Dark Bound

by Kim Richardson

  Then his eyes drifted to Tyrius and finally came to rest on Ugul. A frown creased his face. “Father Thomas told me where to find you. I’ve been watching all the entrances not knowing when you’d show up. Who’s that?”

  “None of your business,” I snapped, remembering that I had told the priest of my job with the faerie queen before I’d left, in case I never came back. I was suddenly aware of how close he was and how terrible I must look and smell. Heat rushed to my face. I loosened a tight breath, and I avoided looking at Jax as I felt his eyes slide to me.

  I would not be hypnotized by his physical beauty, no matter how hot I thought he was. Damn he was hot. Hot. Hot. Hot.

  Don’t be stupid, Rowyn. He has a fiancée, I reminded myself.

  “Why are you here, Jax?” I repeated. And when I looked at him, it was his turn to avoid my eyes.

  Jax scratched the back of his neck. “I wanted to apologize for my mother’s behavior.”

  “And yours too, I imagine,” scolded Tyrius, staring at Jax as though he was ready to bite him. “Rowyn and I have no secrets. We’re besties. I know all about the fiancée situation. Not cool, Jax.”

  More heat rushed to my cheeks. “Not now, Tyrius,” I warned. I did not want to talk about this now. Besides, there was no way in hell I wanted Jax to know how I truly felt. It would pass, as all heartaches do. It had only been the one kiss. It had been just a kiss. Hadn’t it?

  Jax opened his mouth but then closed it, clearly not ready or willing to share whatever was on his mind. Dark spots stained his face, which only confused me even more.

  “Father Thomas should have kept his mouth shut,” I said and I pulled out my phone, scrolling through my directory. Where was that stupid cab number? “He had no business sharing my whereabouts. Especially when I’m on the job. As you can see, we’re working here. I don’t have time for idle chitchat.”

  “I came because I was worried.” Jax ran his gaze down me and back up. Even in the darkness, I could see those thick lashes outlining his green eyes. My eyes moved to find his lips, a warm feeling starting in my middle.

  I snorted. “Please.”

  “What possessed you to go in those tunnels alone?” Jax’s tone was hard, clearly irritated. His features were tight and drawn. “You went inside Elysium? Every angel-born knows these underground passageways are traitorous and deadly. Which is why we never go in. Why didn’t you call me?”

  Peeved that he thought I needed his help, I said, “You don’t return phone calls. Besides, I wasn’t alone. I was with Tyrius.”

  “You bet, hot stuff,” said the cat.

  Jax exhaled slowly. “I meant to call you,” he said and I nearly rolled my eyes. “Things have been tough lately.”

  “Why’s that? Conjuring any lesser demons of late?” I was showing too much emotion again. “You don’t owe me anything,” I expressed, reeling in my feelings. “We worked on one job together. That doesn’t make us married.”

  Jax sighed through his nose and I almost smiled at how peeved he looked now. “My mother needed me to stay with her at the house while my father was out on council business overseas,” he said. “She can get pretty harsh when she’s in one of her moods.”

  “You don’t say?” I said pleasantly, and Tyrius snickered. I didn’t care that she was his mother. I’d lost all respect for that woman.

  “I know what you must think of her,” Jax continued. “She said some pretty awful things.”

  “She’s a pretty awful woman.”

  A muscle twitched in Jax’s jaw. “She wasn’t always like that.” He hesitated. “Things at home have been very different since Gillian’s death. My mother can’t get past it.”

  “I never said that she should,” I said, knowing that deep, excruciating pain from my own parents’ deaths, “and I can’t imagine the pain of losing a child, but she didn’t have to shit all over me either. I shouldn’t have gone to your house—a mistake I won’t repeat.”

  An entrancing smile curved over his clean-shaven features. “You were worried about me.” He gave me a goofy smile, the sort men gave when they thought the girl was smitten with them. He moved closer and lowered his voice. “I knew you liked me.”

  Damn him. Damn me.

  “You should leave.” I scrolled through my phone again, the names blurring as I swiped the screen. The last thing I needed was to be near Jax. “As you can see, we’re good.”

  A groan rippled from Ugul and my breath caught. Crap.

  Tyrius leapt next to the faerie. “We should hurry with the cab. He’s waking up. Unless you want to hit him again?”

  “No.” I wouldn’t hit him again. It wasn’t my style. I wasn’t about to knock him out whenever he came to. I wasn’t a sadist.

  “Who is he?” Jax knelt next to Ugul. “A goblin, by the looks of him. He’s an ugly bastard. Isn’t he?” he laughed. “Is he dangerous? Is that why you tied him up? Why does he smell like cabbage?”

  “What he is, is not of your concern.” Go away, Jax.

  Jax gave me a wry smile. “I love an angry woman. Just shows how she likes to be in control.”

  My heart slammed against my chest and I scowled at him. What was wrong with this picture? “He’s going to the faerie queen of the Dark Court. After that, he’s not my problem anymore.”

  “I’ll take you,” offered Jax as he jumped to his feet. “My car’s just over there on the street.”

  “No.” There was no way in hell I was getting into a car with Jax. I wanted him to go away so I could hear myself think.

  “Thank you. We’ll take the ride,” said Tyrius, and my mouth fell open.

  I glared at Tyrius. “No, thank you. I’m calling a cab.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Rowyn,” mewed the cat. “Take Jax’s offer. A cab will only call attention to ourselves in Mystic Quarter, not to mention that the driver might not even take us with your drunk dad.”

  Tyrius had a point. But I was stubborn. And right now, I didn’t care how offended Jax looked. He had a freaking fiancée.

  “I’ll take my chances with the cab,” I said, my voice flat. “There. I found the number. I’m calling it.”

  “Rowyn, let me take you,” started Jax. “You’ll need help dragging him to the queen. He looks heavy.”

  “I can manage,” I snapped. Tyrius was looking at me like I was being an idiot. Okay, so maybe I was. I could accept it. What I couldn’t accept was being around Jax. I didn’t like the way he made me feel, like I was losing control. It wasn’t a good feeling.

  At that moment, my magic coin sent a cold pulse, making the skin under my jean pocket tingle. Maybe it was warning me to stay away from Jax. Smart coin.

  A voice came on the other line. “Hi,” I said and watched as Jax turned around looking upset. “I’d like a cab on the corner of Riverside Drive and—”

  My hand cramped and I dropped the phone. It hit the pavement with a clang and a shriek of tearing plastic.

  “Rowyn? What’s wrong?” asked Tyrius, his eyes wide with terror.

  My mouth was dry, and I felt like I couldn’t get enough air in my lungs. “I don’t know. I feel… strange.” My gut cramped up, stopping my words. I blinked. I was getting dizzy. Maybe Ugul’s magic had finally caught up with me.

  A firm hand gripped me. Jax. “You’re probably dehydrated. I have water in the car. When was the last time you had something to eat?”

  “It’s not dehydration,” said the cat. “Something’s not right. I can feel it too. There’s a darkness in the air, and it smells of death and corruption.”

  My eyes fell on Tyrius and I blinked again, trying to focus. “I think it’s gone now—”

  Hot pain assaulted me from nowhere, and I cried out, staggering. My heart leapt, and I gasped. Fire seared across my skin and my rasping scream ripped through the air. I collapsed to my knees, shaking. My insides were on fire. I was burning from the inside out. I couldn’t breathe. It hurt that much.

  Voices were shouting. Jax and Tyrius. But I couldn�
�t hear them over my pulse firing madly. Every beat pushed the fire through my pores. I managed a harsh gasp, and then I saw her.

  An old woman with long wisps of white and gray hair stood in front of me. Her small eyes were lost in the heavy wrinkles, but I could make out one, milky white eye staring at me. I’d have recognized that face anywhere—the dark witch I’d stolen the grimoire from.

  Evanora Crow smiled like…well, the devil, and then a heavy blackness finally smothered me.

  16

  There was a faint scent of ash and candle mixed with the reek of mold, and I heard the distant murmur of an incantation. Closer, the sounds of voices speaking in Latin tickled my memory, winding gradually through my brain until they found a conscious thought.

  I bolted upright, eyes wide and adrenaline slamming through me as fear jerked me from my drugged haze.

  I was in a basement. Fake pine paneling decorated the walls, the ceiling was low, and a dirty plywood floor ran the length of the room. At the far end under the high basement windows, a platform took up the entire end of the room.

  I was in the middle of the room, sitting in the center of a pentagram inside a large circle. Candles marked the corners below demonic symbols that I didn’t recognize. Horror shot through me as I realized someone had used blood to draw the circle, not salt.

  Crap. This had dark magic written all over it.

  I felt eyes on me and looked up. Through the cluster of my damp bangs, I made out a group of black-robed figures standing outside the circle. The scent of earth and vinegar was almost a slap. Dark witches.

  I knew stealing the dark witch grimoire would eventually come back to bite me in the ass. Apparently, the time was now.

  The same cold throb in my pocket sent my skin tingling. The magic coin hadn’t warned me about Jax. It had tried to warn me about the dark witches.

  “Rowyn?” Panicked, I turned to the sound of Jax’s voice. He sat with his back against the wall, his hands and feet bound with rope. His perfect features were pinched and angry, but there was also some underlining fear—fear for me. Blood trickled down his lips and I saw a nasty bruise on his forehead. Next to him was a brown lump, which I knew was Ugul, eyes closed, seemingly still out cold. Shit.

  I’d had my share of misfortunes, but I’d always had them alone. Now I’d gotten Jax involved in my mess. He should have stayed home with mommy-dearest. I didn’t want to have his death on my conscience.

  Guilt hit hard. I’d gotten us all killed.

  Fear pounded through me. “Where’s Tyrius?” Maybe the clever cat had escaped and gone for help. But my drop of hope evaporated as I followed Jax’s eyes to a cage next to him. I could see tan and black fur. Tyrius. He was in a freaking cage!

  “Tyrius! Tyrius!” Rage flared through my being as I struggled to stand, still dizzy from the dark magic.

  The cat’s eyes met mine, and the sadness in them broke my heart. “She put a collar on me, Rowyn. A goddamn collar.”

  “Yes, well, we don’t want you to use your magic, now do we?” Evanora Crow stepped from the cluster of witches. Bent with age, her shapeless linen forest-green gown dragged behind her as she shuffled forward, her fingers gnarled with severe arthritis. She was even uglier up close. Her one milky white eye seemed to roll around in its socket until it focused on me.

  I was going to kill that witch bitch. Nobody put my Tyrius in a cage.

  Steadying myself, I straightened and then shot forward. When I made it to the edge of the pentagram, I smacked my head on what seemed like an invisible wall—one that burned and hurt like hell.

  I fell back on my ass. The shield that contained me hissed and burned, and I held my head in my hands as the pain only increased my sense of fury and desperation.

  “Let me out!” I shouted. Twisting, I got a view of my weapons belt. My blades were gone. I was trapped inside the circle with nothing to defend myself. The smile on the witch’s face only confirmed it.

  The hag had me trapped in her blood circle. “Let me out, now! Or so help me God I will butcher you! I’m going to kill you!” I said again, giving in and smacking the shield with my hands.

  The Greater demon Degamon’s face flashed in my mind’s eye. I could totally understand now why it’d been so pissed, being trapped in a circle, bound to the summoner. It explained why demons wanted to kill those who’d summoned them. It was a violation.

  But I hadn’t been summoned. I’d been spelled. I was trapped, bound to the circle as though it held me down with invisible chains. I was a prisoner in a jail made from the dark witch’s circle. My eyes darted to the blood-stained dressing wrapped around Evanora’s left hand. She’d used her own blood to make the circle. Great.

  My eyes met Tyrius’s in panic. “Don’t worry, Tyrius. I’m going to get you out of there. I promise.”

  “Evanora Crow thanks you for her new familiar,” said the old witch. “She has not had the pleasure of having one so powerful. Yes,” said Evanora as she poked a knotted finger through the cage. Tyrius hissed and spat at her. She leaned back, a cruel smile playing on her thin lips. “Yes. He will do just fine. Evanora is glad of this gift.”

  Gritting my teeth, I glared at the witch. “Do you realize how creepy it is to refer yourself in the third person? You freaking sicko.”

  I was helpless. For all my skills of being both angel and demon-born, I was completely helpless.

  I moved my gaze around the coven. Two males looked to be in their late forties, and a young blonde could have been the girl next door. Another’s face was hidden in the shadows of his cowl. I knew he was male by the mere shape of his shoulders, and there was a small mousy-looking female witch with large eyes and a small mouth.

  “What do you want?” I narrowed my eyes at the old hag. “You going to curse me or something? Go ahead. Give it your best shot.” I knew some of the curses wouldn’t work, thanks to my super-duper demon blood. But then again, she had trapped me in here. Maybe I was out of demon mojo.

  Evanora shifted forward and stopped at the edge of the blood-circle. “What did you expect? That you could steal from Evanora Crow and not suffer the consequences? That there’d be no repercussions for what you did?”

  “Maybe.” I raised my chin. “You had so many other books lying around… I didn’t think you’d miss it.”

  “Where is it?” Evanora tilted her head in a way that made her white eye the dominant one.

  “I lost it. Sorry.” I gave her my most innocent smile.

  Evanora leaned forward, so close the reek of vinegar made my eyes water. There was also the unmistakable stench of an unwashed body. Gross. “You’re lying. You took it and now she wants it back. It does not belong to you. Where. Is. It.”

  “Like I said, the book is gone.” I shrugged and added, “Even if I knew where it was, I wouldn’t tell you.” I grinned. “Plus, you didn’t say the magic word.” I knew the moment I told her where it was, we were all toast.

  The witch’s face went savage, her lips moving fast in some spell I knew was coming. I was very resistant to pain and illness, and I healed incredibly fast—but I wasn’t immortal.

  Evanora’s spell hit me sharp and low, just beneath my heart, as though someone had shoved a blade through me. I fell back hard on the ground, and searing pain shot through my right hip as I hit the floor. The pain was getting worse as chills soaked in and I started to shiver. I needed time to think of a plan of escape. My mind raced, and I struggled to put together a plan. But it was hard to think about anything while my brain felt like it was melting and seeping out my ears.

  “Tell Evanora where the grimoire is,” said the witch, “and she can make the pain stop.”

  Yeah right. Like I was going to believe that. No way. I wasn’t telling her.

  When the worst of the spell was over, I pulled myself up. My mind remained muddled with the effects of the spell, but I could think clearly again. I’d read that damn grimoire more times than I could remember. Was there a chapter on how to break a magic circle? There had
to be a way out. I knew sometimes demons had escaped their summoner’s circle, only to kill the summoner. So there was a way. I just had to keep her talking until I figured it out.

  Pain was tight around my throat, making me struggle to speak the words. “You stink,” I said, my voice sounding old and tired. “Maybe you should have a dip in your cauldron.”

  Evanora frowned, and the other witches hissed their outrage. But the young blonde one giggled, not like a cheerleader’s innocent giggle, but the laugh of a mad woman. Yikes.

  Evanora’s good eye was a very pale gray, and right now it was wide and calculating. I wanted to throw her off so she’d make a mistake, or make her angry enough that she’d step over the circle and break the connection. Then the bitch was mine.

  I raised a brow at her hesitance. “No? Don’t like soap, eh? Like to linger in your own stench?” The old witch was watching me, but I hadn’t pissed her off yet. I dragged myself to the middle of the pentagram. “What happened to your eye? How did you lose it?”

  “Rowyn, what are you doing?” came Jax’s voice.

  Evanora’s face twisted in sudden fury, her mass of wrinkles nearly swallowing up her eyes.

  “Don’t have enough of your own magic so you have to borrow it, right?” I smiled at her visible anger. “Did you give it up in exchange for a demon’s borrowed power? Did Evanora Crow dabble in a little too much of the dark magic? Could she not handle it?”

  The witch’s face slowly flushed scarlet, sweeping up from the white skin of her collarbones and throat over her chin and cheeks and up into her scalp.

  “Oh…” I mocked, eyes wide. “The demon took it. You never wanted it to, but it was the price you had to pay for your powers. I’m right. Aren’t I? You stupid dark witches. Never know when to give up. Never know when to stop. Don’t have any powers of your own, so you have to borrow it from demons.”

  Evanora snarled, and with a swipe of her hand, something caught around my throat, choking me. I felt my breath cut off.

  “You. Are. Weak,” I managed. Her face darkened as she took a step closer to squeeze the life from me. I writhed under her spell, struggling to breathe as stars swam in front of my eyes.