BOUND (#1 in The Crystor Series)

by C.K. Bryant

Chapter Thirty Five

  Kira stood and brushed the dirt from her jeans. She hadn’t noticed before, but a wonderful aroma filled the clearing. A cast iron pot sat on the fire. She picked up the large spoon that rested on one of the rocks, and used it to remove the heavy metal lid, setting it aside. As she stirred the pot the steam rose into the air and Kira drew the aroma into her lungs.

  “Lydia, this smells delicious.”

  “It’s venison stew. I thought you might like a real meal.”

  Octavion helped Lydia from the ground and stepped to the fire to see for himself. He took a whiff and wrinkled his nose.

  “You don’t like it?” Kira asked.

  Lydia chuckled. “He likes his meat fresh.”

  “Lydia!” Octavion chastised.

  “What?” Lydia asked. “It’s not like she doesn’t know.”

  “Know what?” Kira asked, looking from one to the other while waiting for a response. “What did I miss?”

  “You missed nothing.” Octavion said.

  Lydia stepped closer to the fire and propped her hands on her hips. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. He hunts wild game and eats it, ya know, like right off the bone.”

  Octavion clenched his fists at his side. “She gets it, Lydia. Now let it go.”

  Kira had to admit she hadn’t given Octavion’s eating habits much thought, but now that Lydia had explained it, it made sense. Because of the curse, he needed to feed to satisfy his hunger, so how else would he do that? She tried not to act too surprised at Lydia’s revelation.

  “So, what are you eating then, Octavion?” She gave the pot another stir, replaced the lid, and propped her foot on one of the rocks surrounding the fire. She slipped her hands into her back pockets. “Aren’t you getting tired of fruit? I know I am.”

  “So am I,” Lydia added.

  “It is none of your concern,” he said.

  “Lydia, what did you do with the rest of this meat?” Kira asked. “Surely you didn’t use the entire animal in this little stew.”

  Octavion glared at Lydia.

  “Toran’s working on it,” Lydia said.

  Octavion released the tension in his shoulders with a sigh and leaned over the fire. He hooked the spoon under the handle of the pot, lifted it from the fire and set it on the ground. “It is done.” He stepped to the wood pile and withdrew a log.

  “Maybe you should go get something, Octavion. That way we can eat together.” Kira knew she was pushing him to a place he’d rather not go, but she also knew he needed to deal with his fear of her knowing who he was and what he was capable of. It was time he trusted her and learned she could handle his transformation and the curse that controlled his life.

  “Drop it, Kira.” Octavion threw the log on the fire, sending sparks into the air. Kira had to step back to avoid getting hit in the face.

  Lydia stepped between them. “Knock it off, Octavion. You could’ve hurt her. What were you thinking?”

  His look softened, but when he tried to apologize, Kira turned, leaving her back to him.

  “Why don’t you trust me?”

  “What?” he asked.

  She turned to face him again. “Why don’t you trust me? I’ve already seen you transform. I’ve heard you tell me about the curse and how you have to feed to satisfy your cravings. Don’t you think I have some idea of what that means? I do have The Animal Channel you know—or at least I did before my mom took the TV.”

  Octavion’s shoulders widened and he hunched forward, just enough that she noticed. He said nothing as he stared into her eyes, tiny threads of yellow invading his. The muscles in his arms rippled as he clenched and unclenched his fists, as if trying to gain control.

  “Octavion. Please, answer me. What are you afraid I’ll see?”

  “Leave it, Kira,” he said through clenched teeth. “You will not like what you see. Trust me on that.”

  “No. If you want me to be a part of your life, then you need to get over this. You’re the one who’s afraid—not me.”

  He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Kira wasn’t sure if he was trying to control his rage or releasing it, but he didn’t make her wait much longer to find out. He took one more breath and opened his eyes. They glowed with the fury of a wild, savage beast. The rest of his transformation was instantaneous as he leapt into the air and headed right for her.

  Kira stepped back to avoid him, but her foot tangled on a fallen branch and she stumbled. Her back slammed onto the cold earth, and a sharp pain shot through her left shoulder. Octavion landed on top of her, supporting his weight on his knees and hands. His face, only inches from hers, had morphed into a stunning combination of human and ferocious lion.

  The bridge of his nose was wider, his cheek bones higher and more pronounced, and his brow seemed deeper, setting off his piercing yellow eyes. But even with all those changes, nothing compared to the change in his teeth—razor-sharp canines that could puncture the flesh of any creature, including her.

  Kira was barely aware of Lydia screaming for Octavion to stop. In response, he let out a roar that echoed through the trees. His warm breath rushed over Kira as he bared his teeth again and let out a deep rumbling growl. She fought to get up, but he pushed her back down with the end of one finger—the tip of which had a sharp claw.

  Claws! He has claws! She turned her head away and tried to imagine what his face looked like before. She had to be strong. She had to show him she was okay with it. Kira pooled all the courage she could summon and turned back to face him—looking him directly in the eyes. “Get off me.”

  A shamed expression crossed his face before he pushed away from her and vanished. The mist he left in his wake settled around her like a warm blanket, engulfing her senses and calming her racing heart.

  “Kira, are you okay?” Lydia dropped to the ground beside her.

  “I think so.” But when she tried to sit up, pain seared through her left shoulder, and down her arm. “Oh, man.”

  “Did he hurt you?” Lydia helped Kira sit before pulling up the back of her shirt to see what caused so much pain. “There’s a huge red spot on your shoulder blade. What did you hit?”

  Kira carefully turned to see the jagged edge of a rock sticking out of the ground.

  “That jerk,” Lydia said. “He had no right doing that to you.” She stood and grabbed hold of her ruby.

  “Lydia, don’t. He didn’t mean it. I shouldn’t have provoked him like that. Give him a minute to cool off. I don’t want him mad at you, too.”

  Lydia hesitated for a few seconds. “He needs to see what he did to you. His temper sucks.”

  “It wasn’t his temper. He gave me what I asked for. I just didn’t realize . . .” Kira hesitated for a moment, not sure she should say how much it really scared her to see him like that. “I tripped. It wasn’t his fault.”

  “He still should have known better.” Lydia helped Kira to her shelter and propped a pillow up against the side so she could lean her uninjured shoulder against it. “Is that better?”

  “Yeah.” Kira held her left arm firmly against her stomach. Even moving it a little caused her to cringe from the throbbing pain that increased with each breath she took. She had a big problem. Her shoulder blade was broken and healing it was going to be impossible. She’d have to touch the injury to heal it and there was no way she’d be able to twist her body so that her hand could reach that spot on her back.

  Lydia brought the stew pot closer and sat it next to Kira. “You wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  While she was gone, Kira examined the place where Octavion had pushed her back to the ground with his finger. There was a small scratch, but it wasn’t bleeding. She wondered if his reaction and sudden disappearance was because it had stirred his senses. Even without the presence of blood, it had somehow set him off. Her stomach churned, creeping up into her throat. She swallowed hard and tried to think of something else.

  When Lydia returned with a couple of spoons, they settle
d in around the pot and began to eat. It was all Kira could do to hide the pain from her friend. It felt as though someone twisted a blade into her back. The longer she sat there, the worse it got.

  After seeing him completely transformed, she understood why Octavion didn’t want her to see him like that. As much as she’d tried to hide her fear, she was sure he saw it in her eyes. Why else would she have turned away from him? Why else would he have left so suddenly? The shame she saw in his eyes nearly broke her heart.

  Desperate to get her mind off Octavion and the pain that was now spreading across her back, Kira asked, “So why do you like to eat like this, when he doesn’t?” Lydia spooned a small bite into her mouth, then waited until she swallowed to answer. “My spirit comes from the commoner blood in my mother, so I tolerate these foods better. Plus I’ve grown accustomed to the way you eat. Altaria wouldn’t touch this stuff.”

  “So, does she crave raw meat like Octavion?”

  Lydia paused with her next spoonful a few inches from her mouth. “It’s different for her. Octavion is a hybrid and craves all the time. When the moon is new, he has no control. Altaria can tolerate much more. She hunts during a new moon to satisfy those cravings and help her resistance. It makes it easier for me to live in the city.”

  “Does she . . . transform?” Kira tried to imagine Lydia changing into a smaller feminine version of her brother and it didn’t fit. Even thinking about Altaria like that, with her haughty attitude, felt strange.

  Lydia nodded. “I’m sorry if that bothers you. All this must be difficult to accept.”

  Kira smiled. “I have to admit it’s hard to imagine, but it doesn’t bother me. I need to remember to be careful with sharp objects. I wouldn’t want my best friend eating me.”

  At first, Lydia’s eyes widened, obviously surprised Kira had actually said something like that, but when Kira started laughing, Lydia joined in.

  They spent the next few minutes filling their stomachs. Kira finally conceded and tossed her spoon in the pot to stay. She rubbed her stomach. “It hurts.”

  “Your shoulder?” Lydia asked.

  “My stomach. I think I just gained ten pounds.”