Page 43 of Bound

CHRISSIE

Rych’s heart is pounding in his chest, I can feel it as we rise higher. Everything happened so fast, from Red seeming to be friendly to the bloody fight and our flight from the terrible mess.

“We have to go down,” I pant.

“Must. Get. Away,” Rych says over the roar of the wind.

“We’re far enough away, please land,” I plead.

He dips, great wings rowing at the air as if, for once, he can’t defy it, and we land. He stumbles and releases me in time I’m able to stay on my feet, even if he doesn’t. He rolls head over heels into a bush and doesn’t move.

“What happened?” I race over, dropping to my knees next to him as he stares up at the night sky.

“Paraxio.” He grins at me, an intoxicated smile which has no humor or delight. “It’s a narcotic. I’m used to pleasure drugs, we get plenty in the dome, but not so much paraxio.” He laughs.

“Is it dangerous for you?”

I’m pulled down onto his hard body and he covers me with a wing. “Not at all, little spark. I’m enjoying it immensely, but we have to sleep now.”

“Here?”

Rych snores, and I’m more confused than ever. We have landed at the edge of an area containing soft waving grass. It creates a fragrant bed and, in the main, is concealing us from any casual observer. I pull his wing as far over the both of us as possible. I have zero chance of sleeping, but I have to try to stay warm. I listen to the drum of his heart as it slows with his even breathing.

I don’t sleep. Instead my body plays out the spiralling drop from the sky over and over until I’m exhausted and the stars in the clear sky above us become blurred.

“Oof!” I open my eyes to find I’m several meters from Rych and he’s sprawled out, wings everywhere. His eyes open and he attempts to get up, falls back, and rolls over.

“What the vrex happened?” He groans. “I feel like someone tried to take my brain out through my nose.”

“You were given some sort of drug last night, and they tried to capture us, to give us to a Loxzian.” I recall as I test my limbs for pain.

“Vrex!” Rych turns to look at me. “Are you sure? A Loxzian?”

“I’m sure,” I respond as he turns himself over, groaning and clutching his head as he sits upright.

“Vrex,” he mutters. “This just gets better and better.”

“Are you going to tell me what any of this means?” I say as a shiver wracks my body.

I feel bruised all over, and although it appears I slept, we were both covered with dew in the early morning, and my clothes are damp and wet in places.

“Little spark?” Rych crawls over to me. “Were you hurt?”

The pain in his voice as he speaks the words is indescribable.

“No.” I look at the ground, plucking up some crushed grass. “You made sure I wasn’t hurt.”

“I should have been there for you, I should have made sure you were protected.” Rych tumbles the words out.

I put my hand on his. The claws are fully extended. I remember what they did to Red last night.

“You did protect me. You did everything you could,” I respond.

“I will kill anyone who hurts you,” Rych says with a feral growl. “They all have to die.”

“I think,” I say quietly, “they did.”

I find myself clutched in his arms, his head buried deep in my hair and his body vibrating with life, with need.

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