Read Bound by Light for Free Online Page A

his chair, yet at the same time going soft around the edges. His expression turned nervous, halfway to goofy in Jake’s book, but Andy didn’t seem to think so. She smoothed her water-flecked jeans and blouse and smiled at Freeman, oblivious to Jake’s presence.
    When she did notice Jake, her cheeks flushed and the rest of her message came out in a Southern-fried rush. "Y’all need to finish up. A couple of fire Sibyls want a word with you upstairs in Cynda’s room, Sal. Then it’ll be time for evening meeting."
    Somehow, dreamy gaze and all, Freeman managed to nod before Andy left, closing the door behind her.
    "She’s—" He broke off, then seemed to catch himself. He tried to regain his professional demeanor, but failed. After a second he shook his head. "Guess that was pretty obvious."
    "Way past." Jake didn’t smile, but he almost broke his lips keeping them straight across his face.
    Freeman didn’t smile either. He pulled at his already open collar. "Do you think it’s obvious to her ?"
    Jake shrugged and did his best to come off completely no-big-deal. "She’d have to be pretty thick to miss it, and I don’t think she’s thick."
    Freeman pulled at his collar again. "She works for me, for shit’s sake. I can’t—she’s one of my officers. And now she’s a Sibyl, too. The world’s only living water Sibyl."
    Jake kept his mouth shut as Freeman stared at the spot where Andy had been.
    Freeman’s voice turned almost reverent. "She could drown me if I piss her off."
    "You might need to give that a little thought before you make her mad, then." Jake stood, waiting to be dismissed.
    "Fuck you, Lowell," Freeman said, still looking lost and sort of miserable, too.
    Dismissed. Yep. That was it.
    Leaving Freeman to moon over his girlfriend-to-be-any-minute-now, Jake made his way out of the servants’ cupboard, bypassed the entrance to the basement without looking directly at the door, and kept walking. Fast. He knew he had half an hour or so to burn before evening meeting, and he didn’t want to spend it hanging around idle and getting stared at by curious OCU officers or Sibyls.
    So, he poked around all over the townhouse and tried to find the Astaroths he was supposed to win over and control and all of that bullshit.
    He wasn’t sure, but he’d bet most of the money in Manhattan that the bastards were hiding from him. Probably invisible. Probably staring at him and laughing each time he passed too close.
    Maybe they wanted him to use his demon senses on purpose, extend himself into his demon mind-set. Maybe they wanted to see him change, just to prove that he could do it.
    Not going to happen, he thought as he stalked back down the stairs toward the conference room.
    The transient lodgers were as invisible to him as to everyone else. As far as they were concerned, Jake probably was everyone else. He didn’t look exactly like them, and he sure as hell didn’t act like them, winking out of existence and flitting around everywhere, claws and fangs hanging out.
    Not going to happen—but for Sal Freeman, Jake knew he had to make it happen. Somehow.
    Fuck.
    Jaw clenched, fists clenched tighter, Jake reached the bottom step and strode down the freshly painted hallway toward the conference room on the townhouse’s first level. He had to get to evening meeting. After a week with the OCU, he was more aware of how badly things were going in New York City. There was no time to waste—and the island had been going even crazier over the last few days. The OCU needed to hit the streets and stop whatever chaos the Legion had planned for tonight.
    Focus. Concentrate.
    Almost there.
    Don’t think of this as where you grew up. It’s OCU Headquarters now—Head Case Quarters.
    But no matter how Jake lied to Freeman earlier when his friend asked, the townhouse did indeed feel more like the steamy pits of hell than anything else.
    Heavy bookcases, tables, and chairs seemed to press toward him. He remembered every piece