Soul Bound

by K. G. Reuss

  I swallowed down the pain from his words, knowing he wasn’t bluffing. He meant business. To prove his point, blue flame crackled along his skin, warming us. The same flame I’d ignited weeks ago to burn the monsters and forest with.

  “I believe you,” I whispered. “Don’t hurt him. I’ll stop, OK? No more Nev. No more Marcus. Nothing. You win, Raiden. You win.”

  He let out a deep sigh and wrapped his arms around me, pressing me tightly to his hard body. I squeezed my eyes closed, my hands on his chest.

  “Only to protect you. Never to control you,” he finally whispered, holding me tighter. “Thank you.”

  I pulled away and looked past him.

  “I’m not doing it to punish you either, Ever. I’m doing it to save you. I’m protecting you.”

  “I understand. Let’s just practice, OK?” I murmured.

  He gave me a curt nod and moved to the weapons’ rack. I watched as he fingered two long swords before pulling them down.

  “Which will you choose today?” he asked, glancing at me from over his shoulder.

  I moved next to him and pulled down the sais.

  “Those are hard to use against me,” he said. “Are you sure?”

  “Bring it, General.” I walked to the middle of the mat and turned to face him as he strolled toward me with his dual swords in his hands.

  “Always, Miss Torres.”

  I winced when my leg cramped later that evening as I sat in the courtyard away from the Conexus table. No one was at it, and I hated being ranked among them, so I opted to sit near the outskirts of the courtyard.

  “Damnit,” I growled, trying to work out the sore muscles.

  “Need some help?” Nev asked, his dark shadow looming over me.

  I peeked up at him. “I can’t talk to you anymore.”

  “Figured you’d eventually catch shit for it. I’m honestly surprised you haven’t been beaten in a Xanan dungeon for your unsavory interactions with the likes of me.”

  “The likes of you are going to be beaten in a Xanan dungeon if we keep talking,” I whispered, glancing around nervously. I swallowed hard as Eric and Raiden came into view.

  “Shit. Nev, you need to go. Now.”

  Nev peered over his shoulder as Raiden caught sight of us. Raiden’s face remained impassive. But his eyes gave away his irritation.

  “You know what would make this better?” Nev said.

  “You leaving, like, now?” I ventured, looking fearfully to Raiden who was stalking toward us.

  “Break up with me.”

  “What?” I snapped my head to look at Nev. “We aren’t dating.”

  “He thinks we are. Break up with me. Make it look real. Then dream of me, Ever. Everything has been a damn mess. We don’t have the time we need to discuss things we need to discuss. Let’s just do this. Make him believe it, then we’ll figure out how to make everything work. He’ll lay off you if he thinks we aren’t together.”

  “Dream of you? Why?”

  “It’s one of Marcus’s theories. I haven’t told you everything about me,” Nev said in a quiet rush, his gaze locked on Raiden and Eric as they moved closer to us. “But suffice to say, I can do a few things no one else can. Focus on me at night before you go to sleep and dream of me.”

  “That’s ridiculous! How can I make myself dream of you—”

  “Concentrate on it. It’ll be our only way to communicate. Now get up and push me.”

  “What?” I got to my feet, confused.

  Nev reached for me and drew me to him, his lips crashing against mine. On instinct, I shoved against him, breaking off the kiss, just as Raiden and Eric arrived.

  “No,” I said, glaring at Nev, wondering what the hell he thought he was doing. It was a bold move, even for him.

  “Ever, baby, come on.” Nev reached for me again. “Don’t let them ruin what we have.”

  “Rui—” Then I got it. I swallowed and stepped out of Nev’s reach and into someone. The moment my hand brushed against his, I knew it was Raiden. The current binding us tingled my skin.

  “We can’t see each other anymore, Nev. I’m sorry.”

  “This is bullshit,” Nev growled through clenched teeth, cranking up the theatrics as he reached for me again.

  Eric stepped in front of me as Raiden brushed his fingers against mine. I squeezed my eyes closed at the comfort he tried to push at me. I hated that he constantly confused me. Real tears threatened my eyes as I thought about us only weeks ago in Madam Ann’s recovery ward. I thought about Basil’s prediction. About how everything could turn really nasty if I didn’t get things on the right track.

  “Did all of this mean nothing to you?” Nev demanded, staring at me from over Eric’s shoulder. He tried to shove Eric, but Eric was a wall in front of him.

  “Man, chill,” Eric growled. “Just walk away.”

  “Leave, Blackburn. It’s over,” Raiden snarled.

  “No!” Nev shouted, shoving Eric again.

  I grimaced, wondering how far Eric would let him push. We were drawing a crowd.

  “Nev, man,” Marcus shouted, running to us, his face a mask of confusion. “What the hell is going on?”

  “We’re breaking up,” I said softly. “Nev is upset.”

  “Breaking up? Wha—” Marcus started, looking from me to Nev before it clicked into place. “Right. Nev. Let’s go. It’s done.”

  “You were the best I ever had, Everly Torres,” Nev choked out as Marcus took him by the arm. “I-I don’t know how I’ll move on.”

  He was laying it on thick. I almost rolled my eyes at him.

  “I’m sure you’ll find someone,” Raiden said.

  Nev let Marcus pull him away, his head still hanging down.

  “Are you OK?” Raiden asked gently.

  “No,” I whispered. It wasn’t a lie. I had to ignore my friends for Conexus. I had to be two different people who clashed horribly. I had to hold it together when all I wanted to do was cry. I hated it. I hated missing Raiden. I hated the constant war in my heart for him.

  But I knew. . . I knew I had to be the bad guy. Unless there was a way to convince him Nev was the good guy. That the Order was bad. We had to find the mole. I had to prove to him we could be on the same side. It wouldn’t do a lot to fix our relationship, but it would be a start.

  Raiden took me by my elbow and turned me to face him, pulling me away from my dark thoughts.

  “Come here,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace.

  I hadn’t realized I was silently crying.

  “It’ll be OK. I promise.”

  I couldn’t believe he was being so kind to me knowing I’d done what I had with his enemy. That I’d defied him. That I’d treated him the way I had. And yet, there he was, holding me, trying to take away the pain he thought I felt for Nev.

  I took that opportunity, dropping my shields, and buried my face in his chest as he held me in the courtyard. I let myself have that moment with him. His scent flooded every fiber of my being. His firm, protective hold kept me safe from everything.

  This was about more than my “break up” with Nev. This was all my pain over missing Raiden and hating the new life which had been thrust at me. I hadn’t a chance to breathe in so long.

  “It’s OK,” Raiden murmured as I sobbed softly against him. “It’s OK.” He planted a fierce kiss on my temple. “It won’t hurt forever.”

  “It will,” I sniffled. “Because this is my life.”

  “It doesn’t have to be, sweetheart,” Raiden said gently.

  “But it is.” I pulled away and hauled in a deep breathe. “I’m going back to the house.”

  “I’ll walk you.”

  “It’s fine. I want to be alone. Thank you though,” I added as he stared back at me. “I just have a lot of thinking to do.”

  Raiden nodded, his brows crinkled.

  “Eric,” I murmured, giving him a small nod.

  He looked just as sad as Raiden did. I caught Harp
er’s gaze across the courtyard as she stood with Jason. She gave me a nod. I turned away, my face set in the stone-like appearance all Conexus members wore.

  It was time to end this. I wanted my life back.

  Thirty

  Raiden

  I stared down at the fire message in my hands.

  Emergency. Get to the haunt. Four natties dead.

  “Shit.” I let out a sigh and got to my feet.

  “I need everyone here. Now. We have a situation,” I called out the command to all members as I went to the weapons room and suited up. I hadn’t seen Ever all night. I knew she was hurt from her and Nev’s inevitable split. I should’ve been overjoyed, but I knew her pain all too well. Even though she wasn’t with him anymore, I still hurt for her. Seeing her so bottled up and sad was a real killer.

  “What’s going on?” Eric demanded as he entered the room.

  I gave him a quick rundown of the current situation.

  “Is this the same haunt we were going to hit tomorrow night?”

  “Yep,” I grunted, strapping throwing daggers to my thigh. “And what really sucks is I don’t even know what Ever can do. She hasn’t been overly willing to show any of us, and training isn’t exactly where she’s forthcoming.”

  “She can handle herself, man. We’ll be there if she needs us.”

  I gave him a tight nod and clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll meet you in the commons.”

  I passed Damien on the way out. He didn’t ask a damn thing. Damien was the sort who didn’t care what was going down. If we had to go, he’d go. Besides, I knew Eric would fill him in on and Damien would pass it along to Sloane when she got there.

  “Everly,” I called out through our connection. “Come on. We have a haunt.”

  The connection remained silent. I didn’t have time for this right now. I needed her in on this—broken heart and tears be damned. I was just stepping onto the bottom step to get her from her room when she appeared behind me in a sweeping, wispy shadow.

  “What—” I stared up the stairs and back at her in confusion. I hadn’t even started to touch on melding with her.

  “Sorry. I was asleep,” she muttered, giving me a nod. Her eyes were bloodshot like she’d been crying.

  For a moment, my heart ached for her, but I realized my aching heart wouldn’t do shit for her. So I nodded back.

  “Suit up. Eric and Damien are in the weapons room. They’ll help you.”

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she disappeared in a puff of black.

  I was about to call up Sloane again when she came rushing in with Chloe and Amanda.

  “Why didn’t you meld here?” I asked, frowning at them.

  “Blackburn and Ambrose,” Amanda grunted. “Fighting with some weres in the commons.”

  I rolled my eyes but gave them a firm nod. “Amanda, Chloe, you guys stay behind and watch campus. I’ll report anything back if I need to or can. You know the drill.”

  “Thank gods,” Chloe muttered, flopping down onto the couch. “I didn’t want to go to a damn haunted site anyway.”

  Amanda grinned and nodded at her.

  A moment later, Eric, Sloane, Damien, and Ever came out of the weapons room, dressed to the teeth to slay. The tight leather hugged every delicious curve on Everly’s body. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her as she clutched the sais in her hands. A sword was strapped to her back.

  “Wow. Damn!” Jared exclaimed, coming into the room with Mason, Adam, and Brandon. “Look at you, Ever!”

  Her cheeks flushed as she looked away. But nothing past that suggested she was uncomfortable. Quite the opposite. She looked like she was ready to set the world ablaze.

  “Girl looks hot as hell,” Damien commented, nudging her with his elbow. “Right, Shadow?”

  I nodded slightly. “A beautiful weapon.”

  “Nice. Trying to get laid before leaving?” Amara’s curt voice cut in.

  I closed my eyes and counted to three before turning to my crew. I chose to ignore her snide comment.

  “Mason, suit up. Jared, you too.”

  “Ah, shit,” Jared muttered. “I should’ve stayed quiet.”

  Damien chuckled as the guys went off to get geared up.

  “The rest of you, campus patrols. Be ready in case we need you. Our connection should be clear since we won’t be far away. We’ll be near Munising. I know it’s really north, but it’s not so north we won’t be able to connect. Come if I call.”

  “You know it,” Adam said with a nod. “Don’t hesitate, man. I know how you are. If shit looks bad, call before it gets worse. Not like that time in Cheboygan. That sucked.”

  I smirked at his mention of the vampire nest we’d taken down a few weeks prior. Adam had nearly been bitten three times by the same vamp before Chloe took the vamp out.

  The guys geared up in lightning time and met us back in the commons.

  “Mason, Everly, I need you to stay close. Everly, since this is a haunt, we’ll need you more than ever on this. Don’t go running off.” I gave her a stern look.

  She’d run off on us before when we took her on a haunt weeks ago. I thought we’d lost her when we found her suspended in blue light, floating in mid-air. It was an ugly memory.

  She nodded back at me, thankfully, not arguing.

  “Mason, I know you have your shit together, but a haunt is a hell of a lot different than a nest. Make sure you pull out your voidbox and use it. Send the dead to Xanan.”

  “What happens to them there?” Mason asked.

  We all looked at one another. The truth was no one really knew. I’d never asked because as long as things were gone, I never gave much care to where they went to.

  “They get dealt with.” It seemed like the best answer I could give.

  He nodded, accepting it.

  “We’re going to drive to this one. I want the SUV loaded with weapons. Those of you who aren’t going, load us up. I don’t know what we’ll need but be creative. The rest of you—” I looked out to my crew for the night. “—stay close. If shit gets bad, be ready to retreat.”

  Everyone nodded at me.

  “Everly, we’ve not practiced nearly enough, and we don’t know what sort of combined power we’re dealing with. I’m begging you to listen while we’re out there. I meant what I said. Stay close.”

  “I will,” she answered, her voice strong.

  I surveyed her for a moment before nodding.

  I released my crew to do their last-minute checks. Everly walked outside with Eric. I watched as he spoke to her. She nodded a lot but didn’t say much. When they reached the SUV, Eric pulled a knife from the holster on his thigh and spun it in his hands then made several quick jabbing motions. She watched, and when he handed the knife to her, she mimicked what he’d done. Despite the seriousness of the situation, a rush of relief swept through me.

  “She’ll be fine, man.” Damien clapped me on the shoulder as he came out and stood beside me on the front step. “Pretty sure she has some tricks up her sleeve. She’ll probably perform better than you.”

  I snorted. “Well, let’s hope so. The alternative is terrifying.”

  “Good thing you can bring her back if she screws up.”

  “Yeah, but what if she gets us both killed?”

  Damien squinted and raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know. Is that possible?”

  I shrugged. “Sure would hate to find out.”

  He shook his head. “Yeah. That would suck.”

  I didn’t say anything as we watched members load up the SUV. Ever leaned against the side of the vehicle, her arms folded and her attention focused on everything Eric said to her. When her gaze roamed and caught mine, I gave her a slight nod. Her lips parted, making my heart jolt.

  “Are you OK?” I asked, using our connection.

  “Define OK.”

  “Don’t be worried. I’ll be at your side the entire time.”

  “Don’t make me a priority, Raiden. Keep everyone els
e safe and yourself. I can always be brought back.”

  “It won’t get to that point.” I ground my teeth, hating the thought of something happening to her.

  “Never say never.” She broke off the connection and focused back on Eric.

  “She yell at you?” Damien chuckled.

  I glanced at him and shook my head.

  “Surprisingly, no,” I answered, sighing. “Let’s just get this over with. I’m already wishing it were tomorrow.”

  “Me too. I’m taking Sloane out.”

  We walked down the steps, and I shot him a quick look.

  “You guys are going on a date?”

  “I don’t date, man. We’re just hanging out. If you start dating a chick, then they expect shit from you. If you keep it chill, you don’t have to get all involved in that.”

  I scoffed. “You’re already involved. You just don’t realize it yet.”

  Damien winked at me. “If I get involved, then you best make sure there’s a silence charm on my room. I have a feeling she’s going to be loud.”

  “You better hope you aren’t talking about me, Wick.” Sloane elbowed past us and shot Damien a withering look. “Because I’m pretty sure I’ll make you squeal first.”

  “Don’t threaten me with a good time, babe,” he called out to her back.

  She shook her head, her dark hair waving down her back with the motion.

  I caught Ever’s eye again. Her gaze swept over me before she turned and got into the SUV with Sloane, closing the door behind her.

  “How’d it go?” I asked Eric.

  He looked to the SUV and sighed. “I don’t know. Best as can be expected. Has she not tried to showcase any of her new abilities in training?”

  “No, but I haven’t either, mostly because I didn’t want to scare her. I’m not sure what they even are yet, aside from some serious elemental stuff like the fire and wind. I think I may have caught a bit of her psy ability though. And I’m stronger and faster as you all are. I’ve been catching déjà vu or something here and there.”

  Eric frowned. “I think my psy abilities have seriously increased too. Man, I hope I don’t have her whispering abilities.”