A shuffling noise woke me from an unexpected slumber. Glancing up, I wondered when I had fallen asleep. Sunlight was no longer peering through the window as Sébastien’s shadow dominated the dark room. I stared at him, slightly confused for a moment while I fully awoke. He simply returned my gaze, his exhausted eyes lighting up briefly with a flicker of amusement at my confusion. “I see you made use of my personal collection of books,” Sébastien stated as he broke the silence. I grinned sheepishly at the comment.
“I hope you don’t mind. I was unsure of what else to do since you locked me in the room,” I replied. I hadn’t meant for him to catch me reading his book collection. But I also hadn’t meant to fall asleep.
Laughing, he responded, “No, I don’t mind at all. I actually find it truly fascinating that you would choose to read history books. I brought some bread and cheese up for you, figured you might be hungry.”
I was shocked he had thought of that. I realized I had hardly had anything to eat all day since I had slept so late, and a pang of hunger rumbled low in my belly. “Merci.”
Sébastien smiled subtly in acknowledgement of my thanks as I took in his appearance. His wavy hair stuck in clingy strands to the nape of his neck. Dirt and sweat streaked across his face, and the moonlight highlighted the crimson splatters painted over his body. I knew what had happened, but I wasn’t going to ask him about it. So, I sat there, eating the bread and cheese he had brought up, hoping he would mention something.
His movements across the room were deathly quiet as I ate and matched his silence, returning to the book I was reading. I soaked in words flowing from the page as I learned more of the history of my homeland, of our entire realm, wishing that books such as these hadn’t been banned in my time.
Glancing up after a few pages, I noticed he had stripped down; his battle-worn leathers had been removed and a low hanging pair of pants replaced them. My heated gaze traveled up his body, taking in his firm, muscular chest, the tattoos that snaked across his skin, and the smaller silver lines of faded scars as he used a washbowl to rinse the grime off his tanned skin. He must have felt the intensity of my half drooling gaze on his form, as he sent a little smirk my way and leaned against the wall to watch me back.
I couldn’t take his silence any longer and it just slipped out of my mouth. “So today, what happened?”
“What do you mean, what happened? Are you referring to us in the garden?” he softly rumbled. “Or why my men and I rushed off like that?”
I felt my cheeks heat, blushing as I recalled all the events of the day. I had been so focused on where he had gone off to that I couldn’t believe I had nearly forgotten what had happened in the garden earlier that day. I glanced up at him, remembering he had asked a question. “As much as I would love to know what the hell you were thinking in the garden. My question was about why you rushed off,” I replied. “I’m assuming there was another attack?”
Sébastien regarded me for a moment before responding. “Now that the Nordak Captains are aware we are in possession of the first of the prophesied items, they will stop at nothing to get their hands on you. Only a fool would attempt to enter the château, though. It won’t be long until the Nordak receive the message we left for them.”
My gasp rang out harshly against the silence of the night. I hadn’t considered that the men who had captured me would directly attack the château or attempt to. Looking at his face, I could see the weight of leadership that he bore constantly, the hardened lines around his eyes, the concern for his people, his land. The authoritative power he had could aid many in Verastarr, yet it was a hard burden to carry.
“I see. I’m sorry that this necklace has caused the deaths of so many,” I voiced as I stared out the window at the dark night sky, not a star in sight.
And then he was there, tilting up my chin so that our gazes collided. Tears burned at the corners of my eyes as I processed how many good men had died in the last few weeks, all because of this stupid necklace.
“The deaths of those men are not your burden to carry. They knew what their oath of loyalty could entail. Do you understand me, princesse?” Sébastien demanded.
I nodded in reply as I held in the tears threatening to slip down my cheeks. Before I lost all of my courage, I asked, “What about this?” I gestured to the lines inked across my wrist, a daily reminder of the connection forming between us.
Sébastien’s eyes gazed deep into mine as a weighty sigh fell from his lips, drawing my attention toward them briefly. “I’m not sure.” His hesitation snapped my gaze back to his, and the unexpected response shocked me. “Breaking the bond grows harder as each new level is reached. Not only that, but the concept of breaking the bond when you were returning to the future held a different weight than it does now.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Breaking a bond isn’t cut and dry. Nothing is when dealing with magic and fate.” He sighed heavily. “You returning to your time meant that a broken bond wouldn’t have been discernible to those around you. Here, if we choose to break the bond, not only will it be excruciating, but it will also tarnish your reputation forever, making it near impossible for you to find another mate.”
I stared at him in the dim light of the room as the realization of the implications of what he was saying set in. I may not know much about being bonded, but I was two phases into being bonded to him. A fucking prince. Rejecting a bond with him would be a glaring red flag to any man who crossed my path. A red flag that screamed I wasn’t good enough for a future king. Shit.
“What do you suggest we do about the bond then, Your Highness?” I snarked back.
“I told you before, princesse, I intend to ruin you to the point that no other man would ever compare to me. You’re mine,” he said in response, a growl deep in his throat. He approached the oak door and opened it, signaling that the conversation had ended.
My body thrummed in response to the claim he made as I looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes. I was frustrated that he felt he dictated my future. Frustrated that my body’s response to his statement betrayed me. His face formed a knowing smirk, as though he knew my body felt the pull of his claim over me. Rising from the bed, I walked through the open door without a word, dragging the last shred of my dignity behind me as I returned to my room.
* * *
Warm sunbeams traced my cheeks as I woke earlier than I had intended. Uncertain of what was permissible to do given the circumstances, I slipped from my bed and laced up a pair of charcoal practice leathers before heading toward the drill pit. If I was going to begin training, I may as well start now.
Sharp commands mixed with heavy grunts and clashing swords sounded through the sweat-permeated air as I approached the pit. Stopping at the railing by the first sparring ring, I paused, taking in the hustle around me, watching the soldiers practice with precision and unmatched strength. To my right, I noted a separate ring where two wolvyn circled each other, their fangs on display as they prowled before launching through the air to attack.
“Quite impressive, non?” Dravyn snuck up on me from behind. Whirling on my heel, I focused on the Captain of the Guard.
“Yes, I’ve never seen fighting quite like that.”
Motioning for me to follow, Dravyn explained, “We train all wolvyn to be skilled fighters in both forms. The advantage of shifting between forms can be the difference between surviving or not. Besides, if one can’t control their shift under duress, they’re an easy target to be picked off by the Seefers.” Entering a ring, Dravyn looked back at me, and a practice sword flew through the air toward my face. “I don’t have all day.”
Narrowly avoiding the tip, I caught the handle with a grunt as I entered the ring. “A little warning would’ve been nice.”
“What?” Dravyn taunted as we began to circle each other, eyes tracking the others’ subtle movements, waiting for the moment to pounce. “You think you’re going to get a warning mid-battle?” he continued mockingly as he mimicked an enemy. “Heads up, my lady. I’m about to beat the shit out of you, striking on your left first.”
“Ha. Ha,” I deadpanned. “You’re just so funny.” He struck then, catching me off guard, as I ducked, air whooshing by on my left side. My arms weakened as I blocked the blow, the clash of metal vibrating through my arms. A dull twinge of pain shot through my upper right arm after having my stitches removed, yet I pushed through.
“I even warned you.” He chuckled as anger rose up within me. Block, parry, duck, strike. We continued on until mid-morning. Dravyn paused every so often to instruct me on a new technique or more solid stance to hold my ground. My limbs protested more with each block, my body barely managing to duck. I tracked his movements, anticipating his next strike. Side-stepping his advance, I rounded on my heel, my blade cutting through the air toward his unprotected blind spot. My muscles tensed as I anticipated hitting my mark. Only to find my equilibrium pulling me down from the force of my swing as I swiped through thin air. A low growl sounded to my side as I lost my footing and collided with the dust.
My skin was coated in a fine sheen of sweat, my arms screaming for reprieve as I looked up from the ground toward the shifting wolvyn in front of me. “Same time tomorrow. Except we will be going over the anticipated use of magic mid-fight.” Dravyn spoke with a winning grin.
“Unfair.” I groaned, dusting off my training pants, knowing I should have anticipated his move, yet still unused to the use of magic in a drill pit. Standing up, my gaze collided with icy blue eyes as I took in Sébastien’s form one ring over. His gaze held mine, even as he blocked an advance from the other man in the ring, his muscles rippling as he countered the attack, bringing the offender to the ground before clasping hands and exiting the ring.
His gaze was like a magnetic force field, pulling me in. I toyed with the inside of my lower lip as he approached me. My heartbeat increased just watching how his tousled hair clung to his skin, his corded muscles on full display.
“Your blocks and advances seem to be improving,” Sébastien stated.
“Thanks,” I replied, toying with the sword in my palm as he stopped in front of me. “Dravyn said we would work on anticipating shifts tomorrow.”
Sébastien ran his hand through his hair, tousling the strands as he responded. “That’s the easy part—the challenge is how to strike after the shift.”
“Easy?” I nearly screeched from shock. “That’s the easy part?!”
A low chuckle caused my insides to flutter. “Shifts can be anticipated,” Sébastien shared. “All power has a tell; once you can discern each tell, the shifts aren’t as unexpected. The challenge is how to best strike your opponent following their shift so that you get the upper hand.”
Nodding slowly as understanding dawned on me. “What are the tells?”
“One thing at a time, princesse. Tomorrow you will train stance and form with Dravyn and shift attacks with me.”
I groaned in response. “I think I would much prefer to have Dravyn beat the shit out of me, rather than both of you.”
“You never train with just one person. Every tell is unique, different. Training with one person alone will limit your capabilities in a fight.”
I sighed, knowing that his words held truth, but not looking forward to the beating I was about to undergo.
“Before we start power blocking techniques, you have a few years of catching up to do. Follow me.” Sébastien turned on his heel and grabbed a shirt from the railing by the ring. Tugging it over his body, he hid the exposed tattooed skin which had been threatening to permanently distract me.
Following Sébastien through the grounds, then up a spiral staircase on the far wing of the château, I wondered how I would ever manage to learn my way around the place with how directionally challenged I was. The staircase that we took led to a series of hallways, and finally to a small wooden door that was barely discernible along the wall. Sébastien opened the door, motioning for me to enter before him.
I gasped as I entered the room. It was smaller in size in comparison to others. A circular room lined with stone bricks indicated that we had entered part of a tower. This room felt cooler than a majority of the rooms here, possibly because it was more hidden in the château.
Immediately, I fell in love with the atmosphere. The wall was covered from floor to ceiling with various texts and books. There was a large window off to one side allowing sunlight to stream in, as well as a warm breeze that played with the fabric on its sides. Glancing behind me as the door shut, I regarded Sébastien. “I have never seen this large of a collection of books in one location before.” Libraries had long since been banned in the Archives in Estaire following The Fall. Books of any form were rare to happen across and far less likely to contain knowledge on our realm.
Chuckling, he replied, “My father is the King of Verastarr. In his travels and journeys, he always makes an attempt to collect books and manuscripts. He keeps his most prized books at the bibliothèque in Ny Palais, this one here was built through love. My mother had a passion for literature and my father, while a tough warrior, always brought a new book back from each journey for my mother until she passed.” Walking to a row of stacked books by the window, Sébastien pulled a few from the shelves.
“These contain the history of Vanaiyer as well as the creation of power through the five lands. Before you can attempt to control the magic released from your pendant, you need to comprehend not just the history of the magic that will flow through your veins, but also the essence of it. After training with Dravyn and I daily, you’re welcome to come here and use the library to study.”
“Merci,” I replied. “When will you get word on how soon I can return to see my sister? She has not been told about what we discovered on the Barree Rise, correct?”
“Non. My father thought it best for you to be there to inform her,” he replied and then sighed.
“Your father already knows about everything we discovered with the Elder?” Shock flooded through my words.
“Yes,” Sébastien answered, as though I had asked the stupidest question.
“That just seems so quick. How did you send men back to Ny Palais that fast?”
A low laugh floated by. “The bond, princesse. Wolvyn bonds provide the ability to communicate from far distances, remember.” A trait of wolvyn I had most certainly forgotten about, as I still struggled to learn about the history of my own realm. He glanced back over his shoulder as he exited, and his voice carried, “Emalyee enjoys the books to the bottom right of the window. Something tells me you will, too.” He sauntered out of the room with a devilish grin that left me strangely muted.
I wander around the open space, my fingers trailing across the spines as I took in the sheer number of books all within one place. My excitement was tangible. I knelt down by the window, a blush spreading over my cheeks as I realized Sébastien was correct in his assumption that I would enjoy the same books Emalyee had collected. Grabbing an eye-catching title to read later that evening in my room for fun, I settled down in the oversize chair by the window, picking up a book on the magic of the five lands and began absorbing every inch of knowledge I could as the warm breeze danced across my bare skin.
* * *
The week went by in a similar fashion; sparring with Dravyn and Sébastien in the training pit took up my mornings, leaving me exhausted with shaking limbs. The bruises and cuts from unanticipated turns and shifts began to amount across my skin. My afternoons were spent curled up by the window in the library, pouring over history books. I soaked up information on Vanaiyer and the origins of magic amongst the realm, astonished at how much of my own history had been hidden from me as I grew up.
I finished the last chapter of Wolvyn: A Bond Through Time, and my muscles screamed in protest as I pushed myself off of the faded, ruby red velvet couch I had been occupying the past week. Making my way over to the window ledge, I paused, leaning against its worn, wooden frame as dusk rolled in like a sky on fire. Breathing in the lavender-scented air, I closed my eyes, relaxing myself as I practiced my breathing routine, a habit Aerilyn had forced me to partake in with her each night.
“Just trust me, Cass. I learned about the technique in yoga class. It’s supposed to help us stay young and beautiful.”
I had simply stared at my best friend then before keeling over in laughter. “Yoga class? You mean the 2pm class you show up to once a week for college credit? I call bullshit!”
But still, the breathing exercise became routine, each night at dusk. Of course, we tended to follow it up with a large glass of wine… or three, which I’m convinced negated any effects we may have received from the exercise.
Reopening my eyes, I lingered around the bookshelves, taking my time as I searched for a new book to read that night. When I was younger, my mother used to read to us every night, and as I got older, reading became my escape, a way to journey into a new reality, an adventure I longed for. After The Fall, a majority of the books I had grown up with were confiscated, hidden away, much like everything else that was good in our realm. Deciding on a worn romance book, I settled back down, snuggling into the couch as I was whisked away to a far-off island, a welcoming spring breeze fluttering by as time escaped me.
“Reading something good, hmmm, princesse?” a husky voice interrupted, drawing me from my escape, back to reality. A slight rosy hue crept across my cheeks as I realized I hadn’t even heard Sébastien enter the library. Dark shadows crept across his face as night rolled in. My eyes traced his body, noting his unbuttoned black shirt, the outline of his tattoos tracing down his chest visible, catching my eye for a moment too long.
“What makes you think that, Your Highness?” I sassily tossed back.
“Just a lucky guess,” he retorted with a devilish grin.
I knew I was playing with fire, yet I couldn’t resist as the words flowed freely from my lips. “It’s a nice escape, you know? Reading about men who actually know how to please a woman—who take control,” I taunted, watching as Sébastien tensed, his body vibrating against the challenge I was putting out in the air. “It’s not like I find that here.”
In a flash, he was there. A snarl formed as he gripped my head, tilting it up to meet his fiery gaze. “Really, now?” he growled as his grip on my hair tightened, a pained gasp escaping my lips as I met his heated gaze. “Tell me then, princesse,” he bit out. “What happens next in your book?”
Looking up at him through my lashes, I swallowed before shakingly replying, “I wouldn’t know—I was interrupted.” I sassed back as my body trembled under his grip.
Tension built in my stomach as I glanced over Sébastien, taking him in. The tousled hair that hung just below his eye; the floating black ink contrasting his tanned skin; the dark tendrils of mist that radiated around his body. My eyes roaming over the onyx shirt that hung loosely, the black training leathers formed around muscular thighs, before I sharply sucked in air at the outline in them. I envisioned leaning forward, tracing—a low growl fell from Sébastien, his hold tightening in my hair.
“What. Happens. Next?” he demanded. My mushed brain paused to process what he was asking about before remembering the book.
“Well, in the book she was a-about t-to—” I stuttered, “and then she w-would—” I couldn’t finish the sentence as my gaze roamed over his chest, unable to meet his eyes.
“I don’t have all night, princesse.” He warned as his grip on my hair tugged, forcing me to stand—to meet his darkened gaze. I froze, my mind on overdrive as my eyes clashed with his, while he cupped my neck. His free hand wrapped around mine, guiding my hand with his own as it moved closer to his form.
“Perhaps, showing me would be easier, hmmm?” he asked. Heat rushed to my cheeks at the thought. My body alight as anticipation rushed over me, allowing him to guide my hand over his body. The feel of his bare chest hot beneath my touch, muscles rippling firmly beneath my fingers as he guided my hand lower.
The door burst open without any warning, bouncing off the wall with force. “Well, well…” Dravyn smirked as he entered the room. “Isn’t this a fun little surprise.” He looked between Sébastien and me, as I yanked my hand back, pulling out of Sébastien’s grip.
“I thought I made myself clear that I was not to be disturbed.” Sébastien snarled, not even looking at his second-in-command. “Get the fuck out.”
“Much as I would love to get out. Unfortunately, you are needed, right away. If that part wasn’t clear.”
Sébastien growled as he looked at his friend. “This had better be good, Dravyn.” As he followed his second-in-command out the door, leaving me wondering what might have happened between us and what was currently happening that needed his attention so desperately.