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

“Well,” I said as I dropped into the sand beside her, “I don’t know if I can beat that, but I’ll counter with the fact that my girlfriend is engaged to a prince of some kind of magical people I didn’t know existed until last week, who also happens to be a guy I thought I was friends with. She had a chance to run away with me and didn’t take it, choosing him over me and pretty much eviscerating my heart in the process.
And
I woke up not long ago suddenly able to turn into a wolf. My eyes light up like blue headlights and I lose entire chunks of time. I wake up naked every time it happens and have no idea where I am. How’d I do?”

She actually snorted. Which then turned into a chuckle. Which became all out belly laughter. I couldn’t stop myself from joining her. What we had just laid out sounded completely insane—completely and utterly insane. And yet, we were living it. There were parts of her story I hadn’t heard, and I was sure she didn’t know the full truth about me yet, but it didn’t matter. I bumped my shoulder into hers as we settled down.

She turned to me. “She told me you were a part of the supernatural club, but a wolf? And you wake up naked?” Her eyebrows rose and she gave me an incredulous look. I could only shake my head and laugh again.

We both turned to stare back out to the sea. As quickly as the laughter had come, it was gone. There was total silence between us as we sat there. The true weight of our words, of the realities sitting in front of us, stole any happiness I’d had like a plug being pulled from a drain. She was gone. Amelia was gone.

And then, Bethany hit me. She punched me in the shoulder with more force than I’d expected from a girl so small. I rubbed the spot and turned to her. She was grinning. “What’s gotten into you?” I asked.

“Here’s the thing about me, sweetie,” she said with a wry smile and a matter-of-fact tone, “I don't just sit around. A girl needs a good wallow every now and again, but then you dust yourself off and get back on the horse. It’s time for us to saddle up.”

Chapter 2

I
stayed true to the promise I had made myself. Once Micah drove us away, I hadn’t shed another tear. But as his SUV took me farther from Aidan, the madness within me spread, burrowing into every crevice and threatening to push me over the edge. I heard her voice, but couldn’t make out the words. It was all emotion and sound and color, but nothing I could understand. It was a feral agony and it consumed me.

I didn’t understand what made today different, but with every mile we drove, it got worse. I was in no physical danger. There were no threats. Still, my small violet light was reduced to a tiny flame as the dark blot of power the Keeper magic represented took over. After Uncle Derreck had explained my power came from five female Elders, I had taken to personifying my Keeper as a girl instead of just a thing. And right now, she was pushing me past anything we’d experienced to date. My head throbbed, sweat built on my forehead, and it sounded like a horde of bees had taken up space between my ears. My blood raced in my veins and the violet smoke I'd grown to love turned on me, swirling around my fingers and building in my palms, even when I willed it back down. She raged in my mind, wailing and screaming in a multitude of tones and pitches, making me want to bash my head against the glass of the window just to let it out and make it stop. Micah kept glancing my way, never fully turning to look at me, but watching me as the situation grew worse. Finally, he stopped the car and turned to me.

“Amelia,” he said softly, reaching a hand in my direction. My head snapped toward him and I could only stare, panicked, at his outstretched hand.

“Don’t touch me,” I gritted out through clenched teeth. I hoped he could see the fear. I was teetering on the edge of losing myself to her and even with everything we’d been through, I didn’t want to hurt him.

He slowly retracted his hand and nodded. “Okay, I won’t touch you. But Amelia, you have to control this. Or, at least, just make it back to Esmerelda’s. The room will quiet the pain.” He threw the car into drive and punched the gas as he continued to watch me out of the corner of his eye.

The room. I sighed audibly. For the first time, I was looking forward to the enchanted bedroom quelling my power. I could feel my mother’s bracelet in my pocket, but there was no way I was putting it back on. I knew nothing about the bracelet or what it may have been meant to do. The only sure thing was it had given me my power back, and right now, all I wanted was for that power to go away. If only Micah understood this wasn’t pain. Pain I could shove into a little box and file away in the back of my mind. This was agony. This was the very fabric of my soul being shredded into jagged pieces, slicing and splitting me open, then dropping to the ground beside my broken heart.

My head fell back against the seat and I fought her with everything I had. I had lost Aidan, I couldn’t lose myself.

I
sat in the center of the giant, four-post bed, staring at the wall. Finally, she was quiet. The room had done what it was supposed to do and the fighting had stopped. But, now, I was left alone. Alone with my thoughts. My memories. My regrets. I heard him, his words plain as day in my mind though they had been barely a whisper between us.
Pick me, Amelia. Please be the one who finally picks me.

The weight on my chest intensified as my lungs refused to give me the air I needed to keep going. All I could think about was the pain I had caused us both, for reasons I couldn’t even explain to Aidan, reasons I couldn’t even truly explain to myself. What had I done? And why?

I dropped back onto the bed, forcing my thoughts away from his smoky eyes and the feel of his arms around me. Instead, I thought about the last few weeks. I rewound through all of my conversations with Cole, Uncle Derreck, and Elias. I needed clarity. I needed facts. I had to separate myself from my emotion. But the more I thought about all the reasons I needed to be here, needed to fulfill the obligations my mother and the prophecy had laid out for me, the more I wanted to run. I questioned every decision I had made and couldn’t find the answers to help me justify the ache in my soul. The Keeper was quiet, but my heart was not.

The idea of walking away from my first real relationship—from the first person to ever pursue me, spend time getting to know me, and truly fight for me—broke through the walls I'd been trying to build. The ones that were supposed to make me strong and give me purpose. As I rolled to my side and pulled my knees to my chest, I slammed my eyes closed and repeated that I was doing the right thing, over and over. No part of me believed it, but there was no turning back now.

I woke up to a commotion in the hallway. The voices were loud, but muffled through the door. I scrambled out of the bed to press my ear to the old, thick wood. I could hear a woman whose voice sounded familiar, but the damn door was blocking too much of the sound. She was yelling, arguing with someone. Their voices grew louder, meaning they were moving closer.

I backed away from the door, worried Queen Julia was finally coming. Concerned over not having my power for protection, I dove into the pile of clothes from last night and ripped my bracelet from the hoodie pocket, clutching it in my hands as I stood. In the same moment, the door started to open and I heard, “I am so sorry, Aunt Ryannon. I didn’t expect to see you here and these Hunters have never met you. They don’t understand who you are.”

Micah pushed through the door and the last person I expected to see followed him in. My mouth dropped open as Rynna strode into the room in full regalia. A long, fitted gown, her hair curled and styled in a beautiful up-do, and jewels sparkling from her neck and ears.

“Rynna?” I whispered. Micah gave me a knowing smile, only baffling me further. I didn't have a chance to ask another question before she ran across the room and pulled me into a hug. I stood still, confusion muddling my thoughts as words I didn’t hear and couldn’t fully understand spilled from her mouth.

Finally, Rynna pulled away and shook my shoulders. “Amelia Bradbury. Look at me.” Her sharp tone, the one I’d heard every time I'd been in trouble over the years, pulled me back to the present. My eyes finally connected to hers and I saw so many things. Apologies. Regrets. Relief.

“Listen to me, dear.” She cupped my cheek in her palm. “I know none of this makes sense, but we don’t have much time. I had to dress the part and Julia can’t know I’m here, so I can’t stay long. Mikail, can you please give us a minute?” She gave Micah a cool look, making it clear it wasn’t a request he should turn down.

His royal upbringing took over as he responded, “Yes, Aunt. Of course. I’ll be just outside.” He dipped his head and quietly left.

Rynna pulled me toward the bed and we sat. She grasped my hand and part of me wanted to pull away while the other wanted to bury my head in her lap and beg her to fix it all, as I had when I was a child. But, she couldn't fix it then and I doubted she could fix it now.

“Amelia, you aren’t safe here. There’s only so much I can do for you right now, so I’m here to explain what you must remember once she takes you away. You must listen. Are you listening?

I nodded, still stunned Rynna was sitting in my enchanted bedroom. Rynna, who was actually Ryannon, the Queen’s sister.

“Mikail spoke the truth. I am his aunt and the Queen’s sister. But, many years ago, I made a choice to walk away from this family and this life and I’ve never looked back, outside of my communication with Mikail. Especially not after what happened to your mother. I had a responsibility to you, your brother, and your father. It was my family who did these unspeakable things and I had to help in any way I could. Our life, our relationship…none of it was a lie. I love you, Amelia. I love your brother. And even though your father wouldn’t allow me to explain everything I wanted to you, I tried my best to help and protect you. It is exactly what I’m doing now. Do you have your mother’s cuff?”

I gripped it tighter in my fist as I recoiled a little, instantly on alert. I heard her words, but I had no idea if Rynna was still someone I could trust.

“It’s very important you keep it hidden from the Queen,” Rynna continued, not acknowledging my reaction. “She can never know you have it—ever. Do you understand?”

My brain was slowly coming back to life and questions finally rose to the surface. “Why? I mean, I already know it brought my power back even though I’m in this enchanted room, but what else can it do? What if I don’t want the power anymore? I can’t control it, Ryn. It controls me.”

Rynna’s lips pursed, her frustration becoming visible. “That cuff is your lifeline, Amelia. Your mother had it specially commissioned and it is the one thing allowing you to maintain control over your Keeper power until you find your mate. It will permit you to use what you have for good. It will give you the opportunity to work with the Keeper, to break down the walls, and work as one for short periods of time. It will be draining, but if you keep working at it slowly, you’ll continue to gain control. If you don’t wear it, there is a chance you could lose yourself.”

Those words had me on my feet. “Lose myself? Lose myself how?”

“Calm down, Amelia,” she said, looking back over her shoulder at the door. “Please. Calm down. I know this is scary and it wasn’t supposed to be like this, but I’m trying to help you. Can I see it, please?” she asked.

Still leery, I coaxed the cuff from my pocket and held it out on my flattened palm. Her word choice made sense. I had been calling it a bracelet, but the ends didn’t connect and the flat metal was wider than most bracelets. Rynna reached for it, her hand extended, but looked up at me for confirmation before she took it. I nodded stiffly as she simply flipped it over and pointed to one of the many symbols etched in the silver.

“These are your mother’s initials. LRB. Liana Rose Bradbury. This was her addition to the cuff. A piece of your mother lives inside this cuff. It will give you what you need, and should give you comfort.” Rynna spoke quietly as she placed the cuff back in my palm. “She knew something was going to happen the day you were born. She took me aside and told me a day would come when I would be the only one who could reach you and I would need to make sure you had, and understood, the power in the cuff. She wanted to make certain you knew you weren’t alone—that she hadn’t left you.”

I stared down at the beautiful calligraphy making up the only remaining piece of my mother. Loops and swirling lines drawn by her. Power given by her to me.

Rynna continued as I stared. “The Queen will take you away tomorrow, to her home in Washington State. She refuses to go back to the castle in Syria unless she absolutely has to. I don't know what she expects from you, or what she’ll do to you, but she will ensure you are guarded day and night by Hunters. Use the cuff. Use it to control your emotions and reign in the Keeper. And do everything you can to learn the truth of what's happened and how we can stop it. There must be more to this than simply her need for power. I know my sister, and no matter what people want to think, she’s more controlled than this. We just haven’t been able to find the true source. While you do, we will be trying to find a way to organize those who are left. We can’t allow her to have you, Amelia. It’s too dangerous. For you and our future. But, if you’re going to be there, we need you to use the time wisely and bring us more information.”