Page 30 of Soulbound Shadows: Part 2

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” she whispered. “I came as soon as I could, I promise.”

“I know,” I told her earnestly. “I know. You’re here now. That’s what matters.”

Evangeline pressed a hand to my cheek, and I leaned into the touch until her trembling stopped. I closed my eyes and nearly panicked when I felt her move away, but she stayed close. She pressed her hands to the cuffs chaining me to the headboard and murmured a few words. I couldn’t see what she was doing, but her warm fingertips traced patterns on the delicate skin of my inner wrists. I shivered. The metal warmed like it had been left in the sun and fell away, dropping down onto the bed with muffled clinks.

As soon as I was free, I tried to get to my feet, but a wave of dizziness hit me, and I fell back onto the bed. Evangeline was right there next to me on the blood-crusted bed, more beautiful than anything I’d ever seen. She threw her arms around me, and I hugged her tightly, as though she might evaporate if I let go. She was warm and alive in my arms. I buried my face in her neck and shuddered out a dry sob. Her hand was on the back of my neck, holding me close, giving me permission to take comfort in her.

“I missed you,” I told her hoarsely. The hand on the back of my neck tightened a touch.

“I missed you, too,” she said. I could feel her voice reverberating through her frame. “Can you walk? We need to get out of here.”

I broke the embrace reluctantly. I was still sitting on the edge of the bed, with Evangeline standing between my knees. Her thumb brushed over the short hairs at the base of my scalp. I couldn’t bring myself to let her go completely, so I settled my hands on her waist.

“I can try,” I told her. “I’m sure I’ll find my footing once I get used to being vertical again. How are you planning on getting out? I can help you navigate this place.”

Evangeline smiled down at me. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ve got this.” She tugged me to my feet. “C’mon. It helps to get a walking start.”

Holding hands, we stepped forward. I was slow, woozy with blood, hunger, and relief. Evangeline squeezed my hand. There was that sound of flicked blanket again, and a rollercoaster jolt in the pit of my stomach. Abruptly, we were somewhere else entirely. It was still part of the citadel. Based on the scent, I thought it was the werewolf section. It was in the office area, and dozens of shocked faces looked up at us from cubicles scattered around the room. We were still walking with the same momentum, and Evangeline bumped into a stubbly man carrying a sheaf of paper. His printouts went flying, and he gaped at us, mouth opening and closing.

“Oops,” Evangeline said. “Still working out the kinks. Sorry!”

“Very sorry,” I added. The part of my brain that had been structured entirely by tutors took over for a moment, since I was too surprised to actually think.

Another shaken blanket sound. We were in the middle of a shopping mall. On one side of us, a tired-looking human teen held out a tray of samples speared on toothpicks, and on the other, a man was trying to get his toddlers to stop biting each other. Neither of them noticed us. Evangeline looked up at me, sheepish.

“Sorry. One more time,” she said.

Again, that sound and that tingling drop in my stomach. Immediately, we were blasted with cool water. It pummeled down on us from above. We were standing in it, as well, submerged up to our waists. I stopped walking, as did Evangeline. It was bright, and for a moment there was nothing in the world but the two of us and the waterfall pouring down onto us. I tilted my head up, letting the water crash down onto me. I wasn’t sure which one of us started laughing first, but we were swept up in it together, laughing like lunatics in the spray.

I scrubbed the blood from my hands and face, let the water pour into my mouth and swallowed it down eagerly. It was crystal clear and tasted slightly mineral. Evangeline helped to wipe away the smears of blood from my face, her eyes bright.

Together, we stepped out from underneath the waterfall. We were in the woods. Now that the water wasn’t bombarding my senses, I could hear birdsong around us and the rustling of leaves in the wind. We were still laughing breathless little chuckles as we waded to the edge of the river. Evangeline’s hand was warm and sure in mine.

We climbed up onto the riverbank, which was covered with thick, springy moss. When I looked at Evangeline, the laughter died in my throat.

We were both drenched, but she made it look ethereal. The tendrils of hair that had escaped her braid were plastered to her face in wild curves, only emphasizing the flawlessness of her skin and the wide, lovely set of her eyes. Her white T-shirt clung to her, completely see-through from the water, and the light-blue bralette underneath hadn’t fared much better. I could see the hardened peaks of her nipples through the scant layers. A droplet of water traced its way down her neck to her heaving chest.

“Evangeline,” I said hoarsely.

That broke the spell. We crashed into each other. Her lips parted beneath mine, and I licked into her mouth. She shivered against me, and we clung to each other, suddenly frantic with need. Evangeline made urgent, hungry noises into my mouth. We stumbled blindly until her back hit one of the tall trees, which was fantastic, because I wasn’t sure how long I could keep myself upright unaided. Her chest arched against mine, and I worked a hand between us, cupping one of her breasts and rubbing at her hard nipple. I could feel her heartbeat. She groaned and canted a leg up over my hip, pulling me closer.

“Heyyy, it’s the pretty people again!” said a silvery voice from the river behind us.

Evangeline and I froze. We stared at each other for a split second, then I thunked my head against her shoulder. I didn’t have to look at the water to know what I would see: the glamorous, lithe form of one of the fair folk, probably dressed in something sparkly, diaphanous, or both.

“Fucking river fairies,” I muttered.

“Hi, Cardamom,” Evangeline said. Her voice shook with suppressed laughter. “This isn’t your usual waterfall.”

“I have a time-share, darling. A time-share. Please, make yourselves at home. Come into the water, won’t you? Have a bite to eat.” Cardamom’s voice had taken on a playfully sinister note. They were setting a trap, and we knew it, and they knew we knew it. Fae loved that sort of thing, but I found it tiresome at the best of times.

“We were actually just leaving,” Evangeline said.

“Are you sure? I so rarely get guests…”

“We’re sure,” I said firmly.

12

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