BOUND (#1 in The Crystor Series)

by C.K. Bryant

Chapter Forty Two

  When Altaria returned from hunting, Octavion went to the creek to feed and wash up, leaving the girls to talk. Kira filled Altaria in on what had happened with Octavion’s blood. An instant later Lydia took over their body. She wanted to see Kira’s eyes for herself.

  “Whoa! Can you, like . . . see through things?” Lydia asked.

  Kira laughed. “Not hardly. But they feel cold, like when you apply ice to a burn.”

  When Kira reached for one of the water jugs an image flashed through her head. It was of a man. He was dressed much like Octavion and stood just beyond the clearing. Kira grabbed Lydia’s arm and pushed her to the ground.

  Stay down. And call Octavion. I think someone’s here.

  Kira crouched beside her and waited. Lydia grabbed her ruby and Octavion appeared near the fire, completely transformed. Kira tried to warn him of the intruder just as the man stepped from behind a tree as a wild beast—a Royal. He crossed the clearing in one giant leap and took Octavion down in a ferocious display of primal aggression.

  Something deep inside Kira took over—an instinctive force she’d never felt before. She sprang to her feet, grabbed an arrow and her bow from the top of her shelter, pulled back the string and let the arrow fly. It hit Octavion’s opponent in the shoulder. The next thing Kira knew, she stood over him, her foot pressed firmly to his chest. She had her bow pulled back and another arrow an inch from his jugular.

  “Give me a reason,” she said. Her heart raced and she breathed heavily, but she felt in complete control.

  “Kira, Stop!” Octavion yelled. She heard his voice, but she didn’t move.

  Kira don’t shoot him. He’s Octavion’s cousin.

  Kira’s head shot up to find Octavion standing beside her. He forced her bow to the side so it aimed at the ground. She relaxed the tension, but kept the arrow taut against the string.

  “Kira. Let go of the bow. He is my cousin. I asked him to come. We need his help.” Octavion said the words slow, as though she were deaf and had to read his lips. “Kira, can you understand what I’m saying?”

  Kira didn’t answer, just looked back at the man lying on the ground.

  His cousin held his shoulder with the shaft of the arrow sticking out between his fingers. “Your wench shot me?” he asked.

  Kira pressed her foot down on his chest making the barbs of the arrowhead cut into his shoulder from behind. He cried out.

  “I’m not a wench,” Kira said before removing her foot and turning to Octavion.

  “If he’s your cousin, why were you fighting?”

  Octavion tried to touch her arm, but she pulled away. “Kira, I’m sorry. We used to do that as kids. It was a game.”

  “A game?” Kira threw her weapon to the ground, doubled her fist and hit him square on the jaw. “That’s what I think of your stupid game.” She turned on her heels and walked away.

  “You’ve done it now, brother,” Lydia said. “Serves you right for not telling us they were coming.”

  A few seconds later, Kira passed the cave entrance and kept walking. When the glow of the fire no longer helped her see, she stopped, took out her dagger and drove the blade into the trunk of an Aspen. “Aaaahhh!” she screamed.

  Kira, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.

  Leave me alone, Lydia. What was happening to her? Some of the feelings she’d had after healing Octavion had returned—not the pain, but the increased senses and she felt as though ice flowed through her veins.

  Please, you need to come back to the clearing so we can explain.

  No! Something moved behind her. She wiggled her dagger loose from the tree and turned to find Octavion standing a few feet away.

  He threw his hands up in surrender. “Drop the knife, Kira.” He took a step closer. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  She pointed the tip of the blade in his direction. “Get away from me.”

  He took another step. “Breathe, Kira. You need to take slow, deep breaths. Try to calm yourself.”

  Even in the dark, she could see into the depths of his indigo eyes. She saw fear in them and it didn’t make sense to her. Why would he be afraid of her? But at this point, she didn’t care. “Leave me alone.”

  When he took another step, she lunged forward with her blade. Octavion jumped to the side, grabbing the knife with one hand and her with the other. Part of her wanted to sink into his warm, loving arms and be comforted, but the other part of her wanted to fight back with every ounce of energy she had. For the first time, she had a glimpse of what Lydia’s life must be like with a kindred spirit fighting to get out, always being in conflict with her inner self and not knowing which way to turn.

  “Let go of me.” She drove her elbow into his ribs and stomped on his foot, but he only tightened his embrace.

  “Kira, stop. You’re going to hurt yourself.” He dropped the knife, turned her to face him and pulled her close. “Shh . . . do not fight me.” His voice was barely a whisper.

  She didn’t understand what was happening to her. She heard his words, but they did nothing to calm her. She wanted to fight. She wanted to hurt someone. She’d never felt anything like it and deep down she craved the rage that flowed through her veins. “I hate you.”

  “I know. Calm down and I’ll let you hit me again.”

  Although the warmth of his body seemed to soothe her, his words ground against her backbone and got her riled up again. How dare he tell her to calm down? This, coming from the master of rage and losing his temper—he had a lot of nerve. She slid her hands up between their bodies and tried to push him away. “Let. Go.”

  “Kira, please. I am not trying to hurt you. I think you may be having a reaction to my blood. Stop fighting me and I will release you.”

  Kira tried doing as he’d instructed before—taking deep breaths and concentrating on calming what made her feel so insanely annoyed. It seemed to help a little. She focused on the warmth of his skin and let it soak into her pores. The rush of adrenaline crept back into the hollow it had created and she felt some peace. She leaned her head back to gaze into his eyes. “I’m sorry, it’s just . . . please let go of me.”

  He studied her eyes as if searching her sincerity. “If I let you go, will you behave?”

  “Maybe.” There was still a little spark left in her.

  He released her and let her stand on her own. “I need to ask you something. Can you understand what I am saying?”

  Kira looked at him curiously—and with a little frustration. “Of course I can. Why do you keep asking me that?”

  “Because I am not speaking English. My words are in Elador—our native tongue.”

  Kira took a step back. “But how?”

  “I am not certain. Did you understand my cousin in the clearing?”

  Her temper flickered and she clenched her fists. “Yeah, he called me your wench.” Kira took a deep breath. She had to gain control.

  Octavion began to pace. “Perhaps it is my blood.”

  Her mind wandered back to the journal and how the translation of his words on the page had whispered to her mind. That happened before she healed him. “I don’t think that’s it—or at least not all of it.”

  He stopped and turned to look at her. “Why do you say that? Has something else happened?”

  Kira cringed. “Well, I got bored while you were gone and went exploring.”

  Octavion smirked. “Oh? And what did you find?”

  “I wanted to see what was behind that stupid blanket. I knocked your journal on the floor and it opened to a sketch of me. It wasn’t like I could read any of it, I wanted to look at the pictures, but when I ran my finger across the words under the sketch of me sleeping, I somehow knew what it meant. It was like someone whispered it in my ear.”

  “So it is the Crystor that has somehow been teaching you Elador. And my blood flowing through your veins has made it stronger.” Octavion seemed pleased with the news. He smiled genuinely and offered his hand to Kira. “We nee
d to go back to the clearing. Shall I carry you?”

  She wasn’t sure if he was teasing or serious, but his tone caused the attitude she’d worked so hard to suppress to rise up in her again. “No. I can walk.” Picking up her knife, she slid it into its sheath and marched past him.

  When the glow of the fire came into view, Kira heard several male voices mingled with Lydia’s joyful squeal. The image that flashed in her head showed three others. One knelt next to the man she’d wounded. They both had dark hair and brown eyes, but the younger of the two had his hair cut a little shorter. Brothers, she guessed.

  “More cousins?” she said sarcastically.

  “Two are my cousins,” he said. “I sent word to them before going to the creek. They guarded the portal until they could slip through with the others. We need their help.”

  “And who are the other two?”

  “How do you know there are four?” They’d been walking side by side, but now he stood in front of her, blocking the way.

  Kira shrugged. “I can see them—in my head.”

  He raised a brow and grinned. “Seriously, how did you know? Did Lydia tell you in her thoughts?”

  “Fine, don’t believe me.” She folded her arms.

  “Explain it to me then.”

  “It’s like when I see Lydia. I don’t do anything to make it happen. I’m minding my own business and an image pops into my head.”

  “When did it start?”

  She propped her hands on her hips and let out an exaggerated sigh. Was he really that dense? “When do you think?” She tried to get around him. “Can we go now?”

  Kira stepped into the clearing ahead of Octavion, stopping suddenly when she saw intense anger register on the injured man’s face.

  “That is her,” Kira’s victim accused, pointing a finger in her direction. He still sat in the dirt, a teenage boy by his side.

  Octavion took her hand and motioned toward the two on the ground. “Kira, this is my cousin, Cade. And you have already met his brother, Luka.”

  Kira nodded, but didn’t say anything. Now that she’d calmed down she could see Luka’s face more clearly. He didn’t seem to be much older than Octavion, but his features were harder, his jaw chiseled into a sharp angle with the slightest shadow of stubble. Cade was almost an exact duplicate—minus the stubble—she guessed him to be maybe fifteen or sixteen. His eyes held a certain innocence that Luka’s lacked.

  Cade stood and gave a bow. “My lady,” he said. When his eyes met hers, they widened and held there for a moment.

  Kira looked away.

  “You are right, brother,” Cade said. “She is a charmed one.”

  Kira sent Octavion a questioning look. “What’s he talking about?”

  “He is just fascinated with your eyes. It is nothing.”

  “They are the eyes of a Sensitive,” Luka said.

  “What?” Kira pulled her hand away from Octavion. “My eyes are fine.”

  Luka gave a hoot. “Is she also blind, cousin? Has she not seen her own eyes?”

  “No, she hasn’t.” Lydia came up beside Kira. “This happened only this afternoon. We had a . . . mishap.” Since when do you speak Elador?

  Kira brushed Lydia’s hand away. Since five minutes ago.

  Cade had been watching the exchange, but said nothing. He crossed the short distance between them, reached behind his head and pulled out his sword. The blade made a loud ringing sound as it exited its scabbard. Kira grabbed the hilt of her knife and took a step back, only to feel Octavion’s hand on her arm.

  “Easy,” he said.

  Kira kept her hand in place, but let some of the tension out of her shoulders.

  “Allow me, my lady,” Cade said. He laid the sword across his palms and raised it in front of him, twisting the blade until Kira could see her reflection.

  Kira’s eyes slowly focused on her face. It had been several days since she’d seen her own image. The face looking back at her was barely familiar. Her skin was tan from spending so much time in the canyon. She’d always been told she had a full face—baby fat, she’d heard others say, but that was no longer the case. The outline of her jaw was defined—as were her cheek bones. Her auburn hair reflected the glow of the fire and her eyes—were not her own. Octavion’s description of sparkling emeralds didn’t do them justice. It looked as if someone had set a sparkler behind them, with tiny specks of light dancing around inside. They were electrifying.

  As she looked closer, they began to fill with tears. She’d seen enough. She pushed the blade away, turned her face to avoid their stare and leaned into Octavion’s arms.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

  “I tried. I could not find the words.” He stroked the hair away from her face and softly kissed her forehead.

  Luka cried out and mumbled something Kira didn’t understand. Lydia knelt beside him trying without success to pull out the arrow while Cade stood nearby giving his unsolicited advice.

  “Well, if you’d hold still I could get this out,” Lydia scolded.

  Luka growled. It reminded Kira so much of Octavion that she snickered. The clearing fell silent as everyone turned to look at her.

  “Sorry,” Kira said. She looked up at Octavion. “I know you told me not to heal anymore, but it was my fault.”

  He paused for a long moment before answering. “You will stop if it becomes painful?”

  “Yes.”

  The crease in his forehead deepened as he studied her eyes. “Then I shall allow it.”

  As soon as Kira moved toward Luka, he began to protest. “Keep your distance,” he yelled. “You have done enough damage.” He tried to get up, but Lydia pushed him back down.

  “Luka, she’s a healer,” Lydia said. “She can fix this.”

  His shoulders relaxed, but he didn’t take his eyes off Kira. He was still partially transformed, probably more from the pain than from anger. “Is this true, cousin?” he asked Octavion, still keeping his focus on Kira.

  “It is. She has a gift for it.”

  Luka looked Kira up and down while blowing out a huff of air. “Very well then.”

  Men! Kira thought so only Lydia could hear.

  Lydia chuckled as she stepped aside. She and Cade went to the other two men who’d been watching from a distance. Kira had to take a second look at the larger of the two. There was something in his brown eyes that didn’t quite make sense. First she saw a gentle kindness, but then their eyes met and her impression of him changed. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was that sent a chilling sensation running up the length of her spine. She focused on Lydia instead, who spoke to them for a moment before both men walked off into the trees, going in different directions.

  The arrow had gone all the way through Luka’s shoulder and out through his back. Kira would have thought it a good shot if she hadn’t been aiming for his heart. Good thing he was on the move when she let go of her bow string. She placed her hand above the wound and tried to see the damage with her mind. The arrow had grazed his collar bone, but hadn’t done any serious damage. She placed her hand at the base of the shaft where it entered, grabbed the feathered end, and broke it off.

  Luka reacted by grabbing her wrist. Octavion disappeared from where he’d been watching and reappeared beside them with his hand around Luka’s arm, his strong grip making Luka release her.

  “You hurt her and you will not live to see another day,” Octavion said. He nodded at Kira to continue.

  “Thanks,” Kira said. “Maybe you should hold him down.”

  “I do not need restraint.” Luka growled.

  “Be still, cousin.” Octavion knelt behind him, wrapped his arms around Luka’s chest and held down his arms.

  “I have to pull this out first—you ready?” she asked Luka.

  He nodded, puffing out his chest. Kira almost laughed. He put on a tough exterior, but she could see the fear in his eyes. Big chicken, she thought.

  “Take
a deep breath,” Octavion instructed.

  When Luka did, she grabbed the shaft near the arrow’s head and pulled it through his back. He cried out and mumbled something she could only guess was Xantara’s version of profanity. She tossed the broken arrow to the side and placed her hands on either side of his shoulder, covering both the entrance and exit wound.

  At first, it felt like when she’d healed before. The Crystor glowed red and the burning sensation ran up her arm, but when Luka cried out and lurched back, a bolt of pain shot up both arms and hit her in the chest. She screamed, releasing him instantly. Her heart raced so fast, she couldn’t catch her breath. She rolled to her side, pulled her knees up and tried to push the pain away.

  “Kira!” Octavion yelled. He didn’t dare let go of Luka—who was completely transformed and doing everything he could to get loose. “Cade, hold on to my back. I need to get him away from her and I need you to keep him away, so I can make sure she is all right.”

  Cade ran over, knelt on the ground behind Octavion and grabbed his shoulders. “Go!” Cade yelled.

  All three of them disappeared. Their mist hadn’t yet settled when Octavion came back into view.