Unbound, a Paranormal Romance (Book 2 of the Spellbound Series) (5 page)

“And what do you expect me to do?”

I was irritated, but I smiled nevertheless, knowing my friend was still there somewhere. “Hades can touch his desk and show me what’s going on elsewhere. I know that his magic must
be dark so you must be able to do the same with your spells, since you have dark magic as well.” I looked intently at Annie as I waited for her attempt to show me Ben.

“Even if I could, my powers are bound,” Annie reasoned with a defeated look on her face.

I raised an eyebrow at her words. “Just try, at least. Wave your hand over the desk, or touch it and think of Benjamin,” I pleaded.

“I will try because I know you are only here because of me.” Annie eyes darted from mine to the desk. Bound as she was, she could only touch it with one hand. As she touched the glass, she spoke the words, “Show me Benjamin.”

As the words left her mouth, the black glass swirled into a gray fog and Ben’s perfectly sculpted chest came in to view. I was mesmerized as I stared at the devastatingly handsome vampire. I bit my bottom lip, staring at the vision of him—every hair in place, his mesmerizing black eyes, and the toothy grin that showed off his dimples. Everything about him called to me.

“Ben,” I whispered as I smiled.

Suddenly, Dawn’s voice came through the desk laced with the sass I knew as Dawn.
“Ben, pay attention to me.”

“Toni,” Ben said as he turned in a circle. It was as though he could feel my presence.

I looked around the room as familiar faces came into view. “Kevin,” I whispered as I put my hand over my mouth.

Annie turned to look at me. “Why is Kevin there? And why did you call him Markos? And who is the blonde girl?” Annie asked.

“Kevin is Markos and that’s Dawn.” I pointed toward Dawn. “I’ll explain later. Let’s just listen.”

Dawn shook her head. “How will my magic help if I just found out about it?” she argued.
Dawn with powers, this is news.
“And didn’t that woman you just killed,” she pointed toward the floor where the ash lay, “say something about Hades? I am no history buff but isn’t he a god or
something?” I looked at the pile of ash that lay in the floor of Ben’s empty dining room and wondered if that could be Catherine? Dawn did say that woman and I don’t see her snarky face anywhere, unless Ben kicked her out. Glee overwhelmed me suddenly at the thought that Ben had done that for me.

“What magic,
sh
…she’s a witch?” Annie looked stunned.

“I just know she’s a doctor.” I shook my head in disbelief too.

Kevin’ face contorted. “Yes, but—”

“You are crazier than I thought. He’s a vampire, that crazy Catherine lady is a dust pile, and you, you’re just crazy, Kevin.”

“Dawn, if you let me, I will explain,” Ben offered.

She eyed him suspiciously before she nodded. 

“Hades is the god of the underworld and the ruler of my soul, but we are the only ones that can save Toni.” He must have used my nickname to pull at Dawn’s heartstrings. “We—you and I—are immortal, and we are the only souls that can go to the underworld and return to earth.”

“Not the only souls,” Kevin interjected.

“Are you a witch too? Is that why you have that book?” Dawn asked.

“I am not a witch, but both Antonia and I are under spells that freezes our aging and allows us to move forward in time making us immortal,” Kevin boasted proudly.

“What the hell does that mean?” Dawn asked irritably.

“If you’ll stop interrupting, I will explain.” He looked at Ben and then Dawn until they nodded. “Antonia and I were friends for two years before I was allowed to marry her. Her father foolishly prayed to Hades for riches to pay for his daughters’ dowries, as was the custom. Since I was from an affluent Athenian family, my parents required a substantial dowry.” Kevin paused as he surveyed the awe-struck faces of Ben and Dawn.

“Is that true?” Annie asked.

I nodded as water came to my eyes. 

“Anyway, Mattathias was unwilling to give his soul as repayment when Hades came to collect. So, instead Hades took Antonia—his last daughter—to marry, two days before our intended wedding.”

“Antonia was your betrothed?” Ben asked.

I remembered that Catherine
mentioned
that I was betrothed when she’d explained my story to Ben but I didn’t remember that it was Kevin and that he would be there to explain it.

“Yes, she is my betrothed, and I plan on marrying her and breaking the spell once we get her back from Hades’ grasp.”

My heart broke with his words and I gasped aloud. Pain washed over Ben’s face.

“Spell?
What spell?” Dawn asked.

“Oh, right. Neither of you know. After Hades took Antonia, the witch, Zelma and Mattathias kidnapped her from Hades’ temple in the city of
Ephyra
.”

“Zelma? Toni and I just came from her place in Utah. She was visiting with her friend Annie. Maybe she can help,” Ben offered.

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Annie won’t be helping us.
She all but left Zelma for dead.
She drained her of her powers before I arrived. I sought her help to keep Antonia away from you.” He pointed his long narrow finger at Ben. “I knew one of your kind would either drainer her or compel her and end up breaking the spell.”

“Zelma is dead?” I looked from Ben to Annie.

“I believe so,” Annie mumbled. “I drained her of her power before I came here. It was the only way I could break her spell on you.”

I shook my head. Even though she’d put the spell on me, she didn’t deserve to die.

“I will continue while you stew on that.” Kevin turned toward a gape-mouthed Dawn. “Zelma was a great witch, and she was thought to be a descendant from the first witch. She placed a spell on Antonia to make her forget who she was and her entire life before. She also placed a spell that changed her appearance every ten years, making her renew herself on her birthday since the spell was cast on that day.”

“You’re saying that when Toni turns twenty-eight she will wake up not remembering anything, and she will look different? And you want me to break that spell?” Dawn asked.

“And how did you happen on the same spell?” Ben finally found his voice.

“I asked the witch, Zelma, for the same spell to be placed on me, and I assured Antonia’s father that I would protect her with my life. And I have until now.” Kevin sounded angry with himself.

“Kevin, don’t beat
yourself
up. If Hades is the king of Hell, he was probably just waiting in the wings,” Dawn reassured him.

“Markos,” he mumbled. “My real name is Markos Pompous Illyrus, and I am a noble of the Athenian society, Kevin is just a name I have used for centuries,” Kevin finished proudly.

“Kevin? When…How? Oh, whatever…fine, you’re still Kevin to me,” Dawn said.

“Kevin, you have yet to tell us your rescue plan,” Ben said firmly.

“Oh, right. When I was at Zelma’s, she told me of an old legend that one of the Muses told of doppelgangers. They are an omen of death, and in this instance, they are born of the same blood. As the story was told, both of the doppelgangers must die for Persephone to be released of her binding to the underworld.” He picked up a worn book as Annie gasped loudly.

“
Th
—that’s Z—Zelma’s book of
spellsss
,” Annie stuttered out. I looked up at her as her face went pale as a ghost and her normally bright blue eyes turned dark.

“Annie is everything ok?” I cautiously asked, stunned by the change in her appearance. She swallowed hard and nodded, looking intently at the desk.

“But Antonia does not have a doppelganger,” Ben protested.

Annie appeared as dumbfounded as I did.

“Zelma said that she does and that was the main point of the spell, to keep her appearance from that of the doppelganger,” Kevin said cryptically.

“Uh, hello guys?
Who is Persephone?” Dawn waved her arms in front of her.

“She is the queen of the underworld and Hades’ wife,” Ben said automatically.

“Wife!”
Dawn shrieked. “He’s married and he walks around kidnapping innocent women?” Dawn shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. “I am in on whatever the plan is!”

“Great!
And Ben?”
Kevin asked, as if it were a question.

“Of course I am in. I feel responsible. I will die to see her free of Hades and this maddening spell she is under.” 

“Please know that when the spell is removed, she will be with me,” Kevin insisted condescendingly.

“Hey, knock it off with the pissing contest. You guys will fall apart without me anyway but I have one rule. Whoever Toni picks, the other will respect it and let them live their life happily,” Dawn said, standing with her hands on her hips.

Both of the guys were too shocked to say anything, but nodded simultaneously.

“Annie, we have to stop them,” I said as they sat in silence.

“What do you want me to do from here?” Annie’s eyebrows furrowed.

“I wasn’t kidnapped by Hades, I ran off with him. I didn’t
want
to marry Kevin. I love him, just not in the same way that he loves me. I now know his love was unconditional and mine was platonic.”

“So wait…what Kevin just said didn’t happen?” Annie asked in confusion.

“I was betrothed to
Markos—or Kevin, whatever—but I never loved him the way that he loved me.
But Hades…
The moment that my eyes met his, I knew that I could not live without him,” I said, looking back at Kevin’ face in the desk.
“So, you have to go tell him that I don’t want to be rescued and that I am happy here. I just need to figure out this wife angle.” I turned to Annie with pleading eyes.

“But what about Ben?
He just watched his girlfriend die and he sounded like he wants you, too.” Annie looked at Ben in the desk.

A tear rolled down my face. “Tell him the same thing,” I said, my eyes brimming with tears as I turned away from Hades desk to walk out of the room. Bion met me at the door with sorrow on his face.

“Free her from her bindings, she must do something for me,” I stated more as an order.

“Are you sure you want to stay and not come with me?” Annie asked.

“No, just do it and return here to let me know that it is done.” I glanced over my shoulder as Bion released Annie from the wind that bound her. She made her way toward me and touched my shoulder.

She nodded. “Bye, Toni,” she brushed past me as she left.

I found my way to the room where I had just made love with Hades and sat crying on the bed. My face was wet with tears but I stood up, pulled the covers back, and got underneath them, thinking about my friends, especially Ben.

Chapter 4

Antonia

“You should take the two men who want you, my dear, because you’ll never have my husband’s full interest,” a cold voice said from the doorway.

“Who’s there?” I sat up in the bed to see who had spoken, and the figure moved toward the bed.

“We have never been formally introduced, my dear. My name is Persephone. I am Hades’ wife. I have been keeping tabs on you for a while, you know. The witch thought she tricked everyone, but I knew the moment you left with Hades. In fact, I helped you escape to buy myself some time.”

My mouth dropped open as I looked at woman that claimed to be Persephone when she came fully into my vision. We looked similar in height, with dark brown, curly hair, and we both wore gowns—hers a deep purple that contrasted sharply with my white one. She stood barefoot, her skin tanned beautifully and a black diamond tiara atop her head. But it was her eyes that made me think she was lying. They were jet black, just like Ben’s. She was the only other person I’d ever met with jet-black eyes.

“How do I know that you are telling the truth? You don’t look like one of the gods,” I said, standing up to walk toward the woman claiming to be Persephone.

A giggle erupted from her, and it sounded of bells. “I guess my underworld look is not convincing.” She snapped her fingers, changing her appearance to a perky blonde-haired woman with blue eyes, shrouded in white with golden cuffs on both wrists and the crest of a torch at her breast. “Does this look appease you?” She laughed and walked toward me until we were eye to eye.

I nodded, knowing that she must be something or someone of importance if she had the power to change right in front of me.

“If you want to remain alive, you will follow my instructions to a tee. Your witch friend is under my orders to bring the vampire that you love and the man that loves you here tonight,” she said as she touched my shoulder, “but for now, you will be sitting in the dungeon waiting for their arrival. Bion, take her to the dungeon!” she screamed suddenly.

Bion rushed through the door and was at my side in the blink of an eye.

“Bion, no!
Hades told you otherwise,” I pleaded as he led me out the door.

“I am sorry, Miss.” He looked down again and led me to the dungeon. “I will inform Master Hades, Miss, before anything bad happens to you,” he offered.