Read Online Bound by Prophecy (Bound Series Book 3) by Stormy Smith - Free Book Online
Authors: Stormy Smith
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bond and know she’s okay. The dogs won’t react. You can shift here and I’ll stay with her. The women are with Nell and I’ll be able to tell you if she wakes.” Elias maintained eye contact with me as Baleon and Micah left the room. Then he turned and released the window, pushing it wide open. “Shift now and use the window. She is your mate, Aidan. You cannot stop this part of you. Just give him the reassurance he needs — you need.”
I didn’t bother taking off anything but my shoes. In one explosion of cellular rearranging, I dropped from two legs to four and let out a deafening howl. The Danes chimed in with deep bays and Elias’s eyes lit blue as he fought to maintain his human form against the natural instinct to respond to my call.
Howls erupted from all over the area as fellow AniMages confirmed they were there, they would protect her with their lives, and they were ready to run. I paced the perimeter of the bed and finally buried my nose in the crook of her neck, pushing under her hair so I could trace a path from her collarbone to her hairline. I could feel peace within her that hadn’t been there in as long as we’d known each other. Her breaths were even, the heartbeat in her jugular was strong and steady, and her power was calm. She would be okay. We had succeeded.
“Go, Aidan,” Elias growled. If my friend was going to be able to hold to his word and stay with Amelia, I had to get out of there.
Thank you, Elias. I won’t be gone long.
He nodded stiffly and I leapt out the window, vaguely noticing Bethany standing in the doorway of the barn holding Rynna’s hand. Both women cried silently as they stared at me, wanting answers I couldn’t give them yet.
12
I opened my eyes and was struck by how warm I was, even though I could feel the breeze across my skin. A dry tongue scratched against my cheek and a whimper whined in my ear. I realized Charlie was the heater lying next to me. I reached across my body to scratch his head and just as I felt the coarseness of his short coat across my fingertips, it all came flooding back.
The Keeper. The binding. Something happened, but what? My mind couldn’t find the information, but the gnawing in my gut told me it was bad.
I bolted upright, only to sway back and forth as dizziness took over. When my eyes focused, I found Aidan sitting in the chair in the corner. His posture was stiff, but he leaned slightly toward me, his lips parted and eyes questioning. He looked at me like he wasn’t sure if I was real, like he needed permission to move.
“Hi,” I said cautiously, the room still slightly swaying. Or maybe I was. In a second, he was next to me, on his knees as he wrapped his arms around me. Aidan still hadn’t spoken, but I held his head against my chest and allowed those few seconds of silence. I was here. He was here. We were in the same place, together, for the first time since this had all started.
Finally, Aidan pulled away and my eyes traced up his arms, to the tattoos peeking out from his shirtsleeves, continuing up to his strong jaw, thin lips, and emotion-filled eyes. Eyes the color of a foggy mist. I was struck by how much I’d missed seeing his human eyes.
I put my hands on either side of his face and smiled, then I leaned down and kissed him. A brief touch of our lips ricocheted sensations through me and cemented the reality that this was not a dream. We were interrupted by a massive dog head-butting me in the back. As I turned to scold Charlie, I saw Cole lying between him and Onyx.
“Oh, God. What happened?” I asked as I took in my brother’s limp form on the bed. Aidan quickly stood and helped me to my feet.
“He’s okay, Amelia. He’s still recovering,” Aidan said as he steadied my wobbling limbs. I hadn’t actually stood on my own volition since Cresthaven.
“Define okay,” I demanded weakly as I pulled away from him and walked slowly around the bed. I looked down at Cole and the rational part of me knew
I didn’t bother taking off anything but my shoes. In one explosion of cellular rearranging, I dropped from two legs to four and let out a deafening howl. The Danes chimed in with deep bays and Elias’s eyes lit blue as he fought to maintain his human form against the natural instinct to respond to my call.
Howls erupted from all over the area as fellow AniMages confirmed they were there, they would protect her with their lives, and they were ready to run. I paced the perimeter of the bed and finally buried my nose in the crook of her neck, pushing under her hair so I could trace a path from her collarbone to her hairline. I could feel peace within her that hadn’t been there in as long as we’d known each other. Her breaths were even, the heartbeat in her jugular was strong and steady, and her power was calm. She would be okay. We had succeeded.
“Go, Aidan,” Elias growled. If my friend was going to be able to hold to his word and stay with Amelia, I had to get out of there.
Thank you, Elias. I won’t be gone long.
He nodded stiffly and I leapt out the window, vaguely noticing Bethany standing in the doorway of the barn holding Rynna’s hand. Both women cried silently as they stared at me, wanting answers I couldn’t give them yet.
12
I opened my eyes and was struck by how warm I was, even though I could feel the breeze across my skin. A dry tongue scratched against my cheek and a whimper whined in my ear. I realized Charlie was the heater lying next to me. I reached across my body to scratch his head and just as I felt the coarseness of his short coat across my fingertips, it all came flooding back.
The Keeper. The binding. Something happened, but what? My mind couldn’t find the information, but the gnawing in my gut told me it was bad.
I bolted upright, only to sway back and forth as dizziness took over. When my eyes focused, I found Aidan sitting in the chair in the corner. His posture was stiff, but he leaned slightly toward me, his lips parted and eyes questioning. He looked at me like he wasn’t sure if I was real, like he needed permission to move.
“Hi,” I said cautiously, the room still slightly swaying. Or maybe I was. In a second, he was next to me, on his knees as he wrapped his arms around me. Aidan still hadn’t spoken, but I held his head against my chest and allowed those few seconds of silence. I was here. He was here. We were in the same place, together, for the first time since this had all started.
Finally, Aidan pulled away and my eyes traced up his arms, to the tattoos peeking out from his shirtsleeves, continuing up to his strong jaw, thin lips, and emotion-filled eyes. Eyes the color of a foggy mist. I was struck by how much I’d missed seeing his human eyes.
I put my hands on either side of his face and smiled, then I leaned down and kissed him. A brief touch of our lips ricocheted sensations through me and cemented the reality that this was not a dream. We were interrupted by a massive dog head-butting me in the back. As I turned to scold Charlie, I saw Cole lying between him and Onyx.
“Oh, God. What happened?” I asked as I took in my brother’s limp form on the bed. Aidan quickly stood and helped me to my feet.
“He’s okay, Amelia. He’s still recovering,” Aidan said as he steadied my wobbling limbs. I hadn’t actually stood on my own volition since Cresthaven.
“Define okay,” I demanded weakly as I pulled away from him and walked slowly around the bed. I looked down at Cole and the rational part of me knew
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