Bound to His Redemption

by Lisa Kumar

  Wiggling his toes, he took stock of their slight numbness. Though his leather boots weren’t built for snow, they kept his feet surprisingly warm. He wished he could say the same for the rest of his ensemble. The rest of him felt like an icicle.

  He wasn’t used to this kind of weather. In Eria, only the wilds became this cold. Any village or town of a decent size used charms to keep the worst of winter away. The Erian capital of Eriannon rarely saw more than a light dusting of snow over the few short weeks of their winter.

  While he walked slowly on one of the icy park’s trails in an effort to generate some heat, he considered his options. Stay here and die of hypothermia? Or ... or what? That, he didn’t know. He frowned. Well, that wasn’t quite true.

  A few “or what” opportunities had presented themselves in the form of a handful of forward women — he’d never call them ladies, as they were undeserving of that title. These ... these creatures had asked him to join them for an evening of “fun.” Thanks to Aistiane’s gift of enabling him to understand and read the English language, he’d understood all too well the foul things they wanted to do to him.

  Though a couple of them had been passably pretty for a human, his skin had crawled at the thought of strange hands touching him. Not that he was a virgin — no, not at all, but he only bedded elvin women who knew to keep their hands to themselves. He rewarded them handsomely with gold and pleasure. Though they couldn’t touch him unless permitted, he made sure no one left unfulfilled.

  As he thought of his past lovers, the blood pumped faster through his veins, but the cold quickly stole all desire away. A rare melancholy slithered up his spine and radiated throughout his body. Would he ever see his world again? He’d almost be tempted to give up all thoughts of overthrowing the royal family if he could go back.

  Almost.

  The king and his whelp deserved death for their traitorous bondings with human women. Even worse, Talion had driven his previous queen over the edge and into illicit relationships because the king couldn’t give her what she wanted — his heart because, apparently, that organ had been longing for his dream woman, an obnoxious human pest that would’ve been better kept as a pet. No wonder Serrina had turned bitter against humans and had become unhinged.

  Eamon had long known they were the root of all his problems, too. Disgust kindled in his belly. Even though elves had removed themselves from the human world, the despicable creatures still found ways to exert control over his kind. The veil had seen to that with its newest rash of mortal-elf bondings.

  His foot slipped on a patch of ice, and only the long-learned grace and stability of his kind kept him from landing on his rear. Elves truly were superior to humans in every — His feet slid on another slick patch on the trail and flew out from underneath him. He fell backward. His head hit the ground with a thump. Pain exploded through his skull, and small dots of light zoomed before his eyes.

  He blinked up at the veiled night sky. Even the stars hid from him. Damn this human plane. It was a godforsaken place only fit for mongrels. And talk about mongrels. Was that a dog he heard somewhere in the park? He shrugged the idea away because it didn’t matter.

  Though the wet cold seeped in his clothes, he made no attempt to get up. All energy and dignity had deserted him. Hopelessness burned in his gut. It was the only warmth in his body, but it stung more than any cold could. How was he supposed to earn his repentance, let alone in this weather? He didn’t even know what he needed to do — or who or what to seek. He, the king of machinations, was homeless and adrift, not knowing which way to go. All directions led to the same place — nowhere.

  Ha, reparation and repentance. It was more likely he’d die like a cur in the freezing cold. Maybe that was what Aistiane wanted. After all, she believed he’d subverted Eria’s magic for his own gain. He wouldn’t deny the subversion part, but he’d had more than his own interests at heart. The elvin race needed to stay pure of all human influence, and he’d long known the Erian king would destroy that balance. Sadly, Serrina’a father had been right in his prophecy. The king was now bonded to a human. All of Eamon’s schemes had been for naught, and he’d been reviled as an outcast, first in Eria and now on Earth.

  True, some of his people had been sacrificed to further his previous endeavors, but that was necessary in any war. Unfortunately, many of his people didn’t understand that and labeled him the traitor.

  If they only knew what he’d suffered for them. Serrina had been no easy taskmaster. Though he’d relied on her in a twisted way, their relationship had been anything but kind. And the darkindred? He’d never taken any true enjoyment at turning them into the creatures they were, even if he’d acted like it. They had merely been a means to an end. He’d given years to the cause, only to be thrown out of the realm like the foulest of garbage.

  This had to be Talion and Aistiane’s retribution. If he were them, he couldn’t have planned it any better. To die in this horrible, magic-forsaken world like the worst of —

  Something warm and wet on his cheek halted all thought.

  Chapter 2

  Caralyn drew her fleece coat tighter about her. Why had she decided taking a walk on this freezing cold Friday night was a good idea? Oh, yeah, the reason was on the other end of the leash she held. Archie had been bored stiff and practically bouncing off the walls because he needed some exercise. Her small apartment wasn’t exactly roomy for a large dog. Now his tail wagged happily, and he didn’t seem to be feeling the snowy evening at all.

  “Lucky boy,” she muttered. She was sure her goose bumps had goose bumps.

  With that lovely image in mind, she pulled Archie back in the other direction. It was time to go home and warm up. She’d had enough of the Christmas lights glittering around her. While they were pretty, they didn’t make the cold any less frigid.

  In front of her, a blur bolted across the road. A playful growl rumbled up from Archie’s chest. Caralyn gripped his leash and steeled herself. Normally, Archie listened but not if it concerned a cat. He loved felines, and the blur looked suspiciously like a cat from where it was standing on the other sidewalk. Caralyn squinted harder. The furry, black and white animal swished its tail and stared back at her and Archie. In the dim streetlight, the cat’s yellow eyes seemed to glow. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve sworn the animal winked at her before it darted into the entrance of a nearby park.

  Joyous barks erupted from Archie. He pulled so hard that her feet slid across a slick portion of the concrete. She threw out her arms to steady herself, and in her mad scramble to stay upright, Archie’s leash managed to slip through her mittened hand.

  “Archie, no!” Her heart thundered as she glanced at the road and checked both ways. All was clear, thank heavens. Wasting no time, she gave chase after the crazy cat-smitten dog. How anything so big could adore something so small when it was supposed to hate the other species, she didn’t know.

  A groan worked its way up her throat. This wasn’t the way she’d wanted to spend her evening. Say goodbye to doing any sketches tonight of your mystery elf man. Ha, how crazy did that sound? Sometimes, though, it was sad to think her imagination was filled with more intriguing people and places than her real life was.

  She had to give it to Archie. He was fast — way too fast. The icy trails didn’t help, either. If Archie stayed within the park, he’d be safe enough, so she wasn’t about to face-plant on the trail if she could help it. She didn’t relish the idea of walking home in wet clothes if she hit a patch of sludge just right.

  As for Archie, he seemed to be on the adventure of his life. Though she couldn’t see him, she heard him. His excited barks echoed through the quiet park. Once in a while, she caught sight of him before he sped around the corner of something, be it a maintenance building or a tree.

  After dodging icy spots one too many times, she took her race to the snow-covered grass. Her feet crunched through the snow. It felt like she was running in slow motion, but at least she didn’t have to wo
rry about falling on the hard, unforgiving trail.

  Her lungs burned both from the cold and the exertion. Looked like she needed to hit the gym more often because this mad dash was about to do her in.

  “Darned dog,” she mumbled to herself, but she’d chase him across town if it meant getting him back safely. He was her only family here. Everyone else was over an hour away. Her cousin, who’d gone missing about a year ago, didn’t count. Anyway, they’d never been particularly close.

  An explosion of barks sped up her faltering steps. By the sound of it, he had to be nearby. Had he found the cat or discovered some other animal? He sounded way too happy. Hopefully, his new friend wasn’t a skunk.

  As she rounded the last curve, Caralyn skittered to a stop. Archie’s form, illuminated by a lamp post, stood out like a smudge against the white world around him. That wasn’t what gave her pause, though. The darker outline that rested at her dog’s feet did.

  Fear rooted in her stomach. The form seemed suspiciously human-shaped. Was it a dead person? A drunk? Someone lying in wait for a hapless woman like her? Though she wanted to get her dog and hightail it out of there, she couldn’t. Her conscience protested the thought of leaving someone who might be injured. He could die of exposure, and she was sure it was a he. Though a dark cloak covered most of the person’s body, the physique underneath hinted it was anything but feminine.

  Though the color was muted, a slight purple-black haze surrounded him. Yellow tinged the edges of his aura. She swallowed against the fear lodged in her throat. Surely, the colors meant nothing. Her hand flew to her coat pocket, but when it came back empty-handed, she swallowed the tennis ball lodged in her throat. Like an idiot, she’d left her cellphone on the kitchen counter right by where she kept Archie’s leash. Some good it did her there when she was at least ten minutes from her apartment.

  A quick glance showed no one else was around. She fisted her pepper spray tightly. Never let it be said she wasn’t totally unprepared. Her apartment key would serve as backup if needed.

  At that moment Archie leaned down and licked the man’s face, which was concealed by the shadow of the cloak’s hood. She spurred herself into action. “Archie, no, come back here!”

  If the man wasn’t truly unconscious, he could lash out and hurt Archie. Her dog ignored her command and seemed set to deliver another round of doggy kisses. That fact was heartening within itself — her dog tended to be a good judge of character.

  As she crept closer to the prone man, she sent a prayer up that Archie’s people-meter wasn’t off in this case. Their lives could depend on it.

  THE SLURPY, WARM LICK to Eamon’s cheek halted all thought. He cringed away from the animal looming over him. The damn thing gave no quarter and proceeded to bathe his face in its saliva. He shuddered to think where that tongue had been. Finally regaining his mind, Eamon lifted his hands to push the brown dog away.

  “Archie, no, come back here!”

  At the sound of the female’s voice, his mind went blank to all else but the voice. Something warm unfurled in his chest, and he gasped at the foreign sensation. Was this heartburn? No, he’d experienced that once or twice in his long life. This felt distinctly different — nice and fuzzy. He didn’t like nice and fuzzy. Anger and hatred suited him just fine.

  “Sir, are you okay?”

  That voice again. It made him lose his mind in the most disconcerting manner, and that couldn’t be allowed. He slowly lifted his aching head to lambast the stupid mortal for daring to speak to him. As he got his first glance of her, though, all words froze on his tongue, and he stared at the first human to leave him dumbfounded in every way.

  It wasn’t that she was beautiful, though she was undeniably attractive for a human. But the light that surrounded her grabbed his gaze and wouldn’t let go. The glow wasn’t the artificial kind from the lamp pole above her. No, she exuded her own brilliance — a bright sparkling yellow-white peppered with the falling snowflakes — and it nearly blinded him.

  He scowled at the insane notion. Everything good and pure had long been gone from his life. Even if he could recognize those qualities, he certainly had no need of them. Had Earth addled his brain so drastically?

  Still, he couldn’t tear his gaze away. The translucent color enveloped her from the top of her head all the way down to her shoe-covered toes. Not even the cap that covered her sandy-colored hair remained untouched. He’d never seen anything like it before around a human. The only auras he’d ever perceived were those of the darkindred when he’d been in possession of the orb. While theirs had been yellow, they hadn’t contained the dazzling warmth hers did. So what did this mean?

  After heaving himself into a sitting position, he glared at the human who loitered about six feet away from him. As he fended off the four-legged menace with an out-flung hand, at least the annoying glow surrounding her subsided until it nearly disappeared.

  The woman gasped and stared at him in the most peculiar way, her mouth opening and closing. It was almost as if she’d recognized who or what he was. Preposterous. She couldn’t know about him, let alone know him.

  “What are you looking at, human?” He put as much biting frost into his tone as he could. Though he shouldn’t be drawing more attention to himself by calling her human, he couldn’t stop the insult from leaving his mouth.

  She took a step back. “Who ... what are you doing here?”

  “What does it look like I’m doing? Taking a nap?”

  “Actually ... yes. I thought you might be a drunk.”

  His mouth twisted. “Not yet.” Give me some time. Though truthfully, it was highly unlikely he’d become drunk on the swill that humans could offer, anyway.

  Her gaze darted to her dog as if she’d suddenly worried Eamon would attack the pitiful creature. “Archie, come here.”

  The infernal beast didn’t listen to his mistress and, instead, tried to sniff him. Eamon growled. The dog shivered but not in fear as he’d hoped. No, the dratted thing nosed him even more, and playful growls escaped its massive throat. White-hot humiliation flowed over Eamon. What was he coming to that he couldn’t even scare a dog?

  He closed his eyes as he marshaled his emotions and then sent an assessing glance at the dog. It was so innocent and eager he couldn’t bring himself to hurt it in any way. He scoffed — he was going soft. But he’d never attacked another living thing without just provocation or cause, no matter what others believed. By that same token, the animal’s owner also fell into that category, though he could almost make an exception for humans. He hated them so much. They’d taken so much from him. Surely, they were an abomination that shouldn’t be allowed to live.

  As his gaze shifted from the animal to the human, she must’ve read something of his thoughts on his face because she raised her right hand, a small black canister clutched in it. Only his strong reflexes saved him from the brunt of the stinging spray that burned his eyes and skin.

  For a second, he lay propped up on his side before springing to his feet. In a few short steps, he loomed over the mortal woman and bared his teeth. But his watering eyes ruined the effect, and he blinked rapidly to restore unobstructed sight.

  The human stood frozen for a while, and her dog remained a few feet away, seemingly unconcerned. Then the woman gathered her senses because she stumbled back a few paces. He followed, giving her no leeway, and plucked the little canister from her so she could do no more damage. Though he wouldn’t hurt her, his intimidation was a powerful weapon. And it appeared her dog wouldn’t do a thing about it.

  Eamon pressed toward her until the tips of their feet touched. Knowing she would cringe away, he grabbed her shoulders and opened his mouth to castigate her. Energy like he’d never felt before jolted through him, and all words died upon his tongue. He let her go as if she’d seared him, which in a way she had. Unlike the spray, the sensation neared painful without going over that edge. It was like a warming liquor that raged through his veins.

  Could it still have s
omething to do with the spray? Somehow, he doubted it. She herself was doing it. That knowledge sent rage and discomfort skittering through him.

  A glance at her showed her staring at him with round eyes. So she wasn’t unaffected. Was it just fear, or had she felt what he had? Ire at her — and him — surged forth like water through a broken dam. How could she, a mere human, have this effect on him?

  His hands clenched so he didn’t wrap them around her neck. “By the Green Mountains, what were you trying to do? Blind me?”

  She shrank back. “I don’t know. Just let us go, please.”

  Let her go? Until she set upon him, he hadn’t meant to stop her. “You are the one who accosted me.”

  “I ... I don’t know who or what you are, and I don’t want any trouble,” she said, inching away from him. She bent down slightly to grab her dog’s red collar.

  The air in his lungs disappeared. “What I am?”

  She flinched but didn’t answer as she kept moving backward.

  Before she could blink, he slipped behind her and placed one arm about her waist while the other one draped loosely around her neck. He whispered in her ear, “What do you know about me and how?”

  For a while her only response was a body-jerking shudder. Ah, he could still elicit fear, but that knowledge didn’t thrill him as it should have.

  He couldn’t have that now, could he?

  Chapter 3

  Caralyn’s pulse fluttered in her neck. The arm around her throat was lax, but that could change in an instant. Fright beat through her veins at a frantic tempo. Her vocal cords strangled any sound that might’ve come out.