by Allie Santos
BOUND BY THE FAE
Magic Bound Book 1
Allie Santos
Copyright © 2020 by Allie Santos
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
For my Mom and Dad.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1
I slumped into my chair, wrinkling my nose at the refilled tequila shot slammed in front of me.
“No more,” I moaned and winced as the remnants of the last drink lingered on my tongue.
“Come on, brown eyes,” Lissa whined, tossing her dyed blond hair over her shoulder. “You have to celebrate the end of the semester.”
I replayed the nickname they’d given me and buried the sting it roused inside me. I’d never tell them, but it just highlighted my insecurity whenever I was around the blue-eyed blond duo. If only Jen were here, she’d take the damn tequila shot for me. She was the only one who took pity on my light-weight status.
Jen, Lissa, and Tanya had dubbed me “brown eyes” since I’d found them stumbling around after a night of partying. I hadn’t had it in me to abandon them when some creepy guys closed in on them, scenting easy prey. With a regret-filled look at my bag stuffed with snacks, mourning the loss of a quiet night studying, I’d set out to get them out of a potentially dangerous situation.
Thankfully, they were so drunk they actually thought they knew me when I walked up to them. So, I made a fuss and bundled them into my little car idling in front of the convenience store.
First thing I realized as one puked on the floor of my car and the other two chatted at me nonstop about their escapades? They had wild child status—the total opposite of me. But even though we had nothing in common, I’d been adopted into their peppy group of three. I was unaccountably grateful because they were the type of friends who had your back. They also loosened me up, which I sorely needed. It wasn’t often I made it out with them due to my busy schedule, but I’d let them cajole me out of my self-imposed study cave this time.
“Plus, you only have a semester left and then you’re done. Cause to celebrate.” Tanya clapped, drawing me out of my head.
“Where’s Jen when I need her?” I mumbled.
“Said she was sick.” Lissa’s nose wrinkled.
I linked my hands on the table in front of me and grimaced in disgust at the moist feeling on the table. Rubbing my hands against my jeans to dry them, I felt the vibration of my cell from inside my pocket.
“What about that boy toy you have at home? Why didn’t you bring him out tonight?”
“I thought it was girls’ night!” I exclaimed, ignoring my phone. It was probably Jeff calling to check up on me.
Lissa wiggled her eyebrow and leaned forward. She grabbed a strand of my dark brown hair and fiddled with it. “If only I’d known how ripped he’d get, he would be my boy toy.” Her sigh was dramatic, and it sent a shot of jealousy through me.
Playing it off, I rolled my eyes and shoved the untouched shot toward her. “Here, drown your sorrows.”
Of course, she would remind me that Jeff and I had only ended up together because she’d rejected him. If only I had known he was interested in her first before I fell head over heels.
My cell vibrated against my leg again as Tanya started chattering. I pulled it out and looked down at the screen, expecting some cute text from Jeff. Instead, the small flash indicating a voicemail shone. My body tensed when I saw my sister’s name flashing across my screen.
“H-hold on.” I pushed off the table and faced away from the pair as I listened to Annie’s fearful, trembling words.
“R-Rae, help, please? Come home. It’s an emergency.”
A ball formed in my stomach, weighing me down with the fear-tinged words.
I whirled to the girls. “I have to go.”
“W-what?” they sputtered at the same time as my chair scraped back and crashed to the ground. I cursed myself for not bringing my car as I jabbed at my screen to order an Uber.
I threw open the door, slamming it shut behind me. The ride had sobered me up, and the only thing on my mind was getting to Annie.
The tidy living room was deserted, which was a surprise considering Jeff had a difficult time ungluing himself from the game console. My eyebrow furled when I saw the television flicker with colors of the abandoned video game.
“Jeff,” I called, striding to our bedroom. There was a muttered curse. Fear speared me. He must have fallen or something.
Oh, God, what if he was hurt?
Shuffles sounded as I pushed the door open. My stomach dropped as I froze, staring at the bed.
“Rae! It’s not what you think…”
Not what I think? Not what I think!
My face flushed as my brain attempted to process what was in front of me. Jeff’s jeans were around his knees. But what shook me was the naked brunette with her legs wrapped around his waist.
He pushed off from the edge of the bed where he’d been sprawled, causing the girl to drop onto her ass.
“Jen?” I gasped when I caught a glimpse of her face through her overly permed hair. A pulsating sensation started at the base of my head and spread to my shoulders, tightening them. “I thought you were sick.”
My voice sounded far away. I must have blacked out for a second because the next thing I knew, Jeff stood in front of me, clasping my hands. His mouth moved as Jen struggled to put on her pants. I blinked owlishly at him, hearing nothing come from his mouth.
I must be having an attack, I thought, detached.
Like a snap of a rubber band, my senses expanded back into place and I gasped with a dry sob. “You cliché piece of shit,” I yelled and yanked my hands from his grasp. “You better pack your crap because when I get back, I want you out.”
I shoved him out of the way. Blindly, I moved to the kitchen and grabbed my car keys.
He brushed my shoulder, but I only evaded his hold. “Rae, please.”
Feelings of inadequacy simmered in my blood, but I pushed it down, as I always did. There was no time for any of this. I needed to get to Annie.
Hours later, I was driving, stuffing a twinkie in my mouth and trying to push the tears back. I hated crying. I didn’t cry. But they gathered regardless. Taking a deep breath, I attempted to calm my rapid heartbeat. It wasn’t just sadness or the daunting sense of stupidity that kept bringing moisture to my eyes. It was anger. Deep and unbridled anger. It sizzled and flowed within me.
My heart begged me to forget the images, or at the very least stop dwelling on them, but the sharp ache in my ches
t kept the memory at the forefront of my mind. I’d never thought he’d be capable of such backstabbing. I tried to push the thoughts away, but he didn’t make it easy because he wouldn’t stop calling.
The little rectangle resting on my thigh vibrated again. Despite myself, I glanced down at the name flashing across the screen. Jeff.
I blinked the moisture from my eyes, simultaneously trying to chase away the sleepiness as well as the traitorous tears. I’d only stopped to pump gas every three hundred miles or so. I needed to stop thinking about him and concentrate on my destination. On my younger sister. I hadn’t mustered up the courage to call her to tell her I was on the way. I was scared. Of rejection. Of her disappointment.
Not calling her was a coward’s way out, but I comforted myself with the idea that I would see her soon.
Anxiety rose at the thought of seeing her. We hadn’t talked in the last year or even seen each other in the last three since I’d been forced to leave home at nineteen. There was so much I needed to say to her.
As my surroundings grew increasingly familiar, the ache in my chest that I’d successfully stifled grew. The day Dad ordered me to leave and never come back flashed in my memories, making the ache sting with renewed awareness.
Rejection and I were close friends, but I never thought Jeff would make this old pain rise to the forefront.
Dad had been a brute, more often than not drinking, and Mom was no better. I’d had to raise myself, then raise Annie when they had her. Even though he liked playing dad, like when he’d caught me messing around with one of the neighborhood boys. The beating he’d given me still stuck with me just as much as the names he’d called me. The whole ordeal had made me feel cheap. It didn’t help when I’d gone to Bernard and he’d already been wooing some other unsuspecting chick.
From then on, I knew boys and feelings were bad news, but I’d given Jeff a shot despite my misgivings. I’d made a ton of shit decisions in my short life, Jeff was one of them, but none were greater than the estrangement from my sister.
Looking up, I saw the large green awning sign cheerfully welcome me into Oregon. I bit my lip, unable to believe I was crossing the state line. Two hundred more miles, and I would arrive.
The chained tires of my little car clinked as it ate the snowy miles away, and a wave of nostalgia hit me. I’d missed these trees. When I’d left, they were third on my list of Will Be Most Missed. The snow-fluffed trees inspired a strange mixture of longing and a chilling sense of what my winters used to involve.
I’d run from the problems I’d had here, and now I found myself doing the opposite. It was funny how I kept ending up in the same cycle, but this time, I was using my sister’s call to run from my boyfriend.
I couldn’t deny I had issues. Out of this shitstorm, I guess I should focus on the silver lining. I was planning to ask my sister to move in with me. It had always been my goal, anyway. It just took me a while to pull my head out of my ass.
It had been a long three years of seminars, lectures, and papers—constant work. That was the tradeoff for wanting to graduate early, and considering I’d had a late start, I had to work harder.
I’d done it all for Annie, even if she hated me. I tried to do as much for her as she let me, even sending her money through the mail when she started rejecting my electronic attempts. I should have fought when she distanced herself, but the truth was, I’d let her ice me out. It had been better for my conscious.
Another vibration went off, and my brain was pulled back to Jeff. I rubbed my forehead.
After growing up seeing abusive behavior from my dad and that incident with Bernard, it was no surprise it affected me. My psych degree had already let me know I’d been testing Jeff when I told him I’d wanted to abstain from sex until I’d graduated. That’d been a year and a half ago, and I hadn’t thought it was going to be much of an issue for him.
I snorted. Guess it was. Sure, we woke up frustrated every morning, but it wasn’t like I didn’t take care of him. What made it all the more ironic was that I only had one semester left, and I’d planned a date for us to have sex.
I’d dodged a bullet.
I waved my hand in front of the blasting vent, wishing the air could be warmer. A shiver went through me. If only I’d had enough foresight to grab a thick sweater. I’d be lucky if I didn’t lose appendages in my jeans and thin, light green long-sleeved top that worked well in the chilled Texas night I’d left behind, but not so much in this colder climate.
I sighed. I loved this outfit. It contrasted with my dark wavy hair to perfection, making me feel pretty. In my group of babes, I’d always felt like the odd duck out. A tall, awkward duck.
Now though? This outfit was ruined. It would always remind me of the day Jeff cheated.
I ground my teeth together and clenched the steering wheel harder. My phone vibrated again. Unable to help it, I looked down, but it didn’t finish its first ring before it cut off. That was probably the sketchy reception.
I sighed, slumping in relief until dinging invaded the silence. Would it ever be over?
A flurry of notifications popped up in a rapid flow as if catching up with themselves. Fifty voicemails? Pursing my lips, I finally gave in to the desire to listen. I tapped at some buttons without looking, and his deep voice filled the small space.
“I’m so damn sorry, Rae. I don’t know what I was thinking. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” He went silent, and when he spoke again, his voice was choked. “I-I thought you were going to be home later—”
Clicking the voicemail off, I tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. Another flurry of dings went off, and my chest constricted with fury.
Grinding my molars, I grasped the handle to roll down the window and aggressively tugged it in circles. The air whipped my hair across my face as the crack grew. I snatched the damn phone and chucked it out the window.
And then totally regretted it.
Crap, what the hell was I thinking?
A part of me wanted to call him and give him a piece of my mind, while another part wanted to just cry and rage and throw things. Toss in the nervousness at seeing my sister for the first time in a long time, and I was a mess.
I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting to block it all out, and comforted myself with the thought of my destination. I’d be there soon. Anyway, it wasn’t like I’d get much reception out here.
Releasing a harsh breath, I opened my eyes and shrieked. A woman around my age with long silver-blonde hair stood in the middle of the road. Her eyes were so wide they seemed to take up half her face.
Heart pounding a mile a minute, I screamed and yanked the steering wheel hard to the left. Snow flew across my windshield and through my open window, slapping me in the face. I gasped for breath as the tires of my old Toyota spun wildly. The car turned in a complete three-sixty, and then I felt the jarring impact of something hitting the car. Oh, my God.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as I flipped in the direction of the trees. My stomach dipped, and my breath left my body in a rush.
Having no idea what to do, I let go of the steering wheel and drew my legs up, curling into the tightest ball I could. My seatbelt banded across my chest, compressing my lungs. As the car flipped, the pressure across my chest lessened and tightened in a roulette of pain, making it difficult to breathe.
Finally, the whirling movements screeched to a jarring halt. As the car rocked upside down, my weight pushed against the seatbelt. My chest heaved, and I sucked in cramped air. With a last jostling rock, the car began to settle, and gravity pulled my head down. I hit the roof with a thud and whimpered.
Silence.
I blinked away the dark spots in my vision and swallowed the coppery taste in my mouth. There was a ringing in my ears as the pounding of my heart broke the silence.
White. Everything was startling white.
A sharp throb rippled across my scalp, and I groaned. My arm and shoulder stung. The thin sweater I loved so much clung to
me.
My hand settled on the roof of the car below me while I clicked the seatbelt free with the other. Bracing myself, I dropped, but my arm gave out, and I fell face-first.
I stifled my yelp and wiggled upright until I managed to scoot against the upside-down seat. I had to hunch my tall body, so I didn’t bang up my head more. Damn, that hurt.
My forehead tingled, and when I reached a shaking hand up to the odd numb sensation, my hand came away coated in red. The world around me tilted, and the dark spots in my vision returned. As I struggled to gain my bearings, a muffled voice penetrated my groggy mind.
Shit. The woman in the middle of the road.
I scrambled to the upside-down handle and yanked at it. It clicked open, but it only budged a little. It was wedged into the snow.
Oh, God, I’d hit someone. Desperate to get to the woman, I ignored the twinges in my body, scrunched myself, and grasped the handle of the window. For once, I was glad I had an old car where I could manually move the window. I lowered it the rest of the way, slid my legs through, and dug my heels into the snow, scooting myself forward as I pushed with my sore arms. With a hiss, I shoved myself out of the window, adding new cuts to my expanding collection.
Crawling out the rest of the way, I tried not to pay attention to the splatters staining the white blanket of snow. Wait, was it purple? It must be oil. Oh, God, if it was, I needed to get us away from the hissing car. I looked away from the disconcerting sight as my gaze followed the voice.
Holy hell.
I gasped and stumbled as I tried to run to her. A sob escaped my lips, and my stomach churned as I took in the sight before me.
