J C Owens [Gaven 02] The Bonding (pdf)

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one.
I stared at him in bewilderment. But I cannot be, my lord. I am not even
purebred, only a cross between two races. Surely&
Sadan put out his hand and covered mine where it clenched upon the arm of
the chair. My boy, I know this is a shock to you, one more shock among all that
you ve had to learn since coming to Masaria. But it is truth. Bloodlines or supposed
purity have nothing whatsoever to do with this. Your energy melds perfectly with
his, as Graitaan s does with mine. It is the choice of the gods, and nothing we can
decide. The choice has already been made for us, and we can only be grateful. It is a
wonderful thing, my boy. Believe me when I tell you that. It is a meeting of body
and mind and soul in such a manner as few can ever experience. You will see.
I sagged in the chair, staring at him, despairing. How was he unable to see
that I was entirely unworthy of his son?
I jumped when Vlar s hand came down on my shoulder, a feeling of
possessiveness in it now. It will take time for him to believe, Father. He feels too
little self-worth to understand right now. His voice held an exasperated fondness I
had never heard before.
Then you will have your work cut out for you, much as I did, if in different
ways. Sadan grinned, the expression making him look ridiculously young for a brief
moment.
Gaven 2: The Bonding 75
Vlar laughed out loud such as was rarely heard. I give thanks to the gods,
Father. I could not have survived the same courtship you had!
Sadan gave a proud smirk. No one could. That is why I alone got my prize, my
Graitaan. I fight to keep him even to this day. He is a handful, to be sure.
Vlar chuckled. I am grateful I have Gaven. He s more to my liking. I wouldn t
like to fear for my life each time I bedded him.
Sadan winked at me. It adds spice to life, my son. I am never bored.
They both laughed then, and I stared at them with little understanding.
Closing my eyes did not seem to help. I had to have fallen down a hole somewhere,
and this was but an epic dream.
One that made little sense.
Surely I would soon wake&
76 J. C. Owens
Chapter Six
But I did not.
I found myself in a whirl of people who seemed wildly happy for me, as though
they knew more or at least had asked more than I had.
I was too much in shock to be able to ask Vlar the questions that flowed
through my mind. I had to solidify them for myself before I could word them
properly for others, and by then it seemed everyone else was more in the know than
I.
Strange times bring strange actions in people, for the one who seemed most
happy for me was& my father. Gareth took the news with silent astonishment, then
a sort of quiet pride that I had never seen in him.
He clapped me on the shoulder, told me, Well done. Since I had come to
Masaria, I d never received the slightest praise from him, and now I was given an
accolade for something I hadn t even consciously done. I had not sought Vlar nor
attempted to place myself in a position where he might notice me. It had all been
done against my will. Now there were those people who spoke as though I had
planned this, created this.
It angered me.
On this particular night, I sought out the peace of the garden, trying to silence
my own inner conflict, find some way to come to terms with this& this& whatever it
was.
I heard Vlar s footsteps enter my sanctuary, knew he made sound deliberately,
for normally he was utterly silent. I did not turn to face him, only leaned against a
Gaven 2: The Bonding 77
pillar and looked up into the face of the full moon, my thoughts fragmented and
unhappy.
Vlar s hand came down upon my shoulder, and I did not shrug it away or
flinch. Whatever was happening was beyond that now. It was time that I learned
more, asked more. This was my life that was changing yet again. Surely I was
entitled to understand why.
His large hand trailed down my arm and caught my hand, using it to gently
turn me to face him.
Speak to me, Gaven. You have been so silent. I ve waited, for I knew you had
to mull on what is happening between us, on what this means to us both, but this
has gone on too long. You need to voice your concerns. His tone was low and deep,
but with a certain gentleness and understanding I had not expected from him. He
seemed so changed since this had been confirmed, so different with me. It made me
more confused, more uncertain of my place. He had been the hub of my existence
since I came to Masaria; his behaviors and actions had fueled my own responses in
every way.
Now even he was different, and I had no idea how to cope with this.
He drew me to a high-backed marble bench and made me sit, still retaining his
hold on my hand as he followed suit.
Speak to me, he repeated, eyes fixed on mine.
I swallowed with great difficulty, forcing myself to keep looking at him, to not
shift my gaze as I longed to do. I needed to watch his expression, to see his reactions
to my questions. Only then could I believe his answers.
What caused this? How is it possible that I am this person of whom you
speak? I winced a little at the weak quality of my voice. I wanted to sound strong
and intelligent.
Gaven, I don t know what you were taught as to gods, but among my people
there is great belief that when we are born, we have a path. There are variations,
perhaps, but the path is there, in one form or another. Along that path, there are
78 J. C. Owens
those who will affect us, in good ways and in bad, to teach us and for us to teach, to
influence us in all ways. If we are truly fortunate, we will be blessed with one to
love us, truly love us. To accept us in all ways, to see us in all our weaknesses and
in our glory and to take our hearts, as we take theirs. He rubbed his thumb across
my knuckles, green eyes intent on mine. The gods choose, Gaven. When you were
born, this was already your destiny.
I drew a deep breath, trying to subdue my panic so I could actually think,
actually listen to what he was trying to tell me.
But I am not Finnarian, my lord. How can I be this& mate& if I will only die
before you? That seems cruel in the extreme for you.
My father says that things can be done to remedy that. He has not told me
how yet, but he seems confident there is a way. You too will be made immortal by
the energies of our people.
I stared at him for a moment, then moved on, unable to even dwell on his
words. There were too many other things to be considered at the moment, and the
thought of immortality was too unreal to even imagine.
Does this mean we will continue to live here, or will I have to return with you
to your land? The trepidation was evident in my tone.
Vlar gave a small smile, and his face looked so much younger. Indeed, since
this had all happened, he seemed so different, so much more approachable. I kept
waiting for him to return to his harsh ways, but at least with me, it seemed that
this new state of being was here to stay.
I could not decide if that was good or bad. I was used to the old Vlar, my
eramon, my mentor, my nemesis. Who this new person was I had yet to discover,
but it all left me feeling lost again, adrift.
We will have to see, little one. I will not stay here forever, no. Someday we
will return to my people, but not before you have become accustomed to being
bonded. I would not take you away from those you have only just begun to know as
friends and family.
Gaven 2: The Bonding 79
I huffed out a short breath of relief, realizing how afraid I had been of bring
uprooted yet again.
Are you still my eramon, then? I blurted.
Of course. You haven t yet reached the pinnacle of your fighting ability. Until
that day, I will train you. He smiled then, and it was not a good smile. A very bad
twinkle was in his eyes, and he leaned closer to me, one hand coming up to cradle
my nape, holding me firmly. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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