Bound (30 page)

“No.”

“Good. We need to be quick about this and get
back.” He took her hand again and headed for the back door. When
they started up the wooden steps, Octavion stopped suddenly. Kira
looked past him to see why he’d stopped and found the door
ajar.

“I thought you fixed it,” she whispered.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her in behind
him. “I did. Stay close.”

Kira’s pulse increased, a rapid thump she was
sure Octavion could hear. “Maybe we shouldn’t go in.”

He held up his hand, silencing her. Slowly
opening the door, Octavion stepped inside with Kira at his heels.
The place was a shambles. The contents of her refrigerator littered
the kitchen floor. Cupboard doors sagged from their hinges and the
few dishes her mother had left behind lay shattered in every
direction.

She took the few steps to the living room.
Someone had taken a knife to the sofa cushions and stuffing was
strewn across the carpet. Even her laptop joined the pile of
debris, a busted chair leg driven through the center of the
screen.

“Why would they do this?” Kira pushed
Octavion aside and bent to pick up her computer, but then she
remembered.
The picture!
“Crap!” She jumped to her feet and
scrambled to her room, trying to keep her balance as she stumbled
through the rubble. The contents of her keepsake box were scattered
across the bedroom floor. Panic set in as she searched through the
mess. “It’s not here.”

Octavion crouched beside her. “What are you
looking for?” He took her arm and pulled her up. “What isn’t
here?”

“Oh, Octavion. I should have told you. It was
the
real
reason I wanted to come back here. A picture. The
one Lydia took in the canyon of us on the horse, remember?”

“You
kept
it? You told me you
destroyed all those pictures.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would hurt,
but—”

The sudden change in his body language cut
her off. His head jerked to one side as the muscles in his back
stiffened. He drew a short breath in through his nose. “We must
go.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the house toward
the kitchen. He went so fast she had a hard time negotiating the
debris on the floor. She stumbled twice, almost losing her
footing.

“Slow down. I can’t keep up.”

He stopped, picked her up and threw her over
his shoulder. “They are here—we must hurry.” When he reached the
yard, he planted her feet firmly on the ground and turned her to
face him.

“How can you tell?” she asked.

“I can smell them.” He grabbed both her hands
and took them behind his back. “Hold on as tight as you can, Kira.
Do not let go, no matter what.”

“But you can’t do this so soon.”

“I have no choice. You have to hold me, I
will not have the strength to hold you. Do you understand?”

Out of the corner of her eye she caught
movement. She turned to see three men coming around the side of the
house. One she recognized as Bastian.

Bastian yelled something she didn’t
understand, sending his cohorts running faster toward them.

“Kira. Now!” She clamped her eyes shut as he
grabbed her and pulled her against his chest, squeezing the air out
of her lungs. “Hold on.”

The air grew thick and once again a bright
light flashed, so intense that closing her eyelids barely made a
difference. A deafening roar mixed with Octavion’s pained cry and
the ground shook. Kira felt as if she were tied to the front of a
runaway freight train. She sucked in what little air she could and
tried to scream, but nothing came out. The leap lasted much longer
than before and when he released her, she fell to the ground in a
heap. Her eyelids felt like they’d been fused shut. It took some
effort to open them.

Octavion lay on the ground a few feet away.
He wasn’t moving.

“Octavion!” Kira grabbed him by the arm and
shook, trying to wake him, but he didn’t respond.
Lydia.
Octavion’s hurt. I need your help!

Where are you?
Altaria asked.

In the clearing. Hurry.

Kira. Give him the medicine. I’m almost
there
.

Octavion lay on his side, so she rolled him
to his back and slid her hand into his pocket to pull out the vial.
The violent leap had sapped her own strength and her fingers barely
gripped the container. With trembling hands, she managed to twist
off the lid and place the opening to his lips. At first he coughed,
choking down the first few drops, before swallowing the rest.

Altaria broke through the trees at a run,
Toran at her side roaring like thunder.

“It’s all right, boy—he’ll be fine,” Altaria
reassured him. “Kira, are you hurt?”

“No.”

Octavion moaned.

Altaria rested her hand on his chest, while
Kira sat back in the dirt and waited. “Is he okay?” Kira asked.

“Yes, give him a moment.”

But several minutes passed before he came
around. “Kira,” he said, taking Altaria by the arm. “Where is
she?”

Altaria motioned toward Kira. “She’s
fine.”

He rolled to his side and tried to push up on
his elbow.

Kira lurched toward him, pushing him back.
“Don’t get up.” Kira told him.

“I thought you knew not to come back so
soon,” Altaria chided.

“I didn’t have a choice.” He clamped his hand
over Altaria’s shoulder. “Help me up.” Once again, he rolled to his
side, this time toward his sister. He used Altaria for support and
pulled himself to his feet. “We are in trouble.”

“What happened?”

Kira stood on shaky legs and leaned against a
nearby tree. “It’s my fault. The picture Lydia took. I was stupid
to keep it.”

“They came while we were there,” Octavion
added. “They almost caught us.”

He looked at Kira. “What
exactly
did
the picture show? Could you see the canyon?”

Kira tried to remember the scene. She’d
cropped most of the background out, but she was sure the canyon was
partially visible. “Part of it—but only the rocks—I cut off the
rest.”

“Good. It may take her some time to find us.”
He grabbed his head and groaned, rubbing his temple. “She is
vicious and raging mad.”

“You can hear Shandira?” Kira asked. “I
thought you were blocking her thoughts.”

“Normally I can, but I am weak and my
defenses are low.” He furrowed his brow, made a horrible rumbling
noise, and then rubbed his forehead again.

Altaria clenched her jaw and let out a deep
sigh. “Enough! It’s time I showed my sister some manners.” She
grabbed Kira’s hand and pulled her close enough to take Octavion’s
arm around her neck. “Help him to his lair. I have something to
do.”

“Do not do anything foolish,” he called after
her, but she’d already gone.

“Are you okay?” Kira asked him.

“Yes.” He pulled away from her and
straightened. “Did I hurt you? I don’t remember landing.”

“I’m fine. But, Bastian—he’s coming, isn’t
he?”

“I believe so, yes.” His forehead wrinkled
and Kira didn’t have to guess why—Shandira was taunting him
again.

“We need to see what Altaria is up to,” he
said.

Kira took his hand and found her way through
the trees to his lair. Altaria was rummaging through an old trunk
in the back of the cave.

“Finally,” she said, as she stood, turning to
face them. “This will really make her angry.”

When she came closer, Kira noticed a small
pouch in her hand. It was made of a fine tapestry with shiny silken
threads and a gold drawstring cinched the top. Altaria pulled it
open enough to retrieve its contents—on the end of a silver chain
dangled a heart-shaped pendant. Its several shades of brown
sparkled when she moved it in the candlelight as though tiny
ribbons of light bounced across the surface.

“It’s beautiful.” Kira stepped closer to get
a better look. “What kind of stone is this?”

“Tiger’s Eye,” Octavion said as he snatched
it out of her hand. “I will not allow this, Altaria. It is too
dangerous.”

“It is time, brother. We have endured
enough.”

“Time for what?” Kira asked. “What does it
do?”

“It was Estaria’s,” Octavion said. “She was a
commoner, and when father called her to be our caregiver, she had
no way of communicating with Shandira and me when we were away from
her. My father had it fastened as both an engagement present and a
communication device.” Octavion opened his hand and rubbed his
finger across the polished surface of the stone. “It helped keep us
out of trouble.” He looked at his sister and grinned. “Most of the
time.”

Altaria took off her ruby necklace and showed
it to Kira. “It is like my ruby, only much more powerful.”

“So why will this make Shandira angry?”

Altaria smiled again. “We have been blocking
her thoughts for a long time. I want to wear this and, how do you
say it?
Blow her socks off
.”

“Yep, that’s it,” Kira said. “Kinda like
turning up the volume on a stereo.”

“Yes,” Altaria said.

Both women looked at Octavion with
determination. For the first time, Altaria and Kira were allies.
Kira had to admit, it felt pretty good.

“No,” he said, puffing out his chest as if
preparing for battle.

“Why not?” Kira asked. “It sounds to me like
Shandira deserves a taste of her own medicine. I think it’s worth a
try.”

“It works both ways,” he said. “If she can
hear Altaria’s thoughts, Shandira will be able to sense where we
are. Her communication skills are much stronger than ours. It is
her gift and it is too dangerous for us to meddle in something she
has perfected.” He closed his fist again and held out his other
hand. “Give me the pouch.”

“I will not.” Altaria stood firm.

Good for her
, Kira thought. She was
beginning to like Altaria’s strong will and feistiness.

Octavion growled. “Altaria!”

“Do you think I am foolish enough to lead
them straight to us? I will go away from this place. Lead her in
the wrong direction.”

“And how will you travel?” He folded his
arms. But when she didn’t answer, he dropped his hands and clenched
his fists at his sides. “No. I forbid it.”

“I can do it,” Altaria said.

“No, you
cannot
!”

“Yes, I can. I’m just not as good as you
are.” She turned her attention to Kira. “The
royal prince
is
of pure blood and seems to think he is better than his half-breed
sister.” There was Lydia’s sarcasm shining through.

“Ha! I land true,” Octavion said. “You are
the one who has to be rescued. It is too dangerous.”

“I have two spirits. One does not always
think as the other and it gets confusing, but I
can
do
it.”

Octavion paused for a long moment, then let
out a huff of air. “If I allow this, I must come with you. With my
help, it might work.”

Altaria shook her head. “No, you cannot
travel so soon.”

“She’s right,” Kira added. “What good will
you be to her if you’re unconscious?”

“I can draw from her strength, remember?” He
looked at Altaria for a moment and turned back to Kira. “This means
you will be alone. If I leave Toran with you, will you feel
safe?”

“I’ll be fine.” Kira’s voice sounded more
confident than she felt. The thought of Bastian and his buddies
paying her a visit didn’t make her feel all that great about being
left alone.

Octavion opened his hand and took the
necklace by the chain while Altaria lifted her long blond hair out
of the way, letting him fastened it behind her neck. She placed her
fingers over the heart-shaped pendant.

Altaria held out her hand and opened it.
Inside was her ruby. “Kira, would you hold this?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I know you will keep it safe,” she
said.

Kira took it from her and placed it in her
pocket.

“I need to change,” Octavion said. “Do you
mind?” He motioned to the opening in the cave.

“Um . . . oh, of course,” Kira stuttered.

Before leaving, Altaria went back to her
trunk and reached behind it, pulling out her weapons. As she led
Kira out of the cave she began strapping them on.

“Do you expect danger?” Kira asked.

“We must expect it from here on out, Kira. It
would suit you to do the same. Keep your weapons close and your
mind clear. Be prepared for anything.”

Kira’s heart rose into her throat. She’d
known they were in danger, but Altaria’s words made the threat more
real. “I will.”

“You will have the advantage of Toran. He
will alert you if anyone comes near. Keep him close, as well.” She
finished strapping on her last two pieces of leather—cuffs that ran
from her wrists, half way to her elbow.

“Why do you wear those?” Kira asked.

“They protect my forearms when defending
myself.” She stood back and adjusted everything. “There’s another
set of forearm guards in my trunk. They will protect your arm from
the bow string. You will need to have your healing mixtures with
you. And don’t forget to refill your vial. Do you remember which
mixture to use?”

Kira nodded.

When Octavion appeared through the trees, his
attire wasn’t the only thing that was different. His demeanor had
darkened, as if he had psyched himself up for the task ahead—a man
to be reckoned with. He wore a pair of black leather pants with a
thick black belt. Like his sister, he wore leather cuffs on his
forearms, only his were black. He also wasn’t wearing his vest;
he’d strapped his sword on his back—the straps intersecting across
his bare, bronzed chest.

“Breathe, Kira,” Octavion said as he stepped
closer. He lifted her chin with the slightest touch of his finger,
then leaned in and pressed his lips to hers—a passionate kiss, with
so much heat it stirred something deep in her gut and made her
crave more. But he didn’t give it. Instead he trailed his fingers
down the length of her arm until he found her hand, then raised it
to his mouth, tenderly kissing her knuckles. “Be safe and stay
close to the cave. We will not be long.”