The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 08

"Sorry, sir." Andrew's head hung with a contrite stare towards Xander's feet.

So much of Andrew reminded Xander of his own kind, and as he watched the young wizard differing to him, he struggled to understand what Andrew was.

"First, let's disregard what you were doing with my daughter when I got here. There is the much more important issue that I raise my family in this house. If my kids were not outside at the time, we would be having a very different conversation. This may be your first, and it seems last visit to my home, but I ask that you never do anything like that in this house again. Should the opportunity ever present itself."

Andrew nodded his head and whispered, "Yes, sir."

He considered trying to explain why they had done what they did, but knew that the older man was not done.

"Second..." Xander's voice deepened, and Andrew looked up seeing anger bubbling up within the man as he asked, "Have you used your magic to enslave my daughter." His breathing was deep and measured. Just as Andrew was about to respond Xander finished by saying, "Remember this, young wizard, if you lie to me I will kill you where you stand. 'The Council' be damned."

Andrew swallowed against the fear elicited by the threat.

"No, Mr. Drexel. We bonded."

Sara's father flexed as he squinted at Andrew. His wiry muscles popping up in his arms as he clenched his fists and weighed Andrew's statement.

"The Bond is not a trait of your people, Andrew. From the few dealings I have had with 'The Council' it is apparent that your kind looks down on us Therians. Judging our polygamist ways somehow aberrant."

Andrew shuddered against the reminder of his bond with Karen, and he hated how it seemed to be driving him towards her. Something about Xander's statement brought those fears to the surface.

"To be honest, sir, I seem to be an outlier within the magical community. Sara and I have no idea how, or why we bonded. Though if it eases your concerns we love each other more than we can express. Regarding your polygamy, I cannot fault you for following your nature, even if I don't understand it myself."

Xander shifted on his stool and seemed to relax as he studied the young man before him. He crossed his arms as his eyes took in Andrew's every detail. The small man that stood across from him hid a fearsome power that caused the hairs on Xander's neck to stand on end. Regardless of what Andrew appeared to be, he knew that the diminutive man should not be underestimated.

"You're an enigma, Andrew. Though I guess you are a problem for someone else to figure out. What was so important for you to understand that Sara was willing to brave her emotions to bring you here?"

A woman in her mid-thirties entered the room through the open doorway. She wore a button up short sleeved shirt and jeans. Despite her simple attire she had admirable proportions which Andrew did not fail to notice.

Her soft voice carried across the room as she asked, "Xander, did you need something?"

"Yes, Miranda. Would you be a dear and clean up that spill with bleach before the kids come home for dinner?" Xander's voice was gentle and compassionate.

"Of course. What is that?" She asked as she stepped closer and took a deep breath of Sara's scent. Miranda's eyes widened as she realized what she was smelling, but her face was clouded by confusion as she said, "That can't be what I think it is. It smells so sweet, and..." Andrew thought he saw her shiver for a second as her tongue peeked out between her full lips. "It smells enticing."

"Yes, dear. We can..." Xander cleared his throat as he adjusted himself. "We can talk about it later tonight."

The woman blushed as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Seeing the effect that their scent had on the older couple, Andrew better understood the mistake they had made, and the danger posed to Xander's family.

"I apologize for what we have done in your home, sir. I had no idea."

Xander smirked and raised an eyebrow towards Andrew as he asked, "Why would you two do that here? Just after being attacked by Brandon no less."

Andrew blushed as he considered his response. "It has to do with my powers. When Brandon grabbed me by the throat I gave Sara access to my energy so that she could protect me."

"So that's how she did it..." Xander looked amazed.

"I still have no idea what I'm doing, and couldn't stop her from drawing strength from me. She is a powerful woman, and her anger was pretty intense." Andrew smiled as he pictured her standing above him, fearsome and wild. "That's why I passed out, she was so angry she couldn't stop taking energy to defend me. Even after she tore Brandon apart." Admiration dripped from his words, despite the worry that lined his face.

"Anyway, as disrespectful as what we did was, that is how I recharge. Actually, it kind of reinvigorates us both.

"Since we are still on the subject of my gifts... I heard you tell Brandon that he had endangered your relationship with 'The Council,' but in all honesty they don't even know I exist. Sara and I are hoping to maintain their ignorance for as long as we can. If you could... Perhaps... Not tell them about me, I would appreciate that."

Xander thought about Andrew's statement before responding, "I don't think you understand 'The Council' or their motivations, Andrew. We have had several dealings with them over the last few years, not because they see us as allies or as a threat, but because our community has grown so successful. With every visit their sole concern is always regarding what we are doing and how we are keeping our true nature hidden from the nearby humans.

"There is but one other topic which seems to hold more importance to them, and that is protecting their own kind. The Morris family joined us two years back, they were displaced by 'The Council' after a nearby Therian family had killed a wizard who trespassed on their territory. It was a similar story as the one that played out here today; one of their son's, head strong and cocksure came across the wizard while patrolling his lands, and I guess he attacked the wizard out of feral ignorance. The next night Mr. Morris was delivered a message.

"He had been given a dream, and was forced to watch as every member of that family was torn apart by monstrous abominations made of stone and flesh. Men, women, children, no one was spared. The message was clear and undeniable; you kill one of us, we kill all of you. The following day Thomas checked on the family, hoping the dream had been just a warning, and found the house was empty. He asked the neighbors if they had heard anything the night before, and no one could remember that a family had ever lived there. It was as if the entire family had never existed.

"Thomas is the only person who remembers his friends, or the mistake their son had made. In a small way that is a blessing, I guess. At least his mates and their children were spared the nightmares."

Andrew took a deep breath, the color draining from his face.

"I'm not telling you this to scare you Andrew, but to help you understand that what I told Brandon was no subterfuge. I think that if 'The Council' heard of a wizard being killed on our land, we would be held accountable. Regardless if they knew about you in advance of the murder or not."

Andrew exhaled, feeling somehow burdened by this new knowledge.

"OK, Andrew. To give my daughter peace of mind, please ask your questions."

Andrew sighed, hoping that Xander would have an answer for his dilemma but suspecting that the leader of this community wouldn't.

"We were wondering if there was a way to break a bond after it formed."

Xander uncrossed his arms and studied Andrew as if trying to find something within his eyes. "Why would you want to do that? Is something wrong with Sara?"

Andrew's eyes grew wide as he realized what her father thought. "It's nothing like that, sir."

"Well, is she unhappy with you?" His confusion was evident as he turned his head and squinted as if he was struggling to find something.

"No, we are both tremendously happy with each other. It's that connection I want to save, and that is the reason I need to learn how to break a bond." He watched the older man's face, waiting to see the spark of understanding, but after a moment he realized that it was never going to come. "I have bonded with another woman."

Andrew's words hung in the air, and the young man's heart hung in that single beat, frozen in anticipation. Xander began laughing for a moment before regaining his composure.

"Sorry, Andrew. I meant no offense, but why would you or Sara want to lose a member of your family?" His eye's showed his complete lack of understanding of Andrew's concern.

Andrew was infuriated by how this conversation had ended up in the same place it seemed to find itself whenever he tried to talk about this with Sara.

"Mr. Drexel, I am not like you or your people. The idea of falling in love with another woman terrifies me, because I don't want to lose Sara."

The older man shook his head as he chuckled. While he decided on what to say, Miranda opened the door with a bucket of bleachy water. Xander smiled at his mate as she winked back to him, before splashing water onto the affected area of the floor and getting to work.

"The simple answer is, the only way a bond gets broken is for one of the people involved to die. The remaining members of the family are left devastated." The powerful man took a deep breath before continuing, "It's like a part of you dies with them, a part of your personality that you never get back."

Xander and Miranda shared a mournful look, and Andrew could feel their intense sense of loss.

"That's obviously not what I am looking for. I lov... I care for this person, and don't want anything bad to happen to her. At the same time, I don't think I can love more than one woman at a time."

"Andrew, the customs of your people seem as strange to me as our families must seem to you. The fact is, you are like us in many ways." He looked at his mate who was scrubbing the floor and smiled. "And you seem to have some extreme differences as well."

A nervous chuckle left Andrew's throat, and the two men smiled at each other.

"You aren't one of us, but you are an alpha. That much is clear."

Andrew's jaw dropped at Xander's offhanded comment. "What the hell do you mean, I'm an alpha?"

The older couple looked at Andrew with confusion. "You poor child." Miranda said as she leaned back on her knees. "You truly are alone, aren't you." The compassion in her voice was penetrating, and made Andrew realize just how true her statement had been. Despite his loving and supportive parents, when it came to his magical nature he had no one that could guide him or show him the way.

"This all started when I met your daughter. It was a short encounter, but ever since then we have been drawn together. When we finally found each other again it was amazing, as if I had known her my entire life."

Andrew smiled at the memory of their first lunch together. The easy conversation and flirty undercurrent that flowed between them. It hadn't even been a week, and yet to Andrew it felt like that lunch had taken place a lifetime ago.

Xander and Miranda smiled at the nostalgic look on the young man's face, and knew that while he may not be a Therian his bond was similar, if not identical to their own.

"Andrew, I can tell that this is not the answer that you want, but my advice to you is this: stop looking at the world through the eyes of the family you were raised by. You are not human, and you are not Therian. It is for that reason that I can't expect our family model to work for you, and I apologize for the judgment and surprise I expressed earlier.

"Whatever you are, you are unique. Miranda, the rest of my mates, our children and even I were raised within families much like what you see here. We have the luxury of knowing what we are, and we have never questioned our nature."

Miranda smiled at Xander as he winced at his own words. "Well, most of us have never questioned our natures. The bottom line is this, we were privileged to have been born knowing what we are, and seeing first hand what family model works best for us."

Andrew was confused by what Xander had told him. "But I have been raised in a wonderful family. I want what my parents have, and am grateful to have found that with Sara."

Xander sighed, and Miranda gave Andrew a sad smile as she said, "Just think about what Xander said, Andrew."

***** Old Wound, New Perspective *****

Sara's breath came in deep huffs as she stormed out of the house. The guard was calling out behind her, but she paid no attention as she made her way to a chest high stone wall a few dozen feet from her father's house. The confrontation with Xander played back in her mind as she tried and failed to settle down.

She jumped to the top of the rugged wall in one graceful leap. Her agility would have seemed out of place anywhere else, but as she looked around at the bustling community she remembered just how impressive the Therians were. Children played with a casual nimbleness that she would never know. She sat on the uneven surface of the wall and wondered if this was how people felt when they watched her do something without restraint.

"Hey there, crimson kitty." A familiar female voice shook her from her thoughts.

Sara looked behind her and watched as one of her father's mates walked casually towards her from the house. The woman was wearing a flowing sundress and had a warm smile on her face. She was beautiful, like all of the people here. Despite her effort, Sara could not remember the woman's name, but she remembered that she had liked her very much.

"Are you here to tell me off for what I said to... To Xander." She stumbled over her words, almost calling him father.

"Nope, just got the pheasants in the oven and thought it would be nice to catch up with an old friend."

Sara stared at the happy woman, watching as she walked around the wall, and hopped up into a seated position with ease. Sara's anger was still simmering and she watched the woman's smiling face for a few moments while the woman admired the playing children. Sara tried to focus on the movements of the community, but couldn't stop thinking of the arrogance of her father. Pretending to care so that he could save face in front of his men.

While Sara fumed at the actions of her father a few of the older teenage boys broke from their chores and started to wrestle or box out in one of the fields.

"How can you stand that man!" Sara blurted before she could stop herself.

"It's a lot easier than you'd think, little kitty." The woman bumped Sara's shoulder with her own and as Sara looked at her with a grimace she saw the warmest grin on the woman's face.

"I guess it would be if he could just make you love him. Thank god I am not bonded with that animal."

The woman chuckled and pulled Sara into her arms. As she was enveloped in the woman's warm embrace Sara was reminded of the long nights she had spent crying as a child after the ceremonies had failed. She could almost see the look of disappointment on her father's face as she remembered those dark days. Auntie A had always been there for her. No matter where Sara ran to, no matter how well she hid, the wondrous and caring woman would always find her.

"Auntie A, I just don't understand. How can you love a man who would do that to his daughter."

The woman caressed Sara's hair while she chose her words.

"You were such a special little girl, and you have grown into such a strong woman."

Sara laughed at the irony of that statement, and looked around at the community members who outshone her in every way.

"Not in that way, silly kitty. Here." She placed her hand on Sara's chest, just above her heart. "You were just a child, and I get that you couldn't understand what was happening but-"

"The hell I didn't." Sara spat. "He tried to bond me with that beast of a boy, and when that failed he told me I was not his daughter and banished me."

Auntie A gave Sara a remorseful smile and said, "I could never love the man you see in your memory, dear girl. That man truly is a coward." She looked into Sara's eyes and for a moment the two women measured each other. Sara could see the woman's deep love for Xander, and knew that a woman as sweet and caring as this would never choose to be with a man like her father.

"Do you remember what your father said to you that last day?"

Sara made it a point to never think about the day she had left this place. It hurt too much, but she knew she needed to now. With great trepidation she thought back on that tragic morning. It was the day after the full moon had passed, the first day that the community would no longer be able to shape shift. Another night of failure sat behind her, and Sara remembered the sinking feeling knowing that she was mundane and unacceptable to her father. By that point she had realized what was happening, and knew that she never wanted to be bonded with that cocky kid, Brandon.

Her father had waited until the rest of his kids were out playing, before he sat her down in the dining room. Sara was his eldest, but while he had seemed excited and caring for her at first the distance that had grown between them with the passing of each full moon had caused him to become cold. She could remember how much resentment she felt towards him, and how hurt she was by his behavior. She had expected him to express his disappointment, or start talking her through some new ritual that he wanted to try.

Sara was not prepared for the words that came out of his mouth.

"He told me: Nothing is working, and I can't keep doing this to you. You have to go back to your mother, I can't raise you."

Tears poured down Sara's face, and while Auntie A pulled the hurt young woman into her arms Sara was revisited by the emotions from that moment. Her body shook at the memory, and she felt the rejection as if it had just happened to her again. As she pressed her face into the soft fabric of the woman's dress she saw her father's face. She could see his expression clear as day, and she saw the same disappointment she had seen all those years ago.

Whether she had chosen not to see it as a child, or it took the perspective of age to appear, she could now see the tears welling in her father's eyes. Her memory from that point was a blur of pain and running. She caught vague glimpses of her father's arms wrapped around her, her throat hurting from screaming and she thought she saw moments of her father's blood gushing from his arm from where she had bit him.

"He tried to stop me, didn't he?"

The warm sound of Auntie A's chuckle reverberated through her chest as she whispered, "Yes, but none of us were surprised that he couldn't. No one could ever make you do what you didn't want to."

Sara enjoyed the sensation of being held by this woman again. "Thank you, Auntie A."

The woman laughed and rubbed Sara's back. "It's my pleasure, little kitty. Though please call me Anita, you are a bit old to be calling me Auntie A still."

Sara pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes and chuckling. "Well, please call me Sara. I am a bit old for you to be calling me kitty."

They both laughed and savored the respite from the intensity of what they had just shared.

"Do they usually play so rough?" Sara asked as she watched the larger boys throwing each other around and wrestling with a shocking amount of intensity.

"I think they're showing off for you." Anita smiled at the surprised look on Sara's face. "You and Andrew are all anyone is talking about."

They watched the boys rough housing for a while, and it became obvious to Sara that they were trying to impress her. Their not so subtle looks in her direction made it pretty clear.