Page 86 of Bind Me

“Come join us,” Tallis suggests, gesturing to the table. “We have way too much food.”

“Where is everyone else?” I ask, choosing to sit on a chair adjacent to Billie. I instantly pour myself a glass of juice and start serving food onto my plate because I have no shame. Billie knows me; I inhale food.

She grins at me, amused. “Khaos and Kaden left super early this morning to visit King Kaspian, as it’s the only time he is free. Eryx and Chowder are outside, getting along like two peas in a pod.”

He left without telling me. Something stirs in my gut, though I remind myself that I’m not his keeper and he can do what he wants.

As I take a sip of my juice, I notice movement outside the window.

There, I spot Chowder riding Eryx in his gryffin form, soaring through the air.

My fork falls from my hand, clattering against the table.

“Oh my God!”

Billie places a reassuring hand on mine. “He’s safe, I promise. He asked Eryx to ride him this morning because he wanted to know what it felt like to fly.”

“Oh,” I say, feeling both worried and slightly guilty for having Eryx entertain Chowder. “Sorry,” I say to Billie, shaking my head. “Seriously, I can’t control Chowder any more than I can Kaden. They just do the craziest things sometimes.”

She laughs, serving herself from the big bowl of fresh, chopped fruit and yogurt. “I know how that feels more than anyone.”

Munching on bacon, Tallis is watching the pair outside doing spins in the sky.

“The things I faced with Eryx when I arrived at this mansion I’ll never forget.” Billie bumps her shoulder into Tallis, smiling. “Not to mention this one!” she adds in his direction.

“I’m an angel compared to him,” Tallis protests, his demon eyes glinting with a playful darkness.

“Right…” Billie says, rolling her eyes. She breaks into a story about how Eryx once grabbed her from the house, burst through a window, and swooped her up to a mountaintop.

I ease back in my seat, realizing that we’re fitting in with Billie and her mates better than I could ever have imagined. At the end of the day, it’s become obvious that they’re our kind of crazy.

Chapter 23

Sasha

We’re at the gates of Billie’s mansion, and a cool breeze blows through my hair, making it flutter around my face as I hug Billie tight. Chowder is already in a town car with the driver at the front, and Kaden is off saying goodbye to Billie’s mates. He had been gone half the day, spending more time with the king than intended, then Khaos gave him a tour of Lapland. Now, we’re rushing as our flight is scheduled to leave in less than two hours.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” Billie murmurs, squeezing me tightly. “I loved seeing you. We really need to do this more often.”

“We will,” I promise her, returning the hug with equal fervor. “Especially now that I’m working out of Norway. Last night’s catch-up was amazing.”

We hug again, and as Kaden reaches my side, Billie hugs him, too. Then Kaden and I head into the car where Chowder waits.

“What took so long?” Chowder asks, waving out of the open window. Then he’s suddenly calling out, “Bye, Eryx!”

“He’s obsessed with him,” Kaden mutters as he leans into his seat as the car takes off.

Kaden’s reclined, legs spreading, taking up most of the back seat, glancing at me silently. I shift in my seat, still buzzing from the morning’s rush.

“So, how did it go with the king?” I ask, breaking the silence. “You came back so late, and I need to know if it’s all sorted.”

“It couldn’t have been easier,” he admits, smirking. “The king is admirable and someone I highly respect. I would happily serve under his reign while living in the House of Gold and Garnet. I mean, I also have an agreement with the Siren Goddess permitting me to use the seas for now. Her insistence that I relocate to the House of Sea and Serpentine is something I’ll deal with later.”

I swallow hard at how blasé he is about such matters, but Kaden isn’t someone to be pushed into doing something he doesn’t want to.

“And what happened?” I ask as Chowder continues to stare out the back window at the mansion disappearing behind us, while I’m curious about how Kaden handled meeting a king.

“Well, with Khaos, who is evidently very close with King Kaspian, he arranged for me to meet with him as a favor to Khaos. All I had to give him was a few drops of my blood—the currency in this House.” He’s smirking, and I can’t recall the last time he spoke so much in one breath. “Through Khaos, he was able to affirm that I spoke the truth along with confirming your identity, and that took all but ten minutes. The king’s passing through Finland, so I didn’t spend as long with him as I’d hoped, but he welcomed me back anytime. I’m the first kraken in his House, and he’s proud of it. Seems everyone wants me in their Houses.” He grins, chest sticking out. “And he’ll ensure that I’ll be left alone by all mercenaries. He put out orders to spread the word when I was there.”

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