The smile slowly left his face, and his brow dropped into a deep V. “Are you scared of me?” He dropped his hands and took a step back.

  “No,” she rushed out. She could see the pain in his eyes at such a notion. “I’m just concerned because you’re not acting like yourself.”

  Aston gripped the back of his neck and growled deep in his throat. “We lived together for two weeks, Rory. And during that time, I rarely acted like myself. I don’t think you can use that experience to judge what is or isn’t normal for me.”

  She considered his words and her own behavior when they’d lived together in the cave. Had she been herself? How much could they really know about one another in the time span of two weeks, especially if they’d spent little time together? And when they were together, they’d constantly tiptoed around one another, unsure of what to say or how to act. “I can concede that.”

  His hand dropped. In the blink of an eye, the pained look was gone, and his lips turned up in a crooked smile. “I’ll be honest—”

  “You’d better,” she warned.

  “There is something inside of me that feels different. Something a little dark, but also desperate. I don’t understand it. I’ve done research on soul-bonded couples, but none of that has prepared me for what is going on between us. Until a person experiences the soul bonding, I don’t think all the research in the world can ready them for the pull that draws them to that person.” Aston started to take a step toward her, but then stopped. His lips drew tight across his face as if it pained him to stay away from her. “Here.” He pulled the phone from his back pocket. “Call Tara. See if she and Elias know if this behavior”—he pointed to himself—“is typical.”

  Rory took the phone and tapped the contacts icon. There were only four numbers listed: Tara, Elias, Liam, and Gabby. She wondered why Ra’s wasn’t there, but decided in lieu of what she and Aston were currently dealing with, any questions about that subject could wait. Rory pressed on Tara’s name and then put the phone to her ear. It only took two rings for her to answer.

  “Have the dragons agreed?” Tara’s voice was sharp with anticipation.

  “I haven’t exactly made it to that part of our journey yet,” Rory said. “I’ve got a little issue that needs to be addressed.”

  “I’d like it noted, for the record, that I’m not a little issue.” Aston’s voice was apparently loud enough for Tara to hear, considering her gasp.

  “Did he seriously just say that?” Tara asked. “That sounds like something Liam would say.”

  “Like I said”—Rory sighed, then glanced at her soul bonded before adding—“we have an issue.”

  “Tell me everything,” Tara demanded. Her voice was urgent, but not unkind.

  Rory had no clue how she was going to explain this to a girl that was virtually a stranger and not die of embarrassment. Better to just rip the bandage off quickly. “Do soul-bonded males have a stronger libido than non-soul-bonded ones?”

  “Okay, wow,” Tara sputtered. “You just get right to the point.”

  “It’s not like we have the luxury of pussyfooting around,” Rory pointed out.

  “Are you Gabby’s long-lost sister?”

  “I have no idea what that even means.” Rory huffed. “Can we get back to the part where my soul bonded is continually trying to jump my bones?”

  “This is so freaking awkward. It’s really a conversation you should have with Shelly. She used to have a fascination with my impenetrable hymen.”

  “Bloody hell, woman.” A British voice came loud and clear through the phone speaker. “Who are you talking to about your hymen?”

  “Pipe down, stalker boy. It’s Rory. She’s asking some questions about you freaky soul-bonded males. Okay,” Tara said. “I’m back. Have you and Aston been intimate, like really, really intimate?”

  Rory was silent for several moments, then nodded as if Tara could see her.

  “Hello?” asked Tara.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Rory saw Aston take a small step toward her. She snapped her head around and pointed a finger at him as if he was an errant child. He held his hands up as if to surrender, though his smoldering eyes told a different story.

  “Yes,” Rory finally said into the phone. “That would be a definite yes.”

  “Ooookay, then. But aside from the fact that you guys are supposed to be making our case to the dragons and not getting hot and heavy, what’s the problem with him wanting you, especially considering you’re essentially married in the elemental world?” Rory heard confusion in the other woman’s voice.

  Rory clenched her jaw and struggled not to growl like a damn animal. “He’s being a little too aggressive—no, that’s not the right word.” Rory shook her head. “That makes it sound like he’s forcing himself on me, and I’m unwilling.” She wracked her brain for a word or description that would adequately explain Aston’s behavior without making him sound like a douche. “He’s acting like he can’t stay away from me. Like there’s a compulsion he is battling and losing.”

  “One sec.” Rory heard Tara repeating what she’d just said, presumably to Elias. Then Rory heard a deep voice in the background but couldn’t decipher his words.

  “I’m back,” Tara said. “Elias has experienced something similar to that, and yes”—Tara sighed—“it’s a soul-bonded thing. They’re a little hand twitchy when it comes to their females.”

  “I don’t recall you complaining about my twitchy hands la—” Elias began.

  “Do not finish that sentence,” Tara said quickly, but not quick enough to prevent Rory from getting an unwanted mental picture.

  “Look,” Tara said, her voice taking on a serious note. “I don’t know the specifics about your relationship. All I know is that soul bonding happens because there’s a chance that our soul, with its missing pieces, has the potential to become dark. Aston’s soul is light and desires very much to be joined with yours. When you’re intimate and both willing to open your souls to another, then more than just your bodies are joined.” She paused, and Rory could practically feel the uncomfortable vibes reaching through the phone. “When you guys, uh, were, you know—”

  “When we joined the first time,” Rory offered.

  “Yes, that. Did you feel anything more than simple physical enjoyment?”

  “Oi, I’m really not comfortable with you discussing Aston’s love life with his woman, luv,” Elias called out.

  “She needs someone to help her understand, you wanker”. Tara growled. “If you think you can do better, then by all means.”

  There was some muffled noise, and then Elias’s voice came through loud and clear. He’d apparently taken Tara’s challenge seriously. “Look, I’ve known Aston a long time. He’s usually quite laid back. From what I can gather, he’s not behaving that way, yeah? You’re his female. He wants you. His soul wants you. And yes, his body wants you. In order for the soul bond to be complete, you have to physically bind your souls through sex. But the act alone isn’t what binds you. It’s when you both open yourselves up and release the restraints on your magic and push it into the other.”

  “Holy witch crap, just when I thought this couldn’t get any more awkward,” Rory muttered.

  Elias ignored her remark and kept right on making things weirder. “He won’t hurt you because he can’t. His obsession with you could become a tad alarming until you’ve joined your souls. Until then, he will definitely become a stalker. My advice to you is to work out your issues. Do it quickly. And, yes, I mean that as a double entendre. He won’t be able to focus on shite if he is continually fighting his natural instincts. Aston only wants to make you his so he can keep you from succumbing to the darkness. All right?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Perfect. Off you go.” Then the line went dead.

  Rory pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it as if it had just sprouted legs and done the jig in her hand.

  “He’s wrong.” Aston’s voice pulled her eyes from the phone.

  “What?” She frowned.

  “I can resist the pull and still do what we need to do.” His voice sounded confident, but his clenched hands and rigid stance said something different.

  Rory took a deep breath and blew it out, making her cheeks puff. “We fought and said things that, from what I understand, soul bonded shouldn’t be able to say to one another because of their overwhelming need to not hurt one another. Did you feel something?” She set the phone down on one of her makeshift rock chairs and then ran a hand down her arm. “Something…”

  “Evil?” he offered.

  “Sort of, I guess.” She nodded. “It was like I couldn’t control what I said. Even though I told myself to stop, I literally couldn’t. I wanted to hurt you.”

  The muscle in Aston’s jaw tightened, and he gave a stiff nod. “I felt the same. It was wrong. Off.”

  “Tara said when we were together, together”—Rory’s face reddened at the meaning of her words—“we should have felt something more.”

  “I felt plenty,” Aston rumbled. “I realize I wasn’t experienced, so—”

  “No.” She held up her hand. “Gah, why is this so hard? I’m not talking about whether we enjoyed it. I thought it was pretty obvious we did.” She ran her sweaty palms down her jean-clad thighs. “Tara said we should have felt our souls join. Elias said for the bond to be complete, we have to open our magic to one another while being intimate.” Rory realized she was still rubbing her hands up and down her thighs and stopped the motion. She stood, straightened, and then crossed them in front of her. “There’s more than one problem with this.”

  “You don’t desire me after what I said to you,” Aston said. It wasn’t a question.

  “No, that’s not one of them.”

  “Things are incredibly dicey now because it feels less like a choice and more like something we need to check off a list?”

  Rory’s hackles rose. “Is that how you feel?”

  “No,” he said immediately. “I’m just trying to figure out how you feel.”

  She placed her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. “How about asking me instead of putting thoughts in my head and words in my mouth?”

  “Fair enough.” He nodded and then motioned with his hand for her to continue. “What are the problems?”

  Dropping her hands, she held up a finger. “One, I have no idea how to open my magic. I don’t even know if I have any other magic than witch magic, which we both know isn’t exactly warm, fuzzy, and full of light. Two”—she added another finger—“it seems a little indulgent to be getting all carnal when there’s a chick in hell who needs to be rescued. And three, well, yes, it’s a little dicey, but not in the way you think. I don’t feel like it’s something on a checklist. And even if it was, that sounds like a fun checklist.” She closed her eyes and slapped her forehead, groaning. “Sometimes I really wish my filter worked at the right moment.”

  “My wild Rory.” Aston’s voice came from directly beside her ear. She hadn’t even heard him move. His hand cupped her cheek so gently she found herself leaning into his skin’s warmth. “After the way I acted before I left, I don’t deserve this, but I’m asking anyway. Will you trust me?”

  She felt the pull inside of her that linked them together. And in her mind’s eye, she still saw the darkness that seemed to enfold around the strands of their bond. Despite that darkness, she felt his sincerity. “Yes,” she whispered. She took in a sharp breath when his other arm wrapped around her, and his hand slipped up under her shirt, pressing her closer to him. Electricity flowed through her at every spot their bodies touched, and she leaned closer until their mouths nearly touched. She breathed the warm air from his lungs.

  “Let me make this right,” he said, his lips rubbing against hers as he spoke. “Do I want you? How could I not? You’re stunning, inside and out. Do I need you? Yes, like any other necessity to live. I understand we have been joined because of the pain you’ve endured and the fractured soul that lives inside you, but that is not why I want to be with you.”

  “It isn’t?” Rory’s heart beat painfully in her chest, and her lungs screamed for air.

  He shook his head and pressed his forehead to hers. “I want to be with you because I’m choosing you.” His eyes swirled like a violent storm, and his chest moved rapidly against her own. “We both have a choice. This isn’t forced upon us. And I hope you will choose me.”

  Aston waited. Knots formed in his stomach, and his muscles tightened to the point of pain. Why wouldn’t she say something, anything? He’d just laid it out there for Rory; his heart, his soul, and his love. She had the power to tear him down and leave him a pile of rubble, or she could make him feel like a victorious warrior worthy of everything she would give him.

  He knew the timing was horrible. The place they stood wasn’t ideal or the least bit romantic for making such an indescribably precious covenant. And that’s exactly what it was—a covenant. A promise, an unbreakable commitment to be together always. Aston was promising to support her, no matter what, and asking for that in return. They were vowing to hold each other when anger might make them want to distance themselves. They were deciding every day to choose one another above all others.

  After what felt like an eternity, she nodded, and her beautiful lips turned up in a small, shy smile. “I choose you, too.”

  Aston lowered his head slowly, giving her time to tell him to stop. But his wild Rory lifted up on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down to her. As their lips pressed together, their bodies molding to one another, Aston opened his magic and called upon the elemental power of air. He pictured the swirling air wrapping around them, while at the same time letting it flow into Rory. She gasped as the sensation rushed through her, and he felt her desire grow.

  “Picture your power, Rory.” He pulled back from her lips. “Imagine what it looks like. Feel it. Call on it. Then join it with my own.”

  She shook her head, and her face pinched tightly as if she in pain. “It’s dark, Aston. So dark. I can’t share that with you.”

  Aston pushed more of his magic into her, and then felt his soul rise, a bright light that practically lunged from his chest into hers. Her fingernails dug into the skin on his neck, and she leaned up and bit his bottom lip.

  “Trust me,” he reminded Rory as he began to undress her, watching her closely to see if she wanted him to stop. He kept her close, never losing touch with her skin. He kissed her, whispered his devotion and desires, and asked for hers in return.

  Finally, she lay naked on the pile of blankets she used for a bed. He took her hands in his, twining their fingers together. Aston looked as deeply as he could into her eyes. He saw darkness, but there were small shimmers of light that flashed as she soaked up the power he continued to pour into her.

  “I don’t care how dark it is, my love.” He leaned his head down by her ear. She trembled when his lips brushed against her earlobe. “I have given all I am to you, Rory. Now you will do the same.”

  This time, instead of waiting for her to act, he joined their bodies. He nipped at her neck and then kissed the same spot. While she was momentarily distracted , he pictured her soul, a light and dark form in the shape of her body. He wrapped his power around it and pulled it from her.

  Rory’s back arched, and her head tilted back. Her mouth opened in a silent gasp. Aston released one of her hands and wrapped his hand around her chin, bringing it down until he could see her face. Light like fireworks exploded across her eyes. The darkness faded, leaving a startling clear grey color. They glowed with joy he’d never seen in them, and then, as he stared at her, they shifted. He could see a smoldering need there, one that matched his own.

  “It’s gone.” Her voice was husky.

  Aston nodded, not trusting himself to speak. His emotions warred with the need to soothe her, rejoice with her, or feast upon her like a starving man.

  “I like the last option.” A mischievous smile brightened her face.

  Aston pulled back so he could see all of her face more clearly. “You heard me?”

  She bit her lip and nodded.

  “Well…” he leaned down and kissed her. “That’s going to keep things interesting.”

  “Yes, it will.” Rory shifted her body, making him groan. “Now can we get back to the part where you’re the starving man and I’m the feast?”

  Air blew around them. Rory rolled their bodies so that she laid on top of him. Her dark locks blew away from her face, revealing her beautiful neck and shoulders that bore the love bites he’d left on her. “My wild Rory,” he rumbled, voice rough with desire. “Your wish is my command.”

  Chapter

  Eleven

  “I knew at some point in my life I would have to make a promise that might cause me to break my oath. I hoped that wouldn’t be the case, but there are people in my life that mean more to me than any oath. I can only hope that what I have promised to do for evil, Mother Gaia will somehow use for good.” ~Ra

  Ra sat on a small ledge that jutted out from the El-Tor Mountain in his native land. The mountain was located in the town where he grew up—El-Tor. He hadn’t been back in over a year. Hadn’t felt the need to until now.

  Ra’s thoughts were chaotic, and no matter how he tried, he couldn’t seem to quiet his mind. Though he gazed at the vast landscape displayed before him, his eyes didn’t take it in. Instead, all he could see was Shelly’s face. He could still hear her voice when she’d called out to him through their bond. But now he wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it. She’d sounded full of anguish and hopelessness. Her desperation had strengthened his resolve to take Viscious’s deal. Despite what the dark fire king claimed, Ra didn’t truly have a choice. Death was not an option unless it meant saving Shelly. If he didn’t take Viscious’s deal and was killed, then he’d died for nothing.

  Ra pulled his legs up, bending them at the knee, and then rested his forearms on them as his head dropped forward. Since Shelly had been taken, breathing was something he worked at, instead of something that came naturally. He was sure his heart would stop beating soon, and he wouldn’t have to worry about the dark fire king taking his life. In such a short amount of time, Shelly had become his entire world. He hadn’t even known he’d been missing anything in his life. Then, like a bright star, she lit up the night sky and brightened the dark world he’d become accustomed to. Ra was only now beginning to understand how accustomed to the darkness he had been.