Bound by Duty (Bound Series Book 1)

by Smith, Stormy

  I woke up and laid staring at the wall for quite some time. There were dreams swirling in my head that I couldn’t quite remember. The last tiny piece I could grasp before it floated away was running through the trees. That had been a theme lately — dreams in the forest. It was weird, but I had bigger issues than a random haunting dream. Those were the status quo.

  My mind didn’t know how to process everything that had happened yesterday. Micah, the attack, Aidan, telling Cole everything, kissing Aidan. Kissing Aidan.

  Oh, I could have reminisced on that one forever. Touching my fingertips to my lips, I closed my eyes and lost myself in the feelings once again. Finally, I forced myself up. My clothes from yesterday were in a pile by the bed, my purse at the bottom of the pile. Oh, crap! Though I had promised Cole to stay close to my phone, I realized that I hadn’t actually looked at it since he dropped me off yesterday. I dug into my purse, pulled it out, and unlocked the screen.

  Twelve text messages

  Three voicemails

  Double crap!

  I went through the text messages first, those were easier. A few from Bethany, but I could hear her out in the kitchen and would deal with that directly. Well, maybe after breakfast. And coffee. Lots of coffee.

  A string of them were from Micah, asking if I was okay, asking to meet up last night to talk, getting a little more frantic to hear from me. I responded to him, letting him know that I was fine and asking to meet tonight at the gym.

  He immediately responded.

  Where have you been? Why do you have a phone you don’t use? Do you know what I’ve been thinking the last twelve hours?! Why the gym?

  I’ll explain tonight. The gym is safe. Just meet me, OK?

  Fine. The gym. 7. See you then.

  There were quite a few from Aidan from before I saw him. Some were questioning. Some were angry. But, the only one that mattered was the one he must have sent after he walked me to my door.

  I’m so glad I waited for you. It was the most amazing kiss of my life, too.

  I smiled. I hadn’t thought he was really listening to me at that point, but I guess he was.

  Finally, there was one from Cole this morning asking about the meet. I confirmed with him that Micah would be there.

  Now came the hard part. How to explain to my human best friend that my magic was out of control, her boyfriend was a Mage, but mine was human, my brother was also a Mage, someone had attacked Micah and me, we had no idea why, and…oh, yeah, not tell her any of that because she can’t know Immortals even exist. Determined to fix my relationship with my best friend, I left the voicemails for later and opened my door to face the music.

  I knew Bethany wasn’t her normal self as soon as I walked into the kitchen and heard an acoustic ballad coming from the IPod dock. Typically, she always listened to something upbeat, whether it be Pop or Country. To hear this music meant she was accessing my play lists. The songs weren’t necessarily sad, but their voices were haunting and the songs typically a little less happy and shiny. She was humming as she stirred her coffee, clearly lost in her own thoughts.

  I stopped a few feet short of her, just outside the kitchen. “Hey.” It was lame.

  I had no idea where to start. She looked up at me, her face still clean of makeup and her hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Her over-sized sweatshirt dwarfed her tiny frame, making her look like a little girl, and her eyes were sad.

  “Look, B, I know I owe you a huge apology for avoiding you lately. I’ve just had some stuff that I needed to work out for myself and I needed some space to think. I’m really sorry if I hurt your feelings.” I stood in the doorway, fidgeting, waiting for her response.

  “Amelia, honey, I love you, but not everything is about you.” Bethany’s words were just as sad as her eyes. She placed her spoon on the bright purple spoon rest on the counter, picked up her over-sized mug, and walked around me.

  I had no idea what to do. For the past week, I had just assumed the looks she had been giving were because of me. It was clear I really didn’t get how this whole best friend thing worked. I quickly pulled my act together and followed her to the living room. While I was gathering my thoughts, she had settled into the couch, pulling a worn quilt her Grandma had made over her lap.

  Though Bethany never had any idea of what I was handling, from the first day we met I never questioned whether she would always have my back. She pushed me to not allow other people to define me and inspired me to not just be myself, but the best damn version of myself possible. “The world deserves it, Ame! You deserve it!” She would say. She also taught me that the best relationships were built on truth. And sometimes the truth was hard.

  I sat down on the love seat across from her. “I have been a pretty crappy friend lately, haven’t I?”

  She didn’t hesitate with, “Yeah, you pretty much have.”

  One of our rules was that we didn’t sugarcoat, but it still hurt to be called on your crap.

  “Talk to me, B. I know I’m late to the party, and it’s no excuse that I was hiding from my own life, but I’m here and I want to listen. I really am sorry.” I looked her in the eyes and tried to convey how sorry I truly was.

  One of the things I really loved about Bethany was that once she forgave you, it was over. You knew she wasn’t holding a grudge; it was truly over and she was moving on. I saw it cross her face, when she had officially decided to forgive me, and the slow inhale she took signaled that this was worse than I had imagined.

  “I think Micah is seeing someone else,” she said, her eyes brimming with tears. I couldn’t hide my shock, my mouth falling open. “He’s been really unavailable the last few weeks, not answering my messages or emails until much later and canceling our dates. I didn’t realize that I liked him this much, but it’s just been killing me.”

  I was stunned. I should have seen this coming; that his spending time teaching me meant he wouldn’t be spending time with her, but it hadn’t even occurred to me. Crappy Friend Sign #12!

  “Oh, honey, no,” I reassured her. “There’s just no way he’s seeing someone else. There has to be an explanation. Do you want me to see if Aidan can talk to him? Maybe we can set up a double? I know he’s way into you, I’m just sure of it.”

  I had no clue how to get around the fact that I would see Micah tonight, but obviously I couldn’t explain how or why to Bethany. It was breaking my heart to see her so upset.

  “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding,” I continued when she didn’t respond. “He probably just has a lot going on. And, you know guys are clueless — he probably just doesn’t understand that this isn’t acceptable.”

  “Are you sure, Amelia? I mean, really sure? Truth, remember?” Her words were like a knife — I was not built to be a liar. I could do it, but I hated every second.

  “I don’t want to get my hopes up and then get hurt. I hate how much this hurts already. I don’t do this. I don’t let boys do this,” she said with a sniffle, swallowing back the break in her voice and blinking away the building tears. I hated myself just a little more watching her steel herself against what I knew she was feeling.

  I stood strong in the truth that he wasn’t seeing someone else and continued to reassure her, actually moving across the room and giving her a big hug.

  “It’s all going to work out, B, you’ll see. Let’s just give him a chance to explain. I’ll talk to Aidan, we’ll get this sorted out.” She looked at me with relief and then I saw the change come over her.

  “Okay, then. Enough wallowing. I’m going to pull myself together. The last thing he’s going to see is that this has been bothering me.”

  With that, she threw the quilt aside and strode off with purpose. “Go get’em, B! Show him what he’s been missing!” I hollered after her.

  I jumped from the couch myself and changed the iPod back to pop. When I heard Bethany’s low alto singing merrily along with the track, I knew it was going to be okay. Maybe Micah wasn’t cheating, but I had no doubt sh
e’d make him regret the last few weeks. I laughed a little to myself, realizing maybe I wasn’t the only one with the issue of balancing two worlds.

  Bethany headed out for class and I collapsed on the couch, exhausted though it was only eight in the morning. My phone dug into me from my back pocket and remembered that I still had voice mails to check.

  Entering the appropriate passwords in, the string started. I deleted messages from Micah and Cole from last night, rolling my eyes at how similar both messages sounded. I was trying to befriend Micah so he could help me, I wasn’t signing up for a second big brother.

  Then, Rynna’s soft voice came on and I couldn’t stop the gasp that followed her words.

  “Hi Amelia, honey. I’m sorry I had to cut you off the other night. There are just things I can’t really talk about. I did want to let you know that your father came home and he seems just fine outside of being hungry. He has actually had a few really great days and even spoke to me a few times. Unfortunately, I’ve spent the last few hours trying to convince him that he shouldn’t, but he’s determined to visit an old friend. He believes this man has answers. He’s going to go whether I want him to or not and there’s not a lot I can do to stop him. I’m afraid that he might drop back into his normal state at any time, so I’m going to go along with him. We’re leaving in the morning and heading up into the mountains, so I don’t know what cell reception will be like. I’ll try to call or text when I can, just know that I’ll take care of him just like I took care of you. We’ll talk soon.”

  Immediately, panic set in. Every alarm bell in my system went off at once. My hands shook and I dropped the phone. Swearing, I leaned down to pick it up to find both of my hands enveloped in violet pulsing light. I raised them in front of me, turning them front to back, shocked at how quickly my power had taken over, that I hadn’t done anything or felt anything and yet, there it was, at my disposal.

  Mentally berated myself for being so easily distracted, I sent an internal command to shut things down and my hands slowly faded back to normal. I dove for my phone and punched Rynna’s speed dial in. It went straight to voicemail. Dammit. I tried again. Voicemail.

  “Ryn, I just got your message. You need to call me.” I tried to contain the fear, but no matter what, my Dad was the only parent I had left and it was literally impossible to guess how he might react in any given situation. “He shouldn’t be doing this. Dad hasn’t left town in years. I don’t know that he can do this. Who is this guy? What answers does he have? Does this have to do with me? Ryn, I’m learning more about myself. I’m getting better at handling it all. He doesn’t need to do this. Just call me.”

  I dropped back on the couch and dropped my arm over my eyes. Too much. The last twenty-four hours had just been too much. Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to calm the growing ache in the pit of my stomach that was telling me this was just the beginning.

  Chapter 13

  The day passed relatively slowly, my classes dragging and my lack of sleep making me even less attentive. My mind was lost between thoughts of my dad and Rynna, the attack, and how I was possibly going to keep up training in the midst of all of this chaos. I was in line for my second caramel latte of the day when I felt someone coming up behind me. Before I could decide to react to the feeling, hands slid over my eyes, a low voice whispered in my ear, and I breathed in the welcoming scent of citrus and woods.

  “Well, there you are. I’ve been looking for you all day.”

  Warmth spread through me as Aidan’s voice sent shivers across my skin. Immediately, some of my tension lessened and it was as if I could breathe again. His skin was warm as I pulled his hands from my eyes and turned around.

  “Is that so?” I asked as I gave him my best flirty smile. “Well, a girl has to keep you guessing. I can’t show you all of my tricks just yet.”

  Aidan wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to him, keeping his voice low and flirtatious. “Tricks, huh? I think I’d like to see more of your tricks.”

  His dark curls were falling across his forehead and it was obvious by the look in his eyes the kind of tricks he was talking about.

  “Down, boy!” I said with a smack to his chest. I shimmied back into my spot in line and ordered my drink. I was thankful I’d spent a little more time on today’s outfit, pairing an A-line summer dress with my favorite wedges. It had been in an attempt to convince myself I felt better than I did after yesterday’s events, but the look on Aidan’s face as he took me in was a definite side benefit. The half-smile that played at his lips and the look of obvious appreciation in his eyes as they traveled from my face to my bright pink toe nails made each extra minute worth it.

  As we moved to the side to wait for my drink, I found his mouth next to my ear again.

  “I’m going to kiss you again, Amelia. Soon. Very soon.” I closed my eyes and smiled, reveling in his whispered promise. I could feel my power humming happily, reacting to the potential of it already. I turned around to throw another line his way only to find he had disappeared. I shook my head and laughed. Bethany was right…I was in some serious trouble.

  I got to the gym a little early, wanting to talk to Cole without Micah. But, my being early meant I also ran into Aidan on his way out from his workout. Aidan didn’t ask why I was there and I didn’t offer. We chatted for a few moments, but his expression changed and a millisecond later I found myself being pulled into a training room.

  The walls were red, covered in training mats in case the guys were tossing each other around a little too hard. Aidan held me captive against one of those mats, his forearms on each side of my head, his fingertips playing in the hair that splayed around me. It was dark in the room, just the light from a small window allowing the sun to peak in.

  The only sound was our breathing. Mine a little more frantic than his. This proximity to Aidan narrowed my focus to only him — to the warm puffs of air he exhaled into my neck as he nuzzled that sensitive space — and I lost all coherent thought. After a nip to my earlobe, Aidan finally pulled back slightly. Though I needed that sliver of space, looking into his eyes made it perfectly clear what his intentions were. He silently dared me to object as his mouth got closer and closer to mine. I tilted my chin toward him a fraction of an inch before the reality of why I was at the gym sent an involuntary shiver up my spin. The attack. My power. My damn duty.

  I sighed and that was enough to stop Aidan. He was hovering just a breath away.

  “What is it?” he asked gruffly. His voice changed when we were in these situations. It was low and rough and so very sexy. I hated breaking up this perfect moment but the guilt weighing on me couldn’t be stopped. I had started this. I told him I wanted to try. But, the attack changed things. At least until we understood what it was. What it meant. The last thing I could take was Aidan being hurt because of me.

  “Aidan, I can’t do this.”

  He yanked backward, all of the sweet softness of the last few minutes replaced with stiffness and a wary look.

  “No, wait, that’s not what I meant!” I rushed to try to salvage my choice of words, his reaction making me cringe.

  “This is just so intense. It’s just so…much. I just need to slow down.” I had a hard time looking at him, knowing full well that I wanted to run full sprint into this. Even now, I wanted to jump into his arms, wrap my legs around his waist, and kiss him from here to moon, never even coming up for air. But, I couldn’t. I couldn’t keep making rash decisions and I couldn’t put him in harm’s way. If another attack came before Micah, Cole, and I could figure this out, and Aidan was hurt, I would never forgive myself.

  He was suddenly wrapping me in his arms again. “Okay. Okay, doll. I’m sorry, I just can’t help myself when I’m around you. It’s like I can’t stop; you’re a magnet and I just want to be near you. To touch you. And, after the other night,” he pulled back to show me that mischievous grin I loved, “kiss you. Again and again.”

  He pressed a kiss to the top of my head — it was start
ing to be one of my favorite things. A heartfelt reassurance that we were good and I hadn’t completely messed this up. His grip was firm on the back of my neck as he pulled me in close for a long, hard hug. “I don’t want you to be afraid of this, Amelia. Afraid of me. So, we’ll go slow. I know I can be intense. I guess that’s the foster kid in me. When I find someone worth it, I give it everything I’ve got.”

  I pulled back, words I couldn’t say stuck on my tongue, not even sure how to make him understand what this meant to me. Simultaneously, I realized that even amid my lies, Aidan was being an amazing man. I didn’t deserve him. I dove back into his chest, giving him my own hug, muttering a thank you, wishing I could stay there forever and just forget the rest of it. He and I both had so much baggage, I was worried we couldn’t shoulder the load.

  Aidan gave me a squeeze and then pulled away, looking down at me. “As much as I’d like to believe you were here for me, doll, I expect that your brother is waiting for you and I’d prefer to not end up being his punching bag during tomorrow’s training. So, I’ll see you later, ‘kay? And don’t think I’m going to let this go on much longer. The world is going to know we’re together, including your brother.”

  He led me out of the room and gave me a little push toward Cole’s office, trying to fake a brooding stare that completely failed.

  “Is that right?” I asked, turning back toward him with my hands on my hips. “You’ve just decided for both of us, huh?” It was hard to keep the smile from pulling at my lips and he clearly didn’t buy a word of my fake ire.

  In a heartbeat, he had me pinned up against the wall and was lightly brushing my lips with his. I could feel his restraint thickening the air around me, intoxicating me into wanting to push us farther so he didn’t have to. “I absolutely have decided for both of us, Amelia,” he almost growled, his voice a low rumble that echoed throughout every part of me.

  “Well then,” I said, breathless. “I suppose I shouldn’t argue.”