Bind the Soul (24 page)

“Oh. That’s good.”

Seiya shrugged. “I was beaten to punish Ash every time he refused but I didn’t mind because I knew how much it mattered to him.”

Piper opened and closed her mouth, feeling like an insensitive jerk. “So Samael kept you locked in that building while he tried to find a draconian to—to—”

“To breed me?” she finished unflinchingly. “No, not entirely. Samael uses female draconians on some assignments as well—not the same kind as the males though.” She shrugged and touched her dark hair, the red tint almost invisible. “He thought I might be useful because I don’t look as draconian as the others. I was in training until I was thirteen. He didn’t start locking me up all the time until after . . . after our failed escape.”

Vejovis sighed, perhaps regretting his choice from years ago.

“Samael decided he had to keep me under guard at all times if he intended to keep control of Ash. So I spent most of my time in the draconian compound while Samael was home, but as soon as he left Asphodel, he’d take me along. Otherwise, he knew he might come back to find both Ash and me gone. To be safe, he sent Ash away on as many assignments as possible. I’ve barely seen him in the last two years.” Her gaze drifted toward the bed where her brother slept.

Piper pressed a hand to her stomach. She kind of felt like throwing up. She remembered Lyre telling her once that she was looking out a window thinking she could see the whole world. Well, there was no window now. The whole wall had been blown open, offering a perspective that made her sick with her own narrow-minded naivety. It seemed ridiculous for her to have been in tears because her father wanted to send her to a safe, fancy boarding school, when Seiya and Ash had spent every day fighting to survive. Piper had barely made it through four days as Samael’s prisoner. Seiya and Ash had endured it their whole lives.

Vejovis let out a slow breath and rose wearily to his feet. “I must take my leave now,” he told them.

Piper suppressed a surge of fear. She didn’t want him to go; their escape wasn’t complete.

“I’ve cloaked this site in enough wards to keep Samael’s searchers away for another twenty-four hours. Let Ash sleep as long as possible before you move on, but don’t wait too long.”

“Can’t you stay?” Piper said hesitantly. “How will we get out of the Underworld?”

“Ash will know how to get you back to Earth,” Vejovis said, a hint of apology in his voice. “I cannot stay any longer. I can take you back with me if you’d prefer not to wait.”

Piper glanced at Ash, prone on the bed. “No, I’ll stay.”

He nodded.

“We’ll be fine,” Seiya said. “Thank you, Vejovis.”

Piper pushed the blanket off and stood. “Yes, thank you, Vejovis.”

Before she could chicken out, she stepped forward and gave the daemon a tight hug around the middle. He seemed startled, but gave her a gentle squeeze back.

“Take care, Piper,” he said. “And be careful with the Sahar. It’s far more dangerous than you realize.”

She met his somber stare. “I think I got a glimpse of that earlier.”

He nodded. After a final check on Ash, he bid them goodbye and slipped out into the chilly morning. Piper watched him go, nerves twisting in her belly. They were on their own—again.

Seiya came to stand beside her, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. “Why don’t you sleep? You look ready to pass out.”

She was. “What about you?”

“I slept the night before last. I’ll be fine for a while yet.”

“Well . . . Yeah, I could use some rest.”

Seiya nodded. “I know Vejovis said he warded this place, but I think I’ll keep watch anyway. Just in case.”

Zwi and Zala were already patrolling outside but upon seeing the hardness in her face, Piper knew Seiya wasn’t taking any chances with her newfound freedom. She nodded as the girl followed Vejovis out the wooden door, shutting it quietly behind her. Silence but for the crackling of the fire enveloped the small room. Heaving a sigh, Piper turned toward the bed.

Ash lay on his back, blankets pulled up to his chin. He was still so pale. Piper sat on the edge of the bed and slid the covers down to check his neck. The only sign left by the collar was a ring of pink skin where the burn had been healed. She slid the blankets down a little farther and saw that the lash-like slices on his chest had been healed to red-rimmed lines. Blood still smeared his skin and had dried on the side of his face and in his hair.

Ignoring the heaviness of her eyelids and her aching head, Piper went over to a small barrel of rainwater she and Seiya had brought in earlier. Locating a hand towel in the closet, she wet it with water and returned to Ash. She carefully cleaned the dried blood from his face and torso. He didn’t even stir.

Finished, she rinsed out the towel and laid it to dry in front of the fire. Then, shaking with exhaustion, she pulled off the painful hiking boots, crawled over Ash to the roomier half of the bed, and slid under the covers.

For a full minute, she shivered on the far side of the bed, unable to throw off enough body heat to warm the chilled blankets. Giving up, she scooched over and tucked herself against Ash’s warm side. Snuggling in, she hugged his arm against her chest and closed her eyes.

Safe . . . for now. She savored the realization. A moment later, she was asleep.

. . .

Piper stirred, waking groggily. For a long minute, she wondered what had woken her. The fire snapped, crackling loudly. She lifted her head and squinted at her surroundings. The room was colder than before, but three large logs were just starting to catch in the fireplace. Seiya must have come in to build up the fire.

Piper sank back into the bed, burrowing under the covers and wiggling in closer to Ash. The sky beyond the small window was oddly dim, too bright for dusk yet too dark for cloud cover. The dark shape in the sky was the silhouetted planet eclipsing one of the two suns that lit the Underworld. Settling back down, she closed her eyes. Every muscle ached. Her thoughts drifted, sliding back into sleep.

One of the new logs in the fire popped like a gunshot. Piper started violently—and so did Ash.

He jerked halfway up with a gasp. In almost the same motion, he rolled, coming down on top of her. She caught a glimpse of his black eyes and wild expression before he grabbed her by the throat.

“Ash—” His name ended in a gargle as his fingers cut off her air.

He stilled. Recognition flickered in his eyes and he jerked his hand away. She gasped in a breath. He blinked rapidly, then raised his head, looking one way then the other. Slowly, the shadows in his eyes lifted. One elbow braced on either side of her, he didn’t move, expression wary as he surveyed their surroundings.

“Ash,” she whispered. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

He looked at her. His gray eyes, clear and bright, not hazed with suffering or torment, was the most wonderful thing she’d ever seen.

“Piper?” he mumbled. His gaze flicked back across the room. “Where . . .?”

“A safe place,” she told him soothingly. “We’re safe here for hours yet. Seiya is here too.”

His gaze flashed back to her.

“She’s outside. We did it, Ash.” She smiled encouragingly. “We escaped.”

He stared at her, breathing in and out with careful precision. Then his eyes closed and he sank down, half on top of her, and hid his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder. The muscles in his arms bunched with whatever emotion he didn’t want her to see. Understanding his need for a private moment, she slid her arms around him, winding one hand into his hair. She gently combed her fingers through it.

Notch by notch, the tension released from his muscles. He exhaled slowly as he settled into the bed again. She swallowed hard, continuing to stroke the back of his neck in an attempt to relax him. She tried not to show any signs of how hyper-aware she was of him lying partly on top of her, one arm across her middle, their legs tangled together. His body, warm against hers, was way too reminiscent of the way he’d pressed her into the wall as his mouth moved over her neck.

She swallowed again. Better to not think about that.

Another sigh slid from him, his breath warming her bare shoulder. She closed her eyes, reveling in the knowledge that he was okay. He was safe. After five weeks of worrying, she could finally relax.

His fingers brushed her arm, sending a wave of gooseflesh across her skin. He rubbed his thumb over her shoulder.

“I owe you big,” he mumbled.

She smiled at the mix of gratitude and reluctance in his voice. “Considering how many times you’ve saved me, I’d say we’re even.”

“No . . . I don’t think we are.”

His voice gave her shivers as it slid down to her bones. She covered her reaction with a little shrug, not wanting to argue. She was more focused on his thumb tracing tingly little circles on her shoulder.

“Are you sure Seiya is outside?” he asked, sounding worried. The words came out thick; he was starting to drift off again already.

“Yes. She was in here a minute ago putting more wood on the fire.”

“Mmm.”

She shifted slightly, dying to ask what he remembered from their escape, because she didn’t know what those little circles meant. She suspected he didn’t even realize he was doing it.

As soon as she moved, his head lifted. He made a sleepy, apologetic noise and started to move off her. Without thinking, she tightened her arms like a vice and yanked him back down. He made a surprised
oomph
as she squashed him against her.

Her cheeks heated. “It’s cold,” she said quickly, loosening her grip just as fast.

He obligingly reached back and found the top edge of the blanket. Pulling it back over them, he tucked it around her exposed shoulder. He adjusted the blanket to cover his bare back—she was trying really hard to ignore his shirtless condition—before carefully sliding an arm under her. He wrapped the other one around her and pulled her gently into the circle of his arms.

Heart pounding, she turned into him, arms tucked between them, wonderfully warm. She hesitantly let her hands rest on his chest, fingers brushing his collarbones. He turned his head, resting his cheek on the top of her hair as he settled in. Feeling his whole body relax around her nearly made her dizzy.

His arms tightened for a heartbeat, pulling her closer.

“You saved my life, Piper,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

She slid one hand up to touch his neck where the collar had burned him. “Sorry I took so long.”

He made a quiet, annoyed sound. “No apologizing.”

She huffed a laugh. Her heart continued to race. His face was so close. All she had to do was tip her head up. Just lift her head and she would find out whether he remembered that moment when he’d pinned her so ruthlessly, but touched her with such gentleness—and what it had meant.

Hesitation chained her. What if he didn’t remember? Or worse, what if it hadn’t meant anything? What if it had simply been shaded instincts and hormones? But what if it
did
mean something? Did she even want that? Daemons were off limits. Nothing would change that.

She drew in a deep breath—and realized that during the two minutes she’d spent agonizing over it, his breathing had evened out. He was asleep.

Chance lost—she hadn’t made a decision anyway—she let herself relax. Her eyelids grew heavy. She fought it, wanting to enjoy their closeness, knowing it would end far too soon.

Her body’s needs won out and she slid helplessly back into sleep.

CHAPTER 14

P
IPER
sat on a log outside the cabin in the cold evening air, watching Seiya pace. The girl was so petite and delicate that Piper wouldn’t have imagined she could look intimidating.

But she was looking pretty intimidating now.

Piper had forgotten about Seiya’s “emergency escape backpack,” but Seiya had held onto it throughout their entire escape. Not only were food and other necessities stashed inside it, but clothes for both her and Ash. Not just any clothes, though.

Fitted, black leather hugged Seiya’s legs before disappearing under her boots, which, though stylish at first glance, had steel toes and plates hidden in the top halves for protection when kicking armored opponents. Her black top was a strange, heavy material that fit snugly all the way up to the base of her throat. The sleeves fit tightly over her arms, falling past her wrists and over the backs of her hands, where a loop of material over her ring finger held them in place. She wore fingerless fighting gauntlets with steel plates on the knuckles that covered her forearms.

Her long, dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail. The red strip of silk she wore, twin to Ash’s, formed the tie. She had a sword on one hip, a gun on the other, and assorted daggers strapped to her thighs.

Piper sighed wistfully, missing her own weapons. She still had one of Seiya’s guns and a dagger on her borrowed belt, but she was comparatively unprepared.

Seiya threw another impatient glance at the door to the cabin. “How long does it take to get dressed?”

Piper said nothing. Ash wasn’t just getting dressed, he was using the last of their water to get clean for the first time in—well, probably a while. Piper hadn’t noticed anything beyond the dried blood but he was probably in need of a good washing. After spending the majority of the last four days beside an open sewer, she didn’t have much sense of smell left.