Chapter 46

Dusty took a deep breath and centred herself.

“I think we need to go that way,” she said and headed for a break in the shelves. She ignored what was on them as her long legs hastened her to a new destination.

James deliberately lagged behind her so he could watch her walk. He loved the sway in her hips and her strut when she set off with determination. He never got tired of watching her arse wiggle.

‘Perve,’ she sent back to him, making him chuckle.

Her comment didn’t hasten his steps because she put more wiggle into her sexy butt just for him.

‘She is going to find herself bent over a box if she keeps it up,’ he thought.

He laughed out loud when her, “Promises, promises” answer floated back to him.

The saucy look she shot over her shoulder before she disappeared around a corner had him readjusting the hardware.

He found her again a few steps later. She was pulling a small chest off one of the shelves. He thought it was odd that it was hidden in the middle of the place if it was a magical box. She handed it to him and then removed the second box. His was silver, and hers was gold.

“Do we do it together?” she asked him with a touch of apprehension.

“If you wish. On the count of three?” he replied, feeling the tingle from the box and the excitement of his entity.

She nodded and counted, “One, two, three.”

They opened the boxes and looked in.

“Vambraces?” Dusty said as a query and in surprise.

James touched his and closed his eyes. “It is giving me the impression it wants me to just slip it over the one I already wear,” he said as he opened his eyes.

He placed the box on the shelf and removed the brace from it. Dusty removed one from her box. They looked at each other and slipped the new vambrace over their brace. James to his right and Dusty to her left since she was a south-paw.

“Oh! Fuck!” Dusty yelped.

James just grunted as if he was having an orgasm, which he was. They both swayed and somehow, James caught Dusty. He pulled her into his arms and claimed her lips as the euphoria hit them both again, and their minds melded.

When reality seeped back into their minds, they were still lip-locked in the walkway between the shelves. They parted slightly so their eyes could meet but didn’t let go of each other.

“Sorry, sweetie,” Dusty said softly.

“Why? I was already yours, heart, body and soul, my love. This makes no difference to how I feel about you. I was yours before you saved my life. Why else do you think you could bring me back as you did?”

“I have not wanted to be anywhere you are not since the day I first laid eyes on you, Dusty. However, loving you doesn’t stop me from being me.”

A tear dripped down Dusty’s cheek. “I know, and that scares me silly every time I think about it, James.”

“Don’t let it, my love. I’m with you by choice,” he replied and gently kissed her again.

“And I with you,” she smiled at him after the kiss.

Dusty then looked down at her arm.

Her brace was now golden and had eight gems on it. Three were unique gems as she had gained a black diamond. She hadn’t had the gem for Lore on her brace, so this one would double for it. She had also obtained a black opal for Nature but wasn’t aware of its significance.

James’ brace was silver, and he had seven gems. The largest jewel was the new special gem, and they both knew it was her royal gem. The other stones represented the six traits.

He was Dusty’s bonded Paramour and as powerful as a Lord Wizard. They noticed their medallions hadn’t changed and still had the original four gems on them.

“Are you still in there, Zed?” Dusty asked the vambrace.

“Yes, my Teha, the other entity left since you have bonded so well with your current one. For whatever reason, Ada and I are still your AIs. We have a welter of new information to process and new processing power to do it with. We are all delighted to continue to serve you and James,” he replied.

“Good to hear that you’re still with me and that James still has Ada. I’ve kinda gotten used to you being around, Zed,” she told the brace.

“And I enjoy being with you, my Teha,” he said with feeling.

As Dusty put her new box into her backpack, she noted that the magical box that Lee had given her was still in there. James commented that he still had his. He opened the old box and retrieved a small bag of crystals.