Bound to Me

by Jocelynn Drake

  “Why?” I pulled back so that I could look up at my beloved protector without letting go of him. “Why can’t I go to London?”

  Jabari cupped one cheek and ran his thumb over my cheekbone in a gentle caress that caused my eyes to close. “It’s more than London. Until I give my permission, I don’t want you setting foot on the British Isles. The magic there is too thick. Gods have lived and died on that ground, soaking the air through with magic. No powerful nightwalker calls it their domain to keep under control and the lycanthropes run wild in the woods. The entire island is a powder keg waiting to explode, revealing our secret to the world. And you, my lovely desert blossom, have little control over your temper. I will not allow you to be the one to light that fire.”

  “I would be careful,” I reassured him. Opening my eyes, I saw him shake his head at me, but there was a look of loving patience on his face.

  “One day, but not yet. Think of this as not a restriction on you, but a favor to me.”

  “I would do anything for you,” I said, squeezing him again in another tight hug.

  “I know.”

  Relieved that Jabari was still my close mentor and protector, I released him and took a step backward. To my surprise, Valerio stepped up behind me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we stood talking to the Elder. It was an odd move for the nightwalker. While we had never hidden the fact that we were lovers and close companions, the feel of his arm had a possessiveness to it that I was not expecting. Jabari gave no outward display of approval or disapproval to Valerio’s position. Instead, he chose to focus on more important matters.

  “Are you sure that you wish to travel to Madrid?” Jabari inquired. “I have no doubt that you will be of great help to Valerio, but I fear there will be no avoiding Sadira once she realizes that you are back within her domain.”

  “I will not live in fear of my maker. She knows my feelings for her and if she is wise, she will avoid me. As you said, I have little control over my temper.”

  “And I would prefer it if you did not destroy her. She does keep things quiet in Spain and is a good ally to me,” Jabari said in a neutral voice, but I had no doubt that it was more like a command. I was not to kill Sadira no matter how she provoked me. Of course, that didn’t mean I couldn’t hurt her a little as payback.

  “We will be fine in Spain,” I said, smiling broadly at Jabari. He didn’t look completely convinced, but he said nothing.

  “The night is still young,” Valerio finally broke in. He squeezed my shoulder and winked at me before he continued. “Mira and I will travel to my house in Milano tonight to pick up some clothes and weapons that may be needed for this assignment. We should be in Madrid by tomorrow night to take care of this murderer.”

  Jabari nodded once, his face once again becoming a blank slate. I had spent more than a century living in Egypt with him, studying the history of our people, fighting styles, and anything else that he was willing to teach me. When I started with him, I was a hollow, broken shell, full of pain and anger, and lashed out at anything that moved. Countless people and nightwalkers were burned to death because I could not see beyond the horrors of my past. But Jabari had saved me from all of that.

  Now I stood before him, whole and strong. I was capable of not only facing my evil, manipulative maker, but I could also rein in my temper enough not to kill her as he had commanded. I was a strong warrior that he could depend upon to protect my fellow nightwalkers and protect the secret from the human race. I had taken my place among my kind, regardless of the fact that most of them feared and loathed me. I would protect them because it was the will of the coven. Jabari had taught me to do so and I would make him proud.

  “Is there no further information you can give us regarding the threat?” Valerio asked.

  “I fear not. Tread lightly. Pick your daytime resting spots with care. Watch each other’s backs. For this task, I would not have allowed you to travel without Mira. Her gift will come to your aid more than once, I am sure.” And then without another word, Jabari disappeared from sight completely, leaving me alone with Valerio.

  I looked over at my companion with a smug smile. “You’re lucky to have me.”

  “So Jabari makes it sound. I pray that you will control yourself in regards to Sadira. We won’t need the added distraction, I am sure.”

  I pushed away from him, causing his arm to drop from my shoulder. “Sadira will quickly learn to leave me alone if she wishes to continue her life without a sea of pain.”

  Valerio smiled as he stepped close once again, grabbing my waist with both of his hands as he roughly pulled me back against him. “Spain shall be an adventure, I see. I believe we should spend a relaxing evening in my villa in Milano, where we will not be disturbed further before we give any additional thought to Spain. It may be a while before I have you fully focused on me once again, and I hate when you are not preoccupied with thoughts of me.”

  “Pompous ass,” I murmured as he pressed his lips to mine in a deep kiss that succeeded in taking the first steps toward wiping my mind of any thoughts regarding my maker for at least the rest of the evening. I would deal with Sadira soon enough.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  I adjusted the pack that hung from my shoulder as Valerio set me down near the middle of the city of Madrid. I had brought with me a small selection of clothing and a variety of knives and swords for our little hunt. Valerio touched the ground beside me and looked around at the relatively quiet street. It was still early in the night by society’s standards. Coaches should have packed the street as people rushed from one party or theater production to another affair. Instead, a dark cloud seemed to hang over the city, chasing the humans indoors and leaving a feeling of anxiety crowding close. This was a dangerous situation for nightwalkers, leaving me grateful that we had been cloaked when we set foot in Madrid. Human eyes had yet to take us in, but that didn’t mean we weren’t being watched.

  “Is Sadira close?” I demanded in a hard voice. I might have been cloaked, but I had no doubt that she would be able to sense me as soon as I came close to her domain. I had a feeling that much like Jabari, she always knew where I was, but I was more concerned she would try to take advantage of the situation now that I was so close.

  Valerio looked over at me questioningly as he repositioned his own bag on his shoulder. “There are a couple nightwalkers within the city, but none as powerful as her,” he said, giving me a reassuring smile. “I don’t expect her to come out of her castle until after we’ve taken care of the threat, and by then we should be on our way again.”

  “Is that why you’ve come?” A soft voice drifted out of the shadows behind us. We both twisted around to find a nightwalker stepping forward into the nearby lamplight. She was beautiful, with her wealth of black hair hanging down her back, framing a heart-shaped face and large, dark eyes. She stared only at Valerio, who smiled invitingly at her. “You’ve come to get rid of the killer?”

  Valerio unshouldered his bag and roughly handed it off to me as he took one step forward and offered the nightwalker his hand. She took it, her smile widening as he bowed gallantly over it. I clenched my teeth and remained silent as I watched the show.

  “I am Valerio and this is my companion, Mira. We have been sent by the coven to remove the threat from Madrid.”

  “I am Eva,” she practically purred. “Welcome to Madrid, though it is not the happy place that it usually is. Nightwalkers have been killed every night for more than a month and humans have started to discover the remains in the daylight. We can’t risk recovering their bodies without being killed ourselves.”

  “What is this creature that stalks our people?” Valerio asked, holding her hand in both of his. “Have the lycanthropes turned on us?”

  “No, it’s a warlock. He hunts us at night and by day when we can be found. He calls himself Armand and usually has an apprentice with him at all times, though I don’t
know the name of the apprentice.” She daintily wiped a tear away from the corner of her left eye while Valerio stepped closer, wrapping a reassuring arm around her slim shoulders.

  I had seen Valerio touching other females before, but for the most part, it had always been human women. Then, I found his solicitous attitude amusing as he was only drawing them close for their blood. He had never touched another female nightwalker while in my company. I didn’t think that I was a jealous creature, but as Eva leaned into his embrace I felt my hands aching from where I was gripping our bags so tightly. She stood in the night wearing an elegant gown as if she were preparing to attend a party, looking like a shining gem, while I stood in my coarse men’s trousers and crudely mended shirt in anticipation of a fight. My hair was undoubtedly a wind-blown mess from our travels, leaving me looking like some pathetic street urchin next to her alluring beauty.

  “If you’re so concerned about the warlock killing nightwalkers that dare to set foot within Madrid, what are you doing wandering the streets? Isn’t that a little dangerous?” I demanded snidely as I dropped Valerio’s bag on the ground with a heavy thud.

  “I had no choice,” Eva said in a choked voice, looking at me for the first time with glistening eyes. “Our supplies are running low. I was sent out to fetch more humans to bring back to the safety of the castle. The warlock has kept his distance from the castle.”

  “The castle?” I repeated, my temper flaring to life with a new reason. “You belong to Sadira.”

  “Yes, she’s my mistress,” she replied with a nod. “All of her remaining children have hidden themselves within the castle and have been carefully feeding off the humans that she keeps there, but there aren’t enough to support us all for such a length of time. I was sent out to fetch her more strong and healthy humans.”

  “We should not keep you then,” Valerio said, drawing her gaze back to him. “We need to find a place to stay during the daylight hours and begin our hunt of the warlock.”

  Eva reached up and cupped his cheek, rubbing her thumb along his chin. Her long thumbnail tugged at his full lower lip, parting them slightly before she leaned in for a slow kiss. “I’m sure that my mistress would welcome you both into her castle considering your mission,” she murmured, her lips brushing against his, begging for another kiss.

  “I have no doubt that she would be pleased to have me back in her grasp, but we’re not going.” I spit out. Eva finally looked at me again, though her body remained pressed against Valerio. I knew then that I had to kill her. My only dilemma was deciding how.

  “Mira?” she repeated before her eyes went wide. “You’re the Fire Starter, child of our mistress! She will be pleased to hear of your return.”

  “I’m sure she would be.” I bent down and picked up Valerio’s bag once again before throwing it at him. He moved just quickly enough, releasing Eva and catching the bag so that she wasn’t hit with the heavy item. “We have to go.”

  Valerio stepped away from Eva with a blank expression, bowing his head to her slightly as he returned to my side. “She is right.”

  “You’re not coming back to the castle with me?”

  A bitter laugh escaped me before I could bite it back. “Nothing could drag me back to her. But then, you’re not going back either.” She managed to look at me with confusion for just a brief moment before she exploded in flames. Her screams bounced off the faces of the buildings that surrounded us as she raced around the empty street. Flames jumped and crackled off of her body, consuming her in a matter of seconds, leaving her a blackened lump in the middle of the street. By morning, she would be unrecognizable ash, but I garnered no pleasure from the fact that I had killed one of Sadira’s children and stopped them from acquiring more sustenance. I could only see her lips on Valerio.

  “We need to go,” Valerio said, laying a hand on my shoulder.

  I violently shrugged it off and marched down the street, leaving him to catch up. After a couple blocks, I chose a large house that was dimly lit. A quick scan revealed that only a handful of people were in the residence, with most of them likely being servants. It would serve as a place to store our things while we were either sleeping or hunting down this warlock.

  As soon as the butler opened the door, I seized his mind, wiping away all thought as he led us into the marble entryway. Valerio was right behind me, dipping easily into the minds of the other residents with a practiced ease. Within a few minutes, everyone within the house believed that we were old friends of the owners of the house and would be staying for a few nights while we visited. We had done this on more than one occasion when we were sent to a specific location to deal with a problem that had been brought to the coven’s attention. Taking over a house and using mind control over a handful of humans was easier than trying to scout out a secure, abandoned location. At least this way, we were still afforded all the comforts that we were accustomed to, as well as had easily accessible meals close at hand should we stay in.

  “Have a bath brought up to my room,” I commanded the butler as my feet hit the wide staircase.

  “Yes, mistress,” the butler replied crisply before his footsteps echoed across the hall.

  “Mira,” Valerio started, following me up the stairs.

  “Keep your distance, Valerio,” I warned. I threw open one bedroom door after another until I came to a large, elegant room that I was willing to guess belonged to the true mistress of the house. She wouldn’t mind if I borrowed it for a night or two. “I’m in no mood.” I tried closing the door in his face, but he caught it and followed me into the room. I had guessed that it wouldn’t be so easy.

  “You thought it was necessary to kill Eva?” he inquired, placing his bag on an empty chair near the fireplace.

  “Are you serious?” I choked out with a little laugh. “Do you think I was going to miss out on the chance to kill one of Sadira’s fledglings, as well as deny them more blood if I was given the chance? Of course I had to kill her.” I dropped my bag to the hardwood floor with a clang as my weapons knocked against one another.

  “And killing her had nothing to do with you being jealous?”

  “Jealous!” I snarled at him while a fire burst into existence behind him in the fireplace. To his credit, he didn’t flinch. If anything, his smile seemed to grow a little wider. “I was not jealous of that sleazy tart.”

  Valerio laughed deeply as he took a step toward me. “I know your mind, Mira. You can’t hide from me. You’re eaten through and through with jealousy. Did you think that I belong exclusively to you?”

  “I know you don’t belong to me the same way that I don’t belong to you. We’re both free to go our own way and seek amusement with whomever we choose,” I said quickly, but the words were like acid burning away at my throat. Valerio was right. I was jealous beyond rational thought. I didn’t want another nightwalker touching him while I was around. If I had my way, I would burn through every nightwalker that dared to lay eyes on him without my permission, but I knew we couldn’t continue with our current laissez-faire relationship if I was going to be jealous of every female that panted after him.

  Valerio closed the distance between us. Raising his right hand, he wrapped it around my throat, pressing his thumb into my cheek. “Say it. Look at me and say it,” he commanded in a low voice that was nearly a growl rumbling in his hard chest.

  “I am jealous,” I bit out, glaring at him.

  “Again!”

  “I’m jealous,” I said louder, my temper burning inside of me.

  “What else?” he pressed, his eyes falling shut.

  “I hated her touching you. I hated watching you kiss her. I wanted to pull her hair out, make her scream in pain before finally causing her to beg for death.”

  Valerio opened his eyes and they were glowing when he looked at me. He roughly grabbed my hand with his free left hand, bringing it to the front of his pants. I could feel his
body growing harder with each word that I uttered. My own anger disappeared in an instant as I mindlessly started caressing him through the fabric. My jealousy, my insane need to possess him, had turned him on instead of shoving him away.

  “More,” he commanded in a rough voice.

  “I’m going to continue to kill them, Valerio.” My hand slid up the front of his pants and undid the buttons holding them closed. “I’m going to kill every woman that dares touch you. They’re all going to burn.” Sliding my hand inside of his pants as they hung loosely on his hips, I wrapped my fingers firmly around his hardened member and stroked him, pulling a long moan from his lips. “None of them will ever want you like I do.”

  “I know,” he murmured before he pulled me close and captured my mouth in a rough, possessive kiss that wiped away all memories of Eva. There were only his full lips as they caressed my lips, parting them as his tongue darted into my mouth. He tasted me, memorized me, seared me with the growing heat between us.

  His mouth left mine only to travel down my neck as he gripped the front of my shirt and ripped it apart. He tore my thin white chemise underneath it in two, baring my breasts. While one hand kneaded my left breast, his mouth devoured my right. My knees threatened to buckle as the tip of his tongue circled my nipple before he sucked hard on it, wringing a moan of pleasure from me. At the same time, I continued to pump him while my other hand struggled to pull his shirt apart so that I could get to his bare chest.

  “Too many clothes,” I complained as I fought for a single clear thought. I needed him closer. I needed to touch and kiss and suck on all of him without the hindrance of all this useless fabric.

  Taking my lips in a last harsh kiss, the nightwalker took one step away from me, pulling free of my grasp. In a couple quick motions, he pulled off the remains of my shirt and chemise before shucking his own jacket and shirt. We individually fought with our pants and shoes before he tackled me onto the bed, pressing his cool skin along my entire length.