Bound by Legend: A Bound Novel (24 page)

Morgan slowly slid her phone back into her pocket. Lucian was definitely nothing like Arabrim. “I better get going.”

Jake nodded. “Drive careful, Morgs. Call me if you get into trouble and need my help.”

“I will.” She turned and walked across the park toward her truck with Lucy trotting along next to her. Jake wouldn’t be able to help with what was going on, but what else could she say?
‘Sorry, Jake, I won’t call you because if I’m in trouble I can’t handle it’s because a pack of hellhounds is dragging me off?
’ And knowing Jake he would try to help anyway and get killed.

Morgan opened the back passenger door of the suburban and Lucy jumped in. After closing the door, she circled around to the driver’s side.

“Nice morning, isn’t it?”

She spun around. A tall man with dark hair and deep green eyes stood so close Morgan instinctively stepped back against the side of the truck. Almost as tall as Lucian with a similar build, a white tank top hugged his torso and blue jeans hung low on his hips. “Uh, yeah.”

Her demon radar was completely silent but that didn’t mean a damn thing when it came to demon-possessed. Something about inhabiting a human body blocked it. He smiled, his expression disarming. It didn’t remove the edgy-feeling warning something wasn’t right.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He held his palms up as if trying to show he meant no harm drawing attention to the black lines of what looked like some sort of tribal tattoo that started at his wrist, climbed his right arm and coiled around his shoulder before disappearing under his shirt.

“What do you want?” Inside the truck, Lucy snarled and barked through the closed window. Morgan searched his eyes for the telltale swirl of shadows that would mark him as demon-possessed and found none.

“Just commenting on the day.” He shrugged. “You don’t seem the sort that normally hangs out around here. It made me curious.”

His eyes remained open and sincerity filled his voice. She still didn’t trust him. “You don’t know anything about me, so don’t assume things.”

“Direct aren’t you?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You remind me of someone. Have we met before?”

“Oh, please.” Morgan rolled her eyes. “If you think a line like that is going to work on me, then you have another thing coming.”

She turned just enough to reach for the door latch.

He stepped forward and pushed a hand against the door. “Stay and talk with me.”

Her body went on high alert as warnings clanged in her head. “Get the hell away from me whoever you are.”

“I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself. My name is Jax. And you are?”

“Ready for you to get your damn hand off my truck so I can leave.”

A scowl pulled Jax’s brows together. The green of his eyes deepened and changed to a dark red. “I can see this won’t go as they thought it would. A shame, it would have been easier. Especially on you.”

Morgan’s heart lurched into a gallop as she tensed. “Who thought? What the hell are you?”

“Close, but not quite.” He chuckled without mirth as his hand shot out and gripped her throat, slamming her back into the side of the truck.

Lucy’s enraged snarls came through the glass of the window as the dog dug at the door.

The man cast a wary look at the dog through the glass. Morgan brought her knee up, he blocked her with ease.

“I don’t think so,” he said, turning his attention back to Morgan. “I tried to be nice about it. They thought you might be more willing if you could be made to like me. I can see that will never happen.”

She tried to fight his grip and found the same iron strength of a dark angel. There was no way he was a dark angel though. She tried to raise a circle around him, pulling on her power until it burned through her veins. It started to form. Fire flashed in his eyes and her magic snapped back like a broken rubber band leaving her feeling dazed.

“Morgan!” Jake’s shout carried across the park.

She couldn’t draw enough breath to yell at him to stay away. Jax’s red eyes snapped to hers. “Morgan?”

His grip loosened a fraction. She spit at him. Ignoring it, Jax pulled her away from the truck and shoved her back, nearly knocking the breath from her lungs. “Morgan Brooks?”

When she remained silent, the muscles in his jaw flexed as he ground his teeth. His hand tightened its grip as he leaned forward and hissed, “Answer me or I’ll kill him.”

It didn’t take the flick of his eyes toward the rapidly approaching Jake for her to know who Jax meant. Her heart froze. Reluctantly, she nodded.

He swore and released her with another shove. “They didn’t tell me your name, only where I would find you and what you looked like.”

Morgan watched him, her heart pounding as he stared at her. His eyes shifted between dark red and green, indecision on face. Slowly he took a step back. “I can’t. Not you. She would never forgive me. Damn it!” He ran his hands through his dark hair. “Why did it have to be you?”

What was he talking about? Morgan didn’t ask, nor did she move.

Jax held out his hand. A tendril of black flames curled around his fingers before shooting toward Jake.

“No!” Morgan whirled toward her friend, heedless of the danger now at her back. The shadows struck Jake and sent him falling.

“What did you do to him?” Morgan turned back ready to attack Jax in defense of her friend, to hell with the consequences, and found the parking lot empty. She looked around but didn’t see him anywhere.

Sprinting, she ran to where Jake lay and dropped to her knees beside him. With a groan, he slowly sat up, rubbing the back of his head. “What happened? Who was that guy?”

Morgan glanced back at the parking lot. “I have no idea. He…uh…took off right after you tripped.”

“I didn’t trip. It was almost like I blacked out or something.” Jake glanced around, a fierce expression on his face. “He better hope I don’t find him.”

Shaken, Morgan swallowed hard. “Don’t worry about it. I told you, I don’t need you to fight my battles for me. You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Jake stood.

After getting to her feet, Morgan looked around carefully again. The adrenaline rush had washed away the hangover completely. “I need to get back to Lucian.”

Lucian’s car turned onto the road and drove toward them before slowing and pulling into the spot next to her truck. Relief washed through Morgan at the sight of it. She could admit there were some battles she just couldn’t fight.

LUCIAN STEPPED OUT
of the car, a cardboard drink tray in his hands. As he approached them, the wonderful aroma of coffee wafted from the three cups.

“I thought you two might benefit from this.” He gestured at the cups with his free hand.

Morgan’s legs chose that moment to give out, dropping her on her rear in the grass. With trembling hands, she pushed her hair behind her ears. What the hell was Jax? And why hadn’t Arabrim ever told her about him? Were there more? A shudder ran through her.

“Morgan?” She looked up. Lucian’s eyes were mere inches from hers as he knelt in front of her, their golden depths filled with a wealth of concern. “Are you okay?”

“I’m…no.” She shook her head. “I mean, yeah, not really.”

Lucian handed the drink tray to Jake. “Are you sick?”

“Some guy attacked her when she was trying to get into the truck,” Jake said, taking one of the cups from the tray.

“Someone you couldn’t fight off?” His gaze searched hers then softened though the worry remained as he took her hands and observed the slight tremble. “Someone who left you afraid.”

Morgan tried to pull her hands away, but he held onto them. The fear faded quickly as the sense of safe filled her again, irrational as it was. “I need to get out of here.”

Lucian stood, pulling her with him. He remained standing close to her and the sense of protection joined the feeling of safe. Lucian was a distraction she could hardly afford right now. A weakness she didn’t want. But he was there. Considerate, caring, willing to accept her even with all of her broken pieces. And though he seemed intent on maintaining the distance she kept trying to convince herself she wanted; Morgan was sure that if she reached for him, Lucian would bridge the gap between them.

The rational part of her, the one that grew smaller with each day spent in Lucian’s presence, cried out to keep the walls up. To protect her heart, her emotions, herself.

Confused and overwhelmed by unfamiliar emotions, Morgan turned her attention to Jake. It was easier to focus on him. He didn’t cause all kind of confusion in her mind and heart. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Jake lifted the cup toward her. “I’m fine. Head’s a little sore. Not sure if that’s from the whiskey or the black out.”

“Blackout?” Lucian frowned and made as if to put an arm around her waist then stopped.

Morgan was relieved he hadn’t followed through, she was confused enough without touching him again right now.

Jake took a sip of coffee and nodded with a slight furrow between his eyes. “Yeah. I saw that asshole shoving her around and was running to help. I don’t know what happened, one second I was almost to the parking lot and the next I was waking up on the ground and the guy was gone. Some strange shit.”

“If you’re sure you’re okay, I’m going to head…” Morgan glanced at Lucian. “Where?”

“Back to the house for now. I chose to stay at the house last night. I wasn’t sure if you would return during the night and you didn’t bother to find out which hotel we were supposed to be at.”

Well, that had been stupid. Good thing Lucian had been thinking, otherwise if she had decided to drive back an empty house would have greeted her. Or maybe one full of hounds. Becoming a hell hound chew toy wasn’t anywhere on her bucket list.

Lucian stayed close as they walked toward the vehicles, his eyes keeping up a constant search of the area around them.

“Morgs.” Jake called.

She turned as he jogged across the space between them. Lucian glanced between them before his gaze settled on her. “I’ll wait in my car then follow you home.”

Home. The words,
“I’m already there,”
hovered on the tip of her tongue. Not because this was where she’d spent a lot of her time on the streets, but because Lucian was there. Higher Powers help her, the inside of her head was starting to sound like it was occupied by an idiot.

Jake waited until Lucian had got into his car and started it before turning his attention fully on her. “Look, I know you think you are better off keeping your distance. I’m telling you right now, you two belong together. I’m serious, Morgs.”

She would have laughed except for the serious expression on his face. “Why do you say that?”

“Watching you two together this morning. It’s like watching a couple of strong magnets trying to stay away from each other. Every action you two make, you’re reaching for each other and pushing away at the same time.”

“I think you must have cracked your head when you fell.” Morgan snorted and looked away, not willing to let him see the reflection of the truth she knew he would see in her eyes.

Jake walked back to his duffle and picked it up. “Let him in. I promise, if something happens to him, it will be worth the pain.”

Morgan watched him head across the park toward the overpass. Sighing, she walked to her truck and climbed in the driver’s seat. Lucy whined and shoved her head over the back of the seat, snuffling at Morgan’s hair.

Morgan reached back and scratched the dog behind the ears. “I’m okay girl, I promise.”

She started the engine and backed out. Lucian pulled out behind her and followed closely. At first, navigating the heavy Denver traffic kept her full attention, leaving little room to think of anything else. Once she was back most of the way out of Denver, the traffic spread out and her mind wandered.

Her heart ached for Lucian’s touch, her very soul wanted to reach for him, wanted to stand beside him, to accept his protection and the love that seemed to hover behind his eyes. The feelings of safe and of home rushed through her again and sudden tears stung her eyes. What the hell was wrong with her?

Reaching forward, she turned on the radio. A soft beat filled the inside of the suburban. She turned onto the road that would wind through the neighborhood to Lucian’s house as the lyrics to Four Walls by the Broods flowed from the speakers. The voice sang out about how in those walls were the only place she could breathe, how it was home.