Bound by Legend: A Bound Novel (30 page)

Chuckling, Morgan walked through the sliding glass door that led to the balcony and was almost made dizzy by the view of the city from the top of the towering hotel. She lit a cigarette and took a drag as she inched toward the railing. Flying with a dark angel was one thing. Standing by herself at the rail with the wind tugging at her from that height was a little unnerving.

While she smoked, she studied the balcony with its ornate railing, cushy chairs and blooming planters. Who would have guessed that one day she would be staying in a suite at the Vasser of all places? Though it was kind of interesting, there was no way she could get used to it. A simple room at a motel would still be fine for her. Morgan doubted she would ever need or want something as extravagant as this. Simple and sensible were preferable.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Morgan frowned and pulled it out. Who would be calling her? Isobel’s name showed on the screen. Sliding her finger across the screen to accept the call, she answered, “Hey Isobel.”

“How do you feel about a girls’ night?”

Morgan glanced through the wall of glass at Lucian who sat with his back to her. “I’m cool with it. Staying in or going out?”

“Staying in, indulging in room service and movies.”

“Why?” Not that it didn’t sound nice, but there had to be a catch.

“Hasn’t Lucian told you? He’s going to make contact with a channel who is also a Cherokee shaman.”

“He hasn’t said anything to me.” Morgan tried to ignore the knot forming in her stomach. She’d become so used to Lucian’s presence in her life that the thought of him not being there made her uneasy. Which was stupid since she liked being alone…didn’t she?

“Maybe he’s waiting until it’s all finalized. Anyway, it looks like it’s a pretty sure thing.”

“So are we hanging out or are you and Damien just keeping track of me?”

Isobel’s snort came through clearly.
“Damien will be around if we need him but he’s going to stay out of our way, he won’t even be in the room.”

“When is this supposed to happen?”

“I’ll be there as soon as Lucian is ready to go. Sometime this afternoon I expect.”

“Sounds good, I’ll see you then.”

After they hung up, Morgan flipped the last of her cigarette over the railing and walked back into the suite.

“You’re leaving?” She was proud that she’d managed to keep her voice neutral sounding.

Lucian swiveled on the bar stool. “Actually, I just got confirmation. I wasn’t sure if I’d found what I was looking for until just now. I guess Isobel has already called you.”

Morgan nodded and wandered into the kitchen with the vague idea of eating. The heavy lump in her stomach made it so nothing that crossed her mind sounded good as she opened the stainless steel refrigerator and stared blankly at the limited contents. “Why do you have to meet them?”

“They are dealing with their own demon problems. They don’t want to leave the area unless it’s necessary. I’m going to take your locket with me and talk to them about what’s going on.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“If I leave soon, I should be back by tomorrow, early in the morning at the latest. If all goes smoothly, and it should, then I may be back before then,” Lucian said, closing his laptop and standing.

Only one night. That wasn’t so long. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t spent the night without him since she’d agreed to let him be her dark angel. Just a couple of days ago she’d spent the night in the park after all. So what the hell was wrong with her now?

She hadn’t admitted how she felt to him then, hadn’t allowed him to become a part of her the way he was now. That’s what was different. A hollow feeling replaced the lump in her stomach and spread to her heart. Morgan shut the fridge door without selecting anything to eat and wandered into the living room.

The room hadn’t changed. It still looked too fancy to sit in. Morgan stood in the middle of it and stared at the dark television screen until Lucian’s warm hands gently turned her to face him.

“What’s wrong?”

Morgan didn’t look at his face, choosing instead to stare at his bare chest. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.”

His hand tilted her chin up until she stared into his tawny eyes. Eyes that seemed to see deeper into her soul than anyone’s ever had. “Talk to me.”

“Just make sure you come back, okay?” Morgan searched his eyes for any hint of worry about the trip he was about to make.

“I promise to come back to you.” Lucian’s tone held total confidence.

Morgan nodded and put her arms around him, resting her cheek against his chest. The steady, strong beat of his heart as reassuring as his words. When he pulled her closer and held her, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment as thoroughly as possible. Her worry still intruded. “I don’t think I can lose you, Lucian. Not and maintain my sanity. I’ve lost too many people in my life.”

The warm wetness on his chest made Lucian aware of the tears sliding down her cheeks. She pulled away and wiped quickly at her face.

“I’ve lost a lot of people in my life. First my parents, then my sister about a year later. Six months after that, my best friend overdosed at a party we weren’t supposed to be at. I was the one who found her body. Another friend committed suicide less than three months later. I seem to be a death magnet. I’m not sure I could handle losing another.”

She took a deep breath and let it out as she glanced at him. “Especially not you.”

“What about Jake?” Lucian asked, knowing that the chance of Jake living a long life on the streets was pretty slim. Would she be able to handle it if something happened to the man?

Morgan chewed her thumbnail “I don’t know if I could deal with that either. Jake is the closest thing I have to family. He was there for me when things were bad. So bad.”

“I will do my best to protect him as well as you,” Lucian said as he drew her into his arms again.

His lips found hers, the kiss meant to be comforting. It quickly became much more than that as a desperate fire fueled by love and a fear of loss consumed them.

THAT AFTERNOON, ISOBEL
arrived and Lucian left. Morgan tried to settle into the movies and room service. Even with Isobel there and Lucy lying close to Morgan on the couch that looked like no animal should ever touch it, a gaping emptiness still yawned wide inside her. Everything inside her wanted to reach for him and he wasn’t there.

It wasn’t like she couldn’t live without him, Morgan had no doubt she would live on should something happen to Lucian. She just wasn’t sure what kind of mental state she would live the rest of her life in if that happened. After seven years of keeping everyone at a certain distance, she had finally let someone all of the way in. Her glued pieces trembled at the thought of losing him.

In an effort to stop thinking about it, she threw herself into the girl time with Isobel. She answered Isobel’s questions about Lucian and couldn’t help smiling when her friend looked so pleased that Morgan and Lucian were definitely a couple now. Even as she tried to force herself to enjoy the night, Lucian’s absence left her edgy, and though her demon radar remained quiet, it seemed more like the quiet before the storm.

Morgan forced herself to indulge in the food that arrived and tried to pay attention to the movies. After the second movie, she really needed a break. After excusing herself, Morgan stepped out onto the balcony and closed the door behind her. It felt good to breathe in the night air, feel the cool breeze, and hear the distant sounds of the city twenty floors below. To be alone. She slid a cigarette from the pack and lit it. Closing her eyes, she relaxed against the railing.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Surprised to see Jake’s number on the screen when she pulled it out, Morgan quickly slid her finger across the screen to answer the call. “Jake?”

“Heya, Morgs.”

Something in his voice didn’t sound right. Her muscles tensed and her stomach twisted. “You all right?”

The sound of coughing followed by a groan came through the line.
“It would seem some of your friends want to talk to you in a bad way…why didn’t you tell me?”

His voice faded away and a smooth voice she didn’t recognize came on.
“It would have been better if we hadn’t needed to resort to this. You left us no choice.”

Morgan’s hand trembled as it tightened on the phone. “Let him go.”

“Oh no, not until you come here and set him free yourself.”

“Where’s ‘here’?” Morgan growled through her teeth.

“Before we get to that, considering the choice you’re going to have to make, it might be best if you left the dark angel at home.”

Whoever it was must not realize Lucian was gone, or maybe they meant Damien that had to be lurking close by. It didn’t matter. Jake’s death was not going to be on her hands. “Fine, whatever. Just tell me where Jake is.”

“You will find him at the place you call the tower. And, Inola, before you think to try and bring the dark angel anyway, it would take me less than the blink of an eye to rip your friend’s heart out.”

Her phone made a quiet blip, signaling the call had ended. Morgan stared at the screen, her heart racing. Glancing at the glass wall, she saw Isobel moving around in the suite. Morgan closed her eyes and took several steadying breaths before walking back into the room.

Isobel fluffed a couple of the pillows they’d been lounging on. “I’m going to make popcorn if you want some.” She stopped, a frown marring her features. “What’s wrong?”

“Jake…” The name came out with a strangled sound.

Isobel pulled her phone out. As her fingers tapped rapidly on the screen, Morgan tried to decide what to do next. If she went alone it would be a suicide mission. Either way, Jake was a dead man, the demons would never let him live. If she had backup, then maybe…

Damien came through the sliding door to the balcony, his ebony wings folded. “What’s going on?”

Morgan opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The demons had Jake. Her mind tried to numb itself to the possibilities. She had to get it together or Jake was guaranteed to die this night. She shoved the panic down and told Damien about the call.

“You aren’t going alone,” Damien said, already sending a text on his phone. “But we need to make it look like you are. I want you to do whatever you would have if you had to sneak out of here.”

Morgan nodded. Isobel gave her quick hug that Morgan returned awkwardly. “No matter what happens, remember we are close even if you can’t see us.”

Damien’s phone chimed. He glanced at it. “You will have more than Isobel and I watching over you and Jake. Lucian is already on his way back. The channel and her dark angel are with him. They were almost here and have altered their course for the tower. Isobel and I are going to go into the kitchen and pretend to make popcorn.”

Morgan nodded. “I better get a move on then.”

As her friends walked past the bar and disappeared into the kitchen, smiling and acting at ease, Morgan moved quickly into the bedroom. It only took a moment to shove her feet into her boots and stuff some cash in her pocket. Lucy tried to block her path. Dropping to one knee, Morgan rubbed the dog’s ears. “I promise to be careful.”

Lucy whined and licked her face. Giving the dog a final pat, Morgan moved toward the door. As the popcorn machine kicked on, she slipped quietly out into the hall. Morgan made for the stairs. It would take longer, but she was in good shape and it would look more like she was sneaking away in case any demons were watching. As she descended each flight, she jumped the railing most of the way down, landing part way down the next flight and skipping the landings altogether.

When she opened the door and peeked into the lobby, Morgan used every trick and skill she’d learned in her foster homes and on the street to sneak through without anyone noticing.

Out on the street, she flagged down a cab. Yanking open the back door, she jumped in before the car had completely rolled to a stop. She gave the driver directions and then waited impatiently for the ride to be over. As if sensing her hurry, the cab driver maneuvered the car through traffic like he’d been a fighter pilot in another life. In no time, the car came to a stop outside the sagging gates of the tower.