Read Bound for Free Online Page B

her sentence. The muscles in his jaw
tightened as his fingers clenched into fists.
    “Look, I didn’t mean it like that . . . it’s
just . . . she needs help .”
    Octavion stood and took a step back. “Do you
think I would let her suffer intentionally? She is my sister and I
have taken an oath to protect her at all costs. I have tried all I
know to lessen her pain, but it is not enough.”
    “What do you mean . . . not
enough ?”
    “Come with me.” He extended his hand to help
her stand.
    Kira tucked her fingers into her palms and
buried them in her jacket pockets. No way was she going with him.
And there was no way in hell she’d trust him. But then there was
something in his eyes that caught her attention—a flicker of truth
and sincerity. She thought for a moment about what Lydia would want
her to do. He was Lydia’s brother, after all. And Lydia
obviously trusted him.
    “Please, Kira. I will not hurt you.”
    Kira hesitated for a few more seconds before
pulling her hand out of her pocket. As she laid her hand in his,
she was finally able to grasp the enormous difference of its size
compared to hers. Even though he was gentle, she still felt the
strength of his fingers as he helped her from the ground and
pressed his hand on the small of her back to guide her toward the
fire. Another series of moans coming from behind them caused Kira
to stop and look over her shoulder.
    “I want to see Lydia,” she said.
    The pressure he placed on her back increased,
urging her to continue in the direction of the clearing and away
from Lydia. She pulled her hand free and stepped off to one
side.
    “I said I want to see Lydia.” They’d gone far
enough that the glow of the fire was more prominent, silhouetting
the trees and causing a faint spark to highlight Octavion’s eyes.
She gazed into them, trying to read his intentions like she’d done
with a thousand other eyes, but all she saw this time was her own
reflection.
    “She is not the Lydia you know,” he said.
“There are many things about us you will not understand and I need
to explain them first.”
    “She’s my friend. I don’t care about the
rest. Just let me see her—maybe there’s something I can do to help. Please ,” Kira added for good measure. Then she stepped
closer and did something that took all her courage. She placed her
hand back in his. She wanted to show him that she trusted him, even
if she still wasn’t sure herself. “I need to see her.”
    His focus shifted to the simple embrace of
her hand, then back to her eyes. He gently tightened his fingers
around her palm and sighed in surrender. “Then I shall allow it.”
He turned back the way they’d come and led Kira deeper into the
forest and around the massive boulders.
    As Kira’s eyes adjusted to the increased
darkness, a sliver of light appeared. Its subtle glow seeped
through a large crevice in the rocks and created an eerie streak
across the earthen floor. Octavion dropped her hand and motioned
for her to follow him through an opening in the boulder barely
large enough for one person. They’d only taken a few steps when the
mountainside opened into a large cave. Most of it was lost in the
darkness, but a few candles burned off to one side, lighting an
area where Lydia lay next to the white tiger, whose eyes followed
Kira’s every move.
    Octavion nodded for her to go closer. “Toran
will not hurt you. He is gentle—like a house cat.”
    Yeah, right , Kira thought while
visualizing the oversized house cat eating a mouse—which was
exactly what she felt like. Toran lay between Lydia and the wall of
the cave, so Kira took the other side, and knelt next to her.
    Lydia lay on a pile of animal pelts. A thick,
wool blanket drawn up under her arms revealed the top of an unusual
looking white blouse, her sparkling ruby necklace barely visible
between the unlaced pieces of fabric. Her hair lay askew around her
head on an embroidered pillowcase like waves of honey being poured
out of a