Feathered Touch (Wyrd Bound Book 2)

by Shen Hart

  I growled and muttered to myself. ”So he sees snippets of things, but you’re not entirely sure if that’s through a connection to energies, or to a god. Or, to be entirely realistic, to the Sisters.”

  I cursed the Sisters in a few different languages just before Lee walked in carrying a bowl of soup and some soft white bread rolls. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t had actual food in what felt like an eternity. Alex brushed a lock of hair from my face with a soft smile on his face that reached his eyes and took away their icy veneer until he registered Lee. His face hardened once more, he twisted to be next to me while he reached out across me to take the bowl and tray from Lee. Lee ignored him entirely and sat on the edge of the bed with the tray on his lap.

  “I hope it’s not too hot. It’s a simple chicken soup that Nik made. He really is a good cook.”

  I didn’t answer him. I didn’t want to try and navigate the minefield they’d placed me in the middle of. I took the tray from Lee and rested it on my own lap. The soup smelled delicious. It tasted even better, with a slightly creamy, hearty chicken flavour. After a few mouthfuls I started to feel better, but had had enough of the glares and quiet growls that kept passing between Lee and Alex.

  I turned to Alex and said, “Go and get Ryan, I’d like to speak to him.”

  I regretted it immediately. I’d been too sharp. His eyes went a little wider and his smile dropped away before he looked down and nodded. I offered him a small smile and ran my fingers over the back of his hand before he stood and left.

  I turned to Lee and said, “I was too hard on him.”

  The corner of his mouth twitched in acknowledgment, but he said nothing. After a long moment he said, “I’d be lost without you, Suriel. I know our past was dark and things ended… tragically, but I stand by my oath to you.”

  I looked into his beautiful green eyes and found myself lost in the shadows that we had danced in for many years. The single candle and the beat only we could hear, they were dark times but I felt alive. I felt free.

  Ryan interrupted my thoughts. “Hey T, Alex said you wanted to see me?”

  I grinned at him and gestured to the bed by my feet. “I want to hear how you are and make sure you’re ok.”

  He smiled and sat. Alex hovered over the other side of the bed before taking up his previous position.

  Ryan said, “It was rough there for a little while, but I’m good. It’ll be a great tale to tell the girls anyway. I mean, I kicked ass. Who else can say they took on a group of fenrath, in a fight pit, and won?”

  Alex and Lee both looked at me, we laughed quietly. Ryan blushed before saying, “Ok, so maybe I’ll be embellishing it a little bit. And I’m really grateful to you guys for getting us out.”

  I finished my soup. “So, what have I missed?”

  They looked at each other before Alex spoke, “Not much, really. Adam practically hid from us. He refuses to believe that we won’t try and eat him. We tried to figure out if he’s tied to a god or not, but he was too nervous to really get anywhere. I think Nik’s trying to teach him some combat skills right now. Ark’s given him the groundwork with a staff, but there’s no harm in diversity.”

  I felt like I was missing something. There was an invisible weight in the room as though everyone was waiting for something.

  I decided to ignore it and went to shift my jaguar tail, but Alex put his hand on mine. “No shifting for a while, Ark will kill me if I don’t stop you.”

  I went to scowl at him, but relented. I hated healing. I hated feeling weak. I nodded and handed the tray to Lee before I wriggled down and closed my eyes, pretending everything was fine until I fell asleep.

  Chapter Four

  The following few days were miserable. Ark came and checked on my injuries, but he seemed a little distracted, most likely worrying about poor Adam. The boys tried to make a little small talk, but I was usually left with Alex, Lee, or both, who were more concerned with fussing over me than my dying of boredom and frustration. Every time I tried to ask about anything interesting or important, I’d get a condescending piece of affection and be shushed just in case I damaged something. I deserved a medal for not biting them. They meant well, but I had my limits. Their sniping at each other wasn’t doing my peace or sanity much good. I understood that Lee was on dangerous ground by being in Alex’s home, but it was too much.

  I decided that I’d had enough on what may have been the fourth day; it was difficult to keep track when I was sleeping so much. My energy levels were rising, and I was fed up of being stuck in bed with nothing to say or do. I peered at the door and listened for a moment, to make sure that no one was coming up the stairs to stop me. Once I was sure there were no footsteps, I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. It was easier than I’d anticipated.

  I mentally prepared my argument with Ark and Alex as I stretched down to rest my feet on the floor before tentatively standing. If I stayed in that cursed bed much longer, not only would I go mad, my muscles would start atrophying. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was true, but it was my argument, and I was sticking with it. I eyed the large landscape window directly in front of me and guessed it was some twenty steps away. That wasn’t so bad. I took the first step forward. My muscles were stiff, but that was to be expected. I slowly took the next step and gained a little confidence. I’d be fine. I noticed that a pair of large white wicker chairs had been placed in front of the window. I wondered for a moment if I’d forgotten their existence, or if someone had been prepared for that moment. I shrugged it off and kept walking.

  I was almost there. I could see the remaining burnished golds and rich coppers of the last leaves that clung onto the dark branches of the forest. It was a bleak but entrancing view. The garden had died back for winter, leaving it a collection of soft browns and dull reds surrounding the green of the hardy grass. I’d been too focused on the view. I hadn’t heard the footsteps. I cursed under my breath and stood a little straighter and prepared myself for whatever bullshit they were going to try and reprimand me with. I didn’t look back at the door. I wasn’t giving the satisfaction of acknowledgment. Instead I continued walking to the chair.

  Instead of the heavy sigh and the well-meaning words, I heard a soft chuckle as I took the last step and defiantly leaned on the windowsill rather than sitting in the chair.

  “I wondered how long it’d be before you ignored their advice and walked around. I’m not sure how you lasted that long.”

  I looked back over my shoulder to see Dan smiling good-naturedly as he walked to join me. I smiled back, feeling as though I had an ally in my battle against insanity-inducing boredom. He stood next to me, his hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans, and he looked out the window with me. I did a double take when I saw the golden-brown sweater. I hadn’t had him down as a sweater-wearing guy, and it took me a second to reconcile the image with what I’d thought about him. I shrugged it off and sat down, allowing my aching muscles to rest again. At least I had a fresh view. Dan pulled the other wicker chair closer and looked at me expectantly, his head cocked slightly to one side as his gaze held mine. I felt as though I was missing something.

  I broke the silence with, “So, how did you get me out of that pit?”

  I looked away out of the window and waited for him to reply. I didn’t want to show too much interest. It would only encourage his ego. He sighed softly, and the wicker creaked under him as he shifted his weight.

  “As I believe Alex told you, Adam is a seer, or perhaps an oracle; we still don’t know. The poor thing refuses to relax enough for us to probe him, and Ark is growing more and more protective over him. I tried to coax some information out of him, but Alex stepped in and banished me. Honestly, you’d have thought I was going to harm the fragile little thing.”

  I raised an eyebrow and glared at him. He glanced away before giving a little cough.

  “As I was saying. He had some dream that showed you and Ryan somewhere black. That of course didn’t help us,
but he had more dreams over the course of a couple of days. That allowed us to figure out where you were. You wouldn’t believe it from the surface. The energy work they did there was amazing. I would have liked to have spoken to the ones who wove it originally.”

  I looked at him pointedly. It was good to hear him happy and interested, but I didn’t want him rambling. He smiled, but didn’t make eye contact, before he continued on.

  “I remained outside with Lee and Adam. We broke down their sigils and energy work. That allowed Alex and co. inside, where they beat everything that came within reach and saved you and Ryan.”

  A quiet chuckle cut through Dan’s enthusiasm, and his grin wilted. I looked back towards the door to see Lee walking towards us, the slight sway of his hips adding the feline grace I so adored in him.

  He ran his tongue over his lips as he looked down at me with one eyebrow raised, before he glanced at Dan and said, “I wouldn’t say that they… beat everything within reach. I understand that there were a number of highly trained fighters inside. Either way, most of what he said is true. We don’t know how they managed to weave such complicated workings, but that’s irrelevant now. The real focus here is, why are you out of bed, Suriel?”

  I pursed my lips and looked up at him defiantly. He brushed his thumb over my cheekbone before he stood slightly between Dan and me, his hand resting on the back of my chair.

  “You know I’m trying to look after you. You suffered substantial injuries.”

  I twisted around just enough to run my hand over his knee. It was the best I could manage. Dan cut through the moment as he leaned forwards, putting his shoulder in front of Lee’s legs.

  “What did it feel like?”

  I leaned back in my chair and looked out the window, admiring the touches of colour on the otherwise greyscale canvas.

  “What did what feel like?” I repeated.

  I looked over at him for a moment, and he cocked his head before saying, “Well, Ryan said you couldn’t feel your aspects while you were in there…”

  I growled quietly to myself at the reminder of that wretched state that had been forced upon me. Dan pulled back a little but watched me intently. I didn’t appreciate his asking, but saw no harm in relating my experiences.

  “Yes, they were locked away in some box in the back of my mind. I was entirely unable to feel them.” Lee stroked my hair tenderly as I spoke, easing the stress of the memories. “I felt lost, empty, like some shell of a being. I didn’t feel like myself, or even much of anything. It was distinctly unpleasant.”

  Dan gave a small nod of acknowledgement, and I leaned into Lee’s hand. The contact with him was comforting. Despite having been in close proximity for days, I found myself wanting to be close to him. I was finally beginning to feel like myself again. Dan’s nostrils flared briefly as he appeared to mull over what I’d said.

  He looked into some far off point with his brow furrowed before he said, “I hope I never have first-hand experience of it. No offence and all.”

  Lee’s hand wandered down my back between my shoulder blades before he idly rubbed behind my ears. I couldn’t help but smile at the soft affection. I found the pain and sadness from the memories quickly slipped away.

  Dan ran his hand around the back of his neck before he leaned back and crossed one leg over the other, his ankle resting on his thigh as he looked between Lee and me. Lee draped his arm over my shoulder before he leaned into the center and whispered conspiratorially, "Things are very tense around here. We need some fun. Tomorrow, though; we need to give time for Thalia to heal a little more."

  I pursed my lips and sighed. Fun sounded good, but the fact that I had to wait one more day ate at me. I’d been wrapped up in the idea of fun and didn’t hear Alex’s footsteps until he was on the final stair up to our room. The temperature of the room dropped a couple of degrees when he entered.

  He cut through any wondering I may have been doing about what type of fun Lee had in mind when he said, "Lee, Dan, go and train with Nik and Ryan. Ark's calmed Adam down enough to join in with some staff work. The more variety you have, the better. I'm sure Lee has one or two things of value he could share, as well."

  I bared my teeth at Alex. I was just a much an alpha as him, and I didn't appreciate his barging in like that. Alex strode towards us, his shoulders back as his eyes kept flicking between mine and Lee's. Lee leaned in and kissed my cheek softly.

  "Don't worry, Suriel, we'll have our fun tomorrow."

  With that he stood between Alex and me, his shoulders back as he crossed his arms. He remained like that, glaring at Alex for a few moments. Dan looked to me, a soft glint in his eyes, before he bowed his head to Alex and stood. Lee continued to hold Alex’s gaze as Alex ground his teeth and grew more tense. He stood a little taller and took a deep calming breath

  “You are required downstairs. I am having some time alone with my alpha.”

  Lee laughed quietly to himself. “She hasn’t been yours in a long time, Alexei. I’m curious to see what the seer can do, though, so I am leaving to put him through his paces.”

  He leaned in and kissed my neck before he left with his usual feline grace. Alex relaxed the moment Lee left the room.

  He pulled the other wicker chair closer to me and leaned forwards resting his hands on my knees. "You've been through a lot, Baby Girl, I'm trying to help you heal quicker. I know you must be going crazy, but pushing too hard will make it worse in the long run."

  He looked at me with tenderness as he reached up to take my hand. The corner of my lips raised in a smile. He didn't mean me any harm. I sighed and looked back out the window as I allowed him to run his fingers over mine. A small chill ran up my hands and caused my nerves to tingle. I refused to admit how much I'd missed him. My mind began to wander as we sat in a comfortable silence. I couldn't help but smile at the memories of the hundreds of times we'd been injured and helped each other in the past. The way I had cradled his head in my lap as he slept quietly while I stroked his hair, or how he had held me in his arms when I was exhausted and could barely stand. We had been good together.

  I shook my head and snapped myself back to the moment and the reminder that he had ruined that. I squeezed his thumb between my thumb and finger, a small gesture of affection and understanding. I had to stop my mind from shifting to the past. I had to move forwards.

  "How are the boys doing? Is Ryan healing ok?"

  He leaned back in his chair and made himself comfortable while his fingers played over mine tracing patterns and shapes. “The boys are doing ok. They’re beginning to grate on each other’s nerves a bit, and Adam’s nervousness is upping the tension. It draws out their prey drive, and that makes Ark snappy and defensive. They’re being very good, but it’s still there. Ryan’s stiff and not up to full training yet, but he’s making progress. He works hard.”

  I ran my tongue over my teeth as the image of Adam quivering and shaking entered my mind. I hadn’t hunted in quite a while. I took a deep breath and re-focused. I couldn’t hunt, and I would never harm Ark’s little lover.

  Alex’s fingers stilled before he said, “I think it’s time that Lee left.”

  I didn’t look at him. I had no interest in seeing the expression on his face. My muscles tensed, and I knew that I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. If nothing else, the promise of fun the next day was still present.

  I said firmly, “Not yet.”

  He squeezed my hand and sighed softly. “He’s not good for you, Baby Girl.”

  I bared my teeth and growled at him. He leaned forwards and ran his fingers through my hair. “You know I’m doing my best for you. Please try and remember that.”

  I covered my teeth but looked back out the window while allowing him to continue stroking my hair. It calmed and soothed me. The memories it brought forward, however, didn’t.

  Chapter Five

  Alex had remained close but unobtrusive for the rest of the day and left me to my thoughts the following morning. My muscles felt
much better, and I wandered around the room for a little while, stretching them and enjoying the freedom. I was surprised by how much I was missing the boys and the chaos they brought with them. I’d spent a long time alone, and yet there I was, forming a pack again. I growled to myself and drove the memories back when the faces of my previous pack started forming in my mind’s eye. They were gone. I reminded myself to move forwards and not dwell on the past.

  Lee arrived, not long after lunch. He bore grins and a mischievous look on his face. I walked across the room to meet him in the middle; Lee wrapped his arms around me and held me close for a moment. I melted into his firm chest and relaxed, feeling my tension slip away.

  He pulled away a little too quickly for my taste, but he ran his finger down over my lips and said, “Suriel, you seem much better today. I’m glad, given it’s time for us all to stretch our legs. Alex has kept us all cooped up training, it’s time to spread our wings.”

  The glint in his eye when he said wings made me step back, grinning. Could he mean…? I glanced at Dan, who began walking towards the window. The raven flapped around in my mind and took control. I didn’t concern myself with controlling it. Why would I want to? I practically hopped over to the window and set about opening it. The raven immediately took complete control. I felt the painful pricks down my spine, which quickly spread over the rest of my body as the feathers formed. My bones crunched and changed with a satisfying pain before I opened my eyes and felt freedom.

  Lee had opted for a hawk form with pale-ish-brown feathers and sharp yellow eyes. We took off out the window and I felt the air beneath my wings again. The absolute freedom of flight as I flapped my wings and moved upwards aiming for the pale grey clouds exhilarated me. It was something I’d craved for a long time, and I didn’t want it to end. Lee cut in front of me, corralled me back down to within the confines of the wall surrounding our garden, though. I wanted complete freedom and felt cheated. The point was supposed to be the wide-open sky, no restraints or barriers, just wherever my heart desired. He headed down to the ground and shifted into his cougar form. Dan appeared from the bushes in his own cougar form. They paced around through the long, scraggly grass, apparently waiting for me to do the same. I looked upwards.