Bound (19 page)

“So, you do not remember me bringing you
here?”

Kira shook her head. “I remember that white
stuff you blew in my face and lying by the fire. Did you
leap
from my house? I don’t remember that either.”

“Yes, but you blacked out from the pain.” He
leaned back on his elbows and crossed his ankles.

“So, is that what happened to Lydia, that
first night?” Kira asked. “She can do it, too?”

Octavion smiled and nodded. “Yes, but she’s
not very good at it. She tries, but—misses. That is how I knew she
would not be far.”

“What do you mean—
misses?

“I think it is because she has Altaria’s
thoughts in her head. She sees a place and tries to go there, but
their thoughts mingle and she gets confused. The same thing happens
when she is Altaria. They have landed in a tree, a lake, and even a
pile of sheep dung.”

Kira laughed. “Sheep dung?” She would have
liked to see Altaria covered in animal feces.

Octavion smiled. “Better not let her hear you
laugh. It took her a week of constant bathing to get the smell out
of her hair.”

“You have to admit, it’s a great visual
though.”

“And it was,” he said. “I was there.”

Kira turned toward the sun, closed her eyes
and tilted her head back so the warmth of the sun could splash
across her face. For several minutes neither one of them spoke. She
was grateful for the silence. It gave her time to gather her
thoughts.

“You have questions?” Octavion asked.

“A few,” she said, not bothering to open her
eyes or look at him.

“Are they about my transformation?”

Kira straightened and turned to face him. “Do
you mind?”

He paused for a long moment before answering.
“No. It is one reason I wanted to talk to you. What would you like
to know first?”

“Everything. How is it possible? What exactly
do you . . . turn into? Does it hurt? Are you the only one? I want
to know everything. I want to know more about
you
.”

Octavion didn’t answer at first, just gazed
into her eyes. That is, until the warmth rushing to her cheeks made
her look away. She plucked a flower from its stem, then started
removing the petals, one at a time.

"It started as a curse, actually,” he began.
“I suppose it still is. Our world is different from yours. It only
has one huge mass of land surrounded by a massive ocean. Most of it
is harsh wasteland, not inhabitable, but there is a region in the
east that, for the most part, is lush and fertile. Five very
different kingdoms dwell there, each with their own strengths and
weaknesses. My homeland, Xantara, is one of them.

“For much of our history my people have lived
in peace. We kept to ourselves except for the merchants who
traveled the roads between our kingdoms to sell and trade their
goods. Until the curse.”

“The curse?” That got her attention. She
scooted closer, crossed her legs and leaned her arms on her knees.
“Go on.”

“Well, it began several generations ago when
the king of Panthera found himself without a male heir. He had four
beautiful daughters, but no son. So when his eldest daughter
reached the age of marriage, the king of Panthera sent word to the
other kingdoms, promising a significant dowry if one of their
princes would take her for his bride. The king vowed that his
kingdom would one day belong to the prince, to rule as he
pleased.

“But the king of Panthera was a powerful
Jayde—gifted with magical powers far beyond those of any other
king. And because his kingdom includes the B’Kari Mountains, a
place of great evil, the other kings feared for their sons and
refused to send them. The king of Panthera was furious and sought
revenge.”

Octavion sat up and plucked a lavender flower
from where it grew. He pinched off the stem, tucked a strand of
Kira’s hair behind one ear, and gently slipped the flower in place.
He came so close, his musky scent overpowered the fragrance of the
flower just long enough to tease her senses. He leaned back on his
elbows, clearly satisfied with the effect he had on her.

“Don’t stop,” she encouraged.

He smiled. “The King of Panthera’s greatest
gift was his ability to communicate with animals, especially the
big cats. It was as if their thoughts were one with his. Those that
were worshiped among his people were the Lion, Tiger, Jaguar and
Leopard. Everyone in his kingdom knew that harming one of these
animals would mean their death—he loved them that much. In return
for their protection, the cats agreed to live in peace among the
people.

“When the king realized his daughters would
never marry a Royal, which meant no male heir or grandchildren for
that matter, he was outraged. He called the mightiest of each of
the wild cats to come to him and gave them a quest. Each of the
four cats was sent to a different kingdom. They were to find the
eldest son, draw the soul of each prince into the cat’s heart and
return to Panthera. The Royal princes’ bodies became hollow,
lifeless.”

“So the daughters had to marry the
cats?
”

He shook his head. “No. Let me finish.”

“Well hurry and get to the good part
then.”

Octavion laughed. “Patience is not your gift.
I can see that now.”

“Yeah, yeah, now get back to the story.” She
waved him on.

“As you wish.” He winked, making Kira’s heart
flutter. “Because he communicated with the cats, he also spoke to
the spirits of the men that lived within them. He offered to return
their souls, so they would become whole, but only if they chose to
marry one of his daughters and be faithful to her. He had several
conditions for them to remain as men, but to remind them of their
vows to his daughters he sacrificed the lives of the four wild cats
so their souls could merge, leaving the men with a heart that was
half man, half cat. Because they had the instincts of an animal,
the princes would forever crave the blood of another.”

“That’s horrible.”

“Yes, but after a few days, the king realized
he’d made a mistake. The men were wild and had no control over
their ravenous hunger. He feared their cravings would cause them to
kill the entire kingdom, including his daughters, so he gave them a
reprieve of sorts. He made them stronger, giving them the ability
to transform and also to control their hunger—except during the
dark phase of our moons. It is then that they are feared the most,
for they have no control. The darkness of the night was to remind
them of the darkness of their hearts.”

“Moons?”

“I wondered if you would catch that. Yes.
Ophira has two moons. Together, their pull is much stronger than
your moon.”

Kira tried to visualize the story in her
head, the way the men must have felt the first time they craved to
hunt, and the terror it must have caused among the people of each
kingdom as they feared for their lives. The whole idea of being
half animal gave her a chill.

“Perhaps this was too much for you. You look
pale.” He sat up, then brushed the back of his hand across her
forehead.

She pushed it away. “I’m fine.” There was no
good way to ask this. “So—what cat are you?”

Octavion chuckled. “It is not that simple.
The king had no idea what he had done. His own curse came back to
him, in a way. He only thought of his daughters, and how to give
them faithful husbands.”

“And of an heir,” Kira added.

“Exactly. Having an heir is very important in
our world. But what he did not realize is that the curse would pass
on to other generations. His grandchildren were wild and did many
foolish things. The species crossed and bloodlines merged within
most of the kingdoms. Many unusual hybrids were created from their
unions. Some of the blood lines remained pure, but others were
tainted.”

“Is your blood line pure?”

“My father’s heart comes from the lion. His
ancestors kept their vows and remained faithful and obeyed their
heritage, so his line is pure. But my mother’s line was not pure.
The majority of her blood is from the Tiger, but there was enough
that was not—” He looked away for a moment. “I am a hybrid.”

“So what does that mean, exactly?”

“It means I am both. My heart holds the blood
of a Lion and a Tiger. I also have twice their strength. Where most
Royals are powerful and have gifts, mine are much greater. I am
able to do things others only dream of. It also means I am much
more dangerous.”

“What do you mean?” Kira asked. “How are you
different from the others?”

“The biggest difference is that most Royals
only crave when the moons are new. I crave all the time, but when
the dark moon appears I have no control. It is the real reason we
took you home that night. Why we left you for those few
days—without word. When you cut your hand to heal Lydia…” He paused
for a moment, clearly struggling. “What you did not see, was me
leaving the two of you alone so I could feed. It was all I could do
to bandage your wound and take care of you. I couldn’t even let you
rest in the cave for fear the walls would hold in your scent. The
thoughts that plagued me while you slept will haunt me for the rest
of my life. That last night, your moon was only a sliver—its pull
on me almost irresistible—and it took all my energy to resist.”

He slipped his hand into hers, threading
their fingers together. He looked at her with weary eyes. “This is
why I have not allowed myself to . . . to
know
you. I could
hurt you, Kira. Really hurt you.”

The butterflies that had taken up residence
in her stomach began flitting around, making her a bit queasy. She
swallowed hard. “But you didn’t. You saved my life and took care of
me. You even took me home and made sure I was safe.”

He shook his head. “You do not understand.
You both could have died while I satisfied my cravings. You have no
idea how that makes me feel.” He stood and walked a few feet away,
turning his back to her.

“No, I don’t,” she whispered. She wanted to
go to him, but there was nothing she could say to ease the pain he
felt. It was as if he realized for the first time what he was truly
capable of and the real demons he had to fight.

When he didn’t turn back, she scooted to the
edge of the creek and let the water rush between her fingers. She
cupped her hands and brought some to her mouth to drink. When she’d
finished, she stood, brushed the flower petals from her jeans and
turned to find Octavion watching her.

“What?” She was suddenly self-conscious,
looking herself over for any flaw he may have noticed.

He walked toward her and traced her jaw with
his fingertips, wiping the remaining moisture from her lips with
his thumb. “How can you know all this about me—what I am capable
of—and still want to stay?”

Kira thought about his question for a brief
moment. She wanted to tell him the truth about her feelings—she
owed him that much. “To be honest, sometimes it scares me just
thinking about it, but not so much because I’m afraid you’ll hurt
me. I think it’s more because I feel so vulnerable and weak, like
my mother said before she left—
a mouse
—always underfoot.

“That’s how I feel when I’m around you, like
I’m in the way. I just . . . I can’t . . . I don’t know how to
explain it, except that I’m more afraid of doing something wrong
and putting us in danger than I am of you transforming and trying
to kill me. After what happened last night—” She paused for a
moment, forcing back tears while trying to find the right words.
“You left that night, Octavion. And it wasn’t because you were
weak. Even if you don’t believe it, you were in control and knew if
you stayed we’d be hurt—I’d be hurt. I guess knowing you made the
right choice helps me to trust you.”

Octavion didn’t say anything at first and
Kira feared she’d said something wrong. But then he reached for her
hands, brought them to his lips and pressed a tender kiss to her
knuckles. “You are not a mouse—and your mother is a fool for
thinking that.” He swallowed hard and brought her hands to his
heart, his eyes locked on hers. “I want, more than anything, to
earn that trust, Kira. I want—” Moisture seeped into the corner of
his eyes and he looked away, blinking hard before looking at her
again. “I
need
you to forgive me for the way I have treated
you. My temper . . . I—I am not like this. I wish you knew me
before. I was different—kind and gentle. And I loved to laugh. But
now—”

Kira’s heart ached. She didn’t realize she
was crying until he dropped one of her hands and wiped a tear from
her cheek. “I forgive you,” she whispered as she leaned into him.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close,
burying his face in her hair.

Kira’s stomach growled. She pushed away from
him, embarrassed. “So much for the moment.”

Octavion chuckled. “Well, I did make you drop
your apple.” He opened his arms and invited her into them again.
“Care to have another go at
leaping?
” He winked again.

“As long as you promise not to land in a pile
of—”

He put a finger to her lips before she
finished. “
I
land true. That much you
can
trust.”

She took his hand and spun around so her back
rested against his chest, then wrapped his arm around her. He
pulled her close.

“Close your eyes,” he whispered into her ear.
“You will not like it if you keep them open. It throws off your
balance for days.”

Octavion took in a deep breath as their feet
left the ground. He was right. It was exhilarating. A few seconds
later she felt the firmness of soil beneath her feet and she opened
her eyes.

Altaria knelt next to a newly made fire—her
light blue eyes wide with surprise. “I hate when you do that. It’s
worse than sneaking up on someone.” She picked up a stick and threw
it in their direction. One end was heavier than the other and it
twisted strangely in the air. Octavion caught it before Kira could
duck out of the way. Good thing, too, or it would have struck her
in the face.