Bound by the Fae: A Fated Mates Romantic Fantasy: Magic Bound Book 1

by Allie Santos

  “Jase,” she said, her voice turning sad. “When you came to the palace to train to be a guard, I should have recognized you. The little Fae boy I sent to live with people I thought I could trust.” She shook her head. “Binding magic is a mistake I have been trying to undo since the moment I placed it. You know I’ve worked to find a way. I’ve always prided myself as a gentle ruler. When I lost my mate, I was distraught. I did not know what to do. I thought it was my only option. I was wrong.” She straightened and looked into his eyes. “I know the lies that have been spun to turn you from me. You were never the ruling family. Your grandfather took the title from my grandfather. With his persuasion ability, he tricked everyone into believing he was King and that he had the essence. I decided to spare you because I did not believe it was right to kill you for your grandfather’s deeds.”

  “There was no need for anyone to lie or turn me against you,” he hissed. “You showed me. You knew what that family was going to do to me. Yet, you sent me to them anyway.”

  A sad expression crossed her face. “Rian told me what happened to you. I’m sorry you were abused. I did not know. They had always seemed like gentle people. I should have kept a closer eye on you, but a year later they told me you had died from grief.” She stopped talking abruptly, lifted her head, and sniffed. “Dark magic—where is the darkling?” the Queen hissed.

  “She left.” Sabine smiled. “You’ll never find her either.”

  “I’m to assume she was going to attempt to unbind the magic,” Luz guessed.

  “Yes,” I croaked through a tight throat. Luz turned and leveled a power-infused gaze on me. “We’re human, but they said we have Fae blood and our magic is dormant. They said if they sacrificed us, they would have enough magic to unbind the power.”

  The Queen threw her head back and laughed. “You idiots. Let me guess, Cora’s existence gave you the idea. You would have wasted the life of your own people.” She sneered at Roark and Sabine. Roark stiffened as he watched the Queen.

  “Why wouldn’t it have worked?” Sabine asked.

  “You seem weak,” the Queen said, ignoring Sabine and approaching Roark. “There is something off…”

  “Sabine has been siphoning his magic from him,” I said, surprising myself. Hey, I could talk about it!

  Roark turned to me, shocked.

  Luz tilted her head and pierced him with her eyes. “Always playing your little games, Sabine,” she tsked. “Just like the little stunt you pulled with my bathwater. Did you think I wouldn’t sense the darkness seeping into my skin and grabbing onto my life force?”

  The Queen laughed, shaking her head. She turned back to Roark, and her eyes flashed from Sabine to him and back. “I sense another thing… Something dark and twisted. Is that…” She paused, shock crossing her face. She stumbled back. “Did you force a melding?”

  “Yes,” Sabine gloated.

  “That’s impossible,” she replied.

  “Everything is possible with dark magic if you have the real mate’s blood,” Sabine said gleefully, slowly edging to the side.

  “What do you mean?” Roark snapped.

  “I mean that you didn’t even recognize your beloved.” Sabine laughed. “You were actually quite horrid to her.”

  Roark turned his wide eyes on me, but I couldn’t meet them. I turned my head away from him.

  “What?” The word escaped his lips, sounding breathless.

  “Forcing a meld is an abomination,” the Queen spat.

  “He has you to thank for that. If you had never bound our magic, he would have recognized her as soon as they touched,” Sabine said in a faux sad tone.

  Roark was suddenly squeezing Sabine’s arms, his fingers digging into her flesh. “This was your plan,” he raged into her face, shaking her.

  I wanted him to kill her. It didn’t even make me feel bad wishing for it. She had been such a pain in my life since she appeared that I wanted her gone, permanently. But reality intervened.

  He couldn’t kill her because it meant his own death.

  “We can take Sabine hostage, Roark. Come with us, and we will figure everything out. I have already offered your mate my protection. She was on her way to me,” the Queen said softly.

  “I will leave, Roark. You will never see me again, I swear it,” Sabine said as she clutched his clothing in tight fists.

  He turned to look at me, and I begged him not to believe her with my eyes.

  “And you will never look for Rae again. You will leave us alone,” he said, turning back to her. My mouth fell open. He was bargaining with her? She nodded frantically, whispering something. No freaking way. I was about to open my mouth to yell no when Roark released her.

  Betrayal like I’d never felt hit me. He let her go? He let her go.

  “I owe you nothing anymore. Never bother us again,” Roark bit out harshly.

  Sabine smiled, and I knew something was about to go wrong. Before I could even blink, Sabine lunged at me and punched me with all her strength. I stared down at the hole in my stomach. My ears rang, blotting out everything else.

  I heard Roark’s pained, “Rae,” echo around me as I viewed everything from what seemed like goggles.

  “I swear I will never again bother you.” She laughed as she jumped out of the window and disappeared.

  Hands were around me as I crumpled, catching me before I hit the ground.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I heard from above as my eyes flickered closed.

  Someone shifted me, and my body jerked in pain. Somehow, I was able to open my eyes. The wind whipped around, and it felt as if I were inside a tornado. I gasped and looked up at the Queen. She looked down at me grimly and helped me sit up. I desperately clutched at my torso and felt wetness.

  “Do not fight it. Accept it and take it into yourself. You must help the Fae and do everything in your power to unbind magic for every Unnatural being in the world. This is a heavy burden I put on one as young as you. I’m sorry you were dragged into this world. Trust when only necessary. Trust Rian and Tyran with your life. Tell Conan I love him, and I could have never asked for a better brother.”

  I jerked back as she reached for me. “No,” I coughed through a tight throat, not knowing what she was doing but feeling a heavy foreboding at the same time.

  “Do not feel guilty for this. My death became inevitable once Sabine poisoned me. At least now I will be with Kydan.” She smiled slightly, eyes glittering with unshed tears. Avenge me.” Those were her last words as she bent forward and pressed her lips to mine.

  A wispiness flowed into me, and my body bowed in pain. Cold seared me, spreading and consuming me. It filled every space and ballooned to an excruciating level.

  At first, I fought against the sensation, but the more I fought, the colder it felt. Luz’s words whispered through my mind, and I relaxed my body. The pain became manageable as I lay and took it in, absorbing it. I lost track of time and all sense of self.

  26

  When I came to, I looked up into frantic, wet lavender eyes and felt strong arms wrapped around me. Someone was sobbing from the side. It took effort for my sore body to make my neck turn. Thea sat a foot away from me, crying as she stared at me. Beside her lay the body of the Queen. Her red hair was strewn around her head, and her sightless eyes stared up at the ceiling, a slight macabre smile twisting her thin lips.

  She was dead? I blinked in quick succession as it all came flooding back to me. Her words, her sacrifice. I was alive because of her. I was alive.

  I gasped and tried to touch my stomach, but it took effort for me to figure out how to move my limbs. Soon, I was patting where the hole had been. My stomach was healed. The arms around me squeezed gently. Rough hands tenderly grasped my face. There was a guttural groan from above me.

  Blinking again, I looked up at Roark. Roark, who seemed more beautiful than I remembered. His skin’s smoothness was emphasized and his eyes held specks of gold that I hadn’t noticed. I finally registered the words
his mouth formed.

  “I’m sorry, I should have listened.” His words flowed out desperately, repeating over and over. His eyes shone with unshed tears.

  I pushed at him, trying to get out of his embrace. He tightened his hold, but I exerted extra effort and forced him to release me. He looked shocked that I had been able to get free.

  “Get away from me,” I spat. I scuttled back on the ground, putting space between us.

  He looked like I’d skewered him, but before I let myself feel it, I steeled myself against him.

  “I made a mistake,” Roark rasped.

  “What mistake exactly?” I yelled, all the anger I had felt and stifled since that psycho grabbed me flowing through me. “Watching as she broke my ankle? Watching as she hit me?”

  He stared at me, the desperation in his gaze swirling with agony.

  “Watching you fuck her right in front of my eyes, then having to sleep in that same bed? You know, I felt intrigued by you even then, when you were so… cold. Now I think back, and all I feel is hurt and-and anger.” My voice cracked. I struggled to swallow past the lump in my throat as I stood. The remembered hurt bubbled at the surface

  “I owed her. It was the only reason why I let her go. We just used each other, I told you this,” Roark said, frustration seeping into his tone. He ran his hand through his hair and approached me slowly—like I was about to take off running.

  “Well, okay, I’m sorry. That means everything is okay.” I clapped my hands, waving them around dramatically. “Want to know the worst part? Watching you fucking tie yourself to her,” I ground out between my teeth, bunching his shirt as I screamed into his face. “The melding, or whatever the hell you call it. Did you know she used her ability on me to not say anything about how she took my blood and told me she was going to use dark magic to tie you together?”

  “That’s why it tasted so right,” he muttered to himself.

  I grabbed my hair and cried out in frustration. Unable to help it, I punched him square in the jaw, and his head snapped back. He grasped his face, staring at me in shock.

  “It astounds me that you would think I’d be okay with you tying yourself to another person.” I shook my head, took a deep breath, and stepped back from him.

  Letting him go.

  “Maybe next time you can watch me meld to someone else in front of you.”

  A shattering sound blast through the room, dust pluming. When the cloud settled, I saw a giant indent in the wall where cracks spiraled out. He had punched a hole in the wall.

  “You are mine,” he said with a growl.

  I laughed and stalked to Thea’s side, who had backed up against the wall, looking freaked out. Thunder came from outside, or was it downstairs? I tilted my head and realized steps were getting closer.

  “Time to move, Thea,” I said. She sat stiffly on the floor, shock on her face.

  “You aren’t leaving me,” Roark said from my side. His hand wrapped around my arm.

  “Let go,” I said, narrowing my gaze on his wrist, and tugged. He didn’t let go.

  “No. You are mine,” he repeated calmly. His voice was desperation mixed with an almost questioning edge to it. The pain in it was what made me swallow. I steeled myself for the second time.

  “I don’t belong to someone who belongs to someone else,” I said. The fight seeped out of me, and I bent my head in defeat. I was so tired.

  The thundering steps finally made it up. As the door exploded inward, Roark released my arm and stepped in front of me, crouching with a menacing hiss.

  A group of men walked in. Several swore when they saw the husk of their Queen lying to the side. They then turned to look at me with resolve on their features. Before I could understand what was happening, they bowed, and one approached. Roark hissed and reached out to me.

  This was too much. I clutched my head and backed up until I hit a wall. I wanted everyone to stay, to just stay.

  And they did. Everyone around me froze.

  Before my luck ended, I bent down and scooped up a frozen Thea. Her mouth was opened in the beginnings of a yell, tears frozen on her face. I clutched her close, her weight feather-like, and jumped out of the window. I landed softly on my feet. With my next step, I realized my ankle had completely healed.

  27

  I ran at hyper-speed. At Fae speed. Whatever the Queen had given me had changed me. Energy prickled over my flesh. I didn’t question my new enhancements. There would be time to freak out later.

  I looked down the stretching walkway at the side of the building, lifted my leg, and was suddenly at the end. I peered around the corner and saw swords cutting through the air. Bodies littered the floor. Some groaned. Others were decapitated. My attention was drawn to the battling pair to my right. The swings of their swords were so fast I could barely keep sight of their attack. The shorter one dipped suddenly and sliced in an arch. The taller Fae toppled over—feet detached from the rest of him.

  Stomach churning, I looked behind a tent and ran to it. I kept doing that until I had the blown-open gates in sight. I headed straight for them.

  Just as I neared, a Fae landed in front of me out of nowhere. I yipped and dropped Thea, reacting on simple stranger-danger instinct.

  “Human,” was all he managed to say before my fist connected with his mouth, and he flew backward.

  I stared down at my hand, in awe of my superhuman strength. An enraged screech made me burst into action. But before he could get up, a large sword embedded itself into his skull, pinning him to the large rock wall behind him. I looked at the source and found Bran staring at me.

  Crap. It was over now.

  His gaze went down to Thea, and he clenched his teeth with an audible click. “Take her away from here,” he said tersely and turned away.

  Not taking a second to think about it, I once again scooped Thea up and took off. Maybe he had really cared for her. A part of me wondered what had happened to make him turn on Thea, but from the look in his gaze as he stared down at her, it was sure to be heartbreaking. I’d had enough heartache.

  I shook those thoughts off and concentrated on running. I flowed through the flattened grassy meadow and stopped where they had sacrificed Karen. There was no sign of her body.

  I looked back and saw the towers looming over, the cloak no longer hiding it from view. Well, I guess that’s how they’d found the fortress. With a start, I realized it was night, and it wasn’t snowing like it usually did during the darkened hours.

  I needed to find the girls. Where would they be?

  My hair whipped across my face, stinging my skin as I ran and ran. All of a sudden, a smell of… vanilla entered my nose. It was oddly comforting. Trusting my instincts, I followed it, jumping and leaping over fallen trees and woodland.

  I was going so fast that I wasn’t sure how to stop, so I tumbled right into a body, my hold on Thea slipping as I went flying.

  “Oww,” Eliza’s voice groaned. I’d landed on top of her. I shot up and found myself jumping really high and landing softly again.

  “What the…?” Selina said, eyeing me.

  I looked up and saw the Captain had caught Thea. I sighed in relief. The Captain’s eyes met mine, and there was sadness there.

  “She is gone.” There was a detached air to the statement, but I nodded anyway. Pain flickered over his face. “She said this was always an option,” he mumbled as he gently set Thea down.

  “What’s wrong with Thea?” Rosalind asked and crouched next to the frozen Thea, reaching up to touch her forehead.

  “Long story, but I basically made her freeze,” I said guiltily.

  The Captain took a knee in front of me, his head bowed. “My name is Rian. Whatever you need, I am yours to command.”

  This was totally weird. Especially since I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. I uncomfortably shuffled from foot to foot.

  “Don’t do that.” I cleared my throat and walked over to him. “Thank you for helping us get out.”

  H
e dipped his head. “Of course.”

  “Luz said to trust you,” I said, feeling a little sad at the thought of her loss. I didn’t know her, but she had given her life for me. That was something I would never forget.

  “What’s going on? Why y’all actin’ weird?” Camilla asked, looking at Rian kneeling on the grass.

  I motioned for Rian to get up, and he smiled at my uncomfortable shuffling.

  “She is now the Queen of Faerie.” His words rang out with finality, and the woodland around us seemed to breathe. A foreboding feeling slithered through me.

  There were gasps from all the girls, and they all started talking at once.

  “I—it’s not a big deal,” I said, my voice breaking on my words. They seemed to sense something was off and stopped the inquisition. An awkward silence followed, one that was broken by the unlikeliest person.

  “We’re sorry we left. We didn’t know if you guys would make it. I made the decision to move without waiting,” Jasmine said, stepping forward.

  “That was smart of you. Better that some of you guys make it out than none.” I smiled at her, trying to reassure her, and she returned it. It was tiny, but the smile was there, nonetheless.

  “By the way, what did happen back there?” Eliza asked.

  “Sabine caught up to us.” The collective gasped. “And then Roark.” My voice hitched at his name. “And then the Queen.”

  “We sure missed it,” Camilla said, wide-eyed.

  “Thank God you did else you would have seen an arm through my stomach,” I joked.

  “What?” Rosalind yelled.

  “Yep.” I tried to lighten the mood with a mild tone. “Almost died. The Queen saved me.”

  Concern flashed over Rosalind’s face. The sky darkened above us, and a drop of rain hit my cheek. It seemed to give my tears permission to fall, and as soon as they did, the night sky opened up. It was as if the sky gave me leave to feel the crippling pain in my chest. The betrayal and hurt. I fell forward into someone’s arms as I blubbered and spilled everything I had. About what I was to Roark. What Sabine had done. How they were linked now by dark magic, or whatever that was.