Summoned and Bound (Summoned Series Romances Book 3) by Susan Hayes Read Free Book Online Page B

interfered. “Damn it, Gwyneth! What do you mean it’s your fault? And for fuck’s sake, will you release me already?”
    “Sorry. You’re free to move as you wish, but I hope you’ll hold st—” She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence before he sat up and tugged her into his lap. The bowl of water she’d been using to wash him was knocked over, soaking the hem of her robe and once again Gwyn found herself wet and in Vamir’s arms.
    “Now, I want to hear why you think you’re responsible for my slightly tenderized state.”
    His tone was one of a leader unused to being refused, but his hands were gentle as he held her. If anyone else had manhandled her that way, she would have been terrified and lashed out, but Gwyn knew he didn’t mean her any harm. She couldn’t explain how she could be so confident, but she was.
    “This morning, before the master sent me on an errand, he told me that his apprentice had asked for me again. The apprentice was…insistent, and the master chose to teach him a lesson. Raul took his anger out on you.”
    “So the apprentice—Raul, he wants you, and the master won’t agree. Thank the fates for that.” Vamir’s stomach twisted at the thought of what she’d endure at Raul’s hands. The man lived for cruelty and seemed to get immense pleasure at witnessing someone else’s pain.
    “At this point in his training, Raul should no longer be interested in such pursuits. You’ve seen the master’s face, the way his body is wasting away. That’s the way of their kind. The more powerful they become, the greater the physical cost. Raul’s obsession with physical pleasures is unnatural for a Magi.”
    “I saw. It’s not the first time I’ve seen one of his kind, either. We’ve killed a few of the Magi over the years. Though none of them were as far gone as your master.”
    “Then you have not yet found any of the elder ones. Their bodies are little more than withered husks. My master will be like them in another century or so.”
    “He won’t live that long. Once I have you free of this place, I’ll bring back my men and destroy him.” There was a slight stab of pain behind his eyes the second he spoke of killing the Magi, but it passed quickly. No doubt it would have been worse if he hadn’t already been dosed with pain-numbing drugs.
    “I told you already. I can’t be freed. The torc and ring that summoned me took my master nearly ten years to craft.” She swept back the heavy fall of her hair and bared the collar so he could see the glyphs and etchings that covered every golden inch. “He poured more power into their creation than you can imagine. The spells that enslave me are nearly unbreakable.”
    “Nothing is unbreakable,” Vamir argued.
    “I’ve spent most of my life watching the master work his dark arts. I know more about the craft of the Magi then anyone not of their order. There are possibly a few powers in existence that could free me, but I don’t know of any, save the master himself.”
    “We’ll find a way.”  He paused as the rest of her words sunk in. “Being that close to his rituals must be painful for you. You’d feel the essence being torn apart.”
    She shrugged one shoulder in casual dismissal. “Why do you think he orders me to stay? He’s as cruel as Raul, in his own way.”
    Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Vamir brushed a tender kiss to her cheek. “I will find a way to free you. I give you my word. I’ll get you home someday.”
    She turned her head, her lips grazing his for one sweet moment before she turned away again. “First, we need to get you home. After that, you can come back for me.”
    He didn’t argue with her, but Vamir knew there was no way in the hells he would leave her behind. When they left, it would be together or not at all.
     

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    Chapter Five
     
    Gwyn was stunned by his kiss and even more amazed by her response. She’d never willingly kissed a man before. She’d had only a few