Bound by Spells (Bound Series Book 2) (17 page)

My mind went automatically to Elias and Nell. I saw that horrific day and heard the words they exchanged.
It had been years since an AniMage had been born.
“Is there anything to be done?”

He looked back at me, hope in his eyes. “I hope so. That’s why you’re here. It is the only good thing to come from Rhi’s ridiculous meddling. You’re here, and together, we can change all of this.”

I stepped backward. “The betrothal. You think we can change this? Do you think…” I couldn’t form the words. I couldn’t ask if Micah thought he was my mate out loud. It couldn't be that easy…could it?

Before he could confirm or deny his thoughts, I was talking again. Spitting out the words rapid fire, not giving him the chance to speak for fear of what he'd say. “That’s all. You answered my question. Let’s go back inside. I’d like to go back to my room. I know your mother will want me soon and I want to be ready.” I was fidgety and Micah gave me a curious look.

“That’s all? Okay, Amelia,” he said. He turned and plunged a hand into the hedge wall. It popped open, revealing the library. I rushed ahead of him and straight to Baleon. “Please take me to my room,” I requested. I didn’t say goodbye to Tragar or Micah, just hurried behind Bale’s long strides.

Once
I closed my door behind me, I finally let my piling thoughts loose.

Could it be Micah?

“No,” I said out loud. “No, it can’t be. That doesn’t make sense.” The prophecy rolled around in my head. He would be King. He had been trying to help me with my power. He was my friend. But, the thought of feeling romantically about him wrinkled my nose. First, it broke the girl code. I couldn’t be with my best friend’s ex-boyfriend. And second, it was just…gross. He was my
friend
. I paced my room while the thoughts tumbled over each other and finally threw myself onto the bed. I needed to do something productive and I hadn’t visited my Keeper today.

I relaxed against a mountain of pillows on my bed, closed my eyes, and went inside myself. It was getting easier, and less strange, to seek out this separate entity taking up real estate in my mind and soul. I approached the door to the room where the Keeper stayed and was shocked to find it wide open with all of them still inside. They could have come and gone. They could have invaded my mind and my heart and done who knows what. I didn’t know what it meant, but I still didn’t completely trust that these peaceful pieces of power wouldn’t suddenly slam together into the darkness I knew the Keeper capable of.

I stood in the doorway and stared at the lustrous orbs floating around the room. When they reacted to my presence, all but the white ball bounced around the room, blasting me with waves of happiness and joy. I walked the room and did what I had done previously, letting my fingers graze the balls of energy floating past me. Again, I was jolted with power. My little flame felt like a bonfire inside me as each one gave a small piece of itself. I was infused with each of their powers and felt renewed.

On a whim, I sat in the middle of the room. “What are we doing? How does this work? What am I supposed to do with you all?”

I didn’t expect them to answer me, and they didn’t. But the white orb brightened. It glowed and grew, and for the first time, came closer. I stared into the brilliance of it, and while I had to squint against the light assaulting my eyes, I knew it wasn’t my eyes playing tricks when I saw myself. I was in a room, surrounded by Hunters. I could feel a sudden influx of power and then saw what was happening inside me. I saw the orbs fly from the room, infiltrating my body, breaking apart and letting their power flow through my veins. Fear hitched my breath as I watched myself convulse a few times, before I slowly stood. I opened my eyes and they glowed bright. My palms filled with orange and violet power, a crackling ball of light. My expression was fierce. The Hunters closed in and I threw both arms out from my body, lifting them from the ground and pinning them to the walls.

The orb snapped and the scene faded. “I have to use you. I understand. But how do I without the Queen knowing? If she realizes I have the power she wants, I’m even less safe than I am now.” Of course, the white ball of energy showed me nothing more; just floated back to the top corner of the room.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling of my room, somehow knowing the Queen would summon me soon. If not tonight, tomorrow. I forced myself into the shower and was surprised when emotion filled me. I hadn’t cried yet. I had told myself I wouldn’t. But I had no idea what was going to happen to me. I missed Bethany and Cole. I missed Aidan. I had so many things I wanted to tell my father and even Rynna. I leaned forward and rested my head against the tile of the shower wall. Tears tracked down my cheeks, getting lost in the rivulets of water until I couldn’t tell whether it was me or the showerhead. These were not sobs. I was not hysterical. But I was scared and alone. I cried for me. I cried for my family. I cried for the AniMages and the enslaved Hunters. I cried for Micah, who showed me a little more of himself every day and was nowhere near the put-together socialite he portrayed himself to be. For just a few minutes, I allowed myself this emotional break, because I couldn’t afford for it to happen in front of the Queen.

Slowly, the tears stopped. I turned the water off and stood in the shower. My long hair was soaked, dripping a steady stream toward the drain. I slid open the door, wrapped myself in a towel, and stared at my reflection in the mirror, focusing on the cuff and finding the Elder symbol Tragar had shown me on the book cover. Just to its left, was another symbol. A circle, with two closed fists inside and lines radiating outward. Its meaning clicked and I knew what I needed to do. I smiled, silently thanking my mother for her clues and protection. I closed my eyes and went back to the room, beckoning the light to join me. The balls bounced around the room, anxiety and excitement filling the air. Finally, the violet and orange ball made its way to me. It floated in line with my chest. I took a deep breath, hoping I wasn’t about to make a huge mistake, plunged both fists inside the ball, and yanked them apart.

It was like lightning and thunder combined. The light blinded me and the loud snap was deafening. As I blinked my eyes back into focus, I saw thousands of tiny violet and orange balls of energy. They blinked like twinkling stars and scattered. Their power merged with my own for a brief moment but then it was gone. All of the energy melded back together in a split second and the glowing orb was back intact. The drain of power made me feel like something was now missing from myself.

I opened my eyes and slammed my hand down on the bathroom counter, frustrated. The granite cracked and crumbled. I slowly lifted my hand, turning it left and right. Not a mark. Clearly, I was supposed to be able to use the power. To diffuse it into my own. But why wouldn’t it stay? How was it supposed to protect me if I couldn’t reach it?

Chapter 15

It
had taken some time to shift on my own accord. It didn’t help that I was with other AniMages, impatiently waiting for me to force something they could do with a thought. As I got more angry at myself, the beast finally made his presence known and I was able to let him take over. Because I would have no idea what was happening, I had to trust Elias when he said he would be able to keep me with them. It could have been minutes or hours we ran. When I woke up, Elias and Dillon were standing with their backs to me and we were alone in a patch of trees.

“Are we there?” My voice was raspy and my thoughts muddled. It always took me a few minutes to disengage and become myself again.

They both turned and Dillon beat Elias to the punch. “We’ve been here, Mr. Aidan. Just waiting on you. Hopefully Mr. Will can help you because, sheesh.”

“Now, Dillon, don’t be rude. What would your mother think?” Elias scolded Dillon and his shamed expression made me feel guilty.

“It’s okay, Dillon. I appreciate you watching out for me while I figure all this out. Did your owl tell you anything else about me while we were out tonight?” I got dressed with the clothes Elias pulled from the pack he had carried as Dillon scrunched his face, thinking.

“During the run, he could feel you weren’t there. You were with us, but you weren’t. It didn’t make sense, but he kept telling me you were somewhere else and we needed to watch out for you. But you were right there, so maybe he was wrong.”

Elias and I exchanged perplexed looks and he changed the subject. “The last time I saw Will, he was staying in this area. There’s a small cabin within a mile of here. It’s likely he already knows we’re here, so, if he’s still around, I imagine we’ll see him before long. I’ve also sent for a few friends who are supposed to meet us here. They should be able to help us get to Amelia.”

He had piqued my interest but I tried to stay cool. I nodded and fell in step with Elias, my thoughts a whirlwind in my head. I had always been drawn to Amelia, I could recognize that, but I could separate the pull to her from
her
. It had been nagging at my mind, wondering if my attraction could be a product of this prophecy, but when I thought of her, I didn’t think of her as drawing me in against my will. I thought of her laugh. I thought of the way she hid so much of herself until she knew me, trusted me. I remembered all those days I spent pursuing her, working to build her trust and climbing over her walls. The vision of her laughing in the parking lot when she accused me of being a stalker, but her smile giving away her excitement over seeing me. Fate may have brought us together, but we could have pushed against it and we didn’t. We had something. We just needed time to keep figuring out what it was for ourselves.

Rustling in the trees brought me out of my head and Elias, Dillon, and I immediately stopped and circled, our backs to each other. Elias tried to push Dillon between us but he was having none of that. He jumped back into his position and glared up at Elias.

“Show yourself!” Elias’s voice boomed out across the forest. My anxiety was rising and I could feel Dillon's fear, even though he was working so hard to suppress it. I stepped a little closer to him as my senses sharpened and the feeling of my cells slamming into each other, reshaping, and preparing to shift started to take hold. My breathing was shallow and Elias looked out of the corner of his eyes at me. “Stay calm, Aidan. Focus. Allow him to be a part of you, not take you over.”

The rustling intensified and a female voice floated over to us. “Oh, calm down, Elias. It is just us. Call off your dogs. Or cats. Or whatever it is you were about to become.”

She laughed and he instantly relaxed. I took the opportunity to focus on his directive. I tried to relax while keeping the beast present within me. I failed. As soon as my fear melted, so did his presence. Frustrated, I swore.

“A lady is coming, Mr. Aidan. Mind yourself.” And now I was being scolded by a child.

Finally, the three people pushed through the tree line. The woman was small, both in height and build. She had long brown hair braided down her back and held a branch for the men behind her. As the first man maneuvered past her, I got a look at his face and found myself staring at the man from Charlie’s vision.

“Derreck,” I breathed out.

He looked up at me, confusion drawing his brows together. “Do we know each other?” he asked.

“No. Sorry. It’s…complicated.” I wasn’t sure what to say or why he was here. Charlie’s vision had said he was friends with Elias, but how could he and this woman help get to Amelia? He had abandoned her. Lied to her. My anger rose and as I took a step forward, I was met face to face with Elias, who stepped in my path.

“No, Aidan. I’ll apologize in advance for listening in, but he is not what you think. Your story is incomplete. They are on our side,” he said.

The second man came through the trees and moved around Derreck and the woman Elias had yet to introduce. He was thin and looked exhausted, but I could feel relief and excitement pouring off him. A need for action. He didn’t hesitate as he shook hands with Elias, a broad grin exchanging between them.

“It’s good to have you back, old friend,” Elias said. The man nodded and then pulled Elias in for a hug. “You have no idea, Elias. It’s been far too long. But I thought we had a plan? Why am I walking toward Will instead of as far away from him as I can get?"

I stepped toward him, interjecting. “That would be my fault, sir. I need Will’s help. My name is Aidan, Aidan Montgomery. Maybe you knew my parents, too? Zen—”

“Zendrick? You are Zen and Kayla’s son?” He turned to Elias, and then to the woman and Derreck. “Did you know he existed? I had no idea!” The man turned back to me and took my outstretched hand, shaking it as his excitement radiated through our connection.