Blood Bond

by Shannon K. Butcher

  This was all too much. Not only was there another world filled with magical people, apparently there were more than one. Justice was having a hard time with just Earth and the things creeping across its face. How the hell was she going to deal with more?

  “I know it’s a lot,” Hope said as if reading her mind. “But Brenya taught us everything. Once you recover your memories, I’m sure it will all come back to you.”

  “And how do I do that?” Justice asked.

  “You’ll need help from your own kind.”

  “You?”

  Hope shook her head. “I’m not skilled with that kind of thing. You need someone who is experienced with altering memories. Like Ronan. He’s great with the kids. Very gentle.”

  Just like his kiss on Justice’s neck.

  The thought of Ronan being gentle with her made a delicious shiver slip down her spine. If a brush of his lips could rock her world, she wondered what he could do with his fingers, or his tongue.

  “And there’s something else that might help. It’s kinda weird, but taking Logan’s blood seemed to be the key for me.”

  “His blood?”

  “Just a few drops. I know it sounds gross but trust me.” A secret smile curved her mouth. “It’s not. You’ll see.”

  Justice very much doubted that. No way was she drinking blood, even if she was a Sanguinar the way Hope thought. Justice had never needed it before, and she didn’t need it now.

  Hope’s phone chirped, and when she looked at it, her smile widened. “I need to go. Duty calls. But if you have any questions, just call me. I’m happy to help.”

  “Are you sure about all this?” Justice asked. “I mean, you didn’t do hard drugs when you were young or something? Maybe make all this shit up?”

  Hope laughed. “It won’t feel real until it does. Be patient with yourself. Don’t force the memories. All you’ll do is make your head hurt.” She rose and reached out her hand. “It was so great to meet you. I was beginning to think I was the only one of us who made it.”

  “How many of us are there?” Justice asked as she took Hope’s hand to bid her farewell.

  Whatever the other woman might have said was lost in a rush of agony screaming through Justice’s head. She recognized the pain from all those times she’d resisted the compulsion to act, but never in her life had she skipped the warning itch and burn that usually came first.

  This was an avalanche of agony, hitting her from out of nowhere.

  She doubled over in pain, clutching her head so that it wouldn’t explode in a shower of bone and brain. A harsh, strangling sound welled from her throat, when all she wanted to do was beg Hope to kill her. End the pain.

  Maybe if Justice could reach Reba…

  There were frantic words in the distance, well beyond her ability to understand.

  The roar of pain slowly died down to a scream, then a whimper. When it was gone, Justice was on the floor, twitching and rocking.

  She tried to breathe, but her body was too clenched to let in any air. After what seemed like an hour, she was finally able to suck in little sips of oxygen between sobs.

  Ronan crashed in through the door. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” Hope said. “I barely touched her hand and she just crumpled, screaming.”

  Is that what had happened? Justice had no idea. She was still too shaken to form a coherent thought.

  All she knew was that the fates were making demands, and if she didn’t start moving, they were going to kill her for disobeying.

  South. She had to go south.

  Justice tried to pull her ravaged body in that direction, but she had no strength. She couldn’t even sit up.

  “I wanted to help her,” Hope said, “but I was afraid to touch her again.”

  Ronan crouched beside her and pulled her upright against his body. He didn’t ask her if she was okay, he simply slipped inside of her mind to see for himself. She could feel him there, like a warm spot of light hovering just behind her eyes.

  Everywhere his glow touched, her pain disappeared, like he’d burned it away with his potent light.

  She leaned into him and let him do what he wanted. She didn’t have the air or the energy to protest.

  His solid body felt nice against hers. Comforting.

  She’d never been comforted by anyone before, and it was a strangely pleasant feeling—one she could quickly get used to.

  He was moving around inside her thoughts. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, because he seemed stationary. That warm glow never seemed to shift position, but he traveled to different parts of her all the same.

  After a few moments, she felt him slip away from her, leaving her cold and lonely. His body was still holding hers, but the rest of him was gone.

  She was utterly alone.

  “I think I know what happened,” he said, panting.

  Was being inside of her hard on him? The thought bothered her more than it should have. She should have been glad that he couldn’t just waltz through her mind, willy-nilly, without some kind of consequence. Heaven knew she couldn’t inflict any on him in the state she was in.

  “What?” Hope asked, which was good, because Justice still didn’t have the ability to speak.

  “The walls of Dabry are warded against all kinds of magic. I felt the presence inside of her trying to reach her, but not quite able to get through.”

  “Then what was that?”

  “When you touched her, it somehow strengthened the connection to whoever or whatever is using her. I think they were able to reach her through you for a split second.”

  “Remind me never to touch you again,” Justice finally managed.

  Hope tucked her hands under her arms and took a step back. Horror painted her pretty face. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”

  Now that the rampaging storm in Justice’s head was abating, she was able to voice the fading echo of what the fates wanted from her.

  “I need to head south,” she said, sure that was what was demanded of her.

  “And leave the walls that are keeping this presence from controlling you?” Ronan asked.

  “I can’t stay here forever. The longer I wait to obey, the worse it will be when I leave.” She swallowed hard at the thought. “I can’t imagine it being much worse than that. It almost killed me. I can’t wait and risk it.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t like it. We don’t know who the presence compelling you is.”

  Justice nodded to Hope and asked Ronan, “Do you trust her?”

  “Absolutely,” was his immediate response.

  “If the fates could use Hope as a conduit to get to me inside these walls, then they must be someone she knows, right?”

  “Maybe Brenya,” Hope said. “She’s certainly powerful enough to compel someone worlds away.”

  Ronan didn’t look convinced. “Even if that was the case, which I’m not sure it is, you’re in no condition to travel.”

  “I’ve driven in a lot worse shape than this before. Ricardo has my back. I’m fine.” She struggled to her feet, but the way she swayed made her wonder if her statement was true.

  “You’re not fine. I keep telling you that you’re still healing. Do I need to remove the magic keeping you from feeling the effects of the damage you suffered?”

  “No, thank you. I’ve got enough problems.”

  She needed to gather her few possessions and throw them back in her overnight bag, but she wasn’t quite able to stand up without leaning on Ronan yet.

  When he set her on the couch, she had no choice but to go there.

  So much for being able to drive.

  “We need to slow down and figure out what’s going on,” Ronan said.

  “I’m screwed,” Justice said. “That’s what’s going on. That’s what’s always going on.”

  He shook his head. “You’re safe here. You should stay until we have a better idea what we’re up against.”

  “I may be safe, but what abo
ut someone else?” she asked.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “If I’m not out there doing what is demanded of me, then who is going to suffer? Will there be another little girl like Pepper who gets sold to the highest bidder? Or will another man who’s chained up and starving in a basement not get his midnight snack?”

  Ronan’s beautiful face darkened. “You’re not responsible for saving everyone.”

  “Maybe not, but aren’t you glad I saved you?”

  His mouth twisted as if he tasted something vile, and he let out a curse. “Do you think that’s what this compulsion is?”

  “I have no idea,” she answered honestly. “I rarely do until it’s right in front of me.”

  “She has a point, Ronan,” Hope said. “I know it’s a risk, but what choice do we have? I didn’t feel any evil taint when I touched her. There’s nothing bad in her aura. I think we have to believe that whoever is sending her these compulsions is trying to help.”

  “Help everyone but her, at least,” Ronan said.

  “It’s not your choice,” Justice said. “If I’m not a prisoner here, then I can leave when I want. I may not like the hand I’ve been dealt, but I’ve come to terms with it and learned that it’s always better to obey.”

  Hope frowned in thought. “I knew someone who used to say that all the time—someone on Temprocia.” She shook her head. “I can’t recall a name, but I remember a woman who came to have a child when I was little. It was her third time there. I remember because it was a big deal for someone to be strong enough to go through three rounds of travel between worlds. Everyone was in awe.”

  Ronan turned to Hope. “Are you sure?”

  The sunshiny ponytail bobbed. “Yes. Brenya was big on obedience, too. We were all very well-mannered children. Or else.”

  “Or else what?” Justice asked.

  “Or else we’d get eaten by something. It was a wild place we grew up in. Plenty of predators, not to mention a mad king who would kill us on sight if he knew we existed.”

  Ronan looked at Justice. “I don’t want you to leave, but if you do, I’m coming with you.”

  “What about the sun? It will be up in a few hours.”

  “We’ll take my van. I’ll sleep in back. The windows are warded to protect me from the light.”

  “I have no idea what I’ll be walking into,” she said.

  “I know. That’s why I don’t want you to go alone.”

  She almost refused his help but stopped herself. Not because she was afraid, or because she hated the idea of him worrying about her. No, she was going to let him come because when he was around, she felt better, like she wasn’t completely alone. She almost wondered if being with him was what happy felt like. She’d never been happy before, so she wasn’t really sure. People talked about it a lot though, and she’d always hoped to experience the illusive emotion someday.

  “Okay,” she said. “Pack what you need for a few days and meet me at the van.”

  “Any idea where we’re going or what we’ll be doing?” he asked.

  “Not a clue,” she said, then added. “Welcome to my world.”

  ***

  Justice’s world was a fucked-up place.

  They’d been on the road for less than three hours when she hijacked a semi headed for a sporting goods store. She left the driver tied up a few yards off the road and called an Uber to come pick him up in an hour. Then she left a note taped to a mile marker post, telling the cabbie where to find him.

  She ripped out all the tracking equipment onboard the rig, then took off with Ronan trailing behind her in his van.

  Just before dawn, she pulled the semi into a building that looked like it had once been used as an aircraft hangar. There were no other buildings around. The metal structure was like a giant mushroom that had randomly popped up in the middle of the countryside.

  He followed her inside the building and left his headlights on while she powered up the industrial lights overhead.

  There were no aircraft inside, but the space was lined with rows of heavy warehouse shelving. Stretch-wrapped pallets of boxes were stacked nearly to the ceiling. Most of them held shelf-stable food, like crackers and canned goods. One whole row was filled with nothing but bottled water and sports drinks. Another section he recognized as medical supplies. The rest of the boxes were a mystery.

  She shut off the rig and climbed up into a forklift, then proceeded to unload the back of the semi and stack the pallets on the last empty shelves remaining. A few of the unloaded pallets were put back inside the trailer, following some logic he didn’t understand.

  Next, she ripped open boxes until she found a gym bag and then proceeded to fill it with a seemingly random array of objects: a metal water bottle with a screw top, a small pocket knife, a flashing LED light one would wear while jogging or biking at night, and a few other items he didn’t recognize.

  While she searched through boxes, Ronan strolled through the building, openly staring at her collection. She didn’t try to stop him, so whatever she had going on here wasn’t a secret—at least not from him.

  When she was finally finished unloading her stolen goods, the sun was above the horizon and Ronan was forced to take shelter in the back of his van. The warehouse had no windows, but he wasn’t taking any chances that a missing rivet or rust hole would let in the one ray of sunshine that would hit his skin and destroy everything she’d worked to collect. And the two of them.

  She found him in the back of his van, climbed in and handed him one of the bottles of water she carried.

  “Where’s your bag of loot?” he asked.

  “Stashed in the truck.”

  “Any idea why?”

  “Nope.”

  That was what he assumed.

  “What is this place?” he asked.

  “Stockpile.”

  “For what?”

  She shrugged. “The zombie apocalypse, I guess. I really have no clue. I gather what I’m told to gather.”

  “What’s with the sporting goods?”

  Again, she shrugged. “Maybe I’ll need a few yoga mats and tennis balls to kill the zombies.”

  She was so casual about the whole thing, like it was completely normal to have a random hangar filled with supplies.

  Maybe for her, that was normal.

  He must have been wearing his thoughts on his face because she shrugged at his unanswered question. “After a while, you get used to random acts of chaos and stop asking why. It’s easier just to go with the flow.”

  He couldn’t even imagine.

  “Is this where you live?” he asked.

  “I don’t live anywhere. I have some clothes, cash, guns and ammunition stocked here, but I keep those things in all my warehouses.”

  He stared at her as he adjusted his estimation of just how crazy her world was. “How many of these places do you have?”

  “Just three.”

  “Of course. Because four would be ridiculous.”

  She gave him a half-grin, but even that much of a smile nearly knocked him off his feet. If she ever beamed at him, he wouldn’t survive it. She’d be too beautiful to gaze upon.

  “You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?” she asked.

  Weariness tugged at him, but he fought it off so he could be with her like this for a few more minutes. He’d have to sleep soon, but not yet.

  “Maybe a little,” he said. “You know your hoarding isn’t normal, right?”

  “I do. But I also know that no one is screaming in my head anymore, either. I’ll take that silence over normal any day of the week.”

  “When will the next compulsion come?”

  “Who knows. It doesn’t usually take long, though. A few minutes. A few hours.”

  No wonder she was never in one place for long. “What will you do with the truck?”

  “Add it to my collection. I have two more out back.”

  “Are you worried about the police finding them outside?”
/>   She shook her head. “That’s the thing with being fueled by otherworldly powers. They always seem know when the cops are coming and compel me to hide the goods.”

  “Handy.”

  “On occasion.” She finished her water and leaned back against the wall of the van. She was close enough to touch, but he didn’t. He was content having her here and knowing she was safe. If he touched her, she might retreat, and he didn’t want that.

  “I thought about you a lot when I was searching for you,” he said. “I imagined what you did and where you lived.”

  “Did you guess right?”

  “Not even close.” His eyelids were heavy, but he wasn’t ready to stop looking at her yet. “I wondered why you kept running from me.”

  She grunted. “Because you freaked me out.”

  “Says the woman with enough firearms to supply a small army.”

  “If I’d wanted to kill you, all I had to do was not give you my blood that night.”

  He could still remember her taste—how surprisingly sweet and potent she was. There was no blood on earth that was as intoxicating as hers, as addictive. Even thinking about it made his mouth water.

  Her fingers trailed over the twin puckered scars as if remembering.

  He could never forget. They’d formed a blood bond that night, and he doubted that he’d ever know another quite like it.

  His eyelids drooped. His body began to weaken as the sun rose.

  “I need to rest now,” he said. “Promise me you won’t leave.”

  “I can’t promise anything, but I will tell you that I have no intention of leaving until I have to. I’m kind of exhausted myself. If the fates let me, I’m going to get a few hours of sleep.”

  He stretched out on the narrow mattress and patted the space next to him in invitation. “There’s room for both of us. And if you’re worried about me groping you while you sleep, I will be far too lethargic. You’re safe with me.”

  She lifted her gaze from his hand to his face and said, “Somehow I doubt that.”

  “I promised I wouldn’t hurt you again. You know I can’t break my vow.”