Bethany stopped as she walked past me, giving my arm a squeeze.
“She’ll come back to us. I know it.” She whistled and Charlie scrambled to follow her. It was time for him to eat and spend some time with his brother, Onyx. He deserved it. I turned to go back in the room when I heard Elias call my name.
After much convincing, Elias finally dragged me away from Amelia and forced me to eat. I was staring absently into the eggs he put in front of me as he swore at me, lecturing me again on the need to be planning, not a zombie.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t take the anger, the judgment, or the unanswered questions. The plate in front of me flew across the room and shattered into tiny, jagged pieces.
“What do you want me to do?” I screamed. “I’m giving her everything I can. I’m trying to hear what you’re saying but I can’t be everything to everyone. You tell me I’m her mate and we need her to survive, so what is it you want me to do?”
“We have to make a plan! We have to figure out our next move. If you think those Hunters aren’t out looking for us now, you’re insane. We have to figure out how to help these women—my wife, Aidan. How are we going to help my wife?” He looked past me and out the window, where Nell lay in the sun. From what I’d learned, she had to stay in her shifted form until the kittens were born.
“We have to prepare for the rest of the pack’s arrival and how we’re going to house and protect them all. We have to figure out what the Queen having her cuff means. And what about all the women we weren’t able to get out? Yes, we need to help Amelia, but if she isn’t waking up, then we have to keep going!” I had no idea who this Elias was. The easy-going, calm guy I’d met was nowhere to be found and I was sick of his dictating.
In an uncharacteristic blast of rage, I shoved the heavy kitchen table across the room at Elias. “She will wake up! And you want me to worry about your wife while I worry about Amelia, too? Your wife is fine. Amelia gave her everything she had to make her fine. She’ll have her kittens and you’ll get her back. You know that. I don’t have your same luxury!”
“Stop it.” Elias and I both turned to find a red-haired woman standing in the doorway of the kitchen. It was Cora, one of the few we rescued who wasn’t pregnant.
“You do have a house full of women. Women who are pregnant, finally at full strength and free from years of imprisonment. Which means you don’t have to figure out what to do with us or how to prepare for the arrival of the pack—and what will hopefully be some of our families. We will do it. We want to do it. Derreck has offered us his barn, and we are working to create a space for everyone there.
“The Queen will come for us. She needs us now, more than ever. We have time. Not a lot, but enough for you to focus on your mate. She gave everything to save us and she needs you to find her way back to herself. She cannot do it alone.”
I didn’t know what to say. “Thank you” didn’t feel like enough, but it was all I could muster.
“Thank you, Aidan. Make no mistake, you will save her. You are the only one who can. But your human friend is right, you need a break. And the answers you need are coming. When I know things, I’m sure of them, even when the details aren’t clear. I can tell you with certainty that the information you need is coming.”
Her words were cryptic, but she said the answers were coming—not here. Right now, being close to Amelia was the only thing I wanted or needed. I walked out of the kitchen without another word to either of them, and quietly slipped into bed next to Amelia. I pulled her onto my chest and reveled in the small sigh she made as she got comfortable. She would wake up. She had to.
Chapter 34
He was the thing tethering me to the earth and my body. I could feel him there and I could also feel her need for him. She reached out for him with more strength than I had, and the pain she caused whenever he went away was more than I could bear.
Her darkness sucked the light of my flame into an abyss, like a black hole eating the particles of light and the pieces of stardust from the universe. But when he touched me, she would let go. She flittered through my mind like a child playing hopscotch, waiting for him. We would both wait for him to come back to us. I needed to feel him, needed to know he was really there, that he came for me. Someone had to save me from myself because I could save no one. I’d proven that.
She wanted to drain him. She craved him like an addict and wanted to take everything she could from him. I could feel what she believed. She believed he was the key. He would make us into the thing they prophesied, giving her more power than our world had ever known.
Those same reasons were why I needed him to stay away from me. I knew he had the power. I knew for certain he was the one. I burrowed deeper inside myself, pushing her away, only allowing her to use me to get him when the pain became too much. But she found me no matter where I hid, and she got what she wanted. She always got what she wanted. However, she didn’t understand. I wouldn’t give him to her. He came for me and I wouldn’t sacrifice him again.
Chapter 35
Commotion drew me out of Amelia’s room. She was restless as soon as I moved away from her and I whispered an apology, but Bethany was right, I needed a break. If whatever was happening was enough to draw me away from Amelia, then it had to be for a reason. Cora had told me answers were coming and someone was clearly here.
Charlie sat on the other side of the door and tried to go inside as I exited. It was the first time he’d tried and it shocked me. I moved to pull him back, but he whined and then growled. I squatted in front of him and he stared at me, whining again.
“Do you want to stay with her? Hey, bud, if you can help her, I’m all for it.” He let out a soft woof and leapt onto the bed. He lay alongside Amelia and crossed his paws, resting his head on them. As he exhaled, her hair lifted. She was on her side and seemed to calm. I took it as a win and whispered my thanks in his direction before closing the door behind me.
As I got closer to the front door of Derreck’s cabin, I heard crying. I wrenched open the front door, fully prepared to face an attack, but found Cora on her knees in the dirt at the bottom of the stairs. Her arms were wrapped around a small redheaded boy and she was sobbing. His hands were fisted in her hair and his small body was shaking uncontrollably.
For the first time, maybe ever, my eyes shone with tears of happiness. Amidst all of this, we never expected one of these women would be Dillon’s mother. We had lost Amelia’s father, but a family had been brought back together as well. Bethany stepped to my side and spoke softly.
“Can you believe it, Aidan? He got his momma back.” She sniffled and I turned, smiling for the first time since we’d left for Cresthaven. “He did, didn’t he?”
Suddenly, Bethany stiffened beside me, and the look on her face was a cross between fear and agony.
I turned to see Micah standing in the yard, Baleon supporting him to stand, frozen in place. His expression matched hers and neither of them moved. Baleon looked between them both and then at me, puzzled.
“Beth—“ Micah started, at the same time she said, “What are you doing here? You don’t belong here.”
His mouth snapped closed and she continued. I didn’t make a move to stop her, unsure of what the best move was.
“This is your fault, don’t you understand? You could have told Amelia. You could have stood up to your mother. You could have helped these women. You could have done something—ANYTHING—and you did NOTHING. THIS IS YOUR FAULT.” She didn’t give him a chance to respond. She turned on her heel and stomped into the house, slamming the door behind her.
My eyebrows rose and Micah muttered, “Well, that went well.”
“I’d say,” I responded.
His lips quirked in a half smile and he exhaled deeply. “I pretty much expected something like that from her. There’s so much she doesn’t understand. So much I need to explain to all of you.” He took a step forward and stumbled, the only thing keeping him from face planting were Baleon’s refle
xes.
Baleon looked up at me. “He needs rest. He wouldn’t stop. He fought and he tried to save them, we both did, but we’ve been running since Tragar helped us escape and he has wounds he hasn’t allowed me to tend to.”
“Go in the back. Find a room. Do what you need and let us know what we can do to help him,” I said. Though Micah shoved at Baleon, he scooped him up as if he weighed nothing and swiftly carried him around the house.
I sat down on the step and dropped my head into my hands. I pulled at the roots of my hair. How was I supposed to manage all of this? I heard voices around me start up again as people went back to whatever they were doing before Bethany’s outburst. I picked up Cora and Dillon’s voices, but didn’t try to hear their words. Because of my self-imposed obliviousness, I was surprised to feel a small poke in my shoulder.
I turned my head to find Dillon standing on the step below me. His blue eyes were red-rimmed and he was still sniffing the remnants of his happy tears away.
“Mr. Aidan?” he asked.
“Yeah, Dillon? What’s up, buddy? I see you got your mom back. I’m so happy for you.” I tried to smile, but it wasn’t there for me.
“Thank you, Mr. Aidan.” He looked back at where his mom stood and she nodded, motioning him to keep going. “My…my momma says I should tell you what I know. That my owl is smarter than I am and I shouldn’t keep what he says to myself.” He turned again and she smiled at both of us. “She says I’m special like her and we have to use our power to help people. So, Mr. Aidan, you have to get her. You have to find her in the place you used to meet with your wolf and you have to make her see. Once you get her to come back, you have to capture the blackness like they captured your wolf. If you can, she can find them and bring them back. Okay?”
He pushed the words out rapid fire and as soon as the “okay” left his mouth, he was jumping off the steps and back into his mother’s arms. She was whispering how good of a job he did as she looked up at me, more tears in her eyes. She gave me an encouraging smile that I attempted to return.
I ran Dillon’s words over in my mind. They only partially made sense. I had no idea who she was bringing back or from where, but I got part of the message loud and clear. I needed to find her in the woods my wolf had shown me. I could do that. I knew more about helping her now than I had five minutes ago and that was enough for me. I jumped up from the porch and took off through the house. I threw open the door, expecting to have startled Charlie, but he was lying on the bed looking like he was expecting me.
“Let’s get her back, boy,” I said with a smile.
Chapter 36
He was looking for me. I could feel him searching and she realized he was with us again. I took the chance and reached out as quickly as I could to tell him to leave, to stay away from us, but I heard his words before I could speak.
Go to our place, Amelia. I’ll meet you at our place. This is almost over, doll.
Just like that, he was gone and she was screaming. But I was smiling. The realization had hit. He knew how to end this.
For the first time, I didn’t automatically run from her. She lashed out, wailing echoes in my mind, and the pain was constant, but I was still smiling.
He was coming for me. And together, we could do anything.
Acknowledgments
Abe — I think you’ll always be first on this list. You let me spend hours alone, you bring me wine and you listen to me talk about people and places that don’t exist, even though every fiber of your being is rooted in logic and fact. It only makes me love you more.
Kristin — You never let me settle for the easy path and I love you for it. Talking storylines over drinks with you is one of my most favorite activities. Let’s do it again, soon! We have a third book to write…
The Rebel Writers — Theresa, Caylie, Regan, Kat, Elizabeth and Rachel…I am absolutely certain I wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you for being everything I never knew I needed, and some of my closest friends.
My Betas — Theresa, thank you for making me remove over 600 uses of the word “that” and for catching every other writing no-no I’m still learning. Lenore, your passion for my stories is beyond words. I love your rambling explanations of why things do and don’t work, don’t ever stop being you. And, Mikey, thank you for making sure Aidan sounded like a guy and not a girly version of a guy!
The Rebel Writers Street Team — Ladies, your excitement and your support means the world. I can’t wait to start feeding you book three!
The blogger community — I can’t name you all, but to each and every blogger I have talked to and worked with over the last two book launches, THANK YOU. I cannot put into words what it means to have you take time from your lives to engage with my world, and then to talk about it continuously to your fans. I wouldn’t be able to say I am an Amazon number one bestseller without each of you behind me. I cannot wait to see what’s in store for us next!
And, to every person who read Bound by Duty, you are truly the reason I can continue to do this. The fact that you buy my books, review them and share them with your friends is mind-blowing even now. I still cannot fathom that my words have been read across the globe, and I have you to thank for that.
About the Author
Stormy Smith is the author of the Amazon bestseller, Bound by Duty, and Bound by Spells. She calls Iowa’s capital home now, but was raised in a tiny town in the Southeast corner of the state. She grew to love books honestly, having a mom that read voraciously and instilled that same love in her. She knew quickly stories of fantasy were her favorite, and even as an adult gravitates toward paranormal stories in any form.
Writing a book had never been an aspiration, but suddenly the story was there and couldn’t be stopped. When she isn’t working on, or thinking about, her books, Stormy’s favorite places include bar patios, live music shows, her yoga mat or anywhere she can relax with her husband or girlfriends.
Other titles by Stormy Smith
Bound by Duty (Book one in the Bound series)
Where you can find me
If you’d like to be alerted when my next book will release, sign up for my mailing list. I promise, you will only get new release emails. Pinky swear.
Website: www.stormysmith.com
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Email: [email protected]
A note about reviews
Whether you loved it, hated it or were completely ambivalent, your review will help others decide if they would like to read my book. Please consider leaving just a few words on the site you purchased from and/or Goodreads. Every review matters and I read them all.
Keep reading for a sneak peek of
FAMILY SECRETS
book one in the Secret Societies Collection
by Kat Nichols
Chapter One
Mrs. Grey was sitting alone at the table, holding a piece of paper in her hand, with what looked like an alcoholic drink in front of her. She didn’t drink often, so seeing that glass of amber colored liquid made my stomach drop to my toes. She gestured to the chair across from her, and as I went into the kitchen and slid into the hard-backed chair, my pulse spiked. “Did you know that your father has family in Illinois?”
I shook my head; that wasn’t possible. My parents would have told me if I had other relatives. God knows I asked often enough growing up. My mom was killed in a car accident a year ago, and my dad died when I was eight, so I was all alone until the Greys took me in. If I had family, wouldn’t they have shown up before now? I started twirling the tips of my long wavy hair in my fingers, a nervous habit I’d had since I was a little girl. My stomach began to churn, and I gripped the table in front of me with my other hand, my head spinning.
“I received a letter from your grandmother. Isn’t that wonderful?” She took a gulp of her drink and pursed her lips as
she swallowed it down, refusing to look me in the eyes. I just stared at her. “And,” she continued when I didn’t respond, “they want you to come live with them.” She picked up the letter and her voice shook slightly as she read, “‘to be raised with the family you deserve to know and who you have been kept from for all these years’.”
I pushed back from the table, the chair scraping loudly on the linoleum floor and paced away from her, hands shaking. “You don’t expect me to go, do you? Where the hell have they been the last year or all the time before that? My dad died over nine years ago, and they decide to show up now?” I yelled. How could this be happening? I was finally getting settled with the Greys, learning how to be happy again and finding my place in this new world without parents. How dare these people come along now and ruin it for me.
I continued to pace the small room, my shaking hands pressed to my stomach. My breathing accelerated until I was almost gasping for air as Abby came crashing down the stairs. She slid to a stop in the kitchen doorway, a look of apprehension on her face. “Um…what’s going on?”
I couldn’t talk yet, couldn’t put a voice to all of the thoughts racing through my head, so I nodded at Mrs. Grey who gave her the news. When she found out her mom was sending me away, she did all of the things I wanted to do, including begging that I be allowed to stay. She cried, she yelled, she offered to get a job, and, when those didn’t work, she threatened to leave with me. That was the final straw for her mom.
Bound by Spells (Bound Series Book 2) Page 26
