Banded Brothers 03 - To Enchant An Eagle (5 page)

hen Gallen turned back Marty, he didn’t like the gleam in the half-Fae’s eyes. His smile took away the little hint of doubt over Gallen’s intentions. “I thought it might take longer to get my hands on my pretty eagle, but you helped land him right into my hands.”

The cold smile crossing Gallen’s lips had Marty opening his mouth to protest, but Gallen waved his hand and no noise came from Marty’s mouth.

Fear trickled down his spine. Helpless, he couldn’t do anything to stop the sorcerer from doing whatever he wished.

He silently berated himself. He let his only layer of protection walk out the door.
“I’ve been watching Eaton for years,” Gallen said in a wistful tone. “He’s so beautiful, don’t you think?”
Gallen waved a hand at Marty. “It’s all right; I know you agree. I mean, who wouldn’t. Once I have him fully beneath my enchantment, he’ll be perfectly happy as my mate. It’s lucky for me that you were stupid enough to hand him over on a silver platter.”
He slid a scornful glance over at Marty. “You don’t deserve him. When he’s my mate, I’ll never let another touch him. I’ve been waiting to give him this.”
Gallen pulled a silver chain out of his pocket. It shimmered and shone in the sunlight streaming through the window. A small silver eagle dangled from the necklace. “This is a Venus chain. It will keep Eaton under my thrall long enough to bond with him. In fact, it will convince him I’m his proper mate. Eagles are fierce warriors, but not particularly strong willed. Once Eaton is convinced he was meant to be mine, he won’t even acknowledge your tiny bond.”
Satisfaction all but oozed from Gallen.
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to cause him any harm. He’ll live a perfect life as my mate. My family has lots of money, and once he graduates, I’ll set him up with the best lab money can buy so he can tinker with all his ideas and experiments. He’s quite brilliant, you know. A bit head-in-theclouds, but I guess that’s part of being a bird shifter.”
Gallen laughed, a beautiful light-hearted noise that made Marty hate him even more.
The thought of his free-spirited eagle trapped in a loveless mating for the rest of his life caused more pain to Marty than his fractured bones.
He tried to move. His jaw dropped open as he screamed without noise.
“Take it easy. It will take longer to heal you if you thrash about.”
Gallen waved a hand. White ropes of energy wrapped around Marty like sizzling snakes, wiggling and hissing with power. Heat poured through the bonds, warm and comforting. If he’d been less concerned for Eaton, he would’ve enjoyed the sensation. Instead, he struggled against the healing bonds. He’d rather remain broken and useless than have Eaton’s free will stolen from him.
“Settle down. I plan on keeping my half of our agreement. If you healing, I can’t complained.
That sounded just fine to Marty. He tried to move some more.
“Be still.” Gallen placed a palm against Marty’s neck and he froze.
He couldn’t move. Not his nose, not his pinky, nothing on his entire body could so much as twitch. He was more frozen than the top of Mount Rainier.
Somehow his lungs operated enough to allow do anything to ruin your claim payment,” Gallen him to breathe, but that was the extent of his motion.
“I’m rebinding your bones, but I’m trapping your hawk inside,” Gallen said casually. “Sorry, but I can’t have your animal half calling to Eaton’s eagle. According to my studies, the bond between your shifter halves is stronger than the human one.”
Marty didn’t know if this was true or not, but despite hating Gallen, he was impressed the man had done his homework. Maybe Gallen’s obsession with getting everything right could work in their favor.
He had no doubt the sorcerer would take Eaton with him. After all, Marty couldn’t do anything, and with the necklace, Eaton would think it was all his idea. His pretty naïve shifter would be putty in the hands of the ruthless sorcerer.
With his stomach tied in knots, even the relief of his bones sealing together wasn’t enough to remove the pain from his heart.
“Easy, almost done.” Gallen’s voice, calm and soothing, had Marty’s eyes starting to droop.
He shouldn’t fall asleep. He knew there was a reason for that. A fog began to settle in his head. Why shouldn’t he rest? There must be a reason.
“That’s it. Go ahead and take a nap; healing is hard work.”
Yes, a little sleep would be good. He could rest for a bit and then he could go for a flight.
Flight.
Now he remembered. Marty fought against his heavy eyelids. He needed to stay awake. He had to tell Eaton about Gallen’s deception. His friend wasn’t really a friend at all. Gallen only wanted Eaton for himself, to keep him as a pet or something. Marty wasn’t quite clear on what Gallen wanted Eaton for. A mindless mate? Whatever nefarious reasons he wanted Eaton, none of it could be good. Eaton belonged to Marty.
“Relax. It will all be over soon and Eaton will be in a good place. Don’t think I won’t take good care of him. I will. My father has taken excellent care of my mother over the years and I’ll do the same to Eaton.”
Crap.
Now he knew how Gallen got his Fae half, his mother must have been one of the abducted. A hundred years ago, magic wielders had stolen an entire branch of Fae. Most of them had escaped over time. Apparently, Gallen’s mother hadn’t been one of the more fortunate. A man raised to think abducting your mate was a good idea wouldn’t give Eaton up without a fight.
Marty needed to get stronger to take Eaton back. He settled for raising his eyelids high enough to glare at the sorcerer.
“I know you think I’m insane, but everything will be fine. You can go back on the road with your hawks knowing I’ll take care of Eaton.”
Gallen made it sound as if they were friends, and he was doing Marty a favor. If he could talk, he’d tell the sorcerer where he could shove that favor.
“Deep breaths, accept the magic. You have to take it inside so you can heal faster. Eaton isn’t going to wait forever, and if he interrupts your healing, I won’t be responsible for any consequences.”
Marty didn’t know if the consequences would be for him or Eaton, but he couldn’t chance it. His stupid wish to speed up his healing had gotten them into this situation.
Closing his eyes again, he took slow, even breaths. He could feel the magic tingling along his skin, poking at him to accept it. Not being able to move a muscle made relaxation close to impossible, but he did what he could.
Warm soothing heat slithered down his spine and spread throughout his body. He thought this was supposed to hurt. Maybe it was a ploy to get Eaton out of the room. Sleep tugged at him again.
Gallen stroked a finger down Marty’s right cheek. “I can see why Eaton is so enamored of you. You are a handsome man, just not right for my eagle. This is the part you’re not going to like so much.”
The sorcerer flicked his finger across Marty’s chest.
Marty screamed. A soundless noise that hurt his throat as molten lava burned him from inside out. He could feel tiny bits of bone fusing together, bonding as if reattached with magical cement. Every fracture, every snapped off piece realigned with pure energy.
He trembled from head to toe, fine shivers shaking his frame despite the magical blanket laid across his body.
“Shh, it’s almost over,” Gallen soothed. “This is the worst part, I’m told.”
Minute blended into minute until Marty wondered if these were his last moments on earth and he’d chosen to spend them in agony instead of curled up beside his beloved. Tears dripped from his eyes, leaving wet tracks down the sides of his face. He couldn’t move to wipe them away, but that didn’t matter. What would happen after he healed? Would Eaton understand to not go with Gallen?
Gradually, so slowly it took a moment to realize what was happening, the pain faded. Sweeping back like a receding tide, it eased off bit by bit. Marty did an internal inventory. Healed. His hawk however remained silent. Marty tried to access his spirit animal, but it remained quiet. The entire purpose of becoming healed was moot. He not only couldn’t fly, but he couldn’t even find his hawk.
“The disassociation from your bird will only last a few months,” Gallen assured him. “Long enough for me to bond with Eaton. I wouldn’t want him to feel rushed.”
The false concern from the sorcerer made Marty want to smash Gallen’s face in.
Gallen placed his palm in the center of Marty’s chest. He remained there for a long moment before nodding. “Yes, you are all healed. Your hawk is having a little nap, but he’s not gone forever. I did good work.”
Marty tried to tell Gallen exactly what he thought of Gallen’s work, but of course he couldn’t speak.
“I’m going to go get Eaton. He’ll be thrilled!” Clapping his hands, Gallen went to unlock the door.
Eaton rushed inside, immediately heading to Marty.
Soft hands brushed Marty’s cheek, stroked his hair and petted his chest in soothing motions. “How are you, my mate?” Eaton asked, concern shimmering in his gold eyes.
“I’m afraid he can’t talk right now. Sometimes the process causes temporary paralysis. He’ll be fine in a few hours,” Gallen smoothly assured Eaton.
“But he’s healed?” Eaton asked, a frown marring his forehead.
“Absolutely. Every single bone is whole and right where it needs to be,” Gallen assured him.
“Oh, thank you.” Eaton threw himself into Gallen’s arms, exuberantly hugging him.
Marty’s fingers curled into a fist.
Wait.
His fingers moved. Gallen’s eyes widened over Eaton’s shoulder as he caught the motion.
Gallen carefully set Eaton away from him. “I believe you owe me a kiss,” he told the eagle.
Eaton sent a cautious glance over to Marty.
“You promised,” Gallen scolded.
“I know. I did.” Eaton dipped his head shyly before stepping into the circle of Gallen’s arms.
“I expect a good one, too. I did quality work on this one.”
“I won’t cheat you. I just haven’t ever kissed anyone but Marty before,” Eaton confessed.
Marty’s stomach churned as he realized what he’d blithely agreed to put his mate through. He’d kissed hundreds of men in his life, an embrace as meaningless as a handshake to him. However, his chaste, faithful eagle had only kissed him. Now it as his own damn fault for giving away the precious gift of his mate’s innocence for his own selfish needs.
If he hadn’t felt like a heel before, he certainly did now. If he didn’t know Gallen planned to take away Eaton’s free will, he might’ve let the other man have him. Marty wondered briefly about Gallen’s mother. Did she enjoy her captivity after all these years or had she only just become numb?
“I’m ready when you are,” Gallen said, snapping Marty out of his inattention. Whatever Gallen had done with his magic, it had fogged Marty’s mind.
Eaton went to his tiptoes and pressed his lips against Gallen’s.
Marty watched as Gallen slipped the necklace out of his pocket and snapped it deftly around Eaton’s neck.
Eaton jerked back. “What?” He lifted the chain to get a better look.
“It’s an eagle,” Gallen told him. “It will magically adjust whenever you wish to shift and fly.”
“Oh, thank you.” Eaton flickered a cautious look toward Marty.
“Marty told me it was fine to give it to you,” Gallen lied.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Marty opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Apparently, the one hand was the extent of his ability. He had to do better. There! His foot twitched.
“I only have one more surprise, my eagle friend,” Gallen said.
“Surprise?” Eaton’s eyes lit up.
Marty struggled harder to move.
“This necklace has a special ability,” Gallen purred.
Eaton tilted his head. “Besides adjusting its size.”
“Mm hmm. Ready.”
Eaton flashed another glance at Marty. When Marty didn’t protest, he shrugged. Marty’s heart ached from the misplaced confidence Eaton gave him. The eagle shifter trusted Marty to keep him from harm, and he was all but gift-wrapping him for his abductor.
“I guess.”
Gallen pressed the eagle between his fingers. “In Venus’s hands, my will I’ll keep.”
A golden glow surrounded them.
“Whoa, what?” Eaton blinked at Gallen as if his lids became too heavy to lift for more than a second or two at a time.
Marty watched as the bright light of curiosity that usually flowed in Eaton’s eyes dimmed.
“You’re going to come home with me now, Eaton. You are going to be my bonded,” Gallen said.
Eaton didn’t agree, didn’t argue, didn’t do anything but stand there.
“Come along, love. Once the spell settles, you’ll feel a lot better. Maybe you’d enjoy a good flight later, hmm?”
Gallen waved his hands. With little fanfare, a black transportation hole appeared in the middle of the room. “Bye, Marty. Have a good life. Don’t worry, I’ll take excellent care of him.”
Gallen led Eaton through the portal.
The hole vanished behind them just as the spell wore off Marty.
Marty screamed, not the sound of a hawk shifter, but the broken noise of a man who’d just lost the other half of his soul.

“Marty,” Eaton whispered.
“Always, my love,” Marty replied.
The hawk shifter lay beside Eaton. They were both

naked. Eaton’s mouth watered at the sight of his beloved in all his bare glory. “I want you. Please make me yours,” he begged.

“You are already mine,” Marty said. He kissed Eaton’s shoulder, dragging his lips across Eaton’s skin. “You will always be mine.”

Marty nipped at Eaton’s neck, sending a shivering thread of desire through his body.
Eaton looked into his lover’s passionate gaze.
Marty leaned forward, but just as their lips almost touched, he transformed into a hawk and flew away. Eaton cried out, reaching for his vanished lover.

Eaton blinked as he tried to bring his world into focus. He lay on a large bed in an enormous decadently luxurious room. Antique furniture rubbed elbows with expensive textiles. Eaton knew exactly what some of this cost, because when Carey had redecorated the manor, most of the items like this fell into the too expensive to purchase pile.

He rubbed his scalp as a mild ache pierced through his head. A memory skated across his mind only to be erased like writing on a whiteboard, crumbling to dust.

The last thing he could remember was studying with Gallen and figuring out a particularly hard physics problem. Eaton took stock. He wore his jeans, the T-shirt he remembered dressing in earlier and his favorite green wool socks. His stomach rumbled its dissatisfaction over its current emptiness.