Bound to His Redemption

by Lisa Kumar

Somehow, she knew precisely what that meant, and her ability to comfort him during sex both thrilled and frightened her.

  CARALYN SQUINTED AT the neighboring table in the restaurant and bar she, Eamon, and Andrian were in. Surely, she was imagining things? But no, the yellow glow still remained around the pretty middle-aged lady sitting with a group of other women. Underneath the yellow was a brownish color, but the yellow largely camouflaged that color.

  Ever since Eamon, her synesthesia was out of whack. While only his aura changed and was based on mood, she’d been noticing yellow-tinged ones around the random person or two for the last week or two. She frowned, not knowing what it could mean. But she knew it had something to do with Eamon. It had to and couldn’t just be coincidence.

  Eamon’s voice cut into her thoughts. “What are you staring at so intently?”

  She glanced to where he sat beside her. He cocked his head to look in the direction she’d been gazing at before he stiffened. A confused frown turned down the corners of his mouth. After a moment his posture relaxed, and he faced her. “I see nothing there of importance. Far more beauty is here at this table.”

  Andrian scoffed, looking up from his chicken dish. “Is that your attempt at romancing?”

  Eamon ignored the other elf and gave her a charming smile. She stared at him, not fooled one bit. He’d seen something that he didn’t like. “What did you see?”

  “See? As I told you, nothing of importance.”

  Caralyn lowered her brows, still not removing her gaze from him. Why was he being so reticent? He knew full well what was going on and what she saw when she looked at that woman. Every particle within told her that.

  An epiphany hit. All this must have something to do with the graykindred and their task. But what? Her mind worked speedily to make sense of the puzzle pieces. If she saw this strange, new glow around a select few, and Eamon saw the same ... She stifled a gasp as the pattern solidified before her. The yellow aura identified the fated mates that the graykindred were to find.

  Heart pounding, she turned to Andrian. “You see it too, don’t you?”

  He sent her a disgruntled, questioning glance. “See what? I’m trying to ignore you two.”

  She pointed with a shaky finger to the table where the woman sat.

  He followed her hand and then blinked. And blinked again. He kept staring and seemed nearly entranced.

  “What do you see?” she forced out, attempting to ignore the way her stomach lurched.

  Andrian jumped and tore his gaze away from the woman. He traded a wary glance with Eamon, which only confirmed Caralyn’s suspicions. “What do you?” he asked carefully.

  What the heck — why not? “One of the women has a yellowish aura around her.”

  Surprise flared across his countenance. “That should be impossible.”

  Eamon spoke up. “Aistiane’s doing, no doubt.”

  His voice held no humor, not that she thought it a humorous situation — far from it. Caralyn smiled grimly. Aistiane had jacked up her synesthesia, subverting it so that she could also see the auras of potential mates. Who else but the manifestation of the veil would have the power to do so? Caralyn didn’t like anyone messing with her that way. When she’d reluctantly agreed to help, she hadn’t signed on for this. She wasn’t a graykindred, so why give her this ability? To tie her fully to their cause — that was why.

  Still, she needed confirmation. “I know you guys see it, too. So this is how you’ll all find the mates?”

  Eamon scowled. “Yes, and apparently you’ve been ‘gifted’ with the ability to locate them also.”

  “It would seem so. Aistiane was serious when she said she wanted my help.” Damn her.

  Quietness met her statement, letting Caralyn sink into her thoughts. Though usually mild-mannered, she didn’t like to be forced into anything. Lately, she’d been pressed into situations and events way too much. That had to stop. A despairing laugh bubbled up, but she clamped it off. Yeah, right, look at how much control she had over her life at this moment. Shit kept flying her way, and there didn’t seem to be a thing she could do to dodge it. Even if she walked away, she knew something would drag her back into Eamon’s life and all his drama again.

  That was the thing, though, it was his drama, his problem, brought about by his mistakes, not hers. Why should she have to pay the price? Because life wasn’t fair, and she was too softhearted to abandon the mess of a male who made such passionate love to her. God, she was a fool.

  Andrian broke the silence. “I’m sorry you’ve been brought into this. You’ve played no part in the wounding of Eria, yet you still are bond by its problems.”

  His words touched a small part of her, but the larger portion wanted to snap at him for this injustice. Blaming him for Aistiane’s actions wouldn’t solve anything, however. “I know you are.” Ever practical, she turned her mind toward current matters. “Where do we go from here?”

  Eamon slipped his hand about hers. “We’ll talk more about this in privacy.”

  Caralyn almost missed what he said. His affectionate action, so unlike the Eamon she’d first met, warmed her heart. She tightened her fingers around his. With a small shake of her head, she forced herself to focus on their conversation. What he said — yeah, probably a wise choice. Curious ears could be around. To most, they’d sound crazy, but to anyone in the know ...

  She nodded. “Good call.”

  “After we finish here, we’ll go home. We don’t need to buy anything more tonight?”

  Did he realize how easily he called her apartment home? Knowing he expected a reply, she answered distractedly. “Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow. I think you guys are set for clothes for awhile.” Her mind lost no time in straying back to its previous train of thought. When the day came for him to leave, would he want to? Would she want him to?

  Dear God, she was getting too attached. Why hadn’t she thought of that before agreeing to this madness? All of it — Aistiane’s task for her and starting a sexual relationship with Eamon. How could she work with him when their affair was over?

  She set her mouth in a firm line. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things. Though the previous events of the evening put a slight damper on the rest of their meal, Caralyn made an effort to not show how it affected her.

  Taking one final bite of her burger, she slid a glance to Eamon, who was elegantly devouring the last of his steak. Only he could show such interest in his food and look refined doing it. Well, Andrian wasn’t bad at it, either, but Eamon was the one who firmly grabbed her attention.

  He’d been surprisingly charming tonight. Of course that treatment didn’t extend to Andrian, but to all others, especially women, he was being noticeably magnanimous. Even their waitress received cordial responses. Caralyn didn’t know if it was because he remembered her admonishments from last time they ate out or if he merely treated women a bit better than he did men.

  When Sky, their waitress, delivered their check, he held out a credit card to her lazily. A captivating smile was all it took to turn the woman into a veritable pile of goo. Caralyn almost snorted at the display and at the love-struck expression on Sky’s mocha-brown, pretty face. Still, she’d been on the receiving end of such looks from Eamon, and she knew the full effect of them. Even now, just the remembrance of one such grin — and how it ended — flashed before her eyes. Heat zoomed southward, and she cursed her wayward mind.

  Turning her focus back to the waitress, she counted down the moments to when an inevitably envious comment about her two dinner dates would surely issue forth from Sky’s mouth.

  Five, four, three —

  “Aren’t you lucky to have two such handsome men to enjoy your company?”

  And there it is.

  Though the young woman didn’t sound catty, there was no missing the awe in her tone.

  “Oh, you don’t know how lucky I am. Believe me.” She attempted to keep the irony out of her voice, but apparently some sarcasm seeped in.


  Sky gave her a confused smile. “Well, I hope you all have a great evening. Come back soon.”

  Eamon echoed some of Caralyn’s previous words with a gratified expression on his face. “Oh, at least two of us will enjoy our evening in the most pleasurable way possible. Believe me.”

  The waitress’ eyes widened, and her already shaky smile slipped. “O-okay.” Without a backward glance, she beat a hasty retreat with Eamon’s credit card. Hopefully, the poor woman wasn’t too devastated and would come back. Caralyn was too amused to be embarrassed much.

  However, mortification must’ve won out for Sky because a waiter dropped the card and receipt off at their table. The young man seemed particularly entranced by Andrian, sending him an admiring look. Andrian flushed in apparent embarrassment but tried to play it cool, otherwise. Caralyn smothered a grin. It was sort of adorable.

  Her mood lightened a bit, she left the restaurant with the elves in tow. Now came the serious part.

  Chapter 24

  Eamon still hated Caralyn’s car, but the feeling was compounded by their looming conversation. At least the graykindred didn’t look like he was faring any better. Even this was small comfort, though. That Caralyn would be able to locate the mates was a possibility he hadn’t considered before. Why would Aistiane give her such an ability? Only the veil could be responsible for this. Who or what else would have the power?

  The ride home was mercifully short, and they all hurried inside from the cold. When Andrian visibly flinched at the idea of getting on the elevator again, cruel amusement ripped through Eamon. Though he wasn’t, as the humans would say, a fan of that mode of transport, it was vastly amusing to see the graykindred so agitated. Andrian’s fingers were clenched tightly at his sides — far more so than his own.

  Once inside the apartment, Archie greeted him enthusiastically and had the good sense to lick Andrian last. Eamon came first here, and what a wonderful feeling that was. For all he hated Earth, it did have some redeeming qualities. He had Archie’s loyalty and Caralyn’s charms to relish. Neither dog nor woman seemed inclined to favor that graykindred interloper. Eamon breathed in the warm air contently, savoring this rare moment. Soon, he’d have Caralyn’s questions to answer, and that didn’t sound so enjoyable.

  Caralyn made no move to take off her coat. In fact, she looked decidedly miserable. She cast a glance to the nearby window and shivered. “I’ve got to take this big lug out.”

  Ah, so that was what was bothering her. Before he could stop the words, they were out of his mouth. “Would you like some company?” He didn’t know why he offered. The cold was no more pleasant to him than it was to a human. He might not get hypothermia as quickly, but he still felt the bite as strongly.

  She sent him a surprised look, and a gentle smile curved those lips he loved to kiss. “Sure.”

  Archie followed Caralyn as she went to retrieve the leash. As Eamon watched her, he frowned. Maybe he was growing soft as Andrian had taunted him more than once. No, preposterous. He merely wanted to make sure she returned safely because she was providing him with a roof over his head. This was home for the time being, so he’d protect her and that home as much as he could. If Caralyn did indeed prove to be a fated true mate, that was why he’d fight Aistiane and any graykindred. Eamon, along with his wants and comforts, came first.

  Then why did some small part of him call him out as a liar? Because of the sex? He’d had plenty of lovers in his lifetime, but none so freely giving as Caralyn or so innocent. It was a heady experience and still so new to him.

  Yes, that had to be it. It wasn’t like he truly cared for her beyond a general feeling of not wanting her to be hurt. He was an unfeeling bastard who hated humans. To think that there could be anything more than what already existed between them was ridiculous.

  Andrian snorted, drawing his attention. Eamon scowled at him. “What?”

  “Following after your human like a pet dog?” Andrian draped himself across a chair and pretended to examine his nails. “Really, no one would believe how far you’ve fallen, and most, ironically, didn’t think you had anywhere to go but up.”

  Though anger kindled in his breast at Andrian’s gloating, he detected something else in the other elf’s voice that sent a smug exhilaration careening through him. The graykindred was envious of what Eamon had with Caralyn! Now that Eamon knew what to look for, Andrian’s begrudging air — though too subtle for most to see — blazed like a beacon to him. How delightful! Did the other elf want Caralyn for himself, or did he merely want a beautiful woman in his arms?

  He thought it was the latter since he’d been observing Andrian closely to make sure he didn’t infringe upon Eamon’s territory. While the graykindred may find her pleasing to gaze upon and to be pleasant company, he’d never truly given either Eamon or Caralyn cause to believe he wanted more from her. Oh, he liked to try to anger Eamon with the usual male posturing, but he never backed it up with substance. Caralyn always laughed those instances away, going so far as to say that she had two brothers and could see competitiveness and leg-pulling for what it was: An effort to rile Eamon.

  He suspected she was correct since he also attempted to irritate Andrian with displays of intimacy between him and Caralyn.

  “Do I detect a tone of envy?” he asked with a toothy smile.

  “I envy you, traitor? Ha! In your favorite dream, maybe.”

  “Ooh, keep talking dirty to me. I like it. And besides, what do you think you are if not a traitor?”

  His verbal punch landed its striking blow. The way Andrian paled said so. It was a beautiful thing.

  When Caralyn and Archie reentered the room, Eamon snapped back to the current moment. Aiming a grin at the graykindred, he gave him a jaunty salute.

  Andrian glared.

  Sighing, Caralyn looked from one elf to the other. “You two already at it?”

  Eamon cocked a brow. “What else did you expect? A tea party? At least we weren’t beating each other.”

  “I could change that,” Andrian said, a growling note to his voice.

  Eamon sent him an assessing look. “Maybe later. I have a lady and her dog to escort.”

  A sneering expression coated itself on Andrian’s face. “You sound like a lovesick fool.”

  Eamon shoved the rising fury down and masked it with a good-humored laugh. “I believe you’re upset that you don’t have a titillating evening waiting for you.”

  “If you’re talking about sex, that’s easily got. I need only step outside the apartment to find it. Hmm, maybe not even outside the apartment.” His gaze slid to Caralyn and took her in with one sweeping look. “Maybe someone would prefer a new buck to rut with.”

  In the background, Caralyn groaned, but Eamon barely heard it over the roaring in his veins. The bastard wanted to die, and Eamon would be the — Caralyn stepped to Eamon’s side and laid a gentle yet firm hand on his quivering arm.

  The action and her warm touch soothed the bubbling ire to a low roil, but he still kept his furious glare locked on Andrian.

  “Don’t respond to it, Eamon. That’s what he wants.”

  Rationally, he knew that, but the instinct to tear him apart still hounded him. Caralyn wouldn’t appreciate it if he got blood on the carpet, so he tamped down on his urge.

  When he stalked closer to the graykindred without realizing it, Caralyn pulled on his arm. “Let’s take Archie out before he has an accident. Trust me — he creates a gigantic puddle that’s no fun to clean up.”

  Her strained tone burrowed into his consciousness. He blinked and slowly turned to her. Her face bore traces of the same worry he’d heard in her voice. Once again, he was thankful for her calming effect on him. Though he’d known what Andrian had been doing, his anger had nearly goaded him into a physical confrontation.

  That wouldn’t have been how he would’ve wanted to spend the evening. He frowned, a strange feeling creeping over him. Typically, he never shied away from a fight, but when said fight interfered wit
h his plans with Caralyn ... it gave him pause. That comprehension punched him harder in the gut than Andrian ever could. Sucking in a breath, he stared at her anxious face to Andrian’s smirking one.

  Realizing his actions were giving too much away, he gathered his shattered control and drew it around him like a tattered cloak. After all, that was what he had the most experience with and was an expert at. This mechanism allowed him to survive — if not unscathed, at least with the ability to still function.

  He sent the graykindred a derisive look while looking down his nose. “Come, Caralyn, the weather outside is much preferable to the company in here.”

  With an uncertain look, she took the hand he offered. He squeezed her palm gently to show everything was fine. That gesture alone sent a little shock through his system. Since when was he so caring? Another mystery to solve, among all the others in relation to his baffling behavior toward Caralyn.

  “Okay.” She let go of his hand and bent down to attach the leash to Archie’s collar. “All ready to go.”

  Ignoring Andrian, he put his leather gloves back on. These were much more his style than the tattered ones he’d arrived with. With a wave of the hand, he motioned Caralyn to the door. “After you.”

  Once they were outside in the hallway, Caralyn strode past the elevator and instead headed to the stairwell.

  “Not taking the elevator?” He couldn’t say he minded. Though he was getting used to the contraption, it didn’t mean he liked it.

  She flashed him a smile. “No. As much I love seeing your and Andrian’s expressions when we take it, Archie does like taking the stairs down.”

  “You were secretly laughing at us,” he said, pausing and cocking his head to the side, but his words lacked any real heat.

  “Yeah, I was.” She halted and turned toward him. Her face showed no sign of remorse. “I guess it was my revenge for how you’ve both upset my life.”

  “Your way of taking vengeance?”

  She gave a soft laugh. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”