Life Bound: The Shadow World Book 1

by Aubrey Winters

  I squeezed my eyes shut and apologized to Kol. I was going to die. We were going to die.

  But death never came.

  Instead, a dark shadow fell over me and I heard a thud followed by a familiar grunt through my rasping breaths. Cringing and aflame with pain, I forced my eyes open.

  Kol crouched over me, protecting me with his own body. He shielded me from the moon, now high in the sky, but I could see the outline of his form against the light.

  Red swirled in his grey eyes with barely suppressed anger; they bore into mine before studying my body, settling on the arrow sticking out of me. Before either of us could speak, I heard an explosion of smaller thuds and his body inched closer to mine from the impact. He’d been hit again—probably with an explosive arrow.

  Fear wrenched its way through my body, but knowing he was here dampened the panic.

  “We need to get out of here,” I whispered, already feeling the calming effect of his presence.

  “Really? I thought we might stay here a while. You know, see how it ends.” He smirked, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Can you move?”

  “It hurts to,” I looked past his sarcasm, glad for once that he was with me.

  Without warning, his face changed. Almost as though of its own accord, his vampire canines elongated, and his eyes fully turned as red as the blood I was losing. He snarled and gasped in pain. A wooden arrow had pierced through his shoulder, stopping right before it hit me.

  In a flash, he whipped around and faced his attacker. I gasped. Wooden bits shredded his entire back. Blood poured out. If his jacket hadn’t been black, his wounds would have soaked it crimson. Kol reached out and yanked the cloaked man forward. He bit into the assassin’s neck, ripped it wide open, then cast the body aside. He dropped over me again, hands at each side of my shoulders, shielding me.

  “Of course, it’s going to hurt,” he teased me gently—a contrast to his glowing eyes and bloodied face—continuing our conversation as if he hadn’t just killed a man. “You have an arrow sticking out of you. That’s a big deal for some people.”

  “But not to you, right?” I teased back, looking at the arrow he hadn’t pulled out. Unease pooled in my stomach and I didn’t know how else to fight it except for humor at inappropriate times.

  “Not to me,” he confirmed, his voice soft like I’d never heard it before.

  “Now who’s repeating things?” I tried to laugh, by a fit of coughing sent fire shooting all over, and I squeezed my eyes together, tears leaking.

  “Can you take it out?” I whimpered. He looked more terrifying than any monster I could have ever dreamed, but amid this chaos, I was glad this monster was on my side.

  “Sorry, love,” he whispered. “I can’t risk that you might bleed out when I can’t heal you. We have to get out of here first.”

  He snarled again. I looked up despite the burning and saw a bloodied Alice standing over us, holding an unconscious and bleeding Jona.

  “Pick her up. I’ll teleport you out of here,” she whispered something in a different language, one that I’d grown to accept as a witch language, and a blue sparkle floated over us.

  Kol growled quietly, but acquiesced.

  “Sorry, darling,” he murmured before scooping his arms beneath my back and my legs. My body screamed with pain and I was sure I was going to black out when the blue sparkles brightened and surrounded us, blocking the chaos from our sight. I squeezed my eyes shut, anyway.

  The screams and clamors of battle disappeared. I opened my eyes to see the moon still high in the cloudless sky. If I weren’t covered in blood and burning with pain, I’d have thought the massacre at Alice’s was a wild dream.

  Kol swayed and dropped to one knee, nearly dropping me with him. I tried to carry my own weight, but let out a groan instead.

  “Hey, oh, don’t move,” he changed positions and slowly lowered me onto the ground, jostling me as little as possible, despite his own shredded back.

  “We shouldn’t wait.” He bit into his wrist and let the blood flow. “I’m going to pull it out, and you have to drink, okay? It’s going to hurt.” His brow furrowed, like he was trying hard to focus.

  “I...” I paused and looked into his eyes. I trusted him. Despite his ferocity, I trusted him.

  “This is really going to hurt, love” He offered me his wrist, and I gasped as he touched the arrow. He hadn’t even pulled it yet, and tears already sprang to my eyes.

  “Ready?”

  I whimpered.

  “Three... Two...”

  I screamed and his wrist was against my mouth, metallic liquid pouring down my throat.

  I drank.

  The more I drank, the more the pain dulled. By the time I realized what I was doing, both of my hands were on his wrist, holding it to my face as he watched me, breathing hard. The arrow was still in his other hand.

  His eyes were unfocused, but he stayed still and let me drink.

  I drew in a sharp breath and let go of his wrist. I’d forgotten about his injuries.

  Sure that he would make a snarky remark about how fervently I drank, I was surprised when he only asked if I was okay. Guilt crept at the edge of my mind when I realized he’d taken care of me before himself—

  He only saved you to protect himself, reason whispered in my mind.

  “I think I’m fine now, thank you. But we need to get you somewhere.” I crouched on my own and faced him. The ache in my side already a distant memory. “Can I pull this out? Would you be okay if I did?”

  “Ah... I think I could just nap here and it’ll be okay...” He leaned back and fell into a sitting position, dipping his head. The arrow still stuck out of his shoulder, looking twisted and out of place. For the first time, I noticed our surroundings. A field of colourful flowers stretched out before us, edged by trees in the distance. A highway looked close enough to reach by walking. We must have looked like lovers spending a night in the meadow to cars that zoomed by.

  “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea, Kol,” I reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and cursed. It was out of battery.

  “Here.” He pulled his phone out and passed it to me. I swallowed when I saw the blood smeared on it but wiped it clean on an unsoiled part of my jeans. Pulling up the GPS, I discovered that we weren’t far from town, but we were barely within walking distance for two healthy, unhurt people. With me barely regaining my strength and Kol on the verge of unconsciousness, it was going to be tough.

  “Okay, first things first.” I touched his shoulder, and he didn’t even flinch, which worried me. “We can’t leave this in you.”

  He mumbled something I couldn’t hear, so I brought my face closer to his. In any other circumstance, the proximity would have made me flush. For now, I was only worried about his well-being. Immortal or not, this wasn’t something I could leave alone.

  “You can take it out,” he mumbled. “But...”

  “But what?” I tilted his chin up to face me. His skin was hot and clammy.

  “You’ll want to run,” he groaned. “I might attack you.”

  Chills danced up my spine. “Why?” I breathed.

  He squeezed his eyes shut before opening them to look at me again. “I might not be in the right mind.”

  Biting my lip, I shook my head. “I trust you.”

  He groaned in protest as I shifted to his side. Enough of the arrow stuck out from his shoulder that I could wrap both my hands around the end without touching the sharpened tip.

  “Ready?” I whispered.

  “Just do it,” he grunted.

  A roar ripped from his lips when I tore the arrow out from his body. In a flash, he turned on me, eyes red and wild. Fangs bared. Crouched and ready to attack.

  “It’s okay,” I breathed. The arrow still gripped in one hand, I raised the other, palm up. His wide eyes narrowed at the weapon, so I dropped it. It landed with a little thud, but I didn’t back away. “It’s me. You’re okay.”

  I didn’t k
now how long we stayed like that, but my arms and legs burned from staying frozen as I waited. It was all worth it when his shoulders dropped and his eyes faded back to grey as he sobered up. His mouth opened slightly, and he took a step back. His eyes flitted over to the arrow on the ground before he took a deep breath and sat down again.

  “That was a stupid risk,” he growled. I wasn’t sure whether he was grateful for what I did, or perhaps I simply grew accustomed to his roughness, but his response lacked its usual bite. I guessed he was just too hurt for a snappier remark.

  “Come on,” I helped him stand, and we walked toward the nearby road. He could walk on his own, though he swayed and wobbled more than I liked.

  “I thought you were unkillable,” I teased, partly because I needed to hear him confirm that he would not die from these injuries. He seemed on the verge of death’s door.

  “I am.” His words were labored and the strain of pain tainted his smirk. “But that doesn’t mean things don’t hurt.”

  “Can I do anything?” As much as I disliked him, I also disliked seeing him—seeing anyone—in pain.

  “You remember that I can’t die? So you can’t die. You’ll be fine.”

  “It’s not that I’m worried about myself—I just... That looks terrible,” I craned my neck to re-examine his back. His leather jacket was still on despite its rips and tears. It hid the blood well, but I could see red-stained skin whenever the jacket and shirt beneath it shifted.

  “Look at my face, it’s much easier on the eyes.” His crooked smile didn’t quite convince me, and his voice was deeper than usual—laced with pain.

  “Maybe if you didn’t have someone else’s blood on your face,” I smiled weakly.

  “So, you admit I am easy on the eyes.”

  I was saved from coming up with a witty retort when he stumbled and groaned.

  “What? What’s happening?” I reached to catch him before he could fall, but he almost took us both down with him. “Why is it getting worse? Aren’t you supposed to be healing?”

  “Ash...” he groaned. “It’s ash. The damned archer had ash in his blood.”

  Right. Ash from oak trees was poisonous to vampires. Did those people inject themselves with ash? I shuddered; best not to waste time thinking about that right now.

  His eyes fluttered closed, and he took a seat on the side of the highway. Panic rose. I couldn’t carry him alone. There was so much more distance to cover, and he was so heavy.

  “Kol, I need you to stay with me,” I shook his shoulder gently. His head bobbed slightly, worrying me more.

  “Yeah... I’m here...” he groaned, rolling his head back, looking up at the sky. “Are you sure... we can’t just take a nap here?”

  “Kol...” In the distance, I heard a car driving toward us. I almost cried as relief washed over me.

  Making sure Kol was stable where he sat, I ran out onto the road, ignoring his protests.

  The car approached, its headlights blinding me as I waved my arms frantically. The horn blasted, and it was coming fast—

  “Elle!” Kol grunted.

  But I kept my arms up and jumped around; I didn’t care that I looked like a lunatic. The driver saw me. He wouldn’t run me down—would he? He wouldn’t.

  The car slowed and skidded to a stop several feet too close for my liking. I squinted against the lights and looked to the side, letting my eyes adjust from the brightness. A stout man jumped out of the driver's seat, eyes wide like he couldn’t believe what was happening. He held his red baseball cap with one hand and waved the other at me. “Are you insane?”

  “I’m sorry! We really need help!” I approached him.

  “No kidding! What can I do? Hey buddy, you okay?” He looked at Kol, but jumped back as soon as Kol lifted his bloodied face. Kol snarled, red eyes and fangs out, and the man froze.

  “Whoa... I think... I think I ought to get out of here...” The man jumped back and reached for his door handle. He couldn’t leave us—especially not with Kol barely conscious.

  I threw myself at the car, blocking the stranger from his own door.

  “Wait, no, he’s just sick,” I pleaded. “He needs help. What’s your name?”

  “Steve. But no, little lady, that ain’t sick, that’s just plain not right.” He was sweaty and pale, eyes darting back and forth between me and Kol. “If I were you, I’d get out of here and leave him. Let nature do its thing,” he nodded.

  I groaned internally. Why did Kol have to snarl at him? As if the blood wasn’t enough to scare a stranger.

  He’s in pain and he clearly has trust issues, I reminded myself.

  “Look, Steve,” I stared at him right in the eyes. It was a silly thought, but I was desperate. I just had a drink from Kol, so maybe I had some of his powers, too. I imagined the distorted voice Kol used when he encanted someone and tried to channel that type of energy. “You really want to help us.”

  “What?” The stranger blinked. My confidence faltered. I was stupid. I wasn’t a vampire. I was barely a Shadow; this would not work. But then I saw Kol with his chin to his chest, suffering. Whether he was in pain because he wanted to save me or himself, he still needed help.

  “Steve, you want to get us to the nearest motel. You really want to help us,” I repeated, staring into his eyes, hoping he felt like I was looking into his very soul the way I sometimes felt when Kol looked at me. I imagined planting my words into his mind like a seed—I needed him to believe me. I needed him to believe that he wanted to help us.

  After moments of silence that stretched on for years, he blinked and looked away. Despair crumbled in my chest, and I prepared to figure out an alternative mode of transportation. But then he shook his head.

  “I... yeah, sure.” He turned around stiffly and walked back toward Kol, who had paid no attention to us and had only grown even paler. “Yeah, you guys need help. I’ll get you where you need to go.”

  “Kol,” I put a hand on Kol’s shoulder. Heat emanated through his jacket and it was so hot I nearly pulled away. His face was clammy, and he growled at me, but I wasn’t afraid.

  “Kol,” I wrapped my other hand around his forearm. It was too hot for my liking, and I worried he had a fever. “We need to get up and go now.” I didn’t know how much longer my watered-down version of Kol’s encanto would last, and I hoped we were at least in the guy’s car before the persuasive spell broke. He didn’t budge.

  “It’s going to be okay.” Crouching in front of him, I held his face in my hands, resisting the urge to pull away from the heat of his skin. I forced his bleary grey eyes, irises ringed with red, to look at me. It took him a minute, but his brows furrowed and he blinked several times. Finally, recognition set in.

  Wordlessly, he heaved himself up from the ground and we hobbled to the stranger’s mid-sized sedan. I opened rear passenger door and helped Kol into it before climbing in after him. As soon as I sat down, he lolled over and rolled his head into my lap.

  I wasn’t sure if he was even aware of his actions, but I ran my fingers through his hair anyway, hoping it helped to ease his discomfort.

  The car started as Steve slammed the driver's door closed. We rode in silence, but I caught Steve looking back at us in the rear-view mirror more often than I was comfortable with. I pretended not to see his furtive glances. My entire body was alive with anxiety, waiting for the moment Steve would snap back to reality. What would I do then?

  But that moment never came. I breathed a sigh of relief as the car pulled into the mostly filled parking lot of a motel, its flashing neon sign alive with bright colours.

  Wrestling Kol out of the car, I pressed a few bills into Steve’s hand. “Thank you! And sorry for the blood.”

  The encanto must have worn off, because Steve’s car ripped out of the parking lot as soon as I turned away from him.

  Kol and I limped our way, bleeding and bedraggled, into the motel lobby. I prayed the encanto powers were still in my system.

  The concierge gasped
when he saw us, but I was ready and locked eyes with him. Channeling Kol’s haughtiness again, I tilted my head, hoping I oozed with confidence the way he usually did. “You’re fine. We’re fine. Just give us two rooms, side by side.”

  The middle-aged man who reminded me vaguely of Chester simply stared blankly at me as I held my breath, waiting to see if the encanto worked. His brows furrowed for a moment, and then I almost cried when the concierge refocused and apologized. “We only have one room available, but it has two beds. Is that sufficient?”

  Now was not the time to be uncomfortable about these things. I nodded stiffly and took the key card from him.

  CHAPTER 7

  OPENING OUR ROOM DOOR, I was too concerned about Kol to dwell in the despondency of another dingy motel as a representation of how my life was going. He was still a furnace in my arms, so I led him to the bathroom to sit on the floor. Hopefully, the cool tiles would help.

  “I’ll be fine,” he mumbled. “Eventually.”

  “Yeah, sure. Let’s just try to make you fine sooner, shall we?”

  Turning on the bathtub faucet, I set the water to cold and let it run. I had no idea how vampires treated poison, so I started with the most obvious symptom: the ridiculously high temperature.

  Gingerly pulling his leather jacket off, he grunted, which only worried me more. He kept saying he couldn’t die—but how could someone not succumb to this?

  I decided he could go into the ice bath with the rest of his clothes still on; half delirious and in the tub was better than wasting time trying to wrestle his clothes off, right? Right. I narrowly avoided falling into the tub with him when lowering him in. He was a lot heavier than he looked. The tap was still on and the tub had only filled partway, but the cold shocked him awake, and he glared at me, fangs halfway out. I’d grown so used to his vampire face that I didn’t even flinch.