by CR Barlow
SPARKBOUND: BOOK TWO
BLOODBOUND
By CR Barlow
© 2016 CR Barlow
Cover by CR Barlow
All Rights Reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced without written permission from the author.
All names and characters in this publication are purely fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Other Works by this Author
The Midnight Angel Series:
Midnight Dreamer
Fledgling Angel
Midnight Demon
Wicked Angel
Midnight Angel
Writing Prompts to Banish Writing Blocks: 101 prompts for writing exercises
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the author
Chapter One
Sweat trickled between Ingrid's shoulder blades as she braced herself against the barrage of magical assaults Lolita sent at her. Teeth gritted, hands held out and fingers spread wide, she fed energy into her shield. Even though she was putting all her strength into it, the steady stream of magic coming at her kept pushing her back, her feet slipping over the ground.
Her heel reached the edge of a deep cavern, sending small rocks tumbling to the depths.
Lolita's face twisted, her teeth bared in a silent snarl. One hand was palm-out towards Ingrid, the other contorting as though she was playing a harp, weaving various spells together, never breaking her attack.
There was no opening to take a small break to reinforce her shield, let alone strike back.
A streak of red joined the energy already coming at Ingrid. It blasted through her shield, sending her spiraling backwards. She landed hard on the floor, skittering over the holographic cavern.
"Ouch," the brunette witch muttered, winded. She closed her blue-green eyes, panting to catch her breath again.
Lolita shook her golden head as she walked over to Ingrid. Both women wore sleeveless tunics and loose trousers, although Ingrid's had suffered some damage, while Lolita's was pristine.
Ingrid tired not to notice how the outfit accentuated Lolita's curves. She had put on a little weight since their time on Pluto, and it only made her look more beautiful. Lolita was the kind of woman that would make anybody question their sexuality. Not that Ingrid had ever really questioned her own bisexuality.
"Are you okay?" Lolita held a hand out to help Ingrid to her feet.
"Fine," the brunette muttered, not accepting the hand or looking at her.
She may have decided that Lolita wasn't responsible for the massacre she had been blamed for, but her former lover was just that–former.
She had her mission. Track down Jorgensen, the warlord who tortured her late husband, Edan, into rebelling against his father, the emperor of Earth. Nobody seemed to care about the reasons why Edan rebelled, just that he had and that he was dead now.
That rebellion had destroyed her life. She lost her husband that day, though he rotted in jail for years before he led a defense against the orcs of Mars. He had been killed defending his planet, but he was still branded a traitor.
Worse, Ingrid's father-in-law, Harper, informed Ingrid of Edan's death and promptly kissed her, informing her that they would be married soon. Now that she couldn't return home, killing Jorgensen was the only reason she had to go on day after day.
"You're distracted," Lolita said, tossing Ingrid a towel.
"I'm not distracted."
"You're stressed and tense. You need to calm your mind. Magic is about clear thoughts and effective use of energy."
"I know that, thanks."
Ingrid scrubbed her face with the towel, exhaustion aching throughout her body. She enjoyed the feeling of being so tired that she thought she might collapse. It was the only way her shaking hands stilled, the only time the palpitations of her heart felt normal.
The withdrawals were getting worse. It had been weeks since she had been able to get her hands on any manticore venom, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take. She was trying her best to hide it, but she knew Lolita could see what she was going through, even if she didn't outright say it.
"What do you suggest?" Ingrid asked, raking a hair through her short, dark hair. "How to calm my mind, I mean. I haven't been sleeping well."
"Meditation. Maybe if you stopped—" Lolita cut herself off abruptly.
"Stopped what?" Ingrid's voice lowered and her eyes narrowed.
"Stopped staring at my ass when I cook."
Ingrid couldn't help but laugh, even though her cheeks warmed. "Yeah, because I do that so often."
"Don't think I haven't noticed. Not that I can blame you." Lolita twisted and slapped her own rump, nodding with satisfaction at the resulting sound. "I have a gorgeous ass. You know, when I danced for the elves, they'd offer me a week's worth of wages to touch it? Clothed, no less."
"I wouldn't know about that. I'm not really an ass girl."
"Don't I know that." Lolita's hands began moving to her breasts, but at Ingrid's narrowed eyes, she stopped. She cleared her throat. "Sorry. So where to next? I think we've stayed here too long already. Harper will be sending Ashley after us again soon, if he hasn't already. I would very much prefer not having to face off with her again. I would hate for you to hate me because I was forced to maim or kill your friend."
"Like you could. Ashley is a highly decorated elite member of Earth Force and—"
"And the only reason she was able to capture me the first time was because you were with her, all hopped up on manticore venom to counteract my magic. She wouldn't stand a chance against me without a witch on her side. And with you here, she'd have to get a pretty powerful volunteer in order to stand a chance."
It was true. As much as Ingrid wanted to deny it, Lolita was a powerful witch. There was a reason she had been posted into a healing outpost on Pluto, where Ingrid had met her. Where they had become involved and eventually…
No. She wasn't thinking about that, not right now. Ingrid pinched the bridge of her nose. "I need more manticore venom. My supply is getting low. I've had to cut back on my doses, and it's affecting me."
"I can tell. Look, Ginny—"
"Don't call me Ginny, please." She used to like it when Lolita called her Ginny. It made her insides squirm and her face glow. But after everything that had happened, it just made her feel guilty.
There could be nothing between the two of them, and it was best if she didn't give Lolita any false hope.
Lolita sucked her lower lip between her teeth and nodded. "Ingrid. You need to just let yourself ride out the manticore withdrawals. I know it's hard, but you'll feel better once it's over. Besides that, your magic is unpredictable when you're on the venom. If you stop taking it, we can get a baseline of what you are actually capable of, and you won't have to rely on it."
"I'm not strong enough to kill Jorgensen without it."
"You are. You just aren't allowing yourself to see that. Gi—Ingrid. Please."
Ingrid pressed her hands to her temples. This was one thing that she didn't want to talk about. There was no negotiating. She needed the venom to kill Jorgenson. And she was going to kill Jorgenson. That was all there was to it.
Lolita reached out, lightly touching her shoulder. "I promised you that I would help you kill Jorgensen. And I will. I am helping you trai
n, I'm helping you evade Harper. Hell, I'm even stealing ships for you."
"Because you didn't do anything illegal before."
Lolita sighed, but she still smiled, amused at some memory or other. "Yes, okay. Stealing ships isn't that big of a deal. But what I am trying to say is that you are not in a good space right now. Let the manticore venom go, stop being reliant on it, and you will grow stronger. You will have a better chance—"
"We can't go to Venus." Ingrid straightened, pushing past Lolita as she headed for the water dispenser. "Even though it's the only place in the system where we can legally buy manticore venom, it'll take us too close to Earth, and Ashley will be looking for me to return there. So we'll have to go to Uranus and harvest the venom ourselves."
"It's illegal—"
"We're both fugitives. You're a wanted terrorist, I helped you escape custody. What's a little manticore poaching compared to that? It's not like manticores are an endangered species. It's only illegal because Harper controls half the system, and he's afraid of magic-users."
"It's dangerous."
"So are we. Now are you going to help me or not?"
Lolita sighed. "I don't want you to get hurt, so I'll help you. On one condition."
"What?"
Lolita brushed Ingrid's cheek briefly, making her shiver.
For a brief second, she thought the blonde was going to kiss her. She didn't know why she thought that, it was ridiculous. Both of them had moved on, and Ingrid had made it plain that she wasn't interested in resuming their former relationship. By this time Lolita would have no desire to restart their relationship, either. She liked to talk about how pretty she was, but she wasn't interested in Ingrid like that anymore.
"What do you want?" Ingrid asked, a little harshly.
"To see you eating. Three healthy meals a day. You're wasting away, and I don't like seeing you like this."
Ingrid stepped back. She didn't meet Lolita's eyes. It was just human concern, nothing more. "Sure. I'll eat. Let's find a ship and get going."
Chapter Two
The atmosphere of Uranus was damp and chilly. Though it was blue from a distance, after they landed Ingrid saw that the planet had a green tinge to its surface. It was almost completely smooth, pocketed by deep burrows that were capped by thin crests that would burst if they were to be stepped on.
It was impossible to grow any sort of crops in the soil, since it was more frozen gas than anything else. Nobody knew how the manticores survived on the planet. The mermaids of Neptune claimed to have a method of communication with them, but as they refused to divulge this method, it was assumed that they were lying. The consensus from most planets were that manticores had a mid-level intelligence, enough for a primitive social system, but nothing else.
Almost everything about manticores was a mystery. But it was known that Uranus was a dangerous place, and all attempts to colonize it had ended in disaster. These days, only poachers dared to set foot on the planet.
Ingrid ignored the twist in her stomach as she dressed in the armor she had bartered for from the dwarves of Jupiter. Energy-resistant armor was useless against manticore stingers. Their skin also had certain properties that deflected energy-based weapons, so the brunette strapped a sword around her waist.
"Aren't you going to get ready?" Ingrid glanced up at Lolita.
The blonde sighed and tugged her dress off, reaching for the tunic and trousers she would wear under her armor. Ingrid turned her back. She did not need to notice how perfect Lolita's body still was. Without that stupid corset she liked to wear, her proportions were perfect, her waist just the right thickness to wrap arms around, her hips flared, her breasts soft and round.
Ingrid had known she was bisexual from the time she was a little girl, but she had only fallen in love–real love, not just crushes–twice in her life. Once was with Edan, the man she eventually married. She had fallen for him when she was twelve, and through the ups and downs of her life, she always loved him.
Lolita had been her second love. When Ingrid met her, she was 'taking a break' from Edan. And though she still loved him, she ended up loving Lolita more at the time. It had been confusing, but even more confusing when Edan followed her to Pluto and asked her to marry him. It was so expected and comfortable to be with him that she said yes. And when she was with him, she loved him more than Lolita.
I am not going to think about this right now, Ingrid told herself firmly. It's too confusing. Besides, Lolita doesn't feel—
"I don't suppose you'd be okay for one last time in bed before we get ourselves killed," Lolita grumbled.
Ingrid glared at her.
"Don't look at me like that."
"It has been over between us for—"
"I know. I know." Lolita tugged at her blonde hair and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up."
"You shouldn't have," Ingrid agreed tensely. "You know my feelings on the matter."
"I'm sorry. I'm just not looking forward to dying without…" she trailed off, and Ingrid was grateful for the silence.
"Do you have your emergency oxygen?" Ingrid asked, checking her own supply.
Lolita nodded. She opened her mouth but an explosion outside rocked the ship. Ingrid was thrown into Lolita's arms. Both toppled. Cursing, Lolita scrambled for the controls. Ingrid pushed herself back to her feet and took a look at the sensors.
A ship hovered right above them. There was no obvious markings, but it was Orc crafted. This far from Mars? No, it had to be a stolen ship.
"They're aiming for our engines," Ingrid shouted. "Hail them."
Lolita's head jerked up.
"Do it."
"What if they're Earth Force?" Lolita's eyes bore into hers. "They could blow us up once they confirm that it's us."
"I don't think that Harper will kill me," Ingrid said, though she couldn't be certain… Harper wasn't as predictable as she once thought.
"If we die, I am going to haunt you in the next life," Lolita warned, then patched in a call to the other ship.
Their hails were accepted quickly. Ingrid's eyes widened as she took in the man who appeared on the console. His skin was lily-white, unnaturally pale, with slim, pointed ears, and hair the color of wheat stalks. Eyes as blue as cornflowers stared at them. An elf. Warts sprouted from one side of his face, his nose misshapen, a bulbous growth on one side. Deep grooves, scars, marred the rest of his face.
The elf scowled at them. "I am Gelron. These are my hunting grounds. Take your crew find someplace else or be destroyed."
Lolita licked her lips nervously, but before she could speak, Ingrid stepped into the viewer's sights. The two of them had very little chance of finding any manticores and extracting their venom. Maybe Gelron would be convinced to let them join his crew. It was worth the risk.
"We don't have a crew. It's just us."
Gelron's eyes widened. "Just you two?"
"Correct," Ingrid said.
Lolita moaned and shook her head. Ingrid ignored her.
Gelron eyed them both, gaze switching from one to the other. "And both human, too. Hmmm. Interesting. What brings you to Uranus?"
"We're looking for manticore venom," Ingrid replied. "All we want is a gallon for personal use. If you'll take us onto your crew for this hunt, we can be of great help in your harvest."
"You? Humans? How could you help us?"
"We're witches."
She summoned all her magic, focusing on the feather earring Gelron wore on one ear. The feather burst into flame. Gelron yelped and batted at it. The magic drained her, so much so that she stumbled until Lolita grasped her wrist and sent pulses of energy into her. Fortunately Gelron was too busy dousing the fire to pay attention to her brief lack of composure.
The elf regained his self-control quickly enough, removing the ruined earring. "Witches. You could be of a lot of help to us… and you say you only want a gallon? Very well, join us on three hunts and we'll give you the gallon you want."
"Hardl
y," Lolita interrupted just as Ingrid was going to agree. "Three hunts? No. We will join your crew for one hunt. With our magic, we'll draw out a lot more manticores than normal, and you'll have a larger harvest. That is our deal. Take it or let us go on our way."
"Or we could blow you up."
Ingrid opened her mouth, but Lolita sent a sharp, pinching spell into her that closed her vocal cords. Instantly she couldn't speak, and struggled not to glare at Lolita.
"You wouldn't dare. I know elf traditions. Look at us. We're both natural-born."
Gelron eyed her. "So?"
"So we're beautiful." Lolita smiled self-confidently. "I told you I know elf traditions. We were crafted by the hands of the gods, and it would be blasphemy in the highest form to destroy us. You've been cursed enough, do you want it worse in the next life?"
Ingrid knew that the elves believed that beauty was the work of the gods, but she doubted that it would go this far. And yet a look of concern flashed over Gelron's face.
"What makes you think I believe that?" he asked, but the tightness of his voice gave him away, and he knew it. With a begrudging expression he nodded. "One hunt, then. Prepare your ship for boarding."
Chapter Three
Hunting manticores via ship was impossible. They seemed to be able to sense higher forms of technology, and avoided ships and over-ground transports easily. As such, the hunting party had to camp on the surface of the planet.
Ingrid wrapped her arms around herself as she stared into the crackling fire. The poachers had brought their own fuel, but it was still cold out here. She wished she had brought a personal heater, but it was too late to go back to the ship for it now.
The poaching party consisted of species from throughout the solar system. There were several dragons, a couple of elves, an orc, even a Jotunn. They were all armed to the teeth, and actually laughed at the two women when they saw what weapons they had brought.
Now they sat around the fire, laughing and talking with one another. Lolita joined in as though she had been a part of their team for ages, but Ingrid was silent. The bawdy jokes were uncomfortable at best, and she wanted to go bed.