Bound by Spells (Bound Series Book 2) (14 page)

He would have asked me why I wanted these pages.

Because I want to know my mother. And I believe these pages will tell me more about her and why I’m here.

And why do they scare you? I heard his voice in my head, asking me the question. He never wasted a word.

What if she’s like so many others and not what she seems? What if this Keeper isn’t something I can ever control? What if she wrote down what was going to happen to me in here and I don’t like it?

Can you change any of it? It was his favorite question. I would drive him crazy with “what ifs” during our conversations and he would always end them by asking me if I could do anything about it. I pretty much never could. And now, I wouldn’t be able to.

So, instead of arguing with myself, I flipped over the first page.

I’m hiding. I know it and Tragar knows it. But he allows me to hide here. They’ve told me I must marry. They say it will help bring our people further together as he is a Hunter and Elders on the council are required to mix magic to preserve the races. But no matter how necessary they say it is, I do not love him. I have loved Nathaniel for as long as I can remember. My heart has been his since we were children. I don’t care if he is more Mage than anything else. But, alas, I am the only one who doesn’t.

The visions have been coming stronger lately. I come to the castle library because I know Tragar will help me when they hit, and he will not tell Julia's father or the Elders. The scenes are clearer than they’ve ever been and I worry for what's to come. I see things that have sent me into the stacks, looking for explanations I cannot find.

Homes will burn. People will die. The races will suffer. I can’t see why yet. I can't find the catalyst. But I know my time will come. I will have to make choices I don't want to make and the time will come for me to make the decision that can either save us all, or seal our fate.

I flipped to the next page, unable to stop myself.

Tragar has been helping me to understand where I come from. I have been drawn to the history of the Elders and our origins as an Immortal people. I cannot stop devouring the texts from our beginnings. They are so detailed in places and vague in others. Why can nothing ever be as easy as it should be?

I stopped, a small laugh erupting. It sounded like something I would have said. Or, had been saying, a lot lately.

I believe whole-heartedly in my sisters. I know I have the power and am expected to take my place on the Elder council to represent our family. I know the women I will join have all come to the council for specific reasons. But why do we even exist? Why do the people need us at all? Julia has been trying to get into our council meetings, she wants to ask these questions. I can feel the frustration she holds toward us and I can’t blame her, but there must be a larger reason we’re here. She cannot be right. She believes we have become unnecessary and I cannot believe that to be true. I only wish I were officially part of the council so they would share the truth with me.

The date draws nearer. I know I only have a short time left before everything will change. I only hope I can find the answers we need.

“Amelia,” Micah interrupted. “I’m sorry, but we must get back. We still need to work with your power today and Bale tells me the other Hunters are questioning us being in here with Tragar. They’ve never been fans of his, nor he of them, so we must go.”

“Can I take this with me?” I clutched the pages. After being inside my mother’s head, the last thing I wanted was to leave them here.

Micah shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. We can’t trust they will be safe in your room. At least here, we know Tragar will hide them and they will be here when we return.” Micah took the pages from me and I crossed my arms across my chest, feeling a deep loneliness taking root. I had felt her with me and now I had to walk away. Part of me wanted to grab the pages and make a run for it, but I knew Bale would have me in an instant and then I couldn't guarantee they would give them back to me at all.

Tragar came up beside me as Micah handed him my most treasured possession. “Don’t worry, little one, your mother has always been one of my favorite people. I will guard her secrets with my life. If you ever want them, you will find them here.” He showed me the cover of a book bearing only a symbol. A circle around four interlocking loops. I’d seen that symbol before and was sure it was on my cuff.

“What does it mean?” I questioned.

“It is the symbol of the Elders. We may as well hide her in plain sight, don’t you think?” He chuckled and I couldn’t help but smile in return.

Chapter 13

I
spent the next several days going through Elias’s version of bootcamp. There were moments he couldn’t believe what I could do—uprooting trees, taking on multiple guys at once, and using MMA training to make my attacks even more targeted—and other moments when he couldn’t believe what I didn’t understand. One of the most shocking to him was my inability to remember my time as a wolf.

“You truly remember nothing?” he asked for at least the fifth time.

“Yes, Elias. Nothing.” I was getting frustrated. I was tired from all the energy I’d expended figuring out my power allowed me to shoot magic bursts, levitate objects, and move in complete silence without disturbing anything. My beast was getting restless and I hoped a shift wouldn’t come out of nowhere again.

“Dillon! DILLON!” Elias hollered the young boy’s name and I heard him reply, “COMING, SIR!” Soon he was dragging poor Bethany across the clearing. She was hunched over, trying to keep up with him while he wouldn’t let go of her hand. “I’m coming, sir. We’ll be right there!” he yelled across, waving at us as he pulled on Bethany, urging her to move faster. Charlie came trotting out behind them, his giant paws easily eating up the ground.

“Why does he call you sir and me Mr. Aidan?” I asked. We both watched them, trying not to laugh as Bethany attempted to slow Dillon down. “Sweetie, you’ve got to calm down. They are
right there
. There’s no fire. Goodness gracious.”

Elias spoke quietly. “His parents died when he was young—maybe three years old. I found him hiding in a tree and it took me an hour to convince him I wouldn't hurt him. I had to change into three different animals to prove I wasn’t a Hunter in disguise. Finally, after he told me he could shift into an owl, I did the same and landed on the branch beside him. We sat up there for another hour while he told me all about his parents. It wasn’t until after his story he told me his name. I told him he could call me Elias and he said, ‘My momma told me to always respect my elders. I will call you Mr. Elias so she stays proud of me.’ And he’s done it with everyone he’s ever met. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, Dillon is the only child with us. He’s the only child we know of. Though, there are AniMages spread across the globe, so there could likely be others. He’s something special. And, his powers allow him to sense the animal side of you more clearly than the rest of us.”

It was clear Elias cared for Dillon and so did the other AniMages. People yelled hello as he passed them and he always replied with a chipper, “Hello to you, too!” and a wave.

As he and Bethany finally reached us, Dillon postured up and stood with his hands locked behind him. “Good afternoon, sir. What can I do for you?”

Elias reached down and ruffled Dillon’s hair, a move garnering the first real scowl I’d seen since he led me home after my last shift. “Dillon, when you were out with Mr. Aidan, could you talk to him?”

He shook his head quickly. “No, sir, I couldn’t. I tried and tried but something wouldn’t let me in. I had to follow him around the whole stinkin’ forest, waiting for him to come back to himself.” He lowered his voice and leaned into Elias. “Sir, are you sure he’s the one?” I caught a sideways look and couldn't decide whether I wanted to laugh at the kid questioning my manhood or jump on his side of the argument.

“He just needs a little time. What do you say we all go out running tonight? We’ll get this sorted out and you can be our eyes in the sky?”

Dillon pumped a fist in the air. “Heck, yes! I mean, of course, sir.” He looked back at Bethany and it reaffirmed a lot of the “yes, sir…no, sir” was for her benefit.

“Alright, then. Meet us after dinner,” Elias said. Dillon nodded and took off. He got about four running steps before he turned back. “Goodbye, Miss Bethany. I’ll see you soon.” His ears burned red as he took off.

He wasn’t ten feet away before she was in our faces. “Do either of you know how utterly exhausting it is to be relegated to hanging out with ten-year-olds and dogs? Miss Bethany this and Miss Bethany that. Let’s play ball, or Frisbee, or I’ll just head-butt you until you do. I’m going to drag you here and there to meet people or smell every inch of the forest floor. All I want is a little quiet and some coffee. Speaking of, how much longer are we staying? I’ve got a perfectly good bed not far from here and my kitchen is stocked with the essentials. Also, I would like to make sure my family knows I’m alive and that I haven’t been fired. It’s only been a few days, but I’m someone people notice and they are gonna notice my absence.”

She flashed a huge smile. “Bless your heart, Elias, you’ve been entirely hospitable,” and then she turned to me with a scowl, “But, truly…” The chick stance was back and her arms were crossed. “I don’t do camping. This is
barely
above camping.”

I started to speak, but Elias beat me to it.

“Do you completely understand the predicament you are in, Miss Jackson?” The sharpness in his tone made us both recoil a little. “I understand you have grown comfortable with the AniMages, but do you remember what happened when you encountered the Hunters? Do you realize you are likely on their watch list? And as close as you are to Amelia, they will have the same idea we did, except not be such gracious hosts.”

Bethany paled, swallowed, and then paled further. “Can’t you keep me away from them?”

“No, I can’t,” he spat, and I could feel the tension building around us. Charlie must have, too, because he stepped up next to Bethany as Elias continued. “Because I don’t have the resources or the manpower to spare any of my people just so you can sleep in your bed and have coffee. I can send someone for your cell phone, but outside of that, your life is only as important as you make it. Right now, your only value is they want you more than we do and I refuse to give those bastards anything they want.”

“Are you telling me I’m a prisoner, Elias?” She tried to stand tall, to regain some control over the conversation, but I could see her hands shaking as she clenched her fists.

I stepped between them and put out my hands. “Come on. We don’t need to do this. Bethany, of course you aren’t a prisoner. But I told you what I am to them and what that can mean for Amelia. You’ve got to work with me here. There's something I’m missing. Something I’m not doing that I need to. I can feel it. I’m so close, but…I just can’t find it yet.”

I was surprised to hear Charlie bark. He so rarely did, I jumped and turned to him. “Quiet down, Charlie.” Which only set him off further. His deep
woofs
were nonstop and he slammed his head into my thigh. “Come on, dog. Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something here?”

I stooped down to get eye level with him and with a satisfied snort, he lifted his paw and dropped it onto the exposed flesh above my knee. This time, I wasn’t falling into his head, I was hearing him. I was staring into a dog’s eyes and he was talking to me.

He's told you, you have to embrace it.

“Embrace what? What do you mean?” I barely registered the fact that Bethany and Elias were staring open-mouthed at me as I spoke out loud to Charlie.

The beast inside you. You can’t control him, you have to let him control you. He won’t be a beast then, he’ll be you.

“But how?”

Let him tell you.

I was about to ask who when I looked in the direction Charlie had turned. Dillon was standing in the tree line. I didn’t hesitate and took off toward him. “Dillon, I need your help,” I said loudly as I approached.

“Uh, sure, Mr. Aidan. How can I help you?” Dillon looked around me and didn’t seem thrilled at the bewildered looks on Elias and Bethany’s face.

“Can you talk to your owl?” I wasn’t sure what I was asking.

Dillon cocked his head. “That would be weird. Then I would be talking to myself.” I immediately felt like an idiot.