Bound (World of Shadows Book 2)

by Kensie King

  “Lawrence,” I said in a low, breathy tone. “I’ve been waiting to talk to you the whole evening.”

  “Savannah, please,” he said. He glanced around the room. “This isn’t right.”

  “You can come to my home and speak to my father. Ask if you can court me. Then it will be right.”

  He gently pushed my hand away when I touched his arm. “I’m sorry, Savannah. I’m courting Rebecca.”

  His words hit me hard, a blow to the chest I wasn’t prepared for. Then he was walking away, moving to Rebecca again. He took her hand in his and led her to the dance floor.

  Flames flickered inside, dancing around waves of angry jealousy.

  Now, I knew what I had to do.

  #

  When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a familiar room. Gage’s bedroom.

  “You’re awake,” a voice said quietly. Audrey sat on a chair next to the bed.

  I turned my head on the pillow and winced. It felt like I got hit with a brick. My vision was still hazy, but part of that was the memory of Savannah in a period dress, full of excitement, in a large ballroom.

  And it was me, inside of her, feeling the same excitement, hurt, then anger. At the end of the vision, I could tell what she wanted. Revenge.

  “Audrey,” I said, my voice scratchy. “What am I doing here? Again?”

  She smiled. “Gage wanted you to be comfortable and our house was the closest place.”

  I gritted my teeth against the familiar flutter of panic. I had to remind myself I wasn’t a prisoner this time. The door was open on the other side of the room. But it still felt odd that he’d bring me to his bedroom each time.

  It was so intimate.

  “Where is he?” I asked, struggling to get into a sitting position.

  “Phone call.” She gestured. “How’s your head?”

  I grimaced. “I had a dream about Savannah.”

  Audrey scooted forward in her seat. “Gage said he took you to her house.”

  “He did.” And I remembered feeling sick the moment I’d walked in. And how quickly I’d seen her. Maybe that was why I’d had the dream. Or was it a memory? It was clear that I was in Savannah’s shoes, and I’d gotten insight into her thoughts. My mom had been right, she’d wanted revenge on Gage’s great-great-grandfather.

  I looked at Audrey, ready to change the subject. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better than you look.”

  I frowned. “Thanks.”

  “Gage is worried.”

  I swung my legs over the side of the bed, happy to find myself fully dressed except for my boots. “Of course he is. He loves you.”

  “Not about me,” she said, meeting my eyes. “Well, yeah, about me. But he’s also worried about what happened with you.”

  “I’m fine.” I gave her a smile. “This is kind of normal for me actually.”

  “I think that’s what he’s worried about.” Audrey stood when I started to get off the bed. “Maybe you should rest for a bit.”

  I ignored her suggestion and got up. I did just rest. The amethyst on the necklace hummed against my skin. I pressed my hand over the top of it.

  Audrey looked uncertain. “Link.”

  “That’s nice of you to look after me.”

  “You’re doing the same for me,” she said, lowering her gaze. “And I haven’t thanked you for it.”

  “Not yet,” I told her. “Wait until I figure it out. A spell or something. Besides, I need to practice, to work on my magic.”

  “I’ll help you if you need it,” she said.

  “Me too,” Gage added from the doorway.

  I looked over to find him leaning against the jamb, his arms crossed. He was still holding his cell phone, and I spotted tension in his smile.

  “Feeling better?” Gage asked.

  “You know me. I’m resilient.”

  “More than I’d expect for all that’s happened to you.” He pushed away from the door and walked to us. “But sometimes people are stronger than we give them credit for.”

  He put his arm around Audrey’s waist. She smiled up at him.

  “We should get started,” I told them. I didn’t want to see Audrey sick for any longer than necessary. “I can start looking in the Book of Shadows for a spell and then—”

  “Link.” Gage’s voice came out firm. “Not now. You need to take it easy. Do you know what happened?”

  “In Savannah’s house? I saw her.” I squinted my eyes, trying to picture her. “And she didn’t look like a ghost this time. Then I had a dream about her and Lawrence—”

  “Our great-great-grandfather,” Gage said with a nod. He rubbed a hand on his jaw. “She was part of the reason the curse was so…big. So final. She was very angry with him.”

  “I know,” I said, looking away. “I could feel it. She was in love with him.” I could feel that, too.

  Audrey gestured to the door. “I can make something for lunch. Then we can talk.”

  “I should really start trying to figure this out,” I said.

  Gage shook his head, making irritation rise inside. “You should eat. Make sure you’re feeling up to anything more. Lunch sounds good, Audrey.”

  She walked from the room, and Gage stepped closer to me. To my surprise, his lips curved into a wicked smile. “Look at us. We’re standing in my bedroom again—and of your own free will, I might add.” He glanced to the door. “It’s wide open and you’re not running.”

  Because he was absolutely right, I deflected with humor. “Just making sure I don’t pass out again—then I’ll make a run for it.”

  He smiled slightly at the joke, though it faded quickly. He walked forward, none of his usual guile, and took my hand gently. I didn’t even think to pull away as his compassionate eyes met mine. “Tell me what happened.”

  “I saw Savannah,” I told him simply.

  “It’s more than that,” he said. He brushed his fingertips on my cheek, making me shiver. “I think something else is going on—something you’re not telling me.”

  The flames flickered inside, triggered by how close he was. But it wasn’t my doing this time. It wasn’t because of the intimacy. It was because of Savannah. She was making this happen, focusing her energy on him. Obsessed with hurting him the same way she was obsessed with getting revenge on Lawrence.

  The idea made me step back. Anger, burning red, flashed behind my eyes. Shit. Savannah wanted to hurt Gage.

  No wonder she was always around—but especially when Gage was there. And her helping me trap him in the cave? That wasn’t just for me—that was for her. Because she wanted to see him in pain.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Link.” He stepped closer again, his eyes meeting mine. They started to darken. “You can trust me.”

  “Don’t do that, Gage,” I said through gritted teeth.

  He winced, like he hadn’t even realized what he was doing. But his next words were shut out by the loud voice in my head.

  You can’t trust him. He’s evil. Make him bleed.

  I yanked in a breath and eased away from Gage. When he reached out, I shoved him away from me and darted for the door.

  “Link,” he said, surprised.

  He was too fast. He caught me from behind, with one arm looped around my waist. Then he turned me in his arms. I ducked my chin, refusing to look in his eyes.

  “Don’t, Gage. Stop. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Hurt me? Is that why you’re trying to run from me?”

  Kill him. He doesn’t deserve to live.

  Dammit. I yanked against Gage’s grip. “Please let go. I have to get out of here.”

  “Link. Look at me.”

  “No—”

  “Please. I swear I’ll let you go. I’ll let you leave if that’s what you really want.”

  He’s lying to you. You can’t believe anything he says.

  “Stop,” I murmured. “Just stop.”

  “Stop wh
at?”

  I swallowed hard. “I want her to leave me alone.”

  Gage put his arms around me and held me against his chest. He smelled like cologne, and like pine trees and the outdoors. His breathing was steady beneath my cheek, heartbeat strong. I knew I couldn’t hurt him that easily, but Savannah wanted me to try.

  He ran his hand down my back, telling me over and over it was going to be okay while Savannah spit hatred in my mind. Then she switched tactics, telling me to get him to trust me.

  Gage leaned back and cupped my face in his hands. “Will you let me help you?”

  I nodded, as if against my will.

  Good, Savannah said. That’s it. Get him to trust you. Trick him.

  His eyes dipped to my lips. “Link…”

  My mouth parted in invitation, and he moved in. His hand gripped my hair in the back, tugging slightly to raise my mouth to his. His warm breath hit my lips before his tongue sought mine out, warm and demanding. His other hand pressed against my back, holding me to him so I could feel every muscle.

  Yes, Link. Make him believe you’re on his side.

  I made a noise deep in my throat, wanting to tell her to shut up. Gage mistook it for pleasure. And he wasn’t far off. Gage was doing things with his hands and his tongue that would have had me whimpering in any other circumstance. His hand slid under my shirt in the back and traced up my spine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, foolishly thinking that if I lost myself in Gage, Savannah would go away.

  Gage turned me so the backs of my thighs were against the bed. “Please don’t stab me with anything,” he murmured.

  I chuckled under my breath. I’d done it before, and that time it had nothing to do with Savannah. I’d just needed to escape. I tricked him that time but only because I needed to get out of here, not because I wanted to kill him.

  Trick him this time, too, Savannah said, her voice almost gleeful. Then you can stab him again, but this time with something a lot more dangerous. Something that will hurt him.

  I straightened. “No,” I whispered.

  His lips made a trail down my neck while his hands cupped my ass. “What?” he asked, not lifting his head.

  Make him bleed.

  “Fuck,” I hissed, jerking away. I shook my head. “Gage, I can’t do this. It’s not—”

  His eyes were cloudy with desire when they met mine. “What’s wrong.”

  “I can’t—I mean, this isn’t right. It’s not…”

  How was I supposed to explain this to him? I felt like I’d been sawed in half and I couldn’t put together the pieces. One half wanted him and his nearness, craved that connection I knew we had, but the other part, the part Savannah was desperately trying to control, wanted to destroy him.

  I pointed at him. “You have to stay there. It’s better if we stay apart. I don’t want anything to happen.”

  “What do you think is going to happen?” Gage’s eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

  “Good,” I said, hastily moving toward the door. “Probably better that way. You just—stay there—and I’ll get my books. I’ll go.”

  He moved at the same time I did. “Link.”

  I held out my hand. “You said I could go. I’m not a prisoner here.”

  “You’re not.”

  “Then let me go, Gage. I have to—” I released a sharp breath. I needed to go before Savannah got too far in my head and made me do something. If I was around Gage, I could focus better.

  “You’re not stuck here,” Gage said, moving closer. He didn’t touch me, just met me at the door. “You can leave if you want, but—”

  “Yes, that’s what I want.”

  He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair before dipping his head in a nod. “Okay. I’ll get the books for you.”

  “I’ll meet you at the front door.”

  He frowned. “The front door.”

  I nodded again and waited for him to leave the room. Once he was gone, I ran my hands over my face.

  “Savannah,” I whispered, my voice weary. “You can’t do this. Gage isn’t Lawrence.”

  They’re all the same and they all deserve to die.

  In my mind, I saw the flash of a knife plunging into Gage’s chest. I choked on a cry of outrage and raced from the room. I rushed down the stairs and nearly ran into Audrey at the bottom.

  “Whoa—Link. What’s wrong?”

  I stared at her, trying to settle on a good lie, but I couldn’t think of anything. I slowed down and walked to the door where my shoes sat.

  “I have to go,” I told her finally. “It’s been a long day. I’m tired.”

  There was concern in her voice when she asked, “Where’s Gage?”

  “He’s getting my books for me.”

  When she didn’t respond, I looked up.

  “You’re difficult to figure out, Link.”

  “Why are you trying to figure me out?”

  She folded her arms and leaned against the post at the bottom of the stairs. “You’re part of our lives now. Gage talks about you. This isn’t normal.”

  What wasn’t normal? That Gage talked about me? I couldn’t help but feel a little offended.

  “Sorry to change the norm on you,” I said, voice tight. “This wasn’t exactly in my plans either.”

  “Something’s haunting you,” she said.

  My eyes locked on hers. She was absolutely right. My past was haunting me. Savannah was haunting me. And if I couldn’t help her get better, that would haunt me, too.

  Gage returned with both Books of Shadows. I waited for him to pass them over, but he just stood there.

  “Stay for lunch,” he suggested. “We can talk.”

  I shook my head immediately. “Bad idea.”

  “Link,” he said quietly. “I want to help.”

  Audrey looked over at him like she was surprised at his words. I took a moment to swallow what I wanted to say. That yes, I’d stay because I needed to rely on something. But that could be risking Gage’s life and wasting precious time.

  I grabbed the books from his hands instead. “I’ll start researching and practicing whatever spells I can. I’ll let you know what I come up with soon. I promise.”

  I whipped around and grabbed the doorknob. When I twisted and nothing happened, I glanced over my shoulder as panic crept up. Gage just stepped forward, reaching past me to undo the lock.

  He opened the door for me and followed me out.

  “Stay in there with Audrey,” I told him, hurrying down the stairs. “Don’t say anything else, just—”

  “You can’t go.”

  My heart slammed against my ribs. “But—”

  “I mean, you don’t have a car. I drove, remember?”

  “Oh.” I swallowed irrational worry. “Right.”

  “I’ll drive you.”

  I didn’t have a choice. I got into his car and clutched the books close to my chest the entire way. Gage tried to talk to me twice, but I just shook my head and refused.

  When I got home, I hopped out of his car quickly, leaving Gage looking bewildered. I refused to look back as I raced up the porch stairs and ran inside, locking myself in.

  Chapter 8

  I pretended I was working, that I was on a deadline, which I sort of was because I promised my editor I’d get a rough outline to him by next week.

  That gave me an excuse to turn off my phone and ignore the rest of the world for a bit. I searched online for history about Knob Creek and the haunted hotel. I had to remember to stick to facts for the story, though it was hard knowing what kind of paranormal beings existed here.

  I also wrote down information about the spell—about what I needed to research into order to put it back into place. Me being in town with the other original families of Knob Creek on the full moon had started the first stage of the reversal of the curse Savannah and her coven had put into place. We just needed to fix it somehow, and we should be able to do it on the full moon.

  I also started r
esearching a way to help Audrey and realized I might need my mom’s help for that—for guidance. I didn’t relish the idea, but I was prepared to deal with it.

  I didn’t resurface until the sun was on the other side of the house and dipping behind the horizon. When rain started tapping on the roof and windows, I leaned back from the computer and stretched my arms over my head.

  I got up from the chair and reached for my phone to turn it on again. I went through what I missed as I walked to the living room.

  Two phone calls and three text messages? How did I get so popular?

  I supposed time-sensitive curses could really fill up a person’s schedule

  Another text came through, making me sigh. I didn’t even pay attention to the number, just clicked the screen.

  Then froze.

  Kill him.

  Fuck. I squeezed my phone tight in my hand, resisting the urge to throw it across the room. When I looked back at it, the message was gone.

  I scrolled through the rest, but they were all normal. Two texts from Grace to check in on me. Even one from Gage asking how I was doing. Nothing out of the ordinary.

  Shit. I knew I didn’t imagine it.

  There was a knock on the front door, making me whip around with a yelp caught in my throat.

  “Link?” Dylan said.

  “Dammit,” I cursed under my breath. Savannah was taking over my life.

  I walked to the door to let Dylan in. He walked right up to me, eyes narrowed. “Did something happen?”

  I was sure I looked like I’d seen a ghost—or heard one, was more like it. I shook my head.

  “Everything’s fine.” I studied his face. “When did you…change back?”

  A muscle jumped in his jaw. “A few hours ago.”

  I took his hand. “You can talk to me, you know.”

  “I already told you to drop it.”

  I frowned. “I don’t want to.”

  His eyes whipped to mine, dangers flickering in their depths. “Link,” he warned. “I’m not in the mood to go there.”

  I folded my arms, biting back the words I wanted to say. That he wasn’t ever in the mood. Or maybe it was just that I wanted a fight—needed a way to get out my frustration.

  Dylan walked to the couch, dropping into the closest cushion. I paused when I saw shadows under his eyes and weariness in his movements. “Is this about what happened this morning?” he asked.