Read Online Bound (The Guardians) by M.J. Stevens - Free Book Online

took stroll out into the gardens for some air. It was night and everything was gorgeous, lights in the trees and really peaceful. That’s when I found Arin. He was sitting by the large centrepiece fountain. I scooted over and sat near him, I didn’t want to miss a chance to talk to an actual Successor. But he was clearly depressed and totally drunk. When I started talking to him, he admitted to me that his life wasn’t as good as everyone thinks. I sat by him for hours and we swapped stories. I made a joke that he wouldn’t hold up well under torture if a few beverages were to blame for his sudden lecture. And well…’
    I stare intently, focused on her romantic story.
    She laughs loudly. ‘The next thing I know, I’m waking up in his bedroom and he’s all “unite with me!”’
    My jaw drops. Demmi turns to her, ‘You told me he asked you over dinner!’
    ‘Yeah I lied, okay?’
    Demmi folds his arms, ‘I can’t believe you sealed the deal with sex…for shame, Anrella.’
    ‘You’re one to talk,’ she shouts. ‘If Lord Neros finds out what you’ve been doing to his daughter you are so dead!’
    Demmi cries innocently, ‘B-but she came on to me! You know how aggressive she is!’
    My door fiercely bursts open. A young woman, no older than fifteen, stands there. She has long blonde hair pulled up into two piggy tails. She’s wearing a short, light pink dress with a grey jacket over the top. She’s so beautiful, but her face is twisted with anger.
    She cries, ‘Demmi!’
    ‘Soren!’ He jumps and leans backwards into Anrella. ‘Spirits in the night’s sky, tell me she didn’t hear me!’ 
    Soren marches over, walking right up to the bed, standing over him. She grabs him by the shirt. ‘You were supposed to wait for me before you picked up the new sheet music. To make it worse you practised it already. Do not deny it; I saw it on the piano!’ Soren unexpectedly lets go. She grabs her heart and collapses dramatically to her knees. Facing away from us, she covers her face with her hands.
    The look on my face must be strange and prompts Demmi to explain what I’ve seen. ‘Mellea this is Successor Soren, third child and only daughter of Lord Neros and Lady Lethia. Aka, Leo’s little sister. As for why she is on the floor, she is upset because we take lessons at Bendoc Chamber of Arts together and I picked up the new piano recital music while she was away.’
    I reply, ‘My friend Blade goes there. He’s my age so that’s amazing you two go there. Aren’t you a little young to be taking classes at university?’
    ‘It’s only music lessons. Before this I was a normal student at Absotras Upper. But there was no way they were going to let a future bride go to a highly underfunded public high school . So now I have classes here in the Tower with Soren and a tutor. Twice a week we go and enjoy a bit of musical education. It takes up most of our time here. Soren isn’t really on Successor duties yet. She—’
    Soren cuts him off with a long, high pitched weeping sound. She remains perched in the exact same floor position with her hands over her face. She doesn’t want to talk, she wants to be noticed.
    Demmi rolls his eyes and slides off the bed. He stands behind her, bending over to look at her upside down. Soren moves her hands away from her face when he calls her name.
    He smiles. ‘Listen, I picked up the music and that’s it. I swear these fingers never touched a single key while you were gone.’ He moves in and bumps noses with her, making her smile. Demmi walks around in front and reaches out. ‘Come on, I will play it with you now.’ Soren gets up and puts her hand in his. Demmi says goodbye and waves at us before shutting the door behind them both.
    I laugh. ‘Wow…spoilt isn’t she?’
    Anrella giggles. ‘That’s an understatement! But deep down they’re totally in love, so I guess that makes it all right somehow.’
    ‘How did those two even end up together?’ I ask. He