Ties That Bind: a New Adult Fantasy Novel (The Spire Chronicles Book 2)

by Ashley Meira

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Neither do you!” My nails left deep, crescent-shaped gouges in my palm as I tried to reign in the fury her flippant manner was conjuring. She knew how I felt about that man, probably better than anyone else now that Lady Cassandra was gone. Why the fuck was she acting like this?

  “How can you expect to take over the Maxwell family when you act like such a child?” Her words came out clipped, and I could hear the stress in her voice as she tried to control her temper. “Are you even capable of–”

  I slammed my hands down on the table and stood up, not sparing a glance at the cutlery that had crashed to the floor. “How. Dare. You. You know I’m good at my job, and you know I’m the best choice to take over. Lady Cassandra wouldn’t make a decision like that lightly. So, you want to insult my maturity? Fine. You want to call me out on this fucked up thing I’ve got with my father? Okay. But don’t you ever, ever, insult my abilities. Leadership or otherwise. I don’t deserve that. Not from you.”

  “Hello?” a delicate voice called from the foyer.

  Lily popped her head into the kitchen a moment later. Her short ginger hair was sticking out at odd angles and her round hazel eyes were sunken, tired to the point where their almost golden glow was little more than a dying ember. Despite her fatigue, she still had on the small, sweet smile that seemed to be glued to her face.

  “Hey, Mimi. Where’s Alex? Oh, you’re on the phone.” She placed a hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” I said, anxious to get out of here. “Come say hi to Rowan.”

  “Rowan!” Lily scurried over to the table and plopped down next to me with an excited smile. “How are you? Is everything going well with the Council? How’s Ipos? Is he still over there? Tell him we miss him. It was really great having him over for a bit after…you know. Having a full house made it easier to deal with losing Auntie Cass.” Her eyes dimmed even more but she perked up when she noticed that I was looking at her. “Though it was kind of weird being around both Ipos and Alex, considering they’ve both slept with Morgan–”

  I groaned. “Lily!”

  “Sorry.” She gave me a smile that anyone else would’ve found innocent, but I knew better. “Anyway, Rowan?”

  Rowan started filling Lily in on everything as I stood to leave. That girl could go on for hours, meaning Rowan wouldn’t be able to pull away for a while. Good. I’d be asleep, or pretending to, by the time Catnip freed herself from the clutches of social obligation.

  Alex was in the bedroom when I got there. He’d changed into a pair of loose pajama pants, so I knew he wasn’t planning on leaving me tonight. Er, leaving the house tonight. Yeah, totally not a Freudian slip. I took a moment to admire the chiseled planes of his chest before stepping into the room and closing the door.

  His skin was warm when I wrapped my arms around him and placed a kiss on his shoulder. He hugged me back, and I relaxed against him some more. Looks like he wasn’t so mad after all.

  “Did you reach your friend?” I asked.

  “His phone was off. I’ll try him again tomorrow before I head off.”

  I nodded against his chest.

  His fingers threaded into my hair. “Did you change your mind?”

  I really hoped he was talking about my father and not our relationship status. Getting angry always made me tired; the last thing I needed right now was a heart to heart discussion.

  “I really don’t want to go,” I whispered against his chest. “I don’t want to see him.”

  “I know you hate when people pry into your personal life, but would it really be so bad to see your father again? If he really has an ulterior motive for requesting you–”

  “He does.”

  “–then this is the best way to figure out what it is. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to prevent a war from starting. If the werewolves and shifters go after each other in full force, all the people in Dovesport are at risk.”

  “You’re assuming I want to know what he’s up to,” I said, ignoring his second point.

  “It didn’t take me long to know you hate being in the dark, Morgan.”

  “I hate my dad more.” I pulled away from him and walked toward the window. The glass was cold against my temple, calming the aggravation bubbling up within me. “My mom vanished when I was four. In the two years that followed, the only time I ever really saw my dad was when we had breakfast. By the time I was six, he stopped showing up altogether. I was lucky to see him once a month.”

  I tucked some hair behind my ear and looked at the plush carpet underneath my toes to avoid glancing at the window. The reflection I saw in the glass looked more like the heartbroken little girl I was eighteen years ago than the woman I am today. “It was my eighth birthday. I didn’t really have any friends, so I was sitting at the piano with a very frustrated instructor when one of my dad’s men said he needed to see me.”

  I let out a shaky breath. Damn it, I can’t believe this shit still affected me. “I was so excited at the time. I thought it was the best birthday gift I could have gotten: My dad called for me. He finally wanted to see me again. He would take me out for ice cream and spend the whole day with me, just like I had wished for when I blew out my candles those past four birthdays. My instructor was outraged when I shot out of my seat and rushed to my dad’s office. He was looking out the window, hands clasped behind his back. He didn’t even bother to look at me as he said I’d be going to live somewhere else. Then, he told me I was dismissed.”

  “Morgan…”

  “Every time I see him – or even think of him – the memory of that day plays in my head,” I finished, trying to keep my voice steady as I stepped around Alex to exit the room. The look of pity on his face was something I never wanted to see. Besides, I had nothing more to say about any of it, and there was nothing he could say that would help.

  Lily’s room was down the hall, to the left. I stepped inside, making a beeline for the closet. Revealing all of that made me feel naked, and my lack of pants wasn’t helping.

  No one’s ever heard the whole story. I’m pretty sure Lady Cassandra knew more than she’d let on. Rowan, too. But I had never personally shared the story. I pulled on a pair of Lily’s sweatpants, frowning as they squeezed my hips – Lily’s supermodel thinness didn’t mix well with my shapelier frame – before hopping onto the bed.

  The first year after I moved here, that moment with my father played itself over and over again in my head. I’d locked myself up in the room Lady Cassandra gave me and stared out the window, just like my dad had, and wondered what I did wrong, what I did to make him hate me so much that he had to send me away.

  It took me years to fully push the memories aside. I think it was only about halfway through my second year at the academy that I stopped waking up in tears. After that, I learned to channel all my frustration and confusion into a drive to succeed. I told myself that my father’s reasons for sending me away were irrelevant, that it was his baggage, his mistake, not mine.

  It worked; I wouldn’t be the hunter I am today if it wasn't for him giving me up, though the fact that I owed anything of who I am to him made my stomach curl.

  Lily opened the door. “Mimi?”

  “I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”

  “You have. Since you were eleven. I don’t think it’s working.” She took a seat next to me on the bed. “So…is this your way of getting into my pants?”

  “Obviously.” I rolled my eyes. “There was a thing with Alex.”

  “A thing?”

  “A thing.”

  I looked at her, at the thin, pale lines stretching up and down her arms. They were mementos from her capture at the hands of Fake-Corrigan and his dumbass patsy, Vaughn.

  I had a tiny scar similar to hers on my shoulder. It was made by a magical knife – likely dark magic, crafted by a powerful sorcerer. It served as a reminder of what happened the last time I (hopefully) got close to finding something out about my mother.
It was also the one injury my regenerative abilities had never been able to fully heal, hence my theory that it was malicious magic.

  It bothered me at first, that something was powerful enough, dangerous enough, to leave such a mark. But looking at the long streaks across Lily’s arms, and imagining the ones I knew were on her chest, I just felt petty. I had one measly little scar, while she looked like a cat post. Ironic, considering Rowan gave her those scars – and still hadn’t given a word of explanation as to why the hell she would do that.

  Even if she said it didn’t bother her, I couldn’t help but feel responsible for those injuries. If I’d been able to figure out what was happening sooner, she wouldn’t have been kidnapped.

  “Speaking of things…” Lily walked to her closet and called over her shoulder, “Rowan told me a thing.”

  Crap.

  “She told me someone who, for my safety, shall not be named requested your presence.”

  “Like I’m some damn servant he can call on at will,” I huffed.

  The world went dark and my nose was invaded by the smell of fabric softener. I took a deep whiff of the pleasant scent before Lily pulled her pajama top off my face.

  “She also told me people were dying and that bad things were happening because of it.”

  “Bad things always happen when people die,” I said. At her pointed look, I added, “Alex will take care of it.”

  “Of course.” She nodded before her satisfied look dropped to one of confusion. “Wait, why is he going? Your family stuff aside, their hunters can totally handle this on their own, right?”

  “Right. But since I’m not going, it’ll be a sign of good faith to send someone.”

  “You mean it’ll seem like less of a ‘fuck you’?”

  I placed a finger to my lips. “Shh. We’ve gotta be PC about it.”

  “He’s not even from Haven–”

  “Shh.”

  “Fine,” Lily droned. “How long do you think it’s gonna take for him to wrap this up?”

  “How long do I think it’ll take to simmer down a potential war?” I shrugged. “Dunno.”

  “Think you’ll be able to handle being without him?”

  I glared at her. She replied with another “innocent” smile. Yeah, keep it up, kid – that cutesy shit stops working when you pass twenty-four.

  “You guys would have cute babies,” she said.

  Oh. My. God.

  I grabbed one of the pillows and slammed it against her face. She let out a high pitched squeal and wiggled off the bed. I chased her to the closet, hitting her with a pillow I swear was way fluffier than my own. I’d have to take it with me when this was over.

  She slammed the closet door in my face, her taunting laugh carrying through the wood. “You’ll never take me alive!”

  “I don’t need you alive!”

  “What? Hey!”

  I slid down the door, hugging her pillow as the two of us collapsed into laughter.

  “We are such losers,” Lily said between laughs.

  “I got it from you.”

  “Rude.”

  We burst into another fit of laughter, stopping only when it felt like my sides were going to burst. I conjured up a snowball and watched it float over my palm for a moment before holding it close to my face, letting it cool my burning cheeks.

  “Mimi?” she called in a soft voice.

  “Hmm?”

  “It’s going to be okay, isn’t it? The way Rowan spoke, it seemed like a lot of people had been hurt.”

  I squeezed the pillow. “I’m sure Alex and the other hunters can take care of it.”

  They could. All they needed to do was find whoever killed the very first victim and find a damn good reason why they were killed. This was probably some bitter rivalry that spun out of control.

  Probably.

  “I’m going to sleep, okay?” I said, standing to let her out.

  She took the hand I offered and stood up, pulling me into a hug. “Night, Mimi.”

  I hugged her back. “Night.”

  Alex had the decency to look guilty when I returned. It wasn’t strictly necessary, but it did make me feel a little better. He was already under the covers, fiddling with his phone, which he quickly set aside when I slid into bed.

  His hand reached to hold mine. I gave it a quick squeeze and pulled him into a kiss, our lips moving together in a practiced dance. It felt weary but satisfying, like coming home after a long day.

  Maybe the shifter/werewolf problem really was based off some minor issue, or maybe war really would break out. Either way, people were being killed, their bodies mutilated. Plus, Alex was right: I really did hate being in the dark, especially when it came to my family. This better not turn out to be a case of “curiosity killed the cat,” though, or I was seriously going to haunt the shit out of some people. Especially Mister I See Dead People over here.

  I pulled the blankets higher over us and rested a hand on Alex’s chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart under my palm. “I’m going with you.”

  3

  If my life was a TV show, there’d be a scene change, and Alex and I would already be in Dovesport. But it wasn’t, and I wasn’t getting paid six figures to be a quirky love interest to some dude in a mask and hood, though I would take that offer in a heartbeat if it came up – early retirement in Hawaii, here I come.

  “Hawaii?” Alex asked, an amused smile on his face.

  Oops. I smiled back. “Just thinking out loud.”

  He let out a soft hum and pulled me closer to him, the blankets enveloping us in a warm cocoon. “I don’t know about Hawaii, but at least you can see the ocean tomorrow.”

  “I think it’s a sea. Is there even a real difference?” I bounced my head on the pillow a few times. “Did you know Lily’s pillows are softer than ours?”

  “Yours,” he corrected. “She switched hers out for yours after her first week here.”

  Gaping, I propped myself up so I could look down at him. “And you’re telling me this now? What kind of disloyal, backstabbing bullshit is that?”

  “I’m sorry.” He pressed a kiss on my shoulder, but the smile I felt against my skin told me he wasn’t sorry at all. Stupid pretty boy. “We’ll head off via portal tomorrow morning, then?”

  I groaned and collapsed back against his chest. “I will never understand this thing you have about waking up early. It’s unhealthy.”

  “Actually, it’s very healthy. Didn’t Lady Maxwell force you to wake up early when you lived with her?”

  “She did,” I said, pushing back the dull ache that welled up whenever I thought of her. God, I missed her so much. Trying to shake the dawning sadness off, I added, “I also got dragged out of bed almost every day at the academy.”

  “And it didn’t stick?”

  “Nope,” I said, popping the “p.” “Besides, when’s the last time you heard about a vampire or demon or whatever going after someone while the sun was up? We live in a world of night and as such must adjust our habits accordingly.”

  “Which is basically your attempt at giving a profound reason for oversleeping.”

  “It’s not oversleeping if you never wake up early.”

  Alex snorted and kissed my forehead. “So, are you going to tell me what brought on this change of heart?”

  “I killed Lily and ate her heart, so now I’m nice.”

  “That explains all the laughing and screaming.” He was silent a moment. “I’m glad you’re coming with me. It’s been fun working with someone else.”

  “The life of a hunter can be pretty solitary,” I admitted. “That’s why I’m glad I had Rowan. Have Rowan.”

  “And me?”

  I shot him a coy grin. “You’re okay, I guess.”

  Alex scrunched his face up but didn’t reply. It was a good thing, too, because I don’t think I’d be able to say anything back; the cuteness of his action had rendered me speechless. Still full of surprises, eh, Mister Campbell?

 
My fingers traced random patterns along the planes of his chest. There were surprisingly few scars on him for a hunter. Badass supernatural healing was why I didn’t have anything more than a tiny scar on my shoulder, but I had no idea how he did it. Guess you had to be extra careful when you couldn’t magically heal up from a knife to the chest.

  I shuffled my legs around restlessly. “Do you think your friend’s been asked to investigate the murders?”

  “Murders?”

  “Right, you left before Rowan mentioned it. Bodies of both werewolves and shifters were found skinned with their organs removed. I don’t know who was killed first, but apparently both sides are accusing the other and it keeps escalating.”

  “What are the chances the murderer isn’t from either tribe?”

  “I don’t know, but I doubt either side would knowingly harbor a murderer. The tribes that reside in Dovesport’s forest are honorable. They wouldn’t be allowed to settle so close to the city if they weren’t.”

  “Hopefully, we can find out more when we get there,” said Alex. “I’m sure Tom will be helpful; he’s got a knack for keeping his fingers in plenty of pies.”

  “I hope that’s not a euphemism,” I said while reaching over to turn off the lights.

  “It’d be weirder if it wasn’t.”

  “Well, it’d make me nervous about eating pie around him. How’d you two meet, anyway? Did you accuse him of murder, too?” I teased.

  “Totally. I do that to all the people I like.” He pulled me back to him. I relaxed against his chest immediately, the warmth emanating from his body soothing against my back. “We were roommates at the academy. The last time I saw him was around two years ago on a case, some banshee nest in Seattle.”