Bound (13 page)

It didn’t take much longer to reach Lydia’s
special place. Not far from the clearing where Octavion nursed them
back to health was a beautiful meadow filled with wild flowers.
Kira’s first glimpse of it was when they broke through the trees
and found themselves standing on the edge of a cliff. They looked
down on a beautiful box canyon with the meadow spread out below.
Octavion sat near the river—Toran by his side.

Lydia grabbed hold of her ruby and Octavion
turned to acknowledge them with a wave of his hand.

They made their way to the bottom of the
canyon by following a worn, narrow path between the rocks and the
underbrush. Octavion waited near the bottom. He took Lydia’s
backpack and led them to a spot under a shade tree without even
acknowledging Kira’s presence. Lydia spread out a blanket and
unloaded the contents of her pack. She’d made Kira’s favorite,
peanut butter sandwiches, but also brought plenty of fresh fruit,
vegetables and cheese to satisfy her appetite, and Octavion’s.

By the time Lydia had finished creating her
little smorgasbord, it looked like a salad bar at an expensive
health spa, which suited Kira just fine. The girls sat on the
blanket chatting about anything to keep her mind off her mom
leaving—school, photography, shopping—but Kira hesitated to ask the
questions that really tangled her thoughts. Questions about their
world. It just didn’t feel like the right time and she was enjoying
herself too much to risk ruining the mood.

Octavion, on the other hand, remained quiet.
He sat a few feet away with his back against the trunk of a tree—a
half-eaten apple in his hand. Kira tried not to be obvious, but
couldn’t help stealing a glance now and then. There was something
about him that seemed familiar to her. She kept telling herself it
was because he’d taken care of her after healing Lydia, but this
was something else, like she’d met him before. She tried to shake
the thought from her mind.

“Is he always this quiet?” Kira
whispered.

Lydia smiled. “Yes.”
He’s spent too much
time alone with only the animals for company
. Though her lips
didn’t move, Kira heard Lydia’s words as clearly as if she had
spoken them.

Can he hear us?

Only if I want him to and then only my
thoughts.

Kira watched out of the corner of her eye as
Octavion took another bite of his apple. He seemed so normal now,
not at all like when she’d first seen him. She tried not to think
about how he’d made her feel when he’d come at her with fire in his
eyes, or lost his temper, smashing his fist into a boulder. She was
terrified of him then, yet here she sat only a few feet away,
feeling no fear at all.

Octavion smiled. “Shall I leave so you can
talk freely about me?”

Busted!
Lydia laughed.

“How could you tell?” Kira asked.

“You stopped talking.”

Lydia tossed a piece of cheese at his
head.

He reached up, caught it without even
looking, and popped it in his mouth like it was a great reward.
Then he leaned forward and stood. “Would you ladies care to join me
for a ride?”

“A
ride
?” Kira asked.

Octavion whistled, and three horses appeared
through the trees on the other side of the river. They waded
through the water and came to Octavion, showing no fear. The
largest of the three was a magnificent black stallion with a long,
flowing mane and tail. The other two were smaller, but still as
beautiful. They were both tan, with a beige mane and tail.
Twins
, she thought.

“Okay, how did he do
that
?” Kira
asked. “And please don’t tell me these horses have magical powers
like Toran.”

Lydia laughed again. “No, but it’s Toran’s
fault they’re here. He scared the crap out of some hunters last
fall and their horses got loose from where they were tethered.
Toran chased them to the end of the canyon and Octavion . . . umm .
. . talked them into sticking around.”

“Talked?” Kira wasn’t sure what to think
after seeing him interact with the tiger.

“Let’s just say he gets along better with
animals than with people.” Lydia winked.

Octavion shot his sister a glare.

“What? Well, it’s
true
,” Lydia
said.

He shook his head and then looked at Kira.
“Just ignore her. Do you ride?”

“Um . . . a little. I used to ride my
grandpa’s horse before he died. But it was an old nag and I rode
with a saddle and reins. No way am I going bareback.” Kira looked
to Lydia for help.
Please tell him no!

Lydia nodded, then turned to Octavion. “I’m a
little tired from the walk here. Why don’t you two go without me?
Besides, I could use a nap.” She winked at Kira and smiled.

Kira gasped.
That’s not what I meant.
“Umm, isn’t that dangerous? You can’t stay here alone. What about
the scouts?”

“They have no memory of this place,” Octavion
said. “And Toran is just beyond those trees. She will be safe.”

Have fun
. “Maybe you can get him to
take you to the falls.”

This time Octavion gave Lydia a scolding
look. “It is too
far
,” he said, pursing his lips. “She would
never make it.”

Kira sensed a challenge in his words and
wasn’t about to back down now. “I bet I can ride just fine.” She
stood and walked toward the horses. “So, which one is mine?”

He pointed to one of the tan horses and
offered to help—sarcastically—like Kira couldn’t do it alone, so
she ignored him, grabbed a chunk of the horse’s mane and swung
herself up. Only she got her heel hooked over the horse’s back
before sliding back down. Determined not to need Octavion’s help,
she put a lot more force behind her second attempt and almost threw
herself over the other side. She wasn’t used to her new strength.
It took her a few seconds to gain her composure and sit right on
the horse’s back, but once she felt comfortable, she smiled with
pride.

“Well done,” he said with a smirk. Then he
swung up on the stallion with no effort at all.

“Show off,” Kira said.

Lydia chuckled.

I’ll deal with you later
. Kira sent
her another glare.
I thought you promised to keep him on a
leash?

“Have fun,” Lydia said. She stretched her
arms above her head and gave a fake yawn.

For most of the way, Kira and Octavion rode
next to each other, taking in the beautiful scenery but saying very
little. It was the equivalent of talking about the weather, with no
feelings or information being revealed by either of them. It felt
strange being alone with him, especially since Kira was actually
having a good time.

When the canyon narrowed and the way became
steep and filled with jagged rocks, Octavion instructed Kira to
fall back and follow him. The horses’ hooves slipped on the rocks,
jerking her to one side or the other with almost every step.

After a few minutes passed, Octavion pulled
his horse to a stop and turned to look over his shoulder. “From
here, it is a difficult ride. Are you sure you are up to it?”

Kira nodded. “Lead the way.” But inside, she
was terrified. On one side a jagged cliff rose straight up, and the
other side plummeted into a steep ravine. It wasn’t that far to the
bottom, but if she fell, she would either hit the rocks or land in
the wild rapids of the creek. She tightened her grip and held
steady.

Octavion smiled, then turned to look up the
canyon. “If it gets too difficult—” he said over his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll let you know.”

Octavion urged his horse forward while Kira’s
followed. For the next few minutes, they negotiated boulders, mossy
rocks, and thick vegetation. He was right. It
was
more
difficult.

As they neared the end of the trail, it
opened to a small grassy area. Huge black rocks stood off to one
side and a patch of dirt and gravel spread out on the other. When
they rounded the boulders, Octavion slowed. “Hold tight. Horses
don’t like the echo of their hooves.”

Kira grabbed her horse’s mane more firmly and
tightened her legs against its sides. She followed Octavion around
the boulders only to be taken aback by what she saw. A thin crack
split the side of the cliff making an opening just big enough for
the horses to fit through—single file.

“We’re going through
that?
”

Octavion pulled to a stop again, this time
nudging his mount around so the two horses stood head to head.
“Perhaps we should turn back, Kira. The rough terrain is too
difficult for your first time.”

Kira relaxed her legs and straightened,
grateful to give her tense muscles time to rest. Unfortunately, her
horse took it as a sign of weakness, reared, and threw her to the
ground. She landed on her side with her arm twisted under her. A
loud pop met her ears just as a sharp pain shot through her arm and
into her shoulder. Kira screamed, startling her horse.

He reared again, with nostrils flaring,
driving his hooves into the ground just inches from where she’d
landed. Octavion flew off the side of his stallion, grabbed the
rebellious steed by the neck and pulled him down, almost laying the
horse on the ground.

Octavion let out a ferocious roar that
sounded like one of Toran’s. His chest heaved with every breath as
veins pulsed in his forehead. His jaw tightened as he bared his
teeth in a snarl. And his eyes—his deep, blue eyes—were the color
of fire.

Kira didn’t move—couldn’t move—until his wild
eyes locked on hers. Fear raced through her veins as instinct
kicked in and she began pushing her feet at the rocks, scooting
across the ground to get away from him.

Octavion jerked his head away, as if hiding
his face from her view. He released the horse, slapped its hind
end, and sent it galloping down the canyon. He stayed with his back
to her until his breathing slowed. When he turned to face her, his
eyes had returned to their normal blue and seemed calm.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

Kira still couldn’t peel her eyes away from
his face. She remembered seeing his eyes change before, but not to
this extent. “I . . . think I broke my arm.” Her voice quivered.
Tiny beads of sweat rose on her forehead. She tried to sit up, but
her arm hurt too badly to move it.

He took a step toward her, then stopped when
she leaned away from him. “Kira, I am sorry if I frightened you.
You need not fear me.”

It took her a minute to find the words. “What
. . . are you?” It wasn’t exactly how she intended to ask the
question, especially being alone with him. What she’d seen in his
face appeared to be more animal than human, but how could that
be?

“I am a
man
,” he said with
determination.

“What I just saw was
not
a man.” Tears
burned her eyes as she scooted further away from him, her attention
no longer on the excruciating pain in her arm, but on his reaction
to her words. They’d stopped at the end of the box canyon and she
had nowhere to go. He had her cornered.

His jaw tightened. “You saw nothing.”

“I’m not stupid, Octavion. What just
happened?”

He ignored her words and came closer, leaning
down to examine her arm. When he reached out to her, she pulled
away.

“Don’t touch me.” She tried to sit up again,
this time cradling her arm against her stomach and rolling to her
knees. The sharp edges of the gravel bit into her bare legs, making
her roll back to her side.

“Let me help you stand.” But when he began to
slip his arm behind her back, Kira slapped it away.

“You are as stubborn as a child.” He threw
his hands up.

“And you are a stubborn—
man
.”

“Yes, I am,” he said, then slipped his arm
around her waist, lifting her as he stood.

“Let go of me. I’m perfectly capable of
standing on my own two feet.”

He groaned at her request, then walked to a
small patch of grass and lowered her back to the ground, kneeling
beside her. “Kira, please stop this. Let me help you.” His eyes
seemed soft and kind now.

She knew her arm was broken, and not just
because she heard the crack or felt the pain. She actually sensed
it in her mind. If there was ever a time to test her healing
powers, this was it. “I’d like to try and heal this, but I’m not
sure exactly how.”

“It should be the same process as the cut on
your palm. Lydia said you healed it with ease. Do you remember
how?”

Kira nodded, then placed her hand where she
sensed the break and tried to mimic the process. This time it was
different. Instead of the strange sensation, she felt extreme pain.
She screamed, then pulled her hand away. “You didn’t tell me it
would hurt that bad.”

“I thought you knew. You felt pain when you
healed Lydia.”

“Well,
yeah
, but I thought this would
be different. It’s not like I’m dying.”

“Come, I will take you back.” He offered his
hand, but she refused.

“No, I can do this.” Kira wasn’t sure who she
was trying to convince, him or her.

“As you wish.” He shrugged.

Once again, she felt the Crystor burn her
flesh and the pain in her arm. It felt as though someone had taken
a sharp blade and twisted it just under the skin as the bones
realigned. For several seconds, she lost the feeling in her
fingers. When it returned, it felt as if she’d driven her
fingertips into the prickly parts of a cactus. She took a deep
breath and blew it out through her mouth. “I did it.”

“Yes, you did,” he said, examining her arm.
“But you need to fix this.” He pulled the Crystor away from the
burn, caressing her arm with the back of his hand as he withdrew
it. She quivered at his touch. Octavion raised a brow and grinned,
obviously pleased at the effect he had on her.