Soul Bound, page 30
“Or…” Idris draws out the word as he sits up. That sounds like trouble. I smile at him, raising an eyebrow expectantly.
“Or?”
“If you want to make the most of it, we could stay another day,” Idris suggests. “Explore the local festival and head back tomorrow instead.”
“We can’t do that.” I frown. “We have to tell the others—”
“I sent a rider with a message yesterday, although the price was extortionate,” Idris snorts. “They know we’re safe and heading home.”
“But what about Nouis—?”
“No! No. Let’s not think about that stain on humanity for a day at least.” Idris walks around the bed to my side. He sits next to me, holding out a hand and waiting for me to take it. I do, settling my fingers into the cosy warmth of his grip with a small smile.
“Come on, just … one day.” Idris rubs his thumb over the back of my hand, tracing wonderful patterns. “One day away from wars and politics and problems we have to solve. We have today with no bond. We should celebrate. Let’s take just one small day for ourselves. Don’t we deserve that much?”
I groan. This isn’t fair. Without the bond in the way, his voice really is deep and charming, his smile so seductively persuasive. I nod, relenting.
“Alright. One day,” I agree as Idris grins in victory.
“Yes! Right, you stay here,” Idris says, grabbing his jacket and shoes. “I’ll scrounge up some clothes for you and find some breakfast.”
“Alright,” I say as he heads for the door. He flashes a disarming wink in my direction before whisking from the room. I laugh, falling back against the covers and grinning to myself like an idiot. I feel almost euphoric.
About twenty minutes later the barkeeper’s daughter knocks on my door with a bundle of clothes. Idris is nowhere in sight.
I thank her, unfold the items, and set about getting ready.
The dress is a cheerful cherry red, with a fitted lace-up bodice and sweetheart neckline. The skirt is made of tumbling layers of red and white with a lace trim that falls to just below my knees. The sleeves are fitted to the elbow, where they trumpet outwards with a few ruffled layers of white lace.
I tighten the bodice using the strings at the front, finishing them off with a little bow and pulling the simple patterned leather belt over the top, and fasting it in place to hide the knot. Idris has also sent new boots, though perhaps new isn’t the right word. The worn brown leather is comfortable as it reaches up my shins. My dark hair tumbles free and wild around my face as sleeping on it wet did nothing to help tame the frizzy waves. At least it’s clean.
I leave the room, locking it behind me and slipping the key into a pocket on my bodice. I head towards the main restaurant area and find the room stuffed to the brim. Already the drinking is underway, with raucous noise and laughter in every corner.
It takes me a long moment to find Idris amongst the crowd, unable to use the bond like I usually would. He’s standing amongst a group of men, laughing and drinking like they’ve been the best of friends their entire lives. I take a moment and smile at him. Now I can see him as everyone else does: a warm friend, a charismatic and inviting person; someone always welcome, always inviting.
Idris looks up eventually, spying me standing by the door. The fact he couldn’t use the bond to feel my attention really is something. I grin, folding my arms as I wait. He doesn’t hesitate to weave his way over to me, leaving his drink behind.
“Ready?” he asks excitedly, that golden gaze sparkling with anticipation.
“Ready for what?” I ask.
“For an adventure. I got all the gossip about the best places to go,” Idris says, taking hold of my hand. “Come on.”
We hurry out of the pub together, stepping out into the warm autumn day.
The streets are packed and everyone wears strong, vivid colours, and it looks like a rainbow as they pass from stall to stall in the streets. A small crowd has gathered at one corner, and we stop to watch a man performing magic tricks. He pulls a rose out of a lady’s sleeve, makes one gentleman’s hat fly over the crowd, and then he starts making small balls appear in other people’s closed hands and pockets.
I clap in delight as a woman opens her palm and a small colourful bird flies away. Further down the street, music starts.
“Come on.” Idris grins, his warm fingers intertwined with mine as we hurry to watch. I lean closer to him, my other hand gripping his muscled arm as we continue our exploration. The sun bounces off the stone walls, washed with simple yet brilliant decorations of every design.
Idris stops off by one of the stalls. The table is overflowing with beautiful flowers combined with hair jewellery. He picks up a headband wound with white chrysanthemums and indigo aster flowers. He turns around, reaching up to put it in my hair for me. I laugh as it settles in place across my crown.
“There, perfect!” he announces with joy, reaching for his gold purse. I turn back to the table as I find the perfect one for him.
“This one, too!” I tell the seller as Idris starts to pay. I lift up the garland of salvia and crimson petunias. I set it amongst his blond hair, tugging gently to be sure it’s fixed into place.
“There we go. Now we both have one,” I tell him.
“Good, I wouldn’t want to be the only one without.” He grins. “Come on, I know you love dancing.”
We follow our ears all the way back to the centre of town. Up on the stage, which is strewn with streamers of green, yellow and red, is a brilliant local band. The drums are fast, the strings and accordions lively and full of gusto, and the wind instruments pick out fantastic harmonies. The small square is packed with bodies, either crammed at tables, chatting and downing food, or spinning across the dancefloor in their loved ones’ arms.
I take Idris’s hand and pull him to the dancefloor.
“I don’t know this one!” he protests.
“No one does.” I laugh, taking both his hands as I spin us around. “Just enjoy it!”
The smile on his face is infectious. The music builds and soars, seducing us with it in merry symphony. We dance and dance, spinning and sweating and smiling until our faces ache and our limbs are spent. I spin, and twirl, feeling my loose hair fly around me. I’m giddy, light and free.
Fate’s Fury, when was the last time I went out dancing?
Not since my aunts arrived in town, that’s for sure.
Idris and I drift on and off the dancefloor, grabbing drinks and quick, delicious snacks from the nearby vendors before getting back to the dance. My feet ache, but in the best way. The beat and tunes pull and push in wonderous harmony. Time races and stands still all at once. Today is detached from reality as we enjoy the performances and explore this beautiful town while the musicians take their breaks.
As the sun stains the sky with bronze and wine hues, Idris and I sit at the end of a wonky wooden table in the centre of town. Sweat coats the back of my neck and face, the trifling breeze occasionally sending delightfully cool kisses across my body. I tear into the hot, sweet roll Idris has bought, my large flagon of cheap ale half-empty.
“Oh, here we go.” Idris nudges me, pointing behind me. I turn around, seeing that the game is about to start. Apparently, it’s a local Agoi tradition.
“Alright, blindfolds on everyone!” the game master instructs as Soulmate couples line up on opposite sides of the square and everyone ties their blindfolds into place. “Okay, everyone set? On your marks … get set … go!”
The crowd erupts into laughter and cajoles the couples, as they stumble blindly towards each other. The goal becomes clear: find your Soulmate above the noise and the chaos of the games.
“Look, look!” Idris comes to my side of the table, and I scoot up to make room for him. He points to an elderly man in the corner with his hands out in front of him as he walks confidently towards an elderly lady. People have stumbled, people have got tangled. Apparently, walking straight with a blindfold on after lots of drinking is really difficult. Lots of people bump into each other, and there’s fits of giggling as the crowd cheers them on.
“Come on! You’ve got this!” I call, stamping my tired feet on the ground as the elderly couple get closer and closer.
“Yes! That’s it!” Idris encourages. They’re paces from each other, moving slow and steady. Their hands connect and a bell sounds. Idris and I leap to our feet, cheering with everyone else. As the first couple to find each other, they’re the winners.
The couple embrace, love shining in their eyes as they’re reunited.
“Okay, we need that game in Halice!” says Idris, laughing as he sits back down next to me. His other arm rests behind me as he swigs his ale.
“We don’t have a square big enough for every Soulmate couple in Halice.” I laugh before finishing my sweet bread and reaching for my own drink.
“Then loads of smaller games,” Idris counters, leaning closer so I can hear him over the din of the crowd.
“Well, I’ll leave you to organise it.” I grin. “You haven’t seen the river parade in years.”
“Oh, the parade!” Idris sighs wistfully. “That was my favourite as a kid.”
“It’s still one of my favourites.” People in Halice create beautiful paper floats of the most vivid and creative scenes and send them bobbing down the river and into the ocean. People are so inventive.
“Have you ever made a float?” asks Idris.
“Of course. Giulia and I used to compete when we were kids, until one really nasty fight. Then my father forced us to collaborate for a few years.” I smirk at the memory.
“Not anymore?” Idris asks. I shrug.
“We both got busy. Maybe next year.” I laugh and reach up to push my hair back behind my ear. The curls tickle my bare neck, my fingers brushing against the dog-eared flowers. After a day of dancing, drinking and sweating, they can’t be looking their freshest.
Idris finishes his drink and gets back to his feet.
“Come on then,” he says, taking my hand. “One more dance?”
“Oh, go on then!”
Idris and I dance to three more songs before, tipsy and happy, we stumble back to the inn. We stagger through the crowded bar, giggling like naughty teenagers as we head back to our room. I fumble with my bodice, producing our room key before deftly turning it in the lock.
We hurry inside and I lean on the arm of an obliging chair before bending down to pluck at the clasps on my boots.
“Oh, my feet!” I groan in good humour, already feeling the blisters from the straps.
“Let me.” Idris chuckles and kneels down. I slide into the seat, smiling as his warm fingers deftly pull the boot from my foot. He tosses it over his shoulder, reaching for the other one.
“Oh, that feels so much better.” I sigh, resting my bare foot flat against the cool wooden floor, the muscles slowly uncoiling.
“Good. Begone foul footwear!” With that, he tosses the offending boot over his shoulder. I snort as I rest my other foot on the ground. I look to Idris and laugh as he stands up. He’s somehow got powdered sugar all over his cheek.
“How did you even manage that!” I stand and reach up to wipe it away. My fingers tingle with a softly fuzzy warmth as I brush them against his face, my breath catching as I meet the trap of his eyes. We stand barely an inch apart. I swallow, blood racing to my cheeks. My heart pounds so loudly I’m sure he can hear it.
“Don’t look away,” Idris whispers as his hand skims up the outside of my arm. A delicious shiver ripples like falling stars along my spine. His hand gently falls to my neck, his touch so delicate and warm on the sensitive skin.
His thumb carefully presses into my jaw and he tilts my head upwards to properly face him. My breath quivers as it leaves my lips, trapped in the allure of his study.
“Your eyes are stunning.” He barely moves his lips, the words coming out breathy, like a prayer. “Like a polished mid-winter sky.”
I reach up to touch his face. The fingers of one hand slowly dance across his brow and around his eyes, a smile pulling at my face as I take him in. His eyes remind me of High Summer sunsets and molten honey, so warm and soft and inviting.
I’ve never been able to hold his gaze this long. To study him so freely and without restraint or distraction. I knew he was handsome, tall and fair. But I didn’t know that when he’s lost in thought a dimple appears between his brows. I didn’t know about a small, barely visible scar that skims the outside of his left eye. I didn’t know about the way his lips quiver before he smiles.
Idris lets out a quiet, shaky breath. His fingers slip down my neck to brush the ugly bruise that decorates the ridge of my collarbones.
“I am never letting you out of my sight again.” His deep voice takes on a sacred tone, like he’s swearing an oath.
“This wasn’t your fault. You don’t have to protect me just to prove a political point,” I whisper softly.
“Protecting you has nothing to do with politics.” Idris sounds almost offended. I’m about to respond when he drops his head closer to mine.
“Don’t you get it yet, Renza? How else can I tell you?” Idris breathes, a hand slipping behind my waist as he pulls me against his warm, solid chest. I gaze up at him as his fingers tangle with my hair. “Fate bound us together in life and in death.”
His head slowly sinks down, those golden eyes never leaving my face. My heart hammers in my chest.
“Everything we are, belongs to each other,” he murmurs. His breath runs over my lips, a ripple of tingles covering the sensitive skin.
“Two halves searching to become whole,” I whisper back, my eyes half-closed. His mouth is an inch from mine, our breaths mindless with the scent of ales and sweet bread.
“Please, tell me.” Idris’s hands go to the back of my head, fingers intertwining with my hair. “I need to hear you say it.”
“You’re mine, and I am yours.” I whisper the words that have plagued me for weeks. Words I didn’t dare admit even to myself. Words I can no longer deny. “We’re inevitable.”
“You’re mine,” answers Idris. “My sweetest rival, my divine nemesis. My Fated undoing.”
His mouth descends on mine and his lips move like a man starved. The ambrosia of his tongue drowns any sense and shrinks the whole world to him and only him. His hand moves down my back to pull me flush against his body, a trail of pleasure shuddering across my skin like melting stars.
I knot my fingers in his thick blond hair, matching his tempo. This kiss is not tame or soft. I need more. I crave all of him.
My hands go to the buttons of his jacket and quickly pull them free, and Idris reaches down to yank his shirt over his head. He throws it to one side, his mouth off mine for barely a moment before it returns to its rightful place. His tongue plays rapturous tricks along mine, but I return his devotion in kind.
He reaches down, picking me up as though I weigh nothing at all before laying me down on the bed. Through his trousers I can feel every long, thick, delicious inch of him pressed against my hip. His warm, chiselled body leans over mine. The softness of his skin, the roughness of his five o’clock shadow, the fervour of his hands blocking all else from my mind…
His hand slowly slides down, reaching the hem of my skirt. His fingers seek out naked skin, before slowly drifting up my body. His lips move to my neck, attending to the sensitive flesh with faithful attention. My moan encourages the path of his fingers, higher and higher until they reach the pulsing, needy wetness between my thighs.
I buck, gasping as his fingers drift over my entrance. His groan of approval and hunger thrums with excitement. He starts his tease, making my knees weak and my heart pound. My bliss builds and builds, the artistry of his fingers an all-consuming work.
His other hand quickly does away with the belt at my waist, tugging on the strings of my bodice until he can pull the dress apart. His mouth and hands explore the fresh skin on offer, his dedicated exploration occurring with touch and tongue.
He relents on my core, using both hands to pull my dress over my head, leaving me completely naked underneath him. His eyes burn with hunger as he looks down at me.
“Fate’s Mercies, your breasts are perfect. You are perfect,” he moans, descending to devour them with kisses. I arch my back, mewling as his tongue dances across my nipple. A deep growl of need leaks from his throat and he presses his groin against mine. Only the maddeningly thin material of his trousers separates us.
I push off the bed, throwing him flat against the sheets as I lower myself to his waistband. I push his trousers out of the way and wrap my hand around his shaft. Idris emits a string of profanities as he watches my tongue travel from the base of his cock to the tip.
“Renza,” he pants as I swallow him into my mouth. Damn, I’m not sure how he fits, but I feel him at the back of my throat. I suck hard, letting my tongue work around the skin as I slide up and down with deliberate, teasing slowness. His hands tangle in my hair. Fate, I love hearing him writhe against the sheets. He throws his head back, his golden hair a mess, his face twisted with ecstasy building higher and higher.
After several, long, delicious moment he pulls himself away. But there is a fevered light in his eyes as he climbs on top of me, his mouth returning to demand mine. I’m captivated by him.
“The first time I have you, I will have you properly,” Idris almost growls in my ear as his hands grab my thighs. He presses his long manhood against my core, swallowing my moans with devouring kisses. He rubs, pressing every inch of him against my wetness, rubbing and teasing until his hand sweeps lower.
He positions himself, pausing to look into my eyes. I reach up, knotting my fingers through his blond hair. He thrusts, pushing all the way to the hilt, and I’m sent spinning. Delirious, divine ecstasy thrums through my entire body as he fills up every single inch of me.
He starts moving, in and out. He drives me hard, desperately and deliciously. I feel something akin to madness. I grip him tightly, holding on for the ride. His perfect arse is clenched as he pounds into me, his sweaty, muscled body working against mine. Again and again, he slams home with building waves of starlight forming inside me. Our moans answer one another, our panting mingles.
