Forged Bonds (Binding Words Book 4) Read online

  Fiona laughed lightly as she nuzzled his neck, “Ah, there’s my insecure and uncertain husband. I was a little concerned with Felora. She isn’t human, I think.”

  “Pretty sure she’s part Succubus,” Sean said.

  “What is that?” Fiona asked.

  Sean paused, surprised she did not know. “A demon. Succubi are demons that are known to gather their power through sex. It’s said they can corrupt even the most pious.”

  “I’ve never heard of them,” Fiona said. “Did she affect you like she did the others?”

  “I think to a lesser degree, and I’ll be very careful when I do go to the Den to deliver their kettles. That’s led us a bit away from my question, though. How do we balance this, the four of you and one of me?”

  “There will be times that one of us will have you to themselves, and times when we share you,” Fiona said, clearly trying to understand his question. “When it comes time for sleep, all of us will share the bed. I’ve already made it larger and expanded our room into the room Ida and Ryann shared.”

  Sean sighed, his question partially answered and yet not. “I just don’t want any of you getting upset.”

  “Oh, dear, sweet husband. You can be assertive and take one or more of us as you want. I doubt any of us would object. Otherwise, we will arrange things. I’m aware of Ryann’s reticence to be with another woman as well as Ida’s willingness to be with any of us so she can learn to please you better.”

  “Okay, but what about emotionally? I need you to come to me if there’s a problem between you, no matter how trivial it seems to you. That applies to all four of you. Okay?”

  “We love you,” Fiona sighed happily, leaning into him. “Few men would be so concerned for a single wife, much less all four, two of whom have just joined their marriage. I will make sure they know, as I can tell this conversation is hard for you.”

  Squeezing her tight, Sean smiled, “You take such good care of me.”

  “Yes, and now that you’ve been with your new wives, tonight, you will be with me,” Fiona whispered in his ear. “Me and possibly Myna. She hasn’t slept well the last couple of nights.”

  “Gladly. I worry for her, too.”

  “You shouldn’t. She told me that she wants your pride to grow. If any of us are at ease with the family growing larger, she is. You can ask her later... she says we need to be discerning on who to include, but is eager to help you grow in power by adding more.”

  “Oh gods,” Sean sighed. “Please try and temper her for me. I’m not looking for more. I was fine with just the two of you. Not that I don’t care for Ryann and Ida,” he said quickly.

  “We know, dear heart, we know. Don’t worry, she isn’t going to bring women home to throw at your feet.”

  “Thank gods,” Sean said. He had a mental image of Myna with her teeth on another woman’s neck as she dragged the newcomer to him, dropping the woman at his feet proudly, just like a cat bringing a mouse to their human.

  The door opening made them draw apart as a new customer came inside. “Oh good, I wasn’t sure if you’d be open on Tenday,” the painfully thin woman said when she saw them. “I was hoping to get another hair clip.”

  “Of course,” Sean smiled. “A plain one?”

  “Yes,” she replied, coming to the counter. “Angus gave me the coin for one, and the market was a little busier than I wanted.”

  “Angus Angusson?” Sean asked.

  “Yes.”

  “We’d be glad to,” Fiona said, pulling out one of their best wooden clips.

  “Thank you. They are just so helpful,” she replied, touching the one in her hair.

  “Angus has been very helpful,” Sean said. “Could you let him know I could use his assistance on Threeday, please? It’s not a heavy load, but it is awkward and needs to arrive undamaged.”

  “Yes, of course,” the woman beamed. “I’ve always told Angus he could be more than just muscle.”

  “This is for you,” Fiona said, setting the clip on the counter. It had been Shaped to show Angus and the woman holding hands. “The image is our thanks for delivering the message and as partial payment for his help on Threeday.”

  The woman shook her head when she saw the image, but reached out for it when Fiona finished speaking. “The price for a plain wooden one?”

  “Yes,” Sean said.

  Placing the copper on the counter, the woman held the clip as if it was a precious artifact. “Thank you... thank you so much! I can’t wait until Angus sees it. Thank you so much, Master Shaper.” Bowing to Sean, the woman quickly left the shop.

  “Wow, didn’t expect her to be that happy,” Sean said.

  “You’re changing the world, Sean,” Fiona smiled. “Before you, Shapers didn’t make things the less fortunate could afford. I would have called you a fool when I was younger, but now, I know better.”

  “I want to make this world better… for when we have kids,” he said softly.

  “I was hoping you would want children,” Fiona said, putting her arms around him again. “Maybe once the present difficulties are over?”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Sean murmured before kissing her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sean cracked his neck as he walked down the street with Ida. Earlier, he had joined Ida and Andrea for sparring. They used their energy to make their clothing stronger while maintaining Camo in the middle of combat. After a little over an hour, he called it so Andrea could shower before getting back to work.

  Sean smiled when they reached the bathhouse, thinking about what it would represent once they had it finished. Have to get back to work on running hot and cold water tomorrow. He opened the door and walked in to find Ryann and Myna resting in the main room.

  “Afternoon, ladies,” Sean said, going over to give each a kiss. “How has your day been?”

  “Busy,” Myna replied, purring at the kiss. “Another day of work and we will finish the downstairs, aside from the pipes, tubs, and drains.”

  “How has Chastity been?”

  “We haven’t seen her or her mom,” Ryann replied.

  “Hmm. I’m going to check on them,” Sean said. “I’ll come back down and we’ll get what pipes we can done.”

  Climbing the stairs, Sean called out, “Chastity? You up here?”

  A scrambling noise came down the hall toward the side that had been set up for Marjorie. “Sean? Yes, hang on please,” Chastity called back. There was even more scrambling, so Sean stayed where he was.

  A minute later, Chastity came out of the far room, looking exhausted. “Sean, I thought I had today off?” Chastity said.

  “You do. I just wanted to see how things were,” Sean said softly. “I take it they’re not good?”

  Chastity’s eyes began to water, “No… she…” Choking on her words, Chastity began to cry.

  Sean went to her, embracing her gently to rub her back. “Hey, we can fix it. Just take deep breaths, okay?”

  Chastity cried harder, clutching at his shirt as all the stress she had been feeling over the last day finally broke free and came pouring out of her. While he soothed her, Sean was aware of someone coming up the stairs silently before going back down. It took Chastity a bit before she was able to calm down enough to talk again.

  “Sean, she’s broken. She flinches whenever a man talks, she won’t look at me, and she’s barely eating.”

  “Okay,” Sean said, not pulling away until she was ready. “It’s not physical, so flesh Shaping probably can’t help her, but I can put her to sleep and check, just in case. If needed, we can let you have a few more days while we try to find a solution. I’m sure there is one.”

  “I already can’t repay you... how will I ever manage it if you heal her, too?” Chastity trembled against him. “I can’t even give you things like the others did, so a Life Bond wouldn’t even touch the debt.”

  “We’ll address it later, okay? Let’s work on helping her first.”

  “Yes, if that is your wish
, Sean,” Chastity sniffled before she stepped back. Her bloodshot eyes were highlighted by the puffy bags under them.

  “Okay. I’ll be behind you, but Camouflaged so she won’t panic. I’ll follow you in and put her to sleep.”

  “Yes.” Chastity wiped at her eyes and turned toward her mother’s room.

  Following her in, Sean touched her shoulder when he went by so she could shut the door. His gaze was drawn to the huddled lump against the far wall. The almost bald person shook in fear when the door closed.

  “It’s me, mom,” Chastity said softly, going over to kneel next to Marjorie. “Everything is fine.”

  “No, he’ll come back... you need to leave! Leave before Weaver comes back,” Marjorie whispered. “He’ll do to you what he does to me.”

  Sean reached out, using flesh Shaping to gently put Marjorie to sleep. Her exhaustion made it easy for him to tip her over the edge. When she started snoring, Sean relaxed and focused on her overall wellbeing, but could not find anything physically wrong with her. As he withdrew his energy from her, Marjorie’s heartbeat shot up and she began to cry in her sleep, clearly in the throes of a nightmare. Frowning, Sean reached out again and stopped the dream, pushing her into a deep sleep.

  Sean dropped Camo and looked at Marjorie with pity. “It’s not physical. I’ll have to talk with Fiona and see if there is anything that can help with mental trauma. I’m sorry, Chastity, but this is going to take some time.”

  Chastity sniffled as she rubbed Marjorie’s back. “I figured it would, Sean. Are you sure I can have another day off?”

  “As the Holder, I am,” Sean replied softly. “As your friend, I am, as well. Take three days. We’ll figure out what we can do by then.”

  “Thank you,” Chastity said, her hand touching his arm. “You would do this for any of us, wouldn’t you?”

  “No one hurts the people I care for,” Sean told her and covered her hand with his. “I need to find out if there is any recourse for what Weaver did to your mom. I’ll have some of your clothes brought over and food delivered. Just be here and be strong for her.”

  “Sean…” Shaking her head, she stopped.

  “The others will stop by tomorrow,” Sean told her. “It’s probably best if I stay as distant as I can so she doesn’t panic. Get some sleep yourself. She’ll be out for a few hours, at least.”

  Blinking at him slowly, Chastity nodded. “I should. Can you help me?”

  “Sure. Get comfortable.” Once she was, Sean was able to put her to sleep just like he had Marjorie— Chastity was almost as exhausted as her mother.

  Leaving them in the room, Sean went down the stairs. The anger at what Weaver had done returned threefold at Marjorie’s condition. Fucker is going to pay in some way, shape, or form. His knuckles popped as he clenched his hands, and he went to find the others.

  ~*~*~

  His anger fueled him, and Sean was able to get all the pipes glyphed and ready for Ryan by the time they stopped for the night. As they walked home, Myna drew Sean back a few steps from the others.

  “Master, will you tell me now what is bothering you?”

  Sean put his arm around Myna’s waist with a sigh. “Marjorie. The abuse she went through gave her post-traumatic stress. She can’t function right now. The sound of a man’s voice sends her into a huddled panic. I need to find out if there’s anyone who deals with mental trauma, and see what it would take for them to help her. Seeing her like that and what it’s doing to Chastity… I want Weaver to suffer, but I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”

  Myna nodded somberly, “I understand, Master. I don’t know of anyone who can help how you need, but maybe Fiona does.”

  “I sparred earlier,” Sean told her, “but I’m going to join you again tonight. I want to work off some frustration.”

  “I will help you,” Myna nodded.

  ~*~*~

  Sparring, bathing, and dinner seemed to take no time at all. Fiona did not know of anyone who could help Marjorie, either, and the mood during dinner was somber. Sean, heading to the Oaken Glen with Ida and Ryann at his sides, was lost in thought.

  “Is there anything we can do, Sean?” Ryann asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

  “I wish there was. The best we can do is keep Chastity near her. With time and care, she might start to come back, but anything could trigger her to regress. I’m going to see if Dame Mageeyes has any knowledge that can help.”

  “That will cost,” Ida murmured.

  “Yeah,” Sean agreed, “but I can’t leave a friend hurting. I think Mageeyes will be sympathetic, but she might not even see me. All I can do is ask.”

  “I’m not sure if I should sit with the apprentices or with you now,” Ida said, trying to change the topic to something lighter. “I’m sure my new Bond will be a big topic of conversation.”

  “And mine,” Ryann said, touching her neck. “Though none of them asked during dinner, so maybe I’m wrong.”

  “We’ll find out,” Sean said as they crossed the square to the inn.

  When they walked into the inn, the sudden silence that fell made Sean a bit nervous. Dozens of people stared at him with expressions ranging from curious to wary.

  “Sean,” Joseph called out in the same cheerful tone he always did.

  Sean waved back, surprised to see so many of the smiths, and headed toward the bar. Ida split off, going to the apprentices’ table, while Ryann went on to the smiths’ table, smiling at those greeting her. Sean looked for Allonen behind the bar, but did not see him, so he waited for the other bartender to come to him.

  “How may I help you, MacDougal?”

  “I’d like to speak with Dame Mageeyes if she has a moment.”

  “I will pass along your request.”

  “Thank you.”

  Moving over to the smiths, Sean was unsurprised that none of the Shapers were in attendance. “I thought Tenday was a day off for bathing?”

  “Bathing day normally, but we bathe early in the day,” Joseph chuckled. “We normally don’t see you or the Shapers on Tenday, either, after all.”

  “Fair enough,” Sean chuckled. “Since I have a bath at home, I don’t have to schedule it as far out as they do. Why are you all here, though? I thought you didn’t come to the inn on Tenday? Do you guys have any idea why everyone is giving me the side eye?”

  “Rumors,” Knox replied. “We’ve given the true story to anyone who asks. The rumors currently say you killed twenty men and a dog barehanded and then got the magistrate to let you off.”

  “Sir, can I get your order?” Bemin asked from beside the table.

  Sean frowned, then recalled that Lilly was off on Tenday. “Bemin, I hope you’re well. A round for the apprentices on me, and one for this table, too. I’ll have something light. Surprise me, please.”

  “Mulled cider,” Ryann said when the barmaid looked her way.

  The others ordered and Sean handed over the money. Bemin bobbed a quick curtsey before she left the table.

  “Better than the other one,” Ryann muttered under her breath.

  “If it’s not too much to ask,” Callon asked slowly, “when did the Life Bond occur? I remember her being just Bonded.”

  “A couple of days ago,” Sean replied. “Everyone, Ryann is now my third wife.”

  Most of the smiths, with the exception of Sam, were shocked at the news. “I’m happy for you both,” Sam said.

  “Ida is also married to me now,” Sean said, just ahead of the general congratulations.

  Another shocked silence fell over the table, with Sam’s soft laughter ringing out as she watched their expressions.

  “That explains the Serumtrutous,” Joseph said, the first one to recover.

  “Yes,” Sam laughed again. “I was hoping they would come tonight, since you were all asking where we were last night.”

  “You said you had dinner with them... you didn’t mention that Ida and Sean got married… Wait, doesn’t that mean—”

&
nbsp; “She is Life Bonded,” Sam nodded.

  There were exclamations of surprise and cheers from the apprentices’ table just then. When Sean looked over, most of the smith’s apprentices were staring back at him. Ida was smiling brightly. “Seems they found out, too,” Sean said, blushing a little.

  “Your drinks,” Bemin said, approaching the table with a loaded tray. “Sir, if you will follow me, your request has been granted,” she told Sean after she had given everyone their orders.