Read Online Demon Bound by Meljean Brook - Free Book Online Page B

You don’t need my permission—”
    “I’m going to bother you.” His gaze didn’t leave hers. “You’ve got twenty years on it already, and I’ll have questions.”
    He also had both knowledge and curiosity. If that continued, there might be someone to carry on the research when— if —she no longer could.
    Her fingers were clenched painfully tight, but she managed to perform a cool nod. “Very well. If, of course, it doesn’t interfere with your training.”
    “I’ll convince Drifter that it’ll be a good experience for me.”
    Considering that Jake was the youngest Guardian in the field—and that he’d been made active long before the typical century of training had been completed—Ethan was likely more concerned that Jake mastered his weapons and Gift.
    “I doubt that he’ll be so easy to convince.”
    “No, he will be.” Jake shrugged and looked over her head, his gaze moving keenly along her walls—already anticipating the opportunity to dig deeper into their mysteries, she supposed. “You’re pretty much the only female who doesn’t make me think about sex when I’m near you. So I’ll point out that you’ll be good practice for when I’m around real women.”
    Real women? Stunned, Alice could only stare at him. Her mouth was agape, she realized dumbly—and shut it at the same moment Jake’s mortified gaze snapped to hers.
    “Oh, shit—”
    Alice pushed past him, threw open her front doors. If he ignored the blatant message, she would toss him out.
    But she would not look at him yet; her control was too tenuous. She stared out into the empty courtyard and measured each icy word. “You may come to me, novice, if it teaches you how to behave around real women. But I suggest you return to Ethan’s training, where you might learn to behave like a real man.”
    His footsteps approached. She heard his deep breath as he halted next to her.
    “I’m sorry, Alice.”
    She closed her eyes. The sound of his heart beat against her ears. His remorse lay heavy over his psychic scent.
    And with three words, Jake had proved himself more of a man than some she’d known.
    “Thank you,” she said. “But please leave.”
    He did. Not by teleporting or flying, as she’d expected—but walking across her courtyard with a slow, even gait.

CHAPTER 4
    A fifteen-minute hike took Jake to the city’s rounded edge. From high above, Caelum looked like a giant white plate in a waveless blue sea; the surrounding water sat level with the marble pavers, forming a smooth, unbroken plane.
    As a human, Jake hadn’t seen the ocean until he’d been on a foreign shore, preparing to go into combat—and wearing the brave face and swagger that they’d all learned to put on. Everyone had been afraid then, but the fear hadn’t taken form yet.
    And piss-scared hadn’t come until later.
    But despite the memories the sight of the ocean could wash up, he preferred it to this eerie, endless stillness. There wasn’t anything out there. Not long after the Ascension, he and a few other novices had flown out over the sea, just to see if it ended. They’d given up after two weeks—at the same speed, they’d have circled the Earth eight times.
    It was just as empty below the surface. Jake didn’t know how far he’d followed the gigantic, submerged column that was Caelum’s base, but he hadn’t hit bottom. And though he must have swum dozens of miles underwater, Caelum’s sun had penetrated even to those depths, lighting his way.
    There were stories about Guardians who were still diving, still flying—spending their immortality looking for the end.
    If the stories were true, they must be flippin’ nutcases by now.
    Jake grimaced and looked over his shoulder at the city. He couldn’t see Alice’s home behind the taller buildings nearer the water, but he almost expected to find spiders creeping up, preparing to make him pay for the insult to their mommy.
    Yeah, he’d fucked that up but good.
    But damn if he knew