Trinity Bound

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “We’ll go with you,” his father said. “But if he’s where we think he is, we can’t go through the boundaries protecting them. I can still feel Josh slightly through my Alpha bonds, but it feels oily—slick. I think, though, through your bond, you should be able to get through. The trinity bond should have enough power to do it.”

  “You think? All of this is just a guess?”

  His father growled, but a sad look passed over his face. “It’s the best you have.”

  Reed closed his eyes, praying for strength and whatever magic went into their bond. “Okay, let’s go.”

  “Bring Jasper and North. We need to leave Kade and Maddox here to protect the Pack.”

  Reed nodded. No matter what, he’d bring Josh home. Demon or not.

  ****

  Josh held his stomach and groaned. Another wave of pain smashed through him and he threw up on the floor. His kidneys felt like mutilated raisins. He was sure his face resembled a black and blue likeness of his normal self. Bruises covered every inch of his body.

  He took another breath and tried not to hurl again. As he did, he could feel his skin knit together, healing in soft bursts of warmth that itched.

  Was this what it meant to be a partial demon?

  He could apparently heal. His strength increased with each passing hour. He raged out more often than not. And he had flashed from one place to another with just a thought—once. The emptiness inside him spread.

  He missed two people, but he couldn’t think of whom. Flashes of gray and green, interspersed with laughter and heat filled his mind, but he couldn’t remember who they were. His head pounded at the thought, and he promptly forgot.

  The door opened, and Caym walked in. Josh bit his lip and pulled himself off the floor.

  He must please his master.

  “I like your obedience.” Caym sneered.

  Josh lowered his eyes. He wasn’t worthy of looking at him.

  “You’ve proven yourself to Hector by submitting to him. You will listen to him and follow his orders until I say otherwise. Do you understand?”

  Josh nodded. Anything for his master.

  “Your next mission will be to take back what has been lost.”

  He raised his head, keeping his gaze low. “Yes, master.”

  “I need the two that walked out of here by your hands. They are very important to me. They must die.”

  Josh nodded.

  “You will bring them here, and I will drain them of their powers. And then you will have the pleasure of killing them.”

  “Yes, anything.”

  “The witch and the wolf will die by your hand. Good. Now take off your shirt.” Caym raised the whip in his hand and grinned. “It’s time for your training in obedience.”

  Josh quickly took off his shirt, not giving it a moment’s thought. When the first blow came, he bit his lip but didn’t cry out. He needed the training to kill the witch and the wolf. Anything for his master.

  Chapter 27

  The Jeep hit a rut, and Hannah braced her hand against the door so she wouldn’t hit her head. She gripped Reed’s hand in a desperate attempt to keep her grounded. Her nerves frayed further as they moved closer to the Centrals’ territory. She sat in the back seat huddled next to Reed, praying for the strength to get through this.

  Because she had to. No other option remained Without Josh, they’d fracture and dissolve into the wind. He was their steady rock, the one that held them together, that melded Reed’s outgoing personality to her hesitant and yet not-so-hesitant one, that took all of their strengths and weaknesses and made them better for it.

  The car hit another bump, and Jasper cursed. “Sorry, guys, these back roads suck. But we’re getting close.” His knuckles whitened on the steering wheel, and another wash of sadness swept over her.

  He’d left Willow and their new baby at home so he could be their backup for whatever danger lay ahead. North, in the passenger seat, rubbed his temples and looked just as stressed as Jasper.

  The bond between her and Reed pulsed with each ragged breath. She could feel him in her soul. Not his pain, but his presence. That at least comforted her. But the bond between her and Josh felt like glass, like it could break at any moment, that any movement or breath would shatter it. She closed her eyes. Her teeth bit into her lip, and she concentrated.

  Please, Josh. Be okay.

  He had to be. She didn’t know what she’d do without him. Or the man sitting next to her. But something from his conversation with his father churned her stomach.

  “Reed?” Hannah asked. “Why didn’t you mark me at your parents’ house? Wouldn’t it have been easier?”

  North coughed up a laugh while Jasper snorted.

  “What?” She looked at them both. “What did I say?”

  Reed blushed. “Um, I wouldn’t suggest that. The bite is an intimate thing.”

  “Oh, like it’s personal? That makes sense.”

  North laughed again, and Reed kicked the back of his seat.

  Okay, what’s going on?

  “No.” Reed cleared his throat.

  This could be bad.

  Her mate smiled wanly. “Once I bite you, you’ll orgasm.”

  “Oh.” Her cheeks scalded, and she lowered her gaze from the brothers. Talk about awkward.

  Jasper growled from the front of the Jeep, and Reed rubbed circles into her palm.

  “What’s wrong Jasper? Did I say something?” she asked.

  North cracked up again. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be an ass. Really. Jasper gave Willow her mating mark in front of a bunch of us and most of the Centrals.”

  Oh geez. “So that means Willow…”

  “Yes.” Jasper growled louder this time.

  Oh.

  “Why would you do that Jasper?” Hannah had thought him a nice guy who cared for his mate with every breath he had. Why would he humiliate her like that?

  “I didn’t have a choice,” he answered plainly, his grip on the steering wheel tighter. “They were going to kill her.”

  Damn Centrals. They messed everything up. Destroyed all of the precious moments.

  Something else nagged at her.

  “Reed,” she said, “if we’re going to mate Josh now, does that mean we’ll have to... um…you know…”

  Reed shifted in his seat. “I don’t see a way around that.”

  “So Josh will, um…be really happy in front of everyone?”

  He nodded in the fading light, but something flashed over his eyes.

  “What?”

  He took a deep breath and shook his head. “To make sure the bond actually clicks and we can use whatever power comes with it, I’ll have to mark you too.”

  She felt a blush rise up her cheeks. “You’re telling me I’m going to have to come in front of whoever is in the room?”

  Oh dear goddess. Talk about awkward.

  Jasper cleared his throat. “If it makes you feel any better, North and I won’t be in the room. We can’t cross the barrier. So you won’t have to do that in front of the family—like Willow did.”

  She had a whole new amount of respect for her Beta’s mate now.

  She closed her eyes and bit her lip. “Josh and I don’t have to bite each other or you, right?”

  Reed shook his head. “No, I’m the only wolf. You two can mark each other, but it won’t add to the bond other than the emotional aspects.”

  She exhaled the breath she held. “Okay, then why can’t the two of us just mark each other now?”

  North snorted. “Please, not in the back seat.”

  Jasper shook his head.

  Reed pulled her close, his calloused painter’s fingers trailing goose bumps down her arms. He lowered his head, his lips pressing against hers, and she melted. She pulled back and panted.

  “Oh my. I didn’t mean while we were all still in the car.”

  North threw a wad of paper at the two of them, laugher dancing in his eyes above the nervous tension radiating in a
ll of them.

  Reed trailed his fingers down her cheek. “I just wanted to kiss you. I love you, Hannah. But I need to mark Josh first. Just in case.”

  His face shut down, and she couldn’t read him. Couldn’t feel him through their bond other than the faint wisp of his presence.

  Her heart sped up and she looked into his iced eyes. “Just in case of what?”

  He lowered his gaze then took a deep breath before meeting it again. “Just in case we’re wrong and I can only mark one.”

  Her vision blurred, and her body shook. “You mean you might not be able to mark me afterwards. That the feelings we have are wrong and ugly? Is that what you mean, Reed?” How could he say that? They’d completed part of the mating that night in the forest. The three of them had made love and sent the tendrils of their souls through each other, anchoring them for all time. How could that be wrong?

  “That’s not what I’m saying at all, baby. But with the demon bite and everything attacking us at all sides, we can’t be too careful. We are mates. I know it in my heart.”

  He held his fist to his heart, and she knew he desperately believed that. But what if they were wrong? The inkling of doubt spread through her and threatened to choke her.

  “I trust you, baby. This just sucks.” What an inadequate word.

  Reed let out a hollow laugh. “Yeah, it does. No matter what, you and Josh are my mates. Mate marking be dammed.”

  She sank into his arms as dread filled her belly. What if it didn’t work? What if all the powers of her Healing and the Pack couldn’t save Josh?

  The car lurched to a stop, and Jasper cut off the engine. “We’re about a mile outside the Centrals’ wards. I don’t want to risk going any farther.”

  Hannah closed her eyes and felt her bond to Josh. Sadness swept over her. A small part of her had hoped he hadn’t gone to the Centrals, that he’d be just fine and in a cabin somewhere, waiting for them. But no. She felt their fragile bond going into the dark abyss of the Centrals’ den.

  “I wish there was a way I could tell you to say here with my brothers and be safe,” Reed whispered and kissed her temple.

  “We’re a team. Always.”

  ****

  Josh tugged at his chains, and blood trickled down from the cuts created by the rivets from the handcuffs digging into his wrists. His muscles ached in their awkward position, but his legs barely had enough strength to lift himself off the floor so all his weight didn’t pull on his arms and shoulders.

  Where did the master go?

  Shudders wracked his body, and his arm flared in pain. The bite mark had scabbed and scarred, though it now only ached for hours at a time with pain-free minutes in between. At least that was something.

  Red light glowed in the darkness. According to his master, his transformation was almost complete, the rim around his irises almost completely red.

  Good.

  The metal door creaked open, and the daughter of the Alpha, Ellie, walked in. She held what must be his lunch in her hands but didn’t look at him. Bruises covered her face, and her right eye was swollen shut. She walked with a limp, her left leg trailing behind her slightly, but she held her chin high.

  “I have your lunch, Josh,” she whispered.

  He grunted. She wasn’t the master. Why would he speak to her?

  She shook her head. “Fine, don’t say thank you.”

  He grunted again, and she put the tray on the floor before rigging the chains behind him so he could reach for his food but not reach for her. He grabbed his tray as soon as his chains loosened and shoved the roll and meat into his mouth. He barely chewed before he swallowed, then he slurped up the oatmeal in two gulps.

  Ellie let out a disgusted snort but sighed. “Look at you. Look at what they’ve made you. An animal. Is this what you wanted to be? What you trained for?”

  His vision reddened, and he swung his fist, connecting with Ellie’s chest. She flew across the room with a whimper and crashed into the wall. A flash of pain and regret passed over him. What the hell was he doing?

  “I…” He tried to talk, but nothing would come out.

  She held up her hand and struggled to get up. He shoved the tray out of the way and tried to help her. Why was he trying to help her? She was just a girl. But when he tried to move forward, his chains held him back, just like the animal she compared him to.

  “Don’t bother.” She whispered. “I shouldn’t have antagonized you.” She sighed and shook her head then winced. “I thought I saw something that clearly wasn’t there.”

  What? He wasn’t anything. Just the master’s tool. Why would he be anything else? Maybe he should just kill…

  A scent of honey and bitter apples mixed with sandalwood came to mind.

  Home.

  His body shuddered, and a fog cleared from his mind. Shit. Where was he? What did he do? Where were they? Hannah? Josh? Oh God, he’d hit her. How did he do that?

  His thoughts jumbled together and his body convulsed as he took a deep breath.

  “I’m sorry, Ellie,” he whispered.

  Her eyes widened, and she gave him a small smile.

  “Fight it, Josh. I know it’s not you who does these things. Fight it. Come back to them. We’ll find them.”

  She took a step toward him, and the scents of home faded away.

  “Find who?”

  ****

  Reed took Hannah’s hand and stepped lightly into the forest, on alert for any sign of the Centrals or their dark witch friends. An eerie silence enveloped him. But for their breathing, he couldn’t hear a thing. Not even a bird or animal.

  Not good.

  Oily magic bore down on him, suffocating in its choke hold, as they continued toward the wards. Leaves brushed by his face and he flicked them away. His pulse beat in his ears, but he ignored the fast pace.

  “We’re getting there, Reed. We’ll find him. We must. And we’ll keep Hannah safe. Keep the faith.”

  Easy for his wolf to say. Reed shook his head. No, it wasn’t. His wolf was hurting just as badly as he was. His wolf didn’t have the mate mark and didn’t feel the deep bond he so desperately desired. Reed had deprived his wolf half of that. More regrets piled on, adding to the ever-increasing pile of doubt and disgrace.

  Reed growled. He needed to get out of his pity party. He could wallow later. Now he needed the strength to find his mate and keep his other mate safe. He was a fucking werewolf, dammit. A strong one at that. He could do this. Needed to do this.

  He closed his eyes and lightly pulled at the thread that remained of their bond to Josh and followed its path to the barrier. When they finally reached it, they paused. Unlike the wards set at the Redwood den, the Centrals’ didn’t have the sense of peace surrounding it. That oily magic oozed through it and hazed its presence, shielding it completely from view. If it weren’t for the bond, they wouldn’t have been able to find it.

  Hannah lifted to her toes and kissed his jaw. “Are you ready?”

  “Ready to get him and get out. I love you, baby.”

  “Love you.”

  They closed their eyes and took a step through the barrier. Thousands of tiny pinpricks assaulted his skin. He fought the urge to scratch and howl, and he pulled Hannah closer to him until they found the edge. Immediately the sensation stopped and they gasped for fresh air. Reed looked around then pulled her toward a grouping of bushes and knelt behind them. He kissed the top of her head then shook his to clear it.

  Though he wanted to stop and let Hannah take a break just to make sure she was all right, they couldn’t. They were on Central ground now. For all he knew, the Centrals knew they were there. But they needed to find Josh. Now.

  He looked down at his curly-haired mate and smiled. She absentmindedly waved her fingers in the air, the earth around them moving in small cascading waves, mimicking her movements.

  “Nervous?” he asked.

  She jolted, her fingers stopped moving, and the earth fell quietly to the ground. “Yes, but I�
�m also making sure my powers are still charged after that sticky ward.”

  Reed’s mind wandered to the time when Josh and he had charged her magic on the kitchen table, her body writhing under him as she panted with need.

  “I can always charge them for you.” He grinned.