Wanted by the Fae: A Fated Mates Romantic Fantasy: Magic Bound Book 2 (Magic Bound Series)

by Allie Santos

  Damn Roark. Why couldn’t he leave my head? I needed to get out of here. Guilt nibbled at my stomach. Here Ty was, asking for more, and all I could think about was Roark. I needed to tell him the truth—all of it.

  I let out a shuddered breath. “I have to get out of here, Ty. I know you think Roark tricked me and hurt me. But there’s more to it than that.” Rip the bandage off. “He’s my mate.”

  Ty’s head jerked back. His expression indicated he wasn’t comprehending the gravity of my words. “Impossible. Even if you were, it would be impossible to know with magic bound.”

  My lips remained sealed. He visibly struggled until I couldn’t take it anymore. “We are. And they used my blood to force a melding between Sabine and Roark with darkling magic.” My words were choked, and the tears flooded my eyes.

  He cupped my face, and I blinked to remove the moisture. Ty’s softened expression became clearer as he leaned down.

  I dropped my shoulders and reached up to stop his progress. “I just can’t, okay?”

  “Do you want to be with Roark?” he asked, and I shook my head. “Give me a chance to win your affection after you get the information you need. As for the deal with Jedrick, I’ll think on a plan to sway him and null the agreement.” It was a repeat of what he’d vowed earlier and the same as earlier, the tension living in my shoulders that had to do with that did not subside. Just another issue I wanted to bury dead.

  “I—I’ll think about it, okay, but don’t hold out hope.” The relief in his eyes was evident. I placed my hand on my churning stomach.

  “Be safe, Rae, and return.” Before I could blink, he was gone, the door swishing shut behind him.

  As soon as it closed, it opened again. Rian walked in with Cora behind him. They gave me a look that said they knew what had just happened.

  “That was an awkward rejection, dear,” Cora said not unkindly.

  I huffed and looked up at the glass ceiling, wondering if something could smite me. Thin arms wrapped around me as Cora crushed me to her body.

  “I will miss you, please be safe, and I agree, come back soon.” Her eyes filled as she stepped back, grasping my arms, and with a squeeze, she let me go and left sniffling.

  Rolling my shoulders, I looked up at Rian. “Ready to go?” I said, pulling my bag over my shoulders.

  “Yes, everything should be handled here. We will exit the way you were brought in.”

  That was such a long time ago. So much and so little had happened since then.

  “Follow,” I intoned a tad sarcastic. There was a snort from behind me. I whirled to look, but if there had been a smile, it had already disappeared.

  The heaviness in my chest lightened. I would see Annie soon. On top of that, I was putting distance between Roark and me.

  The hallways were dead empty, and we quickly arrived at the entry leading to the hidden stairway that led to the ground floor and then outside. The non-descript door creaked when he pulled it open. The dimly lit, narrow hallway sent a shiver up my spine. It was neat how it practically blended with the wall on this side, but at the other end, it was a beautifully intricate door.

  I shook off the creepy-crawly feelings and followed Rian down the stairs and to the next door. The stairway was dark this time and we trekked downward what felt like a million stairs. Rian stopped at a dead-end and glanced up. With a sleek jump, he went through the rounded entrance. I remembered going down it. I just never thought I’d have to go back up.

  I took a deep breath and stepped below it. My legs bunched, and I pushed off the floor. A yelp escaped as I went flying up. Rian pulled me up before I fell back down, and I stumbled to my feet next to him. I followed him, disoriented. The fresh air wafted to my face when I stepped through the door he opened and faced the bordering of the boundary wall. Trailing beside it, we arrived at the door Conan was leaning against.

  “Good luck,” Conan said.

  I nodded to him as he waved us through. Rian nudged me forward. I picked up my speed, glad I had access to my Fae enhancements. I headed past the bordering wall and straight into the thicket of the vined foliage.

  Rian stopped beside me and tilted his head, searching for a portal. Several seconds passed before he sprang into action. “A portal just appeared. Think of your friend’s location.”

  He took off before I could answer. I huffed and sprinted after him, twisting through vines and greenery, surprised at my fluid motions. My Fae instincts were coming in handy. I inhaled sharply, focusing all my senses into my surroundings. It wasn’t until then that I realized how much Ty’s meditation lessons helped with the sensory overload. Rian repeated the question, and if I didn’t have my Fae senses, the words would have disappeared with the wind.

  From ahead of me, Rian slowed and grabbed my arm before going through the twining portal trees and throwing us into the other side. I understood the need to hurry considering how sporadic portals appeared and their finicky tendencies, but geez, was the manhandling necessary?

  I concentrated on Texas as we went through the portal. I landed on my face and groaned from the impact. It hadn’t hurt as much as it could have, but the dirt in my mouth was far from pleasant. I sputtered and pushed to my feet. Rian stared around impatiently.

  “Was that necessary?” I ground out.

  “Yes, the portal was closing.”

  I opened and closed my mouth, feeling like a fish. He didn’t wait for me as he strode away in a smooth motion. “Hey! Do you have a problem with me?”

  He didn’t answer, just kept walking. I grabbed his arm. It took me a second to drag him to a complete stop. He sighed and turned impatiently. “Is there a reason for the delay?”

  “Tell me what’s wrong,” I demanded. “And don’t say nothing. I can tell there’s something.”

  “I think your choice is idiotic. As I said, you’re running and, in doing so, risking the only thing that could unbind magic—you.”

  “You heard Conan. The goblins wanted to talk to me—”

  “That’s bullshit.”

  I scoffed. Both at what had just come out of Rian’s mouth and the quickness of it.

  He placed his fingers at his temples. “I am just worried,” he said and sighed. “We need to get going.”

  Despite his attempt at leading me off track, I understood he was stressed. Here he was, an old being that had his people’s livelihood resting on a half-breed twenty-three-year old’s shoulders. I could understand that, but it didn’t mean I liked it.

  “I memorized Camilla’s address. She lives close to where I used to live when I went to school,” I said. He rubbed his temples when he saw my mulish expression. “Migraine coming on?” I snipped and was surprised when he nodded. “I thought Fae couldn’t get headaches?”

  He shot me a look from his half-lidded eyes and paused his massaging. “Who told you that lie?”

  What! I could get a headache?

  “I haven’t had one since I’ve been Fae, I just assumed…”

  He snorted. “That was pure luck.”

  “Wait a minute. We don’t feel the extreme cold. But we feel headaches? How does that make sense?”

  At that moment, there was loud scuttling near my feet, and a scream flew from my mouth without my consent. Rian shoved me behind him, lifting his hand in the direction of the thing. I blinked at the raccoon as Rian threw a ball of fire at it. It squeaked and scuttled in the opposite direction. Some debris lit up with flames, and with a wave of his hand, Rian extinguished it. I gaped—that was an awesome power.

  “If you were trying to kill it, you missed.” My voice trembled. I flushed in embarrassment at my reaction.

  “We are in its home. I would not dare disrespect it by killing. We’ve angered nature enough at it is.” He shook his head like he didn’t know what to do with me. “Our magic comes from nature. The ground, the earth, the very air we breathe can carry magic. It means we must respect her in all forms.” I gathered he was talking about the raccoon, too. “You don’t feel cold becau
se your body regulates temperature. But keep in mind, although we are resilient, with enough force, we could get hurt physically as well as mentally. If you are uninjured and in top form, you can send regenerative cells to heal, which is why Fae don’t feel most physical pain the way a human would. It does not mean we do not feel pain. My headache was sharp, but it healed quickly. For you half-breeds, I’m not sure how that would translate. We shall see how that pans out.”

  “How does Cora feel pain and heal?”

  Rian snorted. “Cora has not been injured since she came into her Fae maturity. Conan treats her like crystal drop.”

  What the hell was a crystal drop? Maybe it was the Fae equivalent of a porcelain doll. Realizing Rian was talking, I snapped out of woolgathering.

  Rian cursed violently. In the time I’d met him, he’d seemed so contained. Certainly not one to say “fuck” in such a creative way.

  “What is it?”

  “We will have to part.”

  I blinked at him. “What?”

  “I used magic, and it gave me an aura.” He cursed some more.

  I was a little confused. “Your magic is being traced?”

  “Yes, I sense energy around me. I lit up like a beacon. The residue, it’s like the one you had when Luz infused you with the essence.”

  I was so confused. “How does that work, anyway? You just said they sense it.”

  “It used to be when magic was everywhere, you could feel a slight tingle to the air, but it was normal. Now, whenever someone uses magic, it’s like an electrical zap to whoever is close enough. It puts a target on the user until the mark fades away.”

  I was starting to get anxious. I knew where he was going with this. “But Roark used while we were here, and he acted like it was no problem.”

  He gave me a look. “That’s because it was Roark. I do not know if you’ve realized, but that narcissist isn’t fazed by much.”

  I rolled my eyes at him and what he said clicked. “You’re leaving me?”

  I was slightly ashamed at the desperate edge to my voice. Rian had been a constant recently, and although he annoyed me to no end with his straitlaced ways, he had a comforting presence.

  “Yes, it should be no longer than two days. You should have already reached your friends.”

  “But… but how am I going to get to them?”

  He gave me a pitying look. “Rae, you’re from this world. I’m sure you know more than me.”

  I looked around the dark forest, my pulse picking up. The cloudy sky not allowing the moonlight to brighten the area. Trees stretched high above and almost blocked out the sky and created a shroud of darkness that cocooned me. Brush rustled and I tensed. I squinted in its direction—on edge. What if I encountered more animals?

  He sighed and closed his eyes. “Your heart is going crazy. You will do fine. You’ve accomplished so much.” He pointed over my shoulder. “Use your speed to run that way. That’s the closest way to civilization.”

  He was right. I was needlessly freaking out. Plus, it wasn’t like I didn’t have super strength to defend myself. I needed to stop being a wimp.

  “Okay, I’ll see you soon.” I gave him Camilla’s address.

  “Whatever you do, don’t use magic. Stay safe and do nothing until I arrive, understood?”

  I saluted him as he turned to go. It wasn’t like I could even access my magic. The best I’d been able to do was dip into it to control the weather. I’d gotten used to the feel of it, and it didn’t hurt when I accessed it anymore, but a very small part of me wondered what it would be like if it wasn’t stuck in me.

  “By the way, your power is wicked cool,” I called after him.

  “Thanks,” he said with a snort and disappeared.

  I rubbed my arms. I was alone. It was something I used to be comfortable with. Hell, it was something I actively sought, but after being surrounded by so many people at the castle, I had kind of gotten used to having company.

  I took a deep breath to settle my nerves before I started freaking out. Everything was going to be okay. The objective was to get to Camilla’s so I had somewhere to stay until Rian found me and we could see the goblins. Plus, we needed to figure out when the next full moon was.

  I wished I knew where Annie was staying. I would have gone directly there. As soon as I got to Camilla’s house, I was borrowing a phone. Thankfully, I remembered her number. Or at least, I hoped it was the same one.

  I took off with Fae speed and extended my hearing since everything around me looked the same. The faint sounds of a horn sounded, and I redirected to the left. I wondered what the girls were doing, how they were living their lives, if they’d returned to school.

  School… I sighed. I’d had one measly semester before I would have graduated, but I’d gotten sucked into this mess. It had been so easy to push school down into the back of my head while surrounded by Fae and a beautiful, elaborate castle.

  Unexpectedly, Lissa, Tanya, and Jen came to mind. I wondered if Jen had told them what had happened, if they’d looked for me when I disappeared.

  I gritted my teeth. I needed to stop or I was going to send myself into a downward spiral that would lead to nothing good. The only positive was this sky didn’t reflect my emotions.

  The bustling sounds of city life filtered in from far off. It sounded muffled as if I were listening through glass. Huffing out a breath, I picked up speed in the direction of civilization.

  14

  Fingering the rough edges of my ticket, I sat back and watched the large electronic board, waiting for the bright green lights to spell out which train departed to Galveston. It turned out the portal hadn’t spit us out too far from the girls.

  Which was why I found myself impatiently waiting at the Dallas station as I pulled on my training and didn’t go crazy from the cacophony of sounds all around me. I’d resorted to stealing a bus pass someone had dropped, but desperate times and all that. I hoped whoever had lost it had it properly replaced.

  My foot bounced up and down, and when the light finally formed the words I was waiting for, I hopped up and ambled to the slowing train as a line formed. When I was finally on, I slipped low into my seat. An older woman sat across from me, scolding someone from her end of the phone. The sassy rebuttal on the other end sounded very much like a teenager.

  I eyed the device hungrily. I could call Annie now to find out where she was instead of waiting until I got to Camilla’s. Swallowing nervously, I waited until she clicked off. As she was about to slide the phone in her purse, I cleared my throat.

  “Excuse me,” I called. She looked up with an eyebrow raised. “I was wondering if I could borrow your phone so I can make a quick call?”

  She narrowed her eyes at me, very much judging. I pressed my lips together so I didn’t say anything snippy and let her judge away.

  “One call,” she said and held it out.

  “Thank you.” I sighed, relieved, and took it. I swiped until I was able to enter the number. Holding the cell to my ear, I waited as it rang. Please answer, Annie... Please answer… I wanted to curse when I got voicemail. The good thing was that it was her recorded voice.

  “Uh, hey, Annie. I was calling to see where you were staying.” I cleared my throat. “I’m in town for a few days. I’ll call you back in about an hour. Hopefully, you hear this by then. Bye.” I clicked the phone off and handed it back to the owner. I thanked her again and settled in for the long ride home.

  Overall, the trip was long and anxiety-inducing, and to top it off, I got my first taste of a headache post-Fae. It was mostly brought on by the rancid smell that emanated from every surface. I spent the whole time breathing through my mouth. It was not glamorous. I even received some funny looks.

  Five stops and a delay later, the train finally rolled up to my stop.

  I jumped out, glad to be out of that enclosed smelly area, headed to the information booth, and found a map. I walked in the direction where cabs were lined up and hopped in one. I rattled of
f the address, and the driver pulled away from the sidewalk.

  Snapping the map open, I perused it to gather an understanding of my exact location. I squinted and realized it was upside down. Feeling dumb, I put it right side up. I wished I had my phone’s navigation.

  The cab eventually slowed, and I looked out the window. I saw familiar street names. Glee filled me, and my knee bounced. It had been two months and a few weeks in Faerie. I wondered how much time had passed here. It couldn’t have been long. Conan said my sister didn’t look old.

  With a renewed sense of excitement, I leaned forward to check the timer. Shit, I needed money. How had I forgotten that major fact?

  “You can stop here,” I said, and he jerked to a stop on the side of the road. “Do you mind waiting? I left my wallet at home, so I have to borrow money from my friend.” The lie flowed awkwardly from my mouth.

  I ignored his disgruntled expression and hopped out. My giddiness multiplied when I stepped out, my worry turning to excitement. My eyes settled on a large building on the other side of the road.

  Then I was standing right in front of the steps of the townhouse. I jumped up the stone steps and brought the large knocker down on the large white wood door.

  Seconds later, the door swung open, and Rosalind’s shocked face stared out at me. The same face I remembered. It couldn’t have been long.

  “Rae?” Rosalind’s shock melted into delight, and the next thing I knew, she had thrown herself into my arms. I grunted, glad I had super strength to catch myself. “It’s so good to see you. It’s felt like it’s been forever. We’ve been wondering how you’ve been. We’d started thinking the worst when we heard nothing from you—”

  Camilla’s twang came from the hallway, leading into the darkness to the left. “You’re going to talk the ear off—Rae!” She smiled and strode to me in brown cowgirl boots with purposeful strides. I met her halfway, and we hugged tightly.

  “It’s so good to see you guys,” I said wholeheartedly. We had only really spent maybe three days together, trapped and chained to a pole, thrown into a dungeon, and then running from certain death. But it felt so much longer than that.