Bonded (Soul Ties, #1) Read Online Free

words.
    Caressing
her cheek, he gazed at the woman who stole his heart long before he met her. 
How was he to tell her that she had nothing to fear for he had foreseen many
years ago? 
    As
the elevator made the swift rise to the seventy-fifth floor, he pulled Zisa
close and kissed her.  Her body melted into his arms as their mouths met and
opened, allowing their tongues to swirl together.  It had been sometime since
they kissed so intimately.  Because of their eminent bonding, Kellam insisted that
they remain chaste until after the ceremony when they could give themselves to
each other fully.  Reluctantly, he agreed. 
    Feran
pulled away and smiled.  “Feel better?”
    “Yes,”
she said with a glow he had not seen earlier. 
    The
door opened.  Guiding her out, they stepped into the hallway where he once
played as a child.  Now at the ripe old age of thirty-four, he felt like a boy
again asking for permission to marry the girl of his dreams.
    None
of this was a written rule for those in the Life. It was an unspoken one you
offered in gratitude to the one you cared for and respected.
    “What
if he says no?” Zisa asked stopping.  “What if the Quorum says we can't bond?”
    The
Quorum's silence over their request concerned him too.  Yes, gebeds were
permitted to bond, with other gebeds.  But for those outside of the guild, the
code insisted on a loser tie of civil marriage, leaving out the binding of
minds and souls to those experienced in the knowing.  Feran wanted to be more
than a husband, sharing a civil contract.  He desired to be life-mates
withthem.  Joining his soul with theirs forever. 
    “We
are meant to be.  Nothing will stand in our way.”
    Though
confident that Quorum would give their blessing, there was a chance they could
disapprove.  It was not the first time a mixed marriage had taken place within
the guild, but it was the first one in recent memory.  Concerned, he wondered,
if they did not allow it, would he go against their decision?  And marry her
anyway?  He gazed at Zisa.  The answer was obvious.  He would. 
    Feran
placed his palm in front of the lock to his doyen's quarters.  It slid open
immediately.  Stepping inside, the deep burgundy colors of the floor and
furniture transported him to his boyhood.  Many times, he stared out the window
dreaming of the day when he could go on adventures in service to the
Collective. 
    “Please
sit,” he said to Zisa.
    She
sat down on the sofa while he remained standing. 
    “Feran,
you are here,” a gentle voice said in the other room.  It's light tone always
made him feel secure. 
    “Doyen
Efar, I would like for you to meet my espoused, Zisa.”
    A
short woman with black hair and almond shaped eyes walked into the room with
his hands behind his back.  A great smile lit up her expression. 
    “Good
to meet you Zisa.  He has spoken highly of you,” she said sitting in a chair
across from them. 
    “Thank
you.  He has said only good things about you and it is a pleasure to meet you.”
    She
chuckled.  “You are kind.  Feran, she is beautiful and very sweet.  You have made
a wise choice.”
    “Thank
you doyen.”
    “I
have spoken to the Quorum on your behalf and reluctantly they have agreed to
allow you and Kellam to bond with her.  But only on one condition.”
    “What
is that?”
    “You
must not abandon your life here.  Meaning you must maintain a residence in the
dormery here and continue your life as committed.”
    “We
will,” he said with a sigh of relief.  “Thank you so much for doing this.  It
means a great deal to me.  To us.”
    “My
son, for you it was no effort.” 
    ****
    W ater
splashed against stone in the distance.  Zisa felt calm, serene knowing this
was where she was suppose to be.  To be committed to two the people she loved
most for the rest of her life, was right.  She sighed and closed her eyes.
    “Join
hands,” the healer said to the three. 
    Zisa
smile and grasped Kellam and