Love and Magic Bound

By Anna J. Stewart

As a high priestess of the goddess Callandra, Elya lived a life of devotion and service. Targeted, seduced, and then betrayed by Callandra's enemy, she is finally free of the spell that left her responsible for endless pain and suffering. Unable to forgive herself or forget her actions, she sees only one solution: she must travel to the Temple of Atonement and petition for the ritual that will erase all memories of her life before. But travel to the temple is a dangerous journey; one she cannot complete on her own. From the moment she meets Gareth, she's entranced, but the last thing she can ever trust is her heart. No matter how much it might want this man. Better to forget everything and move on.

Imprisoned for crimes against Callandra, Gareth is unable to deny the goddess's request to guide Elya to the temple. Especially when doing so will release him from all obligations in the future. But traveling to the temple means facing danger, not only from magical forces, but from enemies Gareth has made on previous journeys. This beautiful, distracting, annoying priestess is everything Gareth has spent his life despising, but she's also something more. Something that leaves Gareth desperate to change her mind. Because once she enters that temple, it isn't only her mistakes she'll forget; she'll forget him as well. 

But the goddess works in mysterious and sometimes manipulative ways for Callandra knows what Gareth and Elya have yet to learn: that love, above all, is the most powerful healing force there is. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bryant Street Publishing
• Release date: Sep 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781094443348

Anna J. Stewart

USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J Stewart can't remember a time she didn't have a book in her hands or a story in her head. Early obsessions with Star Wars, Star Trek, and Wonder Woman set her on the path to creating sweet to sexy pulse-pounding romances for her independent heroines. Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious Supernatural addiction and an overly affectionate cat named Snickers.

Book preview

Love and Magic Bound

LOVE AND MAGIC BOUND

ANNA J. STEWART

BRYANT STREET PUBLISHING

Love and Magic Bound

Copyright 2019 by Anna J. Stewart

LOVE AND MAGIC BOUND

Y ou will do this for me, Gareth. For penance if nothing else.

Gareth’s hands clenched in the damp soil, the familiar combination of guilt, regret, and anger mingling into a toxic brew of nausea deep in his belly. The kurava root he’d planted in the crystalline-enriched soil had finally taken hold, promising a bountiful crop come harvesting time. A crop large enough to share with those who had yet to see the fruits of their labor. Has penance not already been paid?

I told you before, I would decide when it was enough. The firm, feminine voice carried the decisive, calm tenor of a woman well-versed in negotiation. The Goddess Callandra, overseer of the four—no, five now—realms, stood ankle deep in the soil he had struggled against since he’d been cast into this world. He’d spent countless cycles planting and willing and hoping the land would give back. Land that had finally, with the darkness having been banished, and the return of the suns, begun to live again. He looked up, shielding his eyes against the bright rays.

Only a goddess would visit a hovel like his in pristine, glistening white and gold. If he looked hard enough, she would almost vanish behind the stark sunlight beaming down and around them. Had he the inclination or the patience, he might have put that thought to the test, but for now, he bid a silent farewell to his plans for the land and his hope to leave all that was past behind.

Most who inhabited the one-time prison realm were innocent, dispatched here as pawns or punishment for those fighting in the war for control of the realms. A war that was finally over. Gareth could not, nor would he ever, claim to be innocent. To do so would deny everything he was, everything he had ever been. He was as guilty as Callandra was powerful. And he would remain, so it seemed, no matter what he did to atone.

Gareth sat back on his heels, his knees sinking deeper into the dirt before he pushed to his feet. I’ve been looking for a reason to open my first bottle of Jessabel berry wine. He slapped his hands against his trousers and reached for the satchel carrying his tools. Let’s continue this discussion inside.

It wasn’t every man who turned his back on a goddess. But then, Gareth wasn’t every man.

There is no discussion to be had, Callandra said. And I have little time to spare. I’m presiding over a wedding soon.

Yet she thought her demand important enough to traipse after him to the barely standing shack he called home. Gareth left the door open after kicking off his mud-caked shoes to leave outside. This place might be falling down around his head, it might be sparse, but it was clean. And it was a home. The only home he’d had in a very, very long time.

You can spare enough time to toast to my death. He retrieved the hand-blown bottle, admired the blue sheen for a moment before pouring out two wooden cups. Seeing as it’s inevitable given the task you’ve set.

Your death is not a given.

Gareth smiled. What a relief that would be. For both of them. Why me? I would think with the reopening of the realm gateways and the defeat of Dracha you’d have your pick of minions to do your bidding.

I will not tolerate disrespect—

My house. My rules. Minions was the nicest term he used to describe the countless beings who followed Callandra. He would never understand the need to turn blindly into someone else’s leadership, never questioning. Never doubting. Then again, his doing just that had seen him banished to this realm in the first place. Do you not have others who could complete this task?

I have many who would be willing, should I ask. Callandra swept a hand over her shoulder, dislodging the thick curls to cascade down her back. With another brush of fingers, the mud and dirt vanished from the fabric and her feet before she accepted the musty glass as reverently as if it were made from gold. But Elya will need someone to guide her who has survived the path himself. Someone capable of guiding, protecting, and advising.

And you thought of me. If he had a sense of humor left, he might have laughed. I’m honored.

She is to arrive at the Temple of Atonement safe and unharmed five days from her appearance here, Callandra stated. That is your task.

Noted. Same old, same old. Gareth finished his glass in one swallow and poured another. Before he could raise the cup to his lips, Callandra rested her hand on his.

Was that judgment he saw on her face? Or disappointment? The two were so easily confused these days.

I’m just preparing for the journey ahead, he told her. You know the odds of making it to the temple alive are abysmal. Reaching it unscathed? Near impossible. Once upon a time he would have gladly relished the challenge of taking on the quest again. Now? Well, at least now he knew what the future would hold for him. His last venture down the path had resulted in the promise of his death from multiple sources should he ever return. There’s nothing stopping you from simply transporting her there yourself with a snap of your fingers. He looked down at the gentle fingers which had him setting his cup on the table.

Oftentimes the journey is more important than the destination, Gareth.

He winced upon hearing his name on her lips but remained silent. Whatever Callandra’s motives, whatever this Elya had to atone for, the goddess would keep to herself. Just as she always did with anything that truly mattered.

You should prepare yourself, Callandra said. She will arrive soon and will need you at your best.

Gareth waited until Callandra was at the door before drinking the second cup of wine for added courage. This is the end of it then. He wiped his mouth and stared out the small square window over the land he’d come to love. Another home he’d be forced to leave. When I deliver her to the temple, that’s the end. No more errands. No more quests. I want to be left alone. Especially by you.

Had he not glanced over his shoulder, he would have missed the way her fingers tightened around the edge of the threshold. She stood there for a moment, looking at him. If that is what you wish. After this, you will see me no more.

Sounds like a deal to me. He toasted her with a third filled cup. Mother.

She would miss this.

Elya’s eyes misted with tears as she watched her brother, Elian, and Trevelyan, his betrothed, join hands, hearts, and lives beneath the arch of pristine, glowing Farrengold blossoms.

The Forgotten Realm, once a world blanketed in punishing, permanent night, now basked and thrived beneath the warm glow of the twin suns. A gentle breeze eased the nerves knotting in her stomach as she breathed in the flower-scented air and reminded herself she’d made the right decision. The journey would be difficult. Leaving her brother behind would be painful, but she needed to go.

Elya blinked, ducked her head and caught the solitary tear that escaped her control. She was a distraction. A reminder of the darkness that had once enveloped this land; the evil that had overtaken it for eons. Evil that, however unwittingly, she’d aided. Elian didn’t need her dragging him under as he committed himself completely both to Trevelyan and to ruling this realm under the guidance of the Goddess Callandra.

Gentle applause and congratulatory cheers from the goddess’s priestesses brought the bittersweet smile back to Elya’s lips. She’d been one of them once. Beloved and trusted, she’d been a high priestess of the Goddess Callandra, favored above all others. Before her naivety and desire for more had her trusting the wrong man. A man who couldn’t have done more damage if he’d reached in and ripped the beating heart out of her chest.

The crowd of guests, only a few full moons out of their banishment in the one-time prison colony, descended upon the altar to congratulate the newly joined couple. Joy swelled inside of her at the sight of her brother and his mate nearly drowning in a cascade of freshly cut flora from the surrounding thriving, brilliantly colored forest. She stood where she was, gazing proudly at the twin she loved more than anyone in the world. His happiness pulled a genuine smile from her as he met her eyes. He held out his hand, urged her to join them, but she shook her head and stepped away and into the shadows.

Will you not say goodbye to him then? Callandra’s gentle voice felt like a knife to Elya’s heart. No matter how many times the goddess assured her she’d been forgiven, no matter how often Callandra attempted to draw her back to the temple she had once called home, Elya refused. Her mistake had destroyed so many lives, done so much damage. There was no forgiveness to be had. Not from Callandra.

Not from herself.

Erian has all he needs now, Elya said, because she needed to say something. I’ve left him a letter explaining where I’m going. He’ll understand. It was the first lie she’d told since she’d returned from the other world; a world where she’d been surrounded by those without magic. A world overflowing with noise and machines and fumes that coated the air with a toxic film that had coated her lungs. A world where the magic that coursed through her veins was relegated to stories and books and fairytales told to sleepy children only to be dismissed as folly as they grew older. That portal, a portal she’d guarded yet been prevented from using, was closed now, locked forever by the three sisters who had returned the light and rid the Forgotten Realm of the evil presiding over it. An evil that had almost won, thanks in part to Elya.

Love can heal many wounds, Elya. Callandra drew her into the open-air hall on the other side of the archway. Why won’t you let it heal yours?

Because I don’t deserve it. Because the wounds are of my own making. I appreciate you allowing me to take this journey. Elya bowed her head, still unable to meet the goddess’s eyes without suffocating guilt choking her. It is what I want. It’s what I need. To be of service again. If I’m deemed worthy of the ceremony, of course.

The cleansing is not an easy choice for any one to make. Removing all memory of your life before is a dangerous procedure, Elya. It is not worth the risk—

It is for me. Interrupting the goddess was something she’d never considered doing before, but now, with this as her only hope, she had to take chances she never had previously. I don’t want to live like this any longer. I cannot. Please. Do not deny me this.

Callandra rested a gentle hand on the back of her head. I’ve already given you my permission, Elya, but I cannot give my blessing. I will not go back on my word no matter how much I disagree with your choice. The guide I promised you can be found in the second valley to the west. He grows Jessabel berries on vines as thick as your arms. After the two of you meet, you will have five days to reach the temple. If you arrive in time, the priests and priestesses will then determine whether you are worthy of the cleansing. If you are late, the opportunity will be lost, and you will return to the life you sought to escape.

A life she couldn’t bear to continue. Elya nodded, bolstered by the warmth seeping through her. I understand.

I’m not sure you do. Callandra stepped back, lowered her hand. May the winds be kind and your soul be fulfilled. Blessed journey, daughter. I hope you find what you’re looking for.

Peace, Elya thought as she watched Callandra return to the wedding festivities. There was only one thing she was looking for, only one thing she needed: peace.

I hear you! I’m coming. I’m— Gareth rolled over and hit the floor face down. He groaned, stunned as he blinked open his eyes and stared down at the scarred wooden floor. The