by K. G. Reuss
Soul Bound
The Everlasting Chronicles
K.G. Reuss
Book Four
Copyright Soul Bound: The Everlasting Chronicles © 2021 by K.G. Reuss
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.
For Mahida, Kalli, and Erika.
The best is yet to come.
Contents
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
Forty
Forty-One
Forty-Two
Forty-Three
Forty-Four
Forty-Five
Forty-Six
Forty-Seven
Forty-Eight
Forty-Nine
Fifty
Fifty-One
About the Author
Also by K.G. Reuss
One
Raiden
Blood splattered on my face in hot dots of red as I pushed my blade through the chest of a carrion.
Its wheezing cackle echoed around us. I hauled the blade back out, the squelch of blood on steel reminding me I was a murderer. They’d asked for their deaths by trying to take what was mine. The thought offered me some solace before I reared back and lopped the creature’s head clean off its body. It hit the ground with a sickening splat, dead at my feet. I didn’t waste another moment and kicked its severed head into the oncoming hordes before turning to find another victim.
“On your left!” Damien hollered, slicing through another carrion as I kicked my latest kill away from me.
I whipped out a throwing knife and pegged the rotwraith between the eyes before it could reach me.
“There are too many!” Eric landed a kick in the center of a carrion’s chest, sending it flailing back before he hacked his way through another one.
I ground my teeth together, managing to take out three more, before I reached Eric and Damien.
Eric was right. We were being overrun. Chloe, Sloane, and Adam were taking out as many as they could. Sloane and Adam’s magic hung thick in the air, making the carrion hungrier, more frenzied. If I had to guess, it was probably luring more in.
“Use your weapons!” I shouted, punching a carrion in the face before gutting it. “Your magic is luring them in!”
“Damnit,” Adam growled, pulling his sword out, a sheen of sweat on his dirty face. He let out a roar as he took down two carrions and a rotwraith.
“Fall back!” I shouted. “Damien, you’re going to have to shift. Burn them.”
“My pleasure,” he growled, his body trembling.
Eric and I both reached for him as the rest of our crew held the monsters at bay. Damien syphoned some energy from us as his body transformed into that of a massive dragon with shiny, black scales.
“Run!” I hollered, shoving Eric in front of me.
The heat from Damien’s flame had the potential to toast us all.
He hauled in a deep breath, his scaled chest moving inward with the effort. I managed to cover my head as I landed behind a downed log beside the rest of Conexus.
The world ignited in brilliant shades of orange and yellow as Damien laid waste to the monsters.
“He’s such a beast,” Chloe breathed out, shaking her head. “I hope he kills every last one of them.”
“I just can’t believe he has that much fire in him,” Sloane murmured, rubbing her eyes.
“He’s done.” Eric peeked over the log. “Everything is ash.”
I got to my feet, everyone else following, and made my way to Damien who was on his knees, breathing hard, his clothes in tatters.
“Come on.” I heaved him to his feet and got under his arm to help carry him all while pushing my healing energy into him.
“I think there are some stragglers on the edge of the forest,” he grunted, his eyelids barely open.
“Chloe and Adam are getting them,” I answered.
Eric got beneath Damien’s other arm, and we moved him to sit on the log. He hung his head, his body still trembling.
“Damien? Are you OK?” Sloane knelt in front of him, worry on her delicate features. She reached out and cradled his face.
“Mm, I am now,” he murmured, a small smile on his lips.
She returned it with one of relief as Eric and I glanced at one another knowingly. Damien and Sloane had it bad for each other, but both were too stubborn to be the first to admit it.
“I’m going to go make sure everything is taken care of.” I hopped up, Eric following.
“I’ll come with.”
“I’ll stay with Damien.” Sloane pulled off her cloak and draped it around him.
I nodded. Eric and I made our way to Chloe and Adam.
“You think those two will ever get together?” Eric jerked his thumb back at Sloane and Damien.
“I hope so. Sooner rather than later.”
We both grew quiet for a moment.
“Have you talked to Ever?” Eric’s words were soft.
I hadn’t told anyone my plans for her Conexus bid or the Vow of Eternity I had planned. It had been weeks since I’d spoken to her. Blackburn had been assigned as her trainer. I loathed it to my very core. She’d hate me even more once the truth came out, but at this point in the game, I didn’t care. I only wanted her safety. She wouldn’t get it out there on her own. As much as I wanted freedom for her, it wasn’t within the realm of possibility now, especially with my own father gunning for her. He’d made it very clear what would happen to her if she stepped out of line.
“No. I’m planning on it tomorrow. I’d like to know how her training is going with Blackburn.”
“Me too.” Eric sighed. “I hate that guy. I can’t help but think he’s up to no good.”
“Agreed.”
“You haven’t talked much about it. How are you really holding up?”
I shrugged. “As long as she’s safe, right?”
Eric nodded and cleared his throat. “I have a confession.”
We stopped along the edge of the forest just in time for Chloe and Adam to join us. Eric snapped his mouth closed, and I gave him a quizzical look.
“Later,” he sounded off in my head.
I gave him a curt nod and turned to Chloe and Adam.
“All done. Didn’t see a portal. I’m assuming Damien ended it with his fire,” Adam said, giving Chloe a squeeze and a peck on the cheek which made her grin.
“Good. We should get back. Damien needs to rest.” Eric glanced back at Damien who leaned heavily against Sloane.
“We also need to debrief the Order on tonight’s hunt. I’d much rather do it now than later,” I added.
My father was away, dealing with some issue in Romania.
He’d be back in the morning. The last thing I felt like doing was dealing with any more of his shit. After imprisoning me over Ever and her nearly dying to a rotwraith attack because of it, our words had been few and far between. I wanted to keep it that way.
“Let’s head back.” I peered at Sloane who still held Damien. “You got him?”
“Yeah.” She tightened her hold around his waist and faded to shadow, taking Damien with her. A moment later, they disappeared into wisps of black.
The rest of us followed along, coming to land in the backyard of the Conexus house on the Dementon campus.
“That was intense.” Adam yawned as we traipsed into the house.
“Agreed.” Chloe pecked him on the lips. “I need to wash this blood off me. It’s starting to smell.” She didn’t wait for a response, opting to bound away to her room upstairs with Adam’s eyes glued to her retreating back.
“She probably could use some help.” He grinned at me. “I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I left my lady in distress.”
Eric let out laugh and shook his head. Even Damien managed a weak thumbs up.
“You need help cleaning up, Sloane?” Damien mumbled as he closed his eyes.
Sloane had arrived just before us and had him propped up on the couch. Brandon pushed healing into him. I joined them and added to the magic. A moment later, Damien opened his tired eyes and looked to Sloane for a response.
“I think you’re the one who could use help,” she said, shaking her head at him in disbelief.
“You boys heard her. She’s going to help me out.” Damien held his hand out to her.
I knew it was a challenge. Sloane hesitated for a moment before narrowing her eyes at him and taking his hand in hers and pulling him up.
“I wasn’t offering,” she grumbled as he shuffled to his feet and leaned against her.
“Nor are you telling me to piss off,” he murmured back to her.
Her cheeks flushed, her eyes meeting mine. I offered her a smile which she returned with a shaky one of her own before dragging him from the room.
“Sloane said you guys closed the portal,” Brandon said, flopping onto the couch.
I nodded. “Appears so. I need to give my report to the Order before my father returns.”
“Best hurry,” Eric broke in. “You know he’s gunning for you.”
I grimaced and left the room without another word, eager to get the night over with so I could shower and rest.
Pressing my hand to the portal in the basement, I let out a sigh.
Here goes nothing.
“Raiden! What a pleasant surprise!” Sangrey greeted me, rising from his chair behind his desk as I stepped into his office.
“I’d have fire messaged, but I figured I could get here quicker.”
“Of course. Have a seat.” He gestured for me to take a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of his desk as he sat back down.
“I assume you’ve completed your mission to the Sault?”
“Yes. It’s complete. The portal was destroyed. There were no survivors.”
“You didn’t think to keep one for questioning?” He raised an eyebrow at me.
“To be perfectly honest, Uncle, I tire of taking prisoners who I have to deal with later. None have yielded any information. It’s a complete waste of F.I.R.E.’s time. Either I kill them on the field, or I kill them in a Xanan dungeon. Tonight, I decided to just finish the job and be done with it.”
Sangrey nodded. “I see. Well, as always, General, you do have a valid point.”
I let out a low breath, waiting to see if he’d be angry at the lack of prisoners to question on the whereabouts of Aviram, the vampire overlord and leader of the Cipher, a group hellbent on taking down the Order and our way of life.
“Then I suppose you should write your report and get it submitted by sunrise to the council. We’ve been coming up empty-handed as of late. Constant dead ends.” He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Your father will be unhappy—”
“Is he ever happy?” I scoffed.
Sangrey sighed again. “Another valid point.” He leaned forward and studied me. “Are you still inducting the whisperer into your ranks?”
I nodded. “Yes. The declarations of intent will be delivered Friday.”
“And the Vow of Eternity?”
I cleared my throat. “Still a go.”
“Excellent. Have you told anyone your plans?”
“No,” my voice grew hoarse. “I think it’s best to keep it quiet. I spent so much time convincing myself that keeping her out of Conexus was the right thing that now I’m worried I’m being too quick in my choices—”
Sangrey held up a hand. “The Mancer falling into the hands of the enemy is our greatest threat at this point. If the rest of the council is informed of her existence under our noses, she’ll be brought into Conexus or killed. The old men have been nosing about since you came to us about her the first time. Her future would become a simple matter of voting. Being the king, your father holds the highest authority of any of us, despite our arguments and number of votes on either side. You know where he stands, Raiden.” He paused and leveled his gaze on me. “If you bring her in quickly, she can’t be touched unless she violates one of our laws. She’ll be safe and under your protection. Add your own royal decree. You do have that power in your arsenal.”
I hung my head. “You’re right. I guess I’m just worried. The last thing I’d ever want to happen is for her to be hurt.”
“I understand.” Sangrey rose to his feet and moved to the bar in the corner and poured two tarishes, a whiskey, and brought me one.
He sat back in his seat and watched me take a long dreg from my glass. The alcohol burned going down my throat. Despite the fire, it quelled some of my worries for a moment.
“Have you spoken to Miss Torres since the engagement incident?”
I shook my head and downed the rest of my drink before answering, “Not beyond begging for her forgiveness.” I let out a bitter chuckle. “She hates me.”
“Let her.” He waved me off. “She’ll be grateful in the end. You’ll see.”
“You’re right.” I got to my feet. “If loving someone means making them hate you, then I suppose I’m on the right track.”
“She’s meant for you. Everything will fall into place.” Sangrey came to my side and clapped me on the shoulder. “We have a war to win and Cipher to eliminate. Do what needs to be done. Remember, kings take what they want, Raiden. At any cost.”
I ground my teeth, my throat tight. “I’m taking her, Uncle. The cost is her happiness. I just don’t know if it’s worth it.” I locked eyes on his.
“Is the alternative?”
I knew he spoke of her falling into the wrong hands and becoming the enemy. I knew she faced certain death if it happened. Drawing in a deep breath, I turned on my heel and made for the door.
“Raiden?” Sangrey called after me.
I paused at the entryway and looked at him over my shoulder, not waiting for whatever else he planned on saying to me. “Speak of her induction to no one. The enemy is everywhere these days. Her letter goes out this week.”
And with those words, I swept back to the portal, ready to ruin everything.
Two
Everly
“Come on! You’re better than this!” The vampire Nevron Blackburn narrowed his coal black eyes at me from across the training mats. “What the hell was Hawthorne teaching you?”
I ground my teeth and took my stance again.
Nev sighed and stared at the ceiling like it was heaven and he was praying to his deity. After a moment, he lowered his gaze on me. “What did I tell you about that stance?”
“It invites a dance partner, not a battle,” I grunted, trying to force what I’d learned from Eric and Raiden out of my head.
I turned my body sideways like Nev had shown me. He nodded, taking his position, his sword poised in front of him.
If anyone would’ve asked me a few mon
ths ago if I could envision myself training with Nevron, I’d have laughed in their face. If anyone would’ve pushed the subject and asked me if I’d be a member of Dyre, I’d have outright slapped them.
But there I was on a Tuesday night, sword in hand, facing down a hungry vampire as a member of the Dyre, a secret rebel group intent on ending the tyranny of the Order, the governing body of our world of Specials. Basically, we were the bad guys in the eyes of the Order. They’d dubbed us Cipher, although, we technically weren’t since the name had been stolen by the real Cipher. The Dyre rose from the ashes of what once was and became the only hope the Special world had left, even if we were “the bad guys.” No one even knew the Dyre existed except its members. If we were ever found out, we’d all be screwed if captured. I imagined the punishment would be a public lynching or beheading.
Nev lunged at me. I snapped into action, parrying his attack, whipping and twirling around him. Our swords clanged against one another, sparks flying. Letting Nev down wasn’t an option. As a regular vampire on campus, girls swooned after his cocky ego and panty-dropping good looks.
On the training mats? He was a true monster. He reminded me of Raiden, the Conexus General I’d been training with before. Graceful, but deadly. Didn’t pull his hits. Pushed me.
I ground my teeth, shoving the memory of Raiden out of my head. I’d fallen for the jerk, and he’d broken my heart. That was weeks ago. We hadn’t spoken since. In fact, none of Conexus bothered me. The news of his engagement to Amara, the werewolf in their group, spread like wildfire on campus. Word had gotten out that Raiden was in fact the prince to our people. Students didn’t know whether to whoop for joy at their future king and queen or run in fright because Raiden had a reputation as being stern and scary.
