Bound by Spells (Bound Series Book 2) (32 page)

He had been trying to help me understand how to communicate with the other pack members but the theory seemed sound for Amelia as well. I pushed my own power toward her, following the wavering violet thread. My legs continued to move me forward as my wolf took over our body and I focused on what was in my mind.

She was exhausted. Her breaths were shallow and I struggled to make sure mine didn’t try to match hers. I heard her heartbeat slow and felt the moment she slid into sleep, her body forcing itself to shut down in order to conserve energy. All those times she had passed out before, it made so much sense now. Everything about her made so much sense.

I wanted to pull Amelia into my arms and save her from whatever she had gotten herself into this time, but I wasn’t there—not yet. So instead, I followed my instincts. I slowly pulled at the ball of power sitting at my core. I likened it to a large ball of string filled with crackling electric shocks. I pulled on one of the strings and brought it to the violet thread leading to Amelia. I wrapped my string around hers, winding it farther and farther from myself, until finally, it snapped, and our two threads merged. The jolt of the combined power and the sensations of her were so much stronger, but she felt so much weaker.

Her anger flared inside me as if it were my own, my blood pressure instantly rising. The insecurity and fear she shoved down and refused to acknowledge was a bitter taste in my mouth. But she had a tiny sliver of hope she held to tightly, wishing Rynna’s reinforcements would be there soon. And then there was her strength. Even as her body was weak, a never-ending river of strength connected her mind, body, and soul. It was the reserve she unknowingly tapped into again and again, and it was the reason I could never walk away from her. Strength was not something every person had. Her willingness to put everyone and everything before herself—to actively choose the opposite of what she needed and deserved—was a rare trait. I wanted to be that person for her. I wanted to give her the things she wouldn’t give herself.

I poured my own power into her, filling her depleted well enough to bring her back to consciousness. It slowed me down and I was winded for the first time, but I gave her everything she needed. I sat in the back of her mind as she slowly came to. I felt the cold, hard floor under her cheek and saw the bars locking her in wherever she was. It was impossible to keep my own rage in check as I realized she was a prisoner.

Aidan?

Her voice cracked in the same way it always did when she’d wake up after falling asleep during a movie and try to apologize. It was a sucker punch I hadn’t expected.

I'm here, doll. Don’t worry. I’m coming for you.

She recoiled, fear churning in her mind.

No! You can’t come here! You’ll never survive them. You can’t.
She was screaming inside my head.

I can and I will, Amelia. We are meant for each other. I know who I am now. I’m the leader of AniMages. I’m your mate. We are the prophecy. I can get you out. I might be the only one who can.

She was silent for longer than I could handle.
Amelia? Doll, you have to talk to me. You have to help me find you.

Lies. More lies. I won’t let you twist him like this. You won’t ruin the only good memory I have left.

And then, she was gone.

Chapter 26

I
closed the door on whomever was on the other end of my mind. I was so sure it was Aidan at first. I was enveloped in the same warmth and safety he always brought me—like nothing could hurt me or us as long as we were together. I heard him call me “doll” for the first time in what felt like eons and I wanted to lose myself there, wrapped in the cocoon of his voice. But it wasn’t real.

Joran had told me it was up to me to find the lies and separate them from the truths. There was no way Aidan was the leader of the AniMages. It made no sense. How could he possibly have gone from a human, to an Immortal, to being the head of the most-hunted race out there? And then, to claim he was my mate? Someone, likely Rhi, was playing on my deepest desires. I could only imagine he and the Queen in her sitting room, laughing. They were playing me and I couldn’t allow them to. I had to focus.

I pulled myself up off the floor and then pushed to stand. I felt good. Better than I should have. In fact, better than I had in weeks. I held my hands out in front of me and flicked my fingers. Bright bursts of violet power shot from my hands. I scanned my body and found no weaknesses. My flame was bright, the Keepers were peaceful, and my mind was clear. Apparently, I needed sleep. But now, it was time to figure out how to get out of here.

I called out to the other women. “When will someone come again? What time is it?”

A sleepy voice responded, “You’ve been out a while, it’s almost morning. Are you okay?” It had to be Cora.

“I’m good—really good. Can you see the tiger? Is she okay?” I asked.

“She’s great. Honestly, she looks better than she ever has. Her name is Lilith,” Cora responded.

“Can you talk to her? And Nell?” A plan was forming in my mind.

“It’s gotten harder the longer I’ve gone without shifting, but on a good day, yes. Why?” I felt Cora's curiosity piquing and I smiled.

"I think I've got a way to get us out of here, but both Lilith and Nell will need to help us. I know they are pregnant, but we need them. Can the rest of you still use your magic?”

Cora sighed. “No, not really. The Hunters have us all bound in one way or another so we can’t fight back. It’s there—they need us to have it in hopes of being able to pass it on—but we can’t use it against them.”

“That’s it,” I whispered to myself. I started pacing, trying to work it all out in my head.

“Hey! You can’t just stop. What's the plan?” Cora’s voice cut through the space between us and the hushed whispers of the other women grew louder as hope and excitement filled the air. My mind was spinning in multiple directions, trying to vet the plan that was both extremely dangerous but also very possible. There was one more thing I would need, though. I bit my lip, wavering back and forth.

“I can’t explain it all just yet, but if I can break the binds on you, can you fight? Can you get the restraints off and work together to get out of here?” I refused to acknowledge I would likely be the one who wouldn’t make it out if I succeeded in breaking the binds on them. There were at least twenty women and I barely made it through helping Cole or Lilith before I passed out. Pushing myself that far might kill me, but there was a good chance Julia might kill me anyway, so I had to try. I couldn't allow these women to continue being tortured.

I heard Cora addressing the other women. She was clearly the leader. “Are you willing to fight? Will you work together and help each other? We can make it out. Together, they cannot take us all. And we have what they want. We carry the livelihood of our races inside us. We have the upper hand. Are you ready to get out of here?”

Her words were loud whispers and the chorus of “Yes!” in response gave me goose bumps. I couldn’t back out now.

“Okay. Here’s what I’m going to do.” I laid out the plan, asking Cora to make sure Lilith and Nell were on board and the other women understood what they needed to do. Cora confirmed everyone was in agreement and understood, even Lilith and Nell. Now I had one last task: to get my brother from wherever he was into this cell.

I
paced the cell, waiting for the Hunter to arrive with breakfast. My mind kept coming back to whoever had been inside my head. Before this week, I would have taken it at face value. I would have added up the feelings, the emotions, and the sound of his voice bouncing around in my brain, and I would have told you it was Aidan. My Aidan. But now I knew better. With every turn, the Hunters or Julia had been capable of yet another atrocious act I couldn’t fathom. I wouldn’t put it past them to use Micah for information, and upon realizing what Aidan meant to me, use him to their advantage.

But he had felt so real. I sighed, slowing my steps and resting my back against the wall. I closed my eyes and pictured him—his eyes layers of smoke and ash, either a cocky grin or an intense stare always on his face. I saw him sitting in Esmerelda’s, lying in the grass talking to me about growing up in foster homes, and sitting on the beach, looking at me like he held the world in his hands and would give it to me if I only asked. I felt his fingers tangled in my hair and his lips slanted across mine. His hands around my waist, pulling me into the safety of his arms. He told me he loved me and I never had the chance to say it in return. So much had happened so fast, I never got to decide whether or not I really did. I thought I did. When I had to walk away, I poured everything I had for him into my goodbye, but was it really love?

Love was such a strange word. It encompassed so many emotions and assumptions. I knew Aidan made me feel things I had never felt, but I’d also never had another boyfriend. Love implied I would and could share all of myself with him, and I had never been able to do that. Every person who had expressed love for me had made choices that took them away from me. My mother died, my father allowed Rhi’s binds, Cole left to find answers, Rynna knew the truth and hid it from me. Did I even know what love was really supposed to look like? Could I love him?

The door slammed as the Hunter pushed in a cart of food, stopping my maddening train of thought and bringing me back to the task at hand. As the nameless Hunter appeared in front of my cell, I pushed my hand through the bars. “I know you don’t talk to me, but can you just listen? I have something the Queen will want to know.”

Thankfully, she stopped, staring at me. Like the other Hunters I had met, the woman had light brown skin and white hair. Hers was thick and long, pulled back in several small braids feeding into a larger one hanging to her waist. She was wearing all black and her eyes held little emotion. At my plea, they narrowed and she waited. I didn’t make her wait long.

“She needs to bring my brother, Cole, to me. He was last with Micah, in his room. I don’t know whether he’s still here, but if she wants me to attempt to fix these women and their children, he is the only one who can temper my power and keep me from killing them, or myself, in the process. She can ask him. She can bring him here to prove it. I don’t care. I just need him. Micah may have taken him somewhere, but she needs to get him back.” The Huntress still didn’t speak. Her eyebrow rose and then she turned away, tossing a hunk of red meat into the tiger’s cage. She was surprised to find her hand coming within millimeters of being bitten off as Lilith snapped at it. She jumped back and I couldn’t stop my laugh.

“Make no mistake, Huntress. I am the Keeper.” I shouldn’t have goaded her, but I couldn’t help it. She glared at me and maintained a larger distance as she tossed Nell’s breakfast into her cell. The door slammed behind her and my pacing began again. Nervous energy buzzed through me and the Keeper magic bounced back and forth, faster and faster. There was no turning back now.

Chapter 27

She
had closed me out. She wasn’t gone completely, but I couldn’t feel her emotions or see through her eyes as I had briefly been able to do. She didn’t believe it was me. I wanted to be hurt, but her words made sense. I had explained to Elias what had just happened and he brought me back from the ledge. After thinking about everything she’d been through, it only made sense she wouldn’t trust what had just happened. But I had to find a way to get to her again.

We had run all night and arrived at a small cabin a few miles from Cresthaven as the sun was coming over the horizon. We were exhausted, hungry, and dirty. I mentally thanked the genius who had installed a tank-less water heater as one after another of us paraded in and out of the bathroom. The mud caking my fur covered my skin after my shift and it took some solid scrubbing to feel human again.