Bound (38 page)

“No—I said I’m fine.” Altaria made an attempt
to sit up straighter, cringing when the muscles tightened across
her abdomen. Tears formed in her eyes. “I promised not to let you
heal. I won’t go back on that, Kira.”

“And I swore to be your healer. Now stop
fighting me and let me see it.” She took Altaria’s hand and forced
it away from the wound. Blood pulsed from the opening much like it
had from Octavion’s leg. Kira pulled out her dagger and placed it
against her palm, but Altaria grabbed it away.

“You cannot do that. The blood left from your
cut is already affecting me. Or don’t you remember what happened
with Octavion?” She drove the knife into the tree at her side,
broke off the blade and tossed the handle into the grass a few feet
away.

“Why’d you do that? You know I can’t heal
something this bad without my blood. How am I supposed to tell your
brother I let you die?” Kira searched the surrounding area for
something sharp. A small dagger lay a few yards away next to one of
the dead Royals. As she stood, Altaria grabbed her arm and pulled
her back down—her grip surprisingly strong.

“Stop that,” Kira said. “You’re hurting
me.”

“You are
not
healing me. I will not
see my brother grieve your death—not because you healed me and
certainly not at my own hand.” Her beautiful blue eyes were almost
completely yellow and her shoulders seemed to swell as she
spoke.

Reaching into her pouch, Kira felt the tiny
shards of glass from the broken vial until she found one big enough
to do the job. Yanking her hand free from Altaria’s grip, she drew
the jagged edge across her palm.

Altaria arched back from the scent of fresh
blood, her feline scream piercing the eerie silence that had
settled in the canyon.

Kira clamped her hand over Altaria’s wound.
She had to hurry before Altaria lost control. As she focused on
mending the injury, Altaria’s transformation progressed. Kira felt
the wound begin to mend, the muscle and tissue fusing together as
the pain in Kira’s heart grew more unbearable.

Altaria growled as she peeled back her lips
to expose her feline teeth. Her eyes held no control over the beast
she’d become as she lurched forward, clamping her jaw over Kira’s
left shoulder. She bit down hard, grinding her teeth across Kira’s
collarbone.

Kira screamed as a rush of warm air passed
through her body forcing Altaria back against the tree. The pain
Kira felt in her chest disappeared almost instantly, replaced with
a tingling sensation underneath her skin. It was as if her body
were filled with warm air. After healing she’d always felt cold,
but this time she was hot, almost feverish. She could feel tiny
drops of perspiration already forming on her brow and upper lip. So
overwhelmed by the change, she almost passed out. When it stopped,
she opened her eyes to see Lydia sitting before her—her lips still
wet with Kira’s blood. “Lydia! What happened? Why do I feel so
strange?”

Lydia’s voice was weak. “It was the only way
. . . to save you. I had no choice.”

“I don’t understand.”

Lydia reached for Kira’s bloody shoulder as
tears formed in her eyes. “I’m sorry. Altaria was so afraid . . .
afraid to hurt you—afraid to die. I tried to stop her, but her
craving was too strong. I had to push her away.”

“Lydia, what do you mean
push her
away?
Where’s Altaria?” Kira dropped Lydia’s hand. Her shoulder
throbbed as blood trickled down her back. She wiped the sweat from
her brow.

“Her spirit . . . is in you now.” Lydia
lifted her hand away from her wound to find it still bleeding. “I
feel so empty.”

Kira took both of Lydia’s hands and held them
tight. “Why did you do that? You need to take her back. She needs
to be with you.”

Lydia tried to take a deep breath, but it
caught. “Not until the scent of your blood is gone. I won’t take
that chance.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the
tree.

Kira tried to push the pain in her shoulder
aside long enough to finish healing Lydia’s wound. It took more
effort than she’d anticipated. When she’d finished, she summoned
what energy she had left to heal her shoulder. She stopped when the
meadow grew quiet and she felt a thick ominous fog creep up behind
her.

Kira spun around in time to see Shandira’s
dark wake. It faded into the blood soaked earth where Bastian’s
body lay. Had she come to see if he was still alive?

“Crap!” Kira retrieved Lydia’s necklace from
her healing pack and dropped it in her hand. Lydia’s eyes flew open
as Kira folded her fingers around the tiny gem so she wouldn’t lose
her grip. “Call Octavion. Tell him we’re in trouble.”

An instant later Octavion appeared, his arms
and legs riddled with cuts and abrasions. His bottom lip was
swollen, his knuckles bleeding and raw. He looked down at Lydia
covered in blood and knelt beside her. “Are you all right?”

Lydia nodded.

Catching sight of the bite marks on Kira’s
shoulder—Octavion’s eyes widened as he leaned toward her to get a
better look. His jaw tightened and his face twisted into a snarl.
“Did Shandira do that?”

Kira shook her head. “Altaria—but it wasn’t
her fault.” She helped Lydia to stand. “We need to get out of here.
Shandira’s still alive.”

Octavion swore. “The Royal I fought escaped
as well. We need to get back to my lair. Luka and Cade are waiting
for us. Cade’s injury is severe.” He wrapped an arm around Lydia’s
waist. “Kira, I’m not sure I can take both of you.”

A lump formed in Kira’s throat. “It’s okay.
You need to take her home. I’ll make my way up to the cave and wait
for you there. When you get her settled, you can come back for
me.”

“No.” Lydia said. “You can’t separate us. You
can pull from my strength. I’m okay.” She wrapped one arm around
Octavion and held the other out for Kira. “Come on, let’s go.”

Kira stepped back. “What about my blood. Luka
will smell it.”

Octavion growled. “I’ll fight him off if I
have to.”

Kira looked at her shoulder and her blood
soaked shirt. “Take me to the clearing first. I’ll take off my top,
wash off the blood and wrap my quilt around me. You can have your
black T-shirt ready when I get to the cave. By then you’ll have the
doorway open and your cousins will be on the other side and far
enough away it won’t matter.” She turned to Lydia.
And I’ll give
you back Altaria, right?

Lydia nodded.
Please don’t tell Octavion,
he’ll be angry.

I won’t.
Kira stepped into their arms
and held tight.

Octavion released Kira near her shelter. The
last thing he wanted was for her blood to trigger his cousin’s
hunger, but leaving her behind didn’t set well with him either—not
with Shandira and that Royal still out there. “Be quick about this,
Kira.”

“I will. Now go, I’m right behind you.”

He hesitated for a long moment. He didn’t
want to let her out of his sight, but she was right about Luka’s
cravings. Even though her blood hadn’t affected Octavion as much
after she’d healed his leg, he felt its draw now. The back of his
throat burned as her scent grew stronger.

“Octavion, you need to go. Get Lydia to
safety and grab something else for me to wear. I can call Lydia if
I get in trouble.”

“She’s okay,” Lydia said. “We need to
hurry.”

Octavion and Lydia appeared a moment later in
his lair. Cade was unconscious and lying on one of the animal pelts
against the far wall. Kneeling next to him, Luka was completely
transformed, a cloth held firmly to his mouth and nose. Octavion
caught a whiff of one of his pungent concoctions—Luka’s attempt to
mask Kira’s scent.

“You need to get us out of here,” Luka said,
his voice muffled by the damp cloth. “Cade’s injury may take his
life if we do not get him help and I do not know how much longer I
can control myself. I have never had so little control, not even
when our moons are new.”

Octavion helped Lydia to the bench before
digging through his trunk to retrieve the journey stone and a
shirt. When he turned around, Kira stood in the cave entrance with
her quilt wrapped around her shoulders.

“Kira, do not move.” He tossed Lydia the
shirt and began the intricate process of aligning the markings
around the clear stone. He twisted it until the two slits that ran
around the edge popped up and the colored lights seeped out,
filling the room. He gave the object a twist and let go, leaving it
to spin on its own.

A deep growl escaped Luka’s chest as a swirl
of warm air rushed across Octavion’s face. A doorway grew from a
small black hole to a vortex of light and misted shadows, the
castle walls now visible through the opening.

Octavion turned his back to the portal. Luka
was on his knees, holding the rag to his face, his chest heaving
with every breath. “Luka, get on the other side and I’ll hand Cade
through.”

Luka didn’t answer. His eyes locked on Kira’s
and the last stage of his transformation made him fumble for the
cloth. He dropped it to the floor as the ends of his fingertips
grew into razor sharp claws. He slowly stood, hunching over as if
preparing to take down his prey.

“Luka!” Octavion grabbed the back of Luka’s
shirt with one hand and his belt with the other, lifted him, and
tossed him through the opening like a bale of straw. He landed on
the stone floor of the castle courtyard and rolled to a stop next
to a large fountain.

“Lydia, help Kira with that shirt before
bringing her through. I will get Cade.” Octavion lifted his cousin
into his arms and stepped through the opening, pushing against the
warm rush of air that swirled around him. By then, Luka was on his
feet. He took his brother from Octavion’s arms and disappeared.

Octavion wasn’t expecting what came next.
Without warning, he began to transform. He’d given no thought to
the fact that his cravings were stronger in his world or that he’d
been gone for so long his resistance had changed. He stepped back
away from the opening, knowing his desire to feed would increase
when Kira’s scent filtered through the doorway.

When Lydia stepped through the portal,
Octavion reached out to help her, only to have her collapse into
his arms. He lowered her to the ground as a gaping knife wound in
her side began to bleed. His attention shifted to the doorway where
he saw Kira’s muted figure. She was struggling to get away from
Shandira’s hold, kicking and punching. Shandira delivered a quick
blow to the side of Kira’s face knocking her into the journey
stone. The frightening scene faded away, leaving nothing but a
swirl of warm air in its place.

The last thing Kira remembered hearing was
Octavion’s ferocious roar. When she woke hours later, it was dark
and she could hear muffled voices coming from outside the cave
entrance. She recognized Shandira’s, but the others were unfamiliar
to her. She rubbed her head, healing the large lump that pressed
against her throbbing skull. Her shoulder was next and much
easier.

A single candle burning on the table near
Octavion’s collection of potions kept the cave from falling into
utter darkness. A quick glance told her she was alone. She couldn’t
believe they hadn’t tied her up. Maybe they thought she was
dead.

Being careful not to make any noise, she
crept to the wool blanket and pushed it aside. She quickly made her
way to the inner room. Once there she felt her way to the door,
untied the rope and slipped inside. She wrapped the rope around a
jagged rock sticking out from the side of the cave. She knew it
wouldn’t hold them back, but it might give her a few more seconds
if they came for her.

She carefully slid her feet along the small
corridor, feeling her way along the icy wall. Not far from where it
opened wider, Kira caught her toe on something and stumbled,
smacking her shoulder against a rock. She stayed upright, but the
sudden surge of adrenaline ignited something inside her and she
felt her eyes burn cold. The dark walls slowly came into view.

At first it was like candlelight, barely
illuminating the space in front of her, but after a few seconds it
was as if the entire space was filled with a million fireflies, all
flitting about and giving off a soft green light. It gave an eerie
glow to the wall of ice. Now she could see the enormous size of the
frigid cave and the cavern that opened up in the center. To her
right rested the wooden crates she’d found before and beyond that
another opening. She inched her way around the crates and along the
wall, being careful not to slip from the narrow path. She heard the
rush of water below her feet and felt a cold breeze swirling around
her.

Only a few moments passed before the darkness
returned. She blinked hard, trying to bring the light back before
she realized it was a direct result of the adrenaline that surged
through her when she stumbled. Closing her eyes, she focused on how
angry she was at Shandira for attacking her and Lydia. When she
opened her eyes again, she could see even more clearly than before.
She smiled at her newfound gift and continued scooting along the
wall.

Kira?

She stopped and searched the cave. “Lydia?”
she whispered.

Kira, are you all right? Can you hear me?

She forced back the tears.
Yes, I’m here.
Are you okay? I didn’t think this would work between our
worlds.

I’m so sorry. I should have let you go first.
I saw Octavion’s face and thought it would be safer. Are you
hurt?

I’m fine
, Kira thought.
I’m in the
ice cave, trying to get over to the other opening so I can escape.
Shandira and her men are blocking the entrance. I’ve got to get out
of here.