Page 92 of Bound

The demon seems to have disappeared again, and I’m alone inthe forest with no sense of direction. I run for the shelter of a thick tree.It’s less wet beneath the tree’s wide canopy. I need to get in contact withDante, and there’s only one way I can do it. I reach into my pack, searchingfor the vampire computer. I go through the bag three times before admitting thetruth.

“Bastard.” It’s obvious the human version of Dante helpedhimself to a souvenir of my visit. He’s taken the only way I have tocommunicate, and my heart constricts. I have to find another way.

I hear rushing water to my left and know I’m in luck. Thevillage was built to take advantage of the river. I can follow it, and I’ll beable to see houses and docks when I get close.

I repack my duffel bag and prepare for a potentially longwalk. There’s nothing else to do. I can’t sit here, and Human Dante has takenaway my ability to call his vampire counterpart.

I trudge to the river and realize I have another decision tomake. I have no idea where I am in relation to the village. It could be northor south of where I stand now. I could walk for days, only to discover I wentthe wrong way. What am I supposed to do? Any wasted time could cost myhusbands. I stare through the rain, trying to see if there’s anything familiar.The only times I spent in the forest, I was either righteously pissed off atBeck or sleeping peacefully in his arms. I certainly didn’t memorize landmarks.

Ahead in the distance, I spot a beautiful horse standing inthe water, and my decision is made.

“Screw you, you cannibal horse,” I shout at the kelpie andturn the opposite direction. It was enough of a sign for me. Decision made, Ibegin to jog.

Half an hour later, I’m still cursing that damn horsebecause I seem to be walking toward the intensifying storm. The rain pelts me.There isn’t an inch of me that’s dry. I shiver as I hike on.

After a few minutes, I hear a magnificent sound. It startslike a slight whir, and there’s no mistaking its man-made nature even over thesounds of the storm. Well, there’s no mistaking its vampire-made nature.

I stop and turn toward that sound. It isn’t more than thirtyseconds before I can see the bike in the distance, getting closer and closer.It moves fast, hovering over the soaked ground. The rider is outfitted for thestorm in head-to-toe water-repellant gear. Even his eyes are covered withgoggles. He steers the bike right toward me.

Even before he lifts the mask on his helmet, I know who heis. I wasn’t able to find him, but he’s found me.

“Get on.” Dante shouts over the noise of the storm. “We needto talk.”

Twenty minutes later, I gratefully accept the towelDante hands me. Like everything else about Dante’s little camp, the towel ishigh-tech. I rub it over my hair and suddenly, it’s dry. I don’t question it.I’m simply happy to be warm. The tent is toasty and dry, with soft lanternsgiving the room a nice glow.

“Where the hell have you been?” Dante asks, pouring himselfa Scotch. “Do you have any idea how bad things have gotten while you were doingwhatever it was you were doing?”

“Well, I didn’t go willingly.” I rub my hands togetherbefore shrugging out of my sweater. “Someone paid the Planeswalker to take mehome.”

Dante’s mouth hangs open slightly as he stares at me. “Youwent to the Earth plane?”

“And then found my way home. I didn’t even need a demon tohelp me, though I did my return trip with one.”

Dante sighs. “You came back.”

“Of course I came back,” I reply. How could he believe Iwould abandon them? “I love my husbands. I never wanted to leave them. Now,tell me everything. Are they alive? Has the hag been able to hurt them? How didyou find me?”

Dante looks slightly amused as I pelt him with questions.“As far as I know, they’re still protected. I can’t get close. The storm ishorrible. It’s kept the hag away, though she’s closing in. Once that blondebitch gets into their hidey-hole, she’ll be able to slit their throats andthere’s nothing they can do about it. As for how I found you, I planted alocator device on your back that first day we met. Remember, I gave you a bighug and slapped you on the back? The locator device is small and burrows intothe skin. I had a feeling you would be trouble.”

“You LoJacked me?”

Dante shakes his head, seemingly unconcerned. “I don’t knowwhat that is. However, I did make sure I could keep tabs on you. Don’t mentionit to Ci, but I LoJacked him a long time ago. I was too scared to tryit with Beck. I do it to the people I care about. I like to know where theyare.”

“So where are Beck and Ci?” I choose to set aside Dante’squestionable actions for now. Those locators proved fortuitous any way I lookat it.

“About a half a mile north. I don’t know what happened, butthe twins took refuge in a small cabin in the middle of the forest. It’scovered with vines, and let me tell you, those vines have thorns. I tried tohack my way in while the hag was sleeping. The plants took exception.”

I pull off my jeans and shirt and run the towel across myskin, marveling at the way it instantly dries me. “That’s Cian’s doing. He cameinto his power shortly before that asshole demon hauled my butt back to Earth.”

“Cian’s a Green Man?” Dante lisps a little around his fangs.I throw him a dirty look because I know what the fangs coming out mean. “Whatdo you expect? You’re half-naked. It would be rude not to get horny. Now tellme about Ci.”

I roll my eyes and accept that Dante is just Dante. I moveto my duffel bag and am pleased to find that everything I own is not soakingwet. “All that legendary stuff about royal symbiotic twins is true.” I put onthe soft, suede-like pants the village women sewed for me, and my shirt andvest. “Cian is a Green Man. Beck can control storms.”

“Well, he’s not doing a good job of it, is he?” Dante asks,referencing the raging storm outside. “It’s been like this since I got here aweek ago. I came when your locator signal went off-line, and I couldn’t get thecomputer I gave you to answer me.”

“About that, I’m going to need another one of those,” Iadmit. “Your human self stole mine, the little weasel. I have no doubt he is,even now, plotting something ruthless. He had that look about him.”

“Nice,” Dante says, showing off his fangs. “So you met thehuman version of me. How hot was I? I was really rich, but, like, on my own,right? I see myself as a self-made man.”