Bound (World of Shadows Book 2) Read online

I wished he would have gotten back to me last night, but then realized he might still be in his shifter form. A moment after I sent the text, I heard a knock on the door.

  Good. Dylan was back to normal.

  I walked to the living room, a quick retort already on my tongue. But when I saw the figure on the other side of the window in the door, I slowed down.

  Gage.

  He wore dark sunglasses and ran one hand through his hair, looking perfectly relaxed standing on my front porch though he was banned from coming inside unless I invited him.

  I almost considered hiding in the other room. But Gage was too smart for that. Before I could make a move, he said, “I know you’re in there.”

  I sighed and opened the door, only parting it a few feet. “My car gave me away, right?”

  He glanced back to my car in the drive with a smile. “No. I could hear you inside.”

  “Liar.”

  “Making coffee, it sounded like. I told you my powers are getting stronger.” He tried to look around me. “Can I come in. Or…are you with someone?”

  “Wouldn’t you be able to hear that, too? If there was someone else inside with me?”

  He grinned. “Good point. Can I come in?”

  “Hell no.” He had to be out of his mind if he thought I’d invite him in my house. This was a safe place for me and one of the main reasons I’d rented the place.

  “Link,” he said, voice almost musical. “I thought we got all this worked out. No more kidnapping and taking hostages. You’re safe around me. In fact, you were before, but—”

  “That’s enough,” I told him. “What do you want?”

  “I told you I was coming by.” He peered closer at my face. “You forgot already? You really are stressed.”

  “I’m not stressed—and not in the mood for jokes.”

  He stepped closer to the door. I shut it further out of instinct. “You look like you need to get out. Take a break. I can wait for you on the porch if you don’t want to let me in.”

  I started to protest, to tell him to give me my books and leave, but something in me hesitated. I really did want to get out. I needed some perspective. I needed to take a breath. I needed something more than my mind on spells all the time.

  “I promise to be on my best behavior,” Gage added. “And you need a history lesson about your ancestors, right? I have stuff you can use for your article.”

  Damn, now he was really getting me. I did need to work on my article, and I wanted to know more about the history of Knob Creek and my family in it. Not only that, it looked warm and sunny outside. Gage’s eyes were sparkling with mischief and laughter.

  I glanced down at my pajama bottoms and T-shirt with a frown, then back up.

  Gage already knew he’d won. “I’ll wait while you change.”

  He put his sunglasses back on and turned to face the lawn, the strong muscles of his back bunching when he folded his arms.

  In my room, I tugged on a pair of jeans and pulled on a long-sleeved tee. I found my boots in case we were going to be doing a lot of walking or any hiking. When I glanced in the mirror, I wasn’t the only one I saw.

  I stumbled backward in surprise when I spied Savannah there as well. Her lips were turned down in a frown and she was shaking her head.

  My heart beat hard in my chest.

  I almost yelped when I heard banging on the front door. “Link? Are you okay?”

  Had he heard my heartbeat? Shit, he was getting stronger.

  “I’m okay,” I said so quietly I barely heard it. But Gage had superhuman hearing.

  I kept my gaze on Savannah as her eyes narrowed in what looked like anger. I opened my mouth to talk to her but then the mirror cracked right down the middle, the sound shrill in the quiet of the room.

  “What the hell…?” I said. “Why did you do that?”

  But Savannah vanished. I ran to the living room to open the door when Gage started pounding again.

  The moment the door was open, he reached for me, but was stopped by the barrier to the home. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “What happened?”

  “You have excellent hearing,” I muttered.

  He only gave a curt nod, trying to peer into the house. “What happened? Link?”

  I stepped out onto the porch and shook my head. “Nothing.”

  “That wasn’t nothing.” His gaze traveled the length of my body as if checking for injuries. Heat bloomed on my skin. “You were scared. I heard your heartbeat.”

  “It was Savannah.”

  His gaze searched my face this time. “Seems like she’s around a lot lately.”

  She was. And now I was wondering if what Helen said actually had more merit. But, no, Savannah had helped me so far. Nothing more.

  “I think she knows you’re here,” I told him. “Maybe she’s worried about me going somewhere with you.”

  He considered this with a slow nod. “It would make sense. Savannah’s family—your family—and mine, weren’t exactly on the best terms.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He grabbed my hand swiftly and tugged me off the porch. “I’ll show you something. And I’ll tell you what I know.”

  I pulled away from his grasp but followed him to his car. “Okay. But I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt here. If you try anything, all my trust—which isn’t much—will be gone.”

  “What if I don’t?” He smiled. “If I don’t try anything, do I get more trust?”

  He opened the car door for me, his gaze flicking briefly to the amethyst on my necklace.

  “We’ll see.”

  He was quiet while we drove, giving me time to think. To observe. I saw a blackbird like the one I saw yesterday flying near the car. It reminded me of Dylan and the hawk. It swooped to the other side of the car and then back.

  I frowned. That wasn’t normal bird behavior. But after another moment, it vanished.

  I forgot about the bird and thought about Savannah instead. I hoped she didn’t have any ulterior motives. She’d been helpful so far and she might be helpful with Audrey—if she wasn’t biased against her, too. After all, Audrey was a vampire like her brother.

  “How’s your sister?” I asked Gage when we turned onto a dirt road not far from the Knob Creek Hotel.

  “Better. She’s tired, though. If you hadn’t let me out…I don’t know what I would have done.”

  I gave him an even smile. “It was the best way to do what we need to do.”

  Gage wound around a few trees and then parked the car. He didn’t get out. “I’m serious, Link. Thank you. Audrey needs me, and I couldn’t help her if I was stuck in the cave.”

  I gave him another easy smile, but Gage took my hand. His fingers wrapped around mine, strong but gentle. “Gage,” I said quietly.

  “Thank you,” he repeated. Then he brought my knuckles to his lips and kissed them softly. “You’re supposed to say, ‘you’re welcome’.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Good.”

  He released me and got out, running around to my door in the blink of an eye. He reached in to take my hand and helped me out. I couldn’t help but be struck by the difference between him and Dylan. Dylan was blonder, taller, and more serious. I wondered if he had much laughter in his life when he was younger. Gage was dark and dangerous, charming but more emotional. Compassionate. There wasn’t a vulnerable side to him that he was afraid to let me see.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked him.

  He kept my hand in his. “What do you mean?”

  “Why are you acting this way? Taking me here and pretending like everything is fine?”

  “Everything is fine,” he said. He bowed his head to study our linked hands. “Or it will be. Now that I know there might be another way to help Audrey, I’m on board with whatever you think is right. And I want to show you that I’m not the person you think I am.”

  “You have no idea what kind of person I think you are.”


  “Yes, I do,” he said. He took off his sunglasses so he could meet my eyes. In the past, I might have looked away, knowing that was his method of trying to influence me. But now I trusted him more. And his eyes were a simple but breathtaking shade of blue. “You want to trust me, but you’re scared. You want to like me, but it’s hard because of what I did. You’re attracted to me, but you’re worried there’s more to it.”

  “More to it?” I murmured.

  He ran his finger down my cheek and then traced my jawline. “More to the attraction. You’re worried it goes deeper. That we connect on a level you’re not comfortable with.”

  I took a step back, which basically proved him right. That I was uncomfortable with where the situation was going. Why did he have to be so insightful? It was unnerving.

  Gage replaced his sunglasses. “Okay, you’re not ready to talk about that yet. I get it. But in the meantime, I’ll work on the trust issue.”

  I blew out a breath and turned to take in the view, trying to distract myself. Trees stretched for miles, so thick and green they were breathtaking. I could barely tell there was a town in the midst of them. Behind us, slopes rose to the cerulean sky, many of them still tipped in white from the spring snowstorms.

  When I turned back, Gage was still looking at me. “We’re helping each other out,” I told him. “That’s all. It’s business.”

  “It doesn’t feel like business from where I’m standing.”

  “Then try looking at it from a different perspective.” I flashed a smile. “Now, what are we here to see?”

  His lips curved. “The distraction technique. Nice. Okay, then. Business. All this property here,” Gage said, gesturing to the trees around us and everything that stretched behind the hotel, “belonged to your ancestor, Savannah. Or, more specifically, her parents.”

  I scanned the property. It was a large amount of land. I wondered what other family of hers—or mine—might have lived there. My mom might know.

  “This way,” Gage said, nodding his head toward the trees.

  I didn’t even see him take a backpack from the car but now he pulled it over his shoulders and led the way on an old trail that was mostly covered in leaves and twigs.

  “Their entire clan lived on this property, and there’s a lot of history here.” Gage glanced back at me. “Doing okay?”

  It was a good amount of hiking, but it was nice to be out in the sunshine. To be talking about something other than trapping vampires and finding books. I nodded. “I’m good. Where are we going?”

  He stopped so abruptly, I ran into him. He gripped my arm to steady me, his fingers warm through my shirt. “Sorry about that.”

  I caught his laughing smile. “No, you’re not.”

  “No, I’m not. I like that you’re here with me. I enjoy hiking and being outside, and you…” His eyes scanned me from head to toe once again. “First you’re witchy and now you’re outdoorsy. It’s pretty hot.”

  “I think you’re just saying that because you’re stuck in Knob Creek and the population is low. I’m the first guy who comes along in a while and it’s messing with your hormones.”

  He laughed out loud and then, in a flash, wrapped his arm around my waist to pull me close. “That isn’t even close to the truth.”

  My breath hitched in my lungs. I lifted my hands to his chest, pressing against strong hard muscle. “You’re persistent.”

  “One of my best qualities. Link…you’re kind of amazing, in case you didn’t know. I wish I would have…” He looked away, his gaze distant. “I wish I would have done things differently with you. Told what was going on at the beginning. But I was worried about you being a witch—you know, since we’re not exactly allies around here. I thought maybe you wouldn’t help me.”

  I lowered my chin, unsure how to respond. “I guess we’ll never know.”

  He looked back and his eyes locked on mine. “No. I’m not accepting that. I want to get to know you better and I’m not going to let my mistakes get in the way. You don’t seem like the kind to hold a grudge either. Life is too short for that. Besides, you know I had a reason for what I did. I didn’t handle it the best way, but I had a reason.”

  I could feel his heart beating against mine. There was nothing but sincerity in his eyes—and maybe a little hope, too.

  “I know you had a reason,” I said.

  “Good.”

  “But I want you to tell me something.”

  His grip tightened slightly, and suddenly my body was betraying me, wanting to lean in even closer. “What?” he asked.

  “Something else. Something you’ve been keeping from me. That way I know you’re trying and maybe…it’ll help build back up the trust between us.”

  He swallowed clenched his jaw. I thought maybe he’d disagree, but then he said, “I have an older brother.”

  “I already know that.”

  “I have an older brother who wants the curse to end.”

  I frowned. “So did you.”

  “That’s because I thought that was the only way—or the quickest way—to help Audrey. He wants the curse to end for other reasons. Less moral ones. And he’s a lot more determined than I am.”

  I pushed against Gage’s chest again, and he released me. I backed up. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that if you want to stop this curse for good, we might want to hurry.”

  I appreciated that he said ‘we’ but that didn’t make up for the fact that I didn’t know this before. “Why didn’t you tell me this?” I glanced around. “He’s not here, is he?”

  “No.” Gage caught my hand. “No, Link, he’s not here and I wouldn’t let him come near you. This was why I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want you or anyone else to worry. There’s already enough to deal with.”

  I tried to back away again, but he shook his head. “Please, Link. Hold on. We can do this. Us. Or your group. All of us together. I want Audrey to feel better, but then I promise to do whatever it takes to redo the spell if that’s what you think is best.”

  I studied his face, confused. “It feels like you’re telling the truth.”

  “I am.” He reached out and touched my cheek, his gaze steady.

  I was suspended like that for a long moment, my eyes locked on his. I couldn’t help the magnetic pull of his gaze even though he wasn’t trying to influence me. For a moment, all I wanted to do was kiss him. To press against him and get lost in his touch. To close my eyes and just feel.

  The something shrieked above us. I jerked back as the hawk swooped in between me and Gage.

  “Damn it,” Gage said under his breath. He swiped at the bird as it circled around his head. “Get out of here, Dylan.”

  The bird flapped its wings in Gage’s face before flying to the nearest tree and perching there.

  “Are you sure that’s him?” I asked.

  Gage grabbed my hand again and pulled me on the trail. “I can tell. And he’s being an asshole. He’s either way overprotective or he’s jealous.”

  “Gage—”

  “Come on,” he said. “It’s over here.”

  Dylan stayed in the tree as we approached the remains of a home. There were still stones stacked in some places, like the chimney, which rose up two stories and tapered at the top.

  “This is where Savannah lived with her family,” Gage told me. “It’s not far from the hotel, as you can see.”

  I tried to ignore Dylan as he sat in the tree, watching us. He had no right to spy, but it also worried me. He’d been in animal form since yesterday. That couldn’t be a good thing. What if he couldn’t change back?

  “Ignore him,” Gage said.

  “Can we look inside?”

  “Sure.”

  He guided me across the threshold. There wasn’t a door anymore and the walls were mostly rubble. But after a moment, we stood inside the home Savannah lived in. I walked the same floor she walked, where she thought about magic, where she grew up and learned who she
really was.

  “Lincoln.”

  I whipped around at the sound of the female voice, but there wasn’t anything there.

  Gage’s eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

  I opened my mouth to ask him if he heard anything when I the voice spoke again.

  “Lincoln.” It was quieter this time, just a whisper on the wind. But I knew without a doubt it was Savannah. And, I knew without a doubt that she wasn’t happy.

  “We’re the same,” she said. “You and me.”

  I stepped closer to Gage. “Did you hear that?”

  “I don’t hear anything. Link, you look sick.”

  I felt sick, too. It was the same feeling I’d gotten when I first arrived in Knob Creek and met Gage. The same feeling when Savannah had spoken to me in the cave and the few times I’d mentally connected with her and had those visions.

  My head started to swim, and I gritted my teeth. Fuck. I didn’t want to pass out. Not again. I leaned against the wall on one side of the home, the stones cool through my clothes.

  Savannah stood on the other side in a long flowing gown. I blinked, and suddenly she was right in front of me.

  “Fuck,” I hissed, bending over. “Gage.”

  “Link—what is it? Don’t pass out.”

  “I think…”

  “You’re okay. Don’t pass out. You—shit.” He glanced around like there might be help nearby. “We need to get out of here.”

  I tried to straighten but my feet weren’t steady. My breath felt stuck in my lungs. “Gage—I can’t breathe—”

  “Link—hold on.” He picked me up without any effort and turned just as the world started to fade around me. “I’ve got you.”

  And then I blacked out.

  Chapter 7

  I watched them from across the room. Lawrence was flirting with her, his smile wide and easy. Like it was meant to be. But we’d shared something last week at the town meeting that I couldn’t forget. His eyes caught mine and lingered. Since then, I’d been trying to reenact another shared moment.

  I grabbed the edge of my skirt and moved in his direction, lowering my eyes in a demure way most of the men around here seemed charmed by.

  When he started toward the other side of the ballroom, I caught him in a dark corner.