Page 100 of Bound

Z’s low snarl signaled his takeover on the narrative. “You mean until their slave girl candy store got shut down when they superchipped the wrong soldier? Yeah, sorry not sorry, kids.”

Ethan expelled a snort as proxy for a nod. He looked at Luna, whose complexion rivalled Jayd’s for drained color. “Those bastards had probably already collected a down payment from the Pura for you.”

“So I figured.” Luna emulated his rough sound. “But nothing like an indie contract with the FBI to fuck with a few well-laid bad guys’ plans for a while.”

“Just a little thing like that.” Ethan huffed out a smirk. “By the way, just to make it official from me, thank you. Everything you did that day was—”

“Uh-uh.” Luna swept up a firm hand. “We’re not going there right now, okay? You all don’t have the time for mush breaks.”

“She’s right,” Brick inserted. “We all need to beat feet before consciousness knocks again for Sleeping Shithead.”

As if his head jog toward Carris extended an actual bonking stick, the bastard grumbled, moaned, and fluttered his eyes.

“Hrmmm. Fuckkk meee. Whaaa…”

As if a grenade had been chucked into the cave, everyone moved at once.

Zeke, already pounding up the tunnel to run a safety recon for them.

Jayd, using her feet to scuffle farther away from Carris.

Brick, lunging over to scoop her up as best as he could in spite of the damn shackles.

Ethan, pushing the other direction to reach for Luna’s hand.

But Luna, already circling back to gather up the crossbow again.

“Go,” she ordered, already reloading a bolt and pointing it down at Carris. “Do. It. Now!”

“What the hell?” Ethan gritted.

“Goddammit, Luna!” Brick spat.

“No.” But his pixie got the award for the best version. “By your nipples and mine, Luna Lawrence. No!”

Yeah, that part pretty much cinched it.

If only Luna was that attached to her nipples too.

But everything about her return glare at Jayd, with lips parted and violet eyes ignited, said she was ready to give up even more than that.

Why? Brick barely held back from bellowing it aloud at the woman. There was a difference between stubborn and stupid. Fuck him six kinds of sideways, why was she opting for the latter?

The same question was painted across Jayd’s features as she turned back to Luna. It developed into a pleading wince, which Luna mirrored. Brick looked on, stunned by seeing so much vulnerability across the woman’s features. Though Luna had been through hell and back, the last three years had actually tenderized her in some ways. Many more than in all her sessions in the dungeon combined.

But when her take-no-shit mask returned, it did so with unforgiving vengeance.

“Get out of here, damn it,” she ordered, specifically to Jayd this time. “I’m sorry. I really am, okay? But I can’t go with you now, girlfriend.” She cocked her head back, as if willing tears to the back of her skull. “It was stupid to think I ever could.”

“No.” The word was a renewal of vehemence from Jayd. She clutched at her ribs with one hand while beseeching toward Luna with the other. “Please!” she begged fissuring Brick’s heart in new places. “We cannot just leave you here!”

“You can,” the woman asserted. “You have to, okay?”

“But I believe you now. I do. Truly!”

“I know, Your Highness.” Another head shake, though slower this time. It was a motion of deep decision. Of firm resolve. “I know.”

“Then why—”