Page 87 of Bound

“It doesn’t matter who took her,” Beck insists. “We’re goingto find her. Lia doesn’t have a reason to hurt her. She understands. She toldme so herself.”

Something about Liadan…

“I think she had something to do with me fading the way Idid.” Over the course of the last weeks with Meg, the idea has been coalescingin my head. I remember a familiar voice telling me to fade, and it wasn’t myown. Smoke was involved, a sickly sweet smell that always accompanied my lossof will.

Beck sighs. “You were fading because we hadn’t bonded. I wasdoing my own version of it, too. There’s nothing more than a biological need atplay in that.”

“No, I was worse off than you.” I’m sure of it. Beck wasfunctional even at the worst stages.

Beck turns and sighs. “Because you’re the intellectualhalf…”

He stops in the middle of his explanation because there’sthe sound of a thud and then Beck’s right shoulder flies back as an arrow hitshim.

I watch in horror as the arrow lodges in my brother’sshoulder and blood begins to bloom over his shirt.

“I think he was trying to say that you’re the weak one,Cian.” Liadan steps out from behind a copse of trees, a crossbow in her hand.She changed clothes and wears pants and a black shirt, her cat slinking aroundher boots. “It took you long enough to figure out I was the one behind yourneed to fade. You weren’t doing it fast enough. I had to help you along.”

Beck goes a pasty white. “Lia?”

She stands slightly away from us, the crossbow still in herhand. “Yes, Beckett. You’re not the intellectual half. You’re the idiot halfwho can’t keep his dick in his pants, the one who didn’t realize he wassleeping with a hag. His Majesty, King Torin sends his greetings. Your wife isgone, and you won’t find her again. I had to pay for it, but the Hell planewill be a lot like home for me. And I’ll have all of Beckett’s power.”

Beck grimaces and pulls the arrow out. “I’m going to killyou.”

Yes, no arrow can take the warrior king out. I have my swordin hand, but I won’t need it. This is what Beck was born to do.

Except when Beck starts to reach for the sword on his back,he falls to his knees.

“Oh, feeling weak?” Lia asks. She starts to nock anotherarrow into her bow. “That’s because the arrow is spelled. It will remove all ofyour magic and shift it to me. I’m already quite powerful on my own, thoughI’ve had to hide it for years while I waited to destroy the two of you in mymaster’s name. I’ll return to Tír na nÒg a hero with vast powers.”

Panic surges, but I have to tamp it down. I can feel Beck’sweakness as my brother slumps to the ground. If I don’t work fast, Liadan willhit me with an arrow, too, and then she’ll have all of our power.

I need help, and the forest comes to my aid. As though ithears me, the massive tree Liadan stands next to reaches a branch down andcatches the back of her shirt, hauling her up. She screams but manages to holdon to the crossbow.

I have to get my brother out of here. I lean over and amabout to lift Beck when it hits me. Magic. The moment I touch Beck’s skin,magic flows into me, overwhelming me with all the powers of the storm. Itsurges through me, but I don’t know how to use it. I can’t focus it, and itthreatens to overwhelm me even as I hear thunder crack overhead.

Behind me I hear Liadan struggling to get free. Her catclimbs the tree in an attempt to get to her mistress.

“You have to run,” Beck manages to say. His eyes are onlyhalf open, and it’s easy to see he’s fighting to stay conscious.

“Tell me how to kill her.” If she is what she says she is,it won’t be easy.

“Run. Get us out of here, brother. Don’t let her shoot youwith one of those arrows.” Beck is fading fast. “Find a place to hide. There’sa hunting cabin not far from here. Hide us.”

I know the place. I can’t wait. If Beck doesn’t think I candefeat the hag, I have to take his word. I have to hide us because I have noidea how to use my brother’s power.

Rain starts to fall and thunder rumbles even as Beck passesout and becomes deadweight. I heft him over my shoulder, securing him therewith one arm.

Liadan grunts as she hits the forest floor.

I lift my free hand and beg the ground to aid me.

Grass shoots up all around Liadan, covering the hag withgreen tendrils. She screams but I don’t waste another moment. I run. I run andrun, feet pounding against the forest floor. My lungs ache as I keep up thepace, my brother’s weight slowing me down.

The forest around me shakes with her laughter.

“You can run, Cian.” The hag’s voice seems to echo throughthe trees. “But you can’t hide.”

She’s wrong. Up ahead I can hear the river rushing past thevery place I need to be. I can hide. The trees themselves will aid me.But I have to get deep enough into the forest.