Bonded – Alara Thorn

Ever the natural mother, Renna stuck a finger in her son’s mouth, and he sucked, momentarily soothed. “Hungry again?” Frustration edged her tone. “I need to bring these things in,” Aureus said, dismissing himself. Farren made a slight sound of acknowledgment, and I suppressed a cringe at the unspoken words between the two. He turned his back and headed for the shop door. I returned my attention to Renna and her squalling child. “Would you like help with his latch?”

At least where breasts and feeding babies was concerned, no one seemed to care if a woman gave guidance or insight. After all, that was all we were good for, was it not? Bearing and raising children. I suppressed the frustration that rose to the surface and focused on my friend. Without drawing the infant from the sling, Renna lowered the shoulder of her dress, and the boy rooted for her exposed nipple.

When he found it, he sucked greedily, and Renna scrunched her face. From outside my peripheral, a man cleared his throat. The three of us shifted our attention in unison as Neirin turned around the side of a tree just outside the fencing that lined the main road. He leaned against the railing a short distance away, Calix in his shadow. “How long have you been hiding there?” Accusation laced my words, and Neirin laughed, the sound low, rumbling, and delicious.

No, not delicious. Irritating. “Adequate time to overhear your exaggerations.” It was the boy who spoke, a bit under his breath. “No man is that big.” Neirin shot Calix a look of scrutiny, and the boy cast his eyes to the stables with bored disinterest. “What would you know?” Neirin cuffed the boy, then ruffled his hair to soften the gentle reprimand and sighed.

“Go, stay out of trouble, boy.” Calix glanced back up at him, twisted his lips in a thoughtful expression, then set off toward the market without further note. Neirin watched after him for a moment, his brows drawn with a look of subtle concern. I watched the boy disappear into the crowd, then Renna’s suppressed laughter drew my attention back.

Farren’s amusement followed as she choked back shy giggles. I scoffed in a vain attempt to conceal the heat that rose to my cheeks. “Are you ready to go on your deliveries?” Neirin tilted his head back casually, seemingly unfazed by their bashful amusement at his expense. “Not yet.” The blush at my cheeks deepened. I need to help Renna first. Resorting to quips to hide my discomfort, I narrowed my eyes at my courter.

“Go back to hiding behind the tree.” Neirin grunted and hefted off the railing. “I’ll go inside and speak with your brother.” Right, there was that, too. My heart thundered.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. 1kitap1.com/en Dedicated to the broken, and to those who do not try to fix them.

1kitap1.com/en CONTENTS Trigger Warnings 1. Neirin 2. Neirin 3. Evera 4. Evera 5. Neirin 6. Evera 7. Neirin 8. Evera 9. Neirin 10. Neirin 11. Neirin 12. Evera 13. Neirin 14. Evera 15. Neirin 16. Neirin 17. Evera 18. Neirin 19. Neirin 20. Neirin 21. Evera 22. Neirin 23. Evera 24. Neirin 25. Neirin 26. Neirin 27. Evera 28. Evera 29. Neirin 30.

Neirin 31. Evera 32. Evera 33. Neirin 34. Evera 35. Neirin 36. Evera 37. Neirin 38. Evera 39. Neirin 40. Neirin 41. Evera 42. Neirin 43. Neirin 44. Evera 45. Neirin 46. Evera 47. Evera 48. Neirin 49. Neirin 50. Evera 51. Evera 52. Neirin 53. Evera 54. Neirin 55. Evera 56. Neirin 57. Evera 58. Neirin 59. Neirin Epilogue: Neirin 1kitap1.com/en TRIGGER WARNINGS Gore and violence; mention of infant and pregnancy loss; death, including the death of a parent and of a young child; implied sexual assault of a minor; child abuse; adult content, including swearing, the consumption of alcohol, and several descriptive sex scenes between consenting adults.

Dedicated to the broken, and to those who do not try to fix them. 1kitap1.com/en 1kitap1.com/en 1kitap1.com/en 1 NEIRIN Eyes of peridot gleamed, their facets reflecting the early dawn light. The pale green stones contrasted with the milky white statue in which they were embedded. But beyond their beauty, the gems held meaning. The peridot symbolized rest and was often set in the monuments of wealthier lords and ladies when they passed. People believed the stone would ease a soul and help it find quietude in its endless sleep.

The gem was a token of harmony between mind, body, and soul. I let out a breath, considering. Each time I came to Mother’s grave, the stones drew me in, yet their very existence contradicted all I was taught to believe, all I’d seen with my own eyes. As a man of the castle guard, I’d witnessed countless deaths, taken lives with my own blade. Though time had hazed the men’s features, I could never forget the void in their eyes as their last breaths left them.

No, there was no continual sleep.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: cfbe157c185ff53e
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 4,617,508 bytes (4.404 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 427
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 760.81 minutes
• Total Words: 152,162
• Total Characters: 822,746
• Average Words per Page: 356.35
• Average Characters per Page: 1926.81

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