CHAPTER 4
Leaving Wind after their turbulent discussion was difficult. She’d wanted to turn back at least a thousand times during her five-minute drive home.
Celise wanted to tell him she’d be his bound one, that he couldn’t have made her happier by asking her, but the thought of Diane tightened her chest.
For her dreams to come true, there had to be pain.
A lot of it.
She parked in her driveway. Her single-story villa looked like a lot of other houses in the area. It was about fifteen hundred square feet, painted white, and with a black roof. A small lawn was in the front and no fence.
She lived on the south side of Glaswell where there were plenty of open spaces, beautiful homes, and parks. The shopping mall was just a few minutes away, and she loved spending time there.
The town was a calm and peaceful place. The clear blue sky, the warm summer weather, and the clean streets made her feel like she lived in paradise. She’d considered herself lucky, living in a place like this. Glaswell was also kept behind guarded walls, keeping unwanted visitors out.
Celise took a deep breath. She didn’t feel like going inside. She needed to go for a walk ... to think ... to breathe.
She walked down the sidewalk slowly.
Her life had taken an unexpected turn. She didn’t know much about how to transfer a bond. She’d always avoided studying that subject because of Wind. Now, she regretted that, but Jade knew and could teach her.
“You look like you have a lot on your mind.”
She jerked when she heard the voice. “Faye?” She’d been walking for several minutes, not aware of where she’d been heading and had ended up in front of Faye’s house. It looked similar to hers; white with a black roof.
Faye sat on a blanket on her lawn. She was dressed in simple sweatpants and a sleeveless T-shirt. Her blonde hair hung down one of her shoulders, and she held a book in her hands.
Shade and Phoebe lived across the street. They’d been home for a few days now since the incident with Nightmare and his Fighters. Their bond was restored, and they seemed happy.
Faye, on the other hand, was not her cheerful self anymore. Not since she’d kissed Silver to save Shade from the Fighters. Where he was now, Celise didn’t know, but she knew one thing. It wasn’t over for Faye, far from it.
“Why don’t you sit down and bother me a little? You look like you need it,” Faye said with a wry smile.
She snorted. Faye may not be the same any longer, but she sure hadn’t lost her attitude. Her suggestion was tempting though. Celise needed someone to talk to, and it seemed like Faye needed someone to talk to as well. She removed her shoes and took a seat.
Faye put her book down. “So what’s eating you?”
Celise sighed. “Diane and Wind invited me over today. Diane wanted me to examine Wind, even though I did so just two weeks ago.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Is that too soon?”
“Yes. I worried that something had happened to him, but he was fine.”
“So why did they invite you over?”
Celise breathed deeply while she gathered her words. “Diane is dying.” She didn’t say anything else, letting Faye take in the news.
Her friend’s smile faded, and her blue eyes widened. She stilled, and disbelief colored her face. “Oh, my God.” Her voice trembled. “She told you that?”
“Yes, but I figured it out some time ago. Phoebe and Shade have figured it out as well.”
Faye winced. “Am I the only one who doesn’t know?”
“Diane didn’t tell anyone, but since she told me now, I doubt it’s a secret anymore.”
“But why? Why keep such a thing secret?” She crossed her arms over her chest and anger radiated from her. “She and I sure are going to have a long talk.” She shook her head. “Unbelievable. And they invited you over to tell you that?”
Celise shook her head. “No. You know what’ll happen to Wind if Diane dies, don’t you?”
Faye licked her lips. “He’ll die, or become one of the Fighters if he by some miracle survives.”
She nodded. “Exactly.”
Her friend’s eyes widened with new surprise, then a big grin spread on her lips. Excitement shone right through her, and a gentle laughter broke from her mouth.
It was amazing how fast she could switch from one mood to another.
“Oh, my God, Celise! You’re going to be Wind’s new bound one, aren’t you? You’ve never spoken about it, but I’ve seen your interest for him. You must be thrilled!”
She tried to smile, but it came out stiff.
Faye frowned. “But you don’t look thrilled. Aren’t you happy? Don’t you want to be with Wind?”
She slumped her shoulders. “I do. I really do, but he only wants me to save himself. He has no interest in me whatsoever. All I am to him is a way to escape death. I can’t bind him to me because of that. It feels wrong, even if I love him.” Celise sighed. “Tomorrow, Jade is paying them a visit, and Wind wants me to be there. If I don’t come, he and Diane will go to MedAct to find someone else who wants to take over the bond.”
Faye didn’t move. She stared at her. “Well, that sucks.”
Celise couldn’t help but smile when Faye pouted. “You’re not taking this seriously. I have no idea what to do.”
“Of course you do! You become Wind’s new bound one, no matter what he feels right now.”
She blinked. “Just like that?”
“Yes, just like that.” Faye put her hand on Celise’s shoulder. “Hon, I love you, but you’re looking way too much into this. He doesn’t feel anything for you because of the bond, right?”
Celise nodded. “Right.”
“Then from here on, you’ve two ways to go. You either become Wind’s new bound one, or you don’t. It’s that simple, but trust me, you’ll be happier with him than without him.”
She looked at her hands. “If he’s bound to another, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
“Exactly, and is that what you want?”
Celise shook her head. “No.”
“Then, you go there tomorrow, and tell them you’ll take over the bond.”
Faye’s straight-forward way made her feel better, and she was right.
She was reading too much into this. Overthinking. Wind didn’t love her now because he couldn’t. It was unfair of her to demand more of him at this moment. “How about you?” Celise asked.
Faye pulled back. “What about me?”
“Have you heard anything about Silver?”
Her expression tensed. “No, nothing. It’s been days since we were at the house, but to me, it feels like years. Phoebe wanted to talk to me about it, but I don’t want to bother her. She’s supposed to be having the best time of her life right now with Shade. They seem so happy, and the last thing she needs is listening to my problems.”
Celise nodded. “I understand, but you can talk to me. You won’t ruin my mood.”
Faye smirked. “Yes, I will, because I just gave you a better one.”
“No, I promise. Besides, I see something’s on your mind.”
Faye sighed. “Very well.” She took a deep breath as if to prepare herself. “Ever since we left that house, I’ve been thinking about Silver. I didn’t mean to bind him to me. I didn’t believe what Nightmare told me, that you can bind a Fighter to you from a single intimate touch, but when they started beating up Shade, I had to do something, and it sure got their attention.” She bit her lip. “Silver’s eyes flashed once, and it didn’t take long before he completely lost it. He tried to finish the bonding, but the Fighters stopped him. I have no idea where he’s now, but Jade told me he’s probably in a lot of pain. That really makes me feel bad.”
Celise felt sorry for Faye, but she felt sorry for Silver, too. He had to be in a lot of pain. His eyes had to flash two more times to seal the bond, and without Faye, that was impossible. Until Faye was able to bind him to her, his bond would scream for her in the worst kind of way, slowly torment him out of his mind. “So what are you going to do?”
“There’s nothing I can do. I have no idea where the Fighters live. I can’t go to Silver.”
Celise leaned closer. “Remember the signal I used to track Nightmare? I could use it again to find Silver.”
Faye gasped. Horror filled her gaze. “No! Don’t do that. If you do, who knows what will happen. All I want is to find a way out of this. Sure, he’s hot as hell, but I don’t want to be his bound one. I wouldn’t mind doing him, but if that results in a bond, then no thank you.”
“You have to do something, Faye.”
She raised her hands, with her palms out. “I know, I know. I just don’t know what ... yet. I need to think.”
Celise nodded. She understood. Pressing Faye further would do no good, but sooner or later, she’d have to deal with the situation.