Page 88 of Bound

I feel something shoot past me. An arrow lodges in a treenot five feet in front of me and I stop, turning and lifting a hand to bring upanother wall of green between me and the hag.

It won’t hold her forever.

Eventually she’ll get close enough, and if she hits me withone of those arrows, she’ll get what she wants. She thought all of Beck’spowers would go to the one who cast the spell. She hasn’t counted on our uniquenature. When my brother’s magic needed a place to go, it found a home in me.But if she gets me, too…

My brain feels like it’s going to explode. I wasn’t built tohandle both our magics. Every instinct in my body tells me to hide and sleep. Ineed to find safety and lie down so my body can rest. It’s the only way we willsurvive.

I struggle because my brain is processing so much magic it’sdifficult to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. I take adeep breath and push on. Liadan won’t stop to give me a break. She’ll followuntil she catches me.

The rain falls in sheets now, and I realize I’m the onedoing it. Beck’s magic truly is mine to call upon. I will the storm to become ahurricane. That will slow the hag down. My shoulder aches from Beck’s weight,but I run through the gale untouched as the world whips around us.

When I see the small hunting cabin through the trees I slowthe winds down. Beck’s right. It is perfect, but it won’t be if it’s destroyedby a storm. I make it into the small structure and gently lay my brother on thedirt floor. My hands shake as I do what I need to do.

Within seconds, the cabin is engulfed in green. Inside, thecabin goes pitch black as the world recedes under a wall of vines and thorns.It’s thick, and the trees themselves have orders to protect this place.

I can hear the storm rattling the world outside. I fall tomy knees and am grateful for the darkness. There’s nothing but darkness now,and it will stay that way unless someone can find a way to bring Meg back tous.

As the hopelessness of the situation hits me, I lie downbeside my brother. My body knows what to do. Beck has gone into a fugue state.He won’t wake unless our bridge returns. Only Meg can save us. Only Meg cangive Beck back his strength and me back my mind.

“Come to us,” I pray as sleep overtakes me.

Outside the small cabin, the storm roars on.

ChapterForty-Three

Meg

I take aim and slowly squeeze the trigger. I watch asthe bullet tears through the target. Even at a distance, I know it’s a solidhit. I bought the Ruger .357 after trying out every handgun they let me rent atthe range. Well, Dante bought the .357 with his credit card. I don’t actuallyhave much money of my own. I help him around the store. I’ve been doing hisnightly books for the last three weeks, but I don’t let him pay me much. Iwon’t be here long enough to do the paperwork, so everything he pays me isunder the table.

I check my watch. It’s almost time to meet him. He’s pickingme up to look at another spot that might be the doorway.

It’s been the longest three weeks of my life. The computerfound an astonishing number of potential sites, and each one has been a bust.It’s frustrating, but I have no other choice. I can’t give up.

Dante is a godsend. He quickly figured out how to use thecomputer from the Vampire plane to our best advantage. He learned through trialand error that the computer has settings to detect everything from atmosphericcontent to the pH of the soil. Dante hypothesizes that the door to the Faeryplane can potentially be found by taking careful readings and comparing it tothe rest of the area. Dante’s been busy taking measurements and putting theminto his program. So far, we’ve had no luck.

“Hey, Meg.” A familiar voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

I carefully put the weapon away as I greet him. “I thought Iwas meeting you outside.”

He shrugs and offers to carry my case. “It’s no big deal. Iwanted to get a chance to run by this one address I found. I think we have ashot there.”

I study the young man. It’s odd how different he is from hisvampire counterpart. They look almost identical, but the differences in theirlives took a toll on this Dante. He didn’t grow up with the privileges of thevampire version. He was raised middle class after his father sold his family’scattle ranch to a corporation. From what I learned, Dante’s parents split, withhis mom returning to her Irish home with his sister, Susan. Dante remainedbehind and dropped out of college to take care of his father.

This Dante lacks the confidence his doppelganger has. He’sstill funny and bright, but there’s an aloofness to him not present in myDante. I get the feeling this Dante will be loyal to very few people. He keepshis circle small.

He smiles. It’s something he rarely does. “Let’s go check itout, and then we can get burgers.”

“Okay.” I pull one of his old jackets over my T-shirt andjeans. Dante tries to be generous, but I only allowed him to buy me a couple ofpairs of jeans, some T-shirts, undies, and two sweaters. It’s all I needbecause once I get home, I won’t wear them.

I glance down at the ring on my finger, the one Cian gaveme. My wedding ring. It reminds me that I have a job to do—to get back to myhusbands.

I climb into his beat-up SUV and buckle my seat belt. Dantegoes on about how his newest program found this spot. He says something about anumber of police reports and how often the property was sold, but I’m thinkingabout other things.

I was on the refugee plane for about a month, but threepassed here. Time moves differently on different planes. How long have Beck andCian been wondering about me? Have they managed to stop the hag’s plans? Myhands clench with anger when I think about someone in the village pretending tobe our friend. All the while, this hag waited to pounce the instant the twinsshowed vulnerability. The hag would seem like a normal villager because she cantake different forms.

I’ve been reading up on hags and know it could be any of thefemales of the village. I have my suspicions, hence the .357 I intend to takeback with me. If Liadan gives me even a hint that she isn’t what she seems tobe, I’ll put a couple of rounds in her. I really hope it’s Liadan.

“That’s a scary look,” Dante says with a grimace.