole heart, and seen through her eyes Ymet is a fair and understanding god. My mother...has a more outward faith. She’s aboutappearance.” I grinned crookedly. “So, Katarina and I are bad at our religion differently.”

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