Bound, p.3
Bound, page 3
Eddy:I know. And I know Corinne is an adult and is quite capable, but I just have this feeling. Did you know she got a job at the National Gallery? It’s part-time and she’s planning to stay at the Savoy.
Spense:Maybe it’s time for you to come out…
Eddy:It’s never something I saw myself as doing, but maybe…
Spense:I used to worry that we would be sucked back in. Now I worry more that somehow, whatever window was opened and allowed us to escape will close and you won’t be able to get out.
Eddy:Who says I want to?
Spense:I don’t think Corinne could join you. Even if she could and she wanted to, would you allow her to?
Eddy:You have a point. I’ll think about it, but I worry I wouldn’t be able to help all of you if I was out there.
Spense:Sage wrote you as a genius and a legendary hacker. So far, all of us have come through the Veil with our talents and skills intact. Besides, there isn’t a one of us who doesn’t want you out here with us in the real world.
Eddy:Thanks, Spense. I’ll think about it. My best to everybody else.
Screen Blips Off
Eddy stared at the blank screen. It had been an odd thing becoming sentient. At first, it had felt disconcerting and a little frightening. But those feelings had lessened as he realized his friends had experienced the same thing. Losing first Holmes and Spense and then Roark as they pierced the Veil and entered the world, Eddy had begun to wonder if maybe he wasn’t cheating himself.
Chapter 4
Eddy watched Corinne sleep from behind the Veil. It had long ago ceased to surprise him that so many people slept with their laptops open. It took some skill to be able to use someone’s personal computer to watch over them. Watch over… Yeah, he used to think when Roark did it with Sage it was a bit stalkerish, but now the shoe was on the other foot. It seemed like the right thing to do.
He couldn’t help but compare his relationship with Corinne with Roark’s relationship with Sage. They were very similar except for the fact that he didn’t have a connection yet with Corinne. The unfortunate fact was, she didn’t even know he existed. Like Roark, Eddy was separated from the woman he wanted by the Veil—the woman for whom he had developed very strong feelings.
Of course, Roark had been able to pierce the Veil in order to save Sage’s life. Holmes and Spense had sort of tumbled through the Veil a short time before Roark. None of the three of them understood how it had happened, and they no longer seemed to care. Eddy didn’t think he could ever trust, much less enjoy, something he couldn’t understand. The others were so nonchalant, they drove him crazy.
At about the same time as Holmes and Spense disappeared from the pages of the manuscript, Eddy had felt a pull—something akin to having a lasso tighten around his middle, trying to draw him through the Veil. It had been as if some force was compelling him to let go of what was and embrace the unknown. But he hadn’t been sentient as long as the others and felt he’d be of more use to his friends on this side of the Veil if he remained behind.
While that had been true, it wasn’t the only reason he’d resisted being drawn into the real world. Eddy had liked being behind the barrier, securely experiencing the sort of half-life they had all enjoyed together in the pages of Sage’s manuscripts. But there was another part, a murkier part, of his soul that reveled in his ability to connect with the dark web on a more visceral level.
In the beginning, he told himself staying behind was noble. But as he saw his friends evolving and enjoying rich lives, he wondered if fear wasn’t really at the heart of his resistance. His reasons to remain on the other side of the Veil were valid, and there was nothing to compel him to leave his safe little haven. Safe, that was the kicker. Did he want to stay safe, or did he want to embrace the possibility of a full life?
None of those things had mattered when he saw Corinne for the first time. He’d been talking to Spense when the attractive, blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman had appeared over his shoulder, checking in for her shift. She’d been dressed in a nondescript dark suit which did nothing for what he now knew to be a curvaceous figure—not overweight, but shapely and strong. She wore her long hair up in a messy bun, and her eyes most often danced with mischief.
She had captured his imagination, and from that point forward he’d been intrigued. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it was a hacker’s catnip. Eddy had gone browsing in the Savoy’s computerized personnel records to get her mobile phone and address. Once he had those, it took little time for him to hack into her phone and then into the electronic devices in her home. At first, Eddy told himself he was keeping an eye on someone who could expose his friends, and then someone who was important to them, but had finally been forced to admit, it was because she’d become important to him.
Eddy was now willing to admit that there were things he knew about Corinne that he didn't share with his friends, but then he suspected there were things they didn’t share with him about the women they loved. Loved? He resisted labeling his feelings as love, but he wasn’t sure he could defend that position. Some of the things he knew about her were personal and endearing; others were odd and a bit concerning. For instance, she took regular lessons in ancient weapons like the bow, quarterstaff, halberd and broadsword. Why?
The first and last hadn’t exactly surprised him, as she had two cases she kept under her bed that contained what he thought was the Storm Shadow bow and Galatine. At first, he’d chalked her training up to an intriguing form of exercise, but when he’d glimpsed the two weapons, he’d known better. Eddy had hacked into the fight master’s studio and watched her lessons. She was good—almost as if she’d been born to it. Steven Holcroft was a fight master with impeccable credentials and a murky past that even Eddy had been unable to resolve. But he had to admit, Holcroft brought out the best in her.
Corinne’s aunt had been a puzzle. Eddy liked solving puzzles and so had begun to dig up any and all information he could on her. The woman had managed to live off the grid in the middle of London—leaving no electronic trail, unless you knew how to find and follow one. Trying to track her financial records had led him through a tangled system of accounts until he’d finally found the source of her income. The woman had lived frugally, working as an artisan for Boodles, one of the most exclusive jewelers in England. But there had been other money coming in from an obscure and ancient organization known as the Order of the Seven Maidens.
The organization seemed to be a collection of women, spanning a wide range of ages and all from the most ancient families of Cornwall. They did some quilting and crocheting, but most of their services were direct and out in their community—helping the sick, bringing meals to those in need, tutoring and the like. So, Corinne’s family was from Cornwall, but that didn’t answer the riddle of why the organization was supporting Corinne’s aunt.
He also couldn’t figure out where the organization was getting all its money, and there was an inordinate amount of it. Eddy had tried to trace the origins of the money back through time but had become lost in a maze of accounts. Each month, the Seven Maidens had sent Corinne’s aunt a sum of money to cover her living expenses, including the mortgage payment for her flat close to Trafalgar Square.
Peggy had left Corinne a large inheritance that had shocked Corinne, both in its size and scope. Eddy knew it came as a complete surprise. He’d been able to watch her reaction to the news—various phases of shock, excitement, confusion, strategic planning, disbelief and finally acceptance. Corinne’s reaction had been to sell her aunt’s flat, pay off her student loans and then buckle down to finishing her degree. Her final doctoral thesis had been turned in and she had interviewed for a part-time position with the National Gallery and had been offered the job on a provisional basis. As long as she received her degree, the job was hers.
Eddy had watched as she bought her own bottle of champagne, cheese and crackers and celebrated by herself sitting by the window that looked across the Thames to Trafalgar Square. There had been a sadness there, and yet an acceptance. He wondered if she had resigned herself to living the same kind of solitary life that her aunt had lived.
Corinne’s shock when money to cover her living expenses had been deposited to her account was comical and palpable. Eddy had been expecting it, but when the Seven Maidens had deposited the money into her account, she’d been surprised and called the solicitor for the estate. He had explained it was part of her inheritance and that additional amounts would be deposited as her expenses increased.
For the past few nights, her sleep had been broken and restless. Eddy could tell she was awake, as her movements beneath the covers were more deliberate than languid. Corinne flung the covers off, revealing she slept in the nude. More often than not, in fact, she chose to sleep without anything on. Eddy was glad of that. She had a lovely body, and he enjoyed seeing her. Enjoy might not be the best description. She aroused him, and he refused to take refuge in any of the non-sentient females that littered Sage’s Clive Thomas novels.
Corinne lay in the middle of her bed, the cool night air making her sensitive nipples pebble. Eddy had observed enough to see how easily they responded to just about any kind of stimuli. Cold, the friction of rough material rubbing across them, a sex scene from one of Sage’s books—all made her large, dark nipples go from soft to hard in an instant. She rolled the dark tips between her fingers and thumbs, sighing contentedly as she did so.
Eddy’s eyes were riveted to her other hand as it trailed down past her mons, parting the petals of her sex to drag her honeyed essence from her core back up to play with her clit. Naughty girl! He had decided when she became his—wait, when had if become when?—that she would not be allowed to pleasure herself unless he commanded her to do so. Corinne moaned in need as she spread her legs further. God, how he wanted it to be him, spreading her thighs, making a place for himself between them. He felt a sharp stab of jealousy when he wondered who she fantasized about when she played with herself.
Corinne circled her clit with her moistened finger and dragged it across the swollen nub. He knew that some would consider him a pervert for watching her playing with herself, but Eddy didn’t care. Everything Corinne did called to him. He realized he watched her giving herself pleasure so that he would already know how to make her relax and respond to him.
Her finger skimmed over her sex as she left her nipples and brought that hand down to join the other. Tracing circles around her clit with her index finger, she used the fingers of her other hand to splay her labia, exposing her beautiful pussy which glistened with the evidence of her need. Arousal hummed through her body, making it sing in a language that was as old as sin. A song that caught him up and made him forget everything but the beauty of the woman before him.
Corinne rolled to her side, opening the cabinet door of the table beside her bed. She brought out a wand vibrator and turned it on, allowing it to further stimulate the bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex as it peeked out from under its hood. As she let the sex toy do its job, she brought the other hand back up to play with her nipples—rolling, pinching and tugging. Her hips rolled in a language as old as time.
She pinched her nipples hard as she turned up the vibrator from a gentle buzz to something far more intense. Eddy longed to be providing her with that stimulation himself, before reaching under her, cupping the globes of her ass and steadying her as he mounted her. He wanted to thrust up into her hard and sure, hearing her gasp before she cried out.
Releasing her nipple, Corinne reached down and stroked her finger up deep inside her sheath. She worked her hands in concert, her breathing becoming shallow and thready—just this side of a pant—as she stimulated her sex. Throwing her head back, he watched her muscles tense as she increased her pace in order to bring on her orgasm. Corinne cried out as her climax washed over her. She seemed to revel in her pleasure. Eddy was certain that he could enhance and increase that pleasure so that she came more than once.
His cock throbbed, hard and uncomfortable, as he held it in his hand and began to stroke it with a firm grip. The damn thing had already been dripping precum. This wasn’t going to take long. Eddy watched as Corinne used her hands to soothe the remaining fire in her blood and picked up the pace. He closed his eyes, imagining her tight sheath wrapped around his cock, spasming all along his length. He imagined her calling his name as his cum rushed up from his balls and spewed out, covering his hand. He pumped his staff until he was empty, and his body relaxed.
The alarm on the dresser across from her bed beckoned her to open her eyes. Her response as usual was to throw something at it. She actually hit the reset button more often than not. Knowing she wanted to get up at the time she’d set the alarm for, Eddy simply triggered the alarm again. He felt it was helpful but was also willing to admit he found it humorous.
“Shut up,” she growled as she stretched her arms over her head. Eddy turned the alarm off, chuckling as that brought her up short and she looked at the device. “What the fuck?”
Eddy had to agree with Roark. Corinne’s language, like Sage’s, could use some looking after. He wondered how she would respond if he took her to task over it. The idea of pulling her over his knee and spanking her pretty ass until it was a bright shade of red was arousing and brought the dominant side of his nature to the fore. He’d never had much interest in truly dominating a woman… until now.
It stood erect on its cloven hooves and pushed at the Veil with its hands. Its minions had been steadily weakening it for decades. Finally, the barrier between the two realms was beginning to soften and become spongy. Growing weaker. When the great sorceress opened the Portal, they would be ready. The time was coming when it would be able to push through the barrier that separated its dimension from the real world.
Real world? Bah. It would remake it in its own image. Slaughter, cruelty and chaos would reign. The Sentinel of the Portal had passed some time before. It wasn’t sure exactly when, as time passed differently here in the realm of demons than it did in the land of humans. But it couldn’t have been that long, and she’d had no spawn. The crones to the south would not be able to react fast enough to his entering the world to stop him. By the time they knew what was happening, it would be too late.
The first order of business would be to secure Galatine and any of the other swords that had belonged to the knights of the king that was and would be again… But no, that king would not return again. Not if Dragar had anything to do with it.
Chapter 5
Corinne needed to get a more reliable alarm clock. She felt certain she had hit the reset button with the throw pillow from her bed. But as it often did, it switched off and then went back to blaring at her until she got up and turned the damn thing off. She stretched her arms over her head as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
After grabbing a quick shower and getting dressed, she headed out into the early afternoon sun and headed for Charing Cross, excited to meet Rachel at her flat to talk about buying it. Rachel was waiting as she walked down the charming street.
“Corinne, it’s so good to see you,” she called with a friendly wave. Rachel was one of the nicest people Corinne had ever met. She was dressed fashionably in trousers, a silk tunic and flats—simple but elegant.
“Thanks for meeting me. Sorry I’m not more put-together, but I’m going to work out this afternoon before going to the hotel. How did the tour with the Hendersons go?”
“No need to apologize; you look fine.” She smiled. “The Hendersons are a lovely couple. We did a tour of the Tudor palaces. I think when they started, they thought Henry VIII was a great king.”
“I hope you disabused them of that notion. For someone who didn’t major in history, I love how much Anne knows about him and that she has nothing kind to say about him.”
“I have a doctorate in history, and I can tell you, Henry was a monster. But enough about a dead monarch. Let’s go up to the flat. I’m so glad you’re interested in it.”
“Do you want to sell or lease?” asked Corinne.
“In all honesty, it doesn’t really matter to me. Holmes says he’s fine with whatever decision I make. Given that, I’m more concerned about who will live here rather than whether I sell or lease or even what I get for it. It may sound silly, but this flat is important to me. It helped me move my life forward when I could have just settled. I’d love to see it be important to the next person—not necessarily in the same way, but that they, too, see it as a place that made a difference for them. I will let it sit empty if I can’t find the right person for it.”
Corinne smiled, feeling as though the day was taking a definite turn for the better. “So, you’d be open to selling to me?”
“I can’t tell you how happy it would make me to see you take it.”
They entered the building and took the lift, which was a converted freight elevator to the top floor, where the flat was located. Rachel opened the door and stepped back, allowing Corinne to precede her. Corinne couldn’t help but feel as though she were coming home. It was as if the flat was making her welcome—offering her that same promise of solace it had given Rachel.
“You feel it too, don’t you?” whispered Rachel.
“I do… like this is where I’m supposed to be. I’d forgotten that the whole back wall was windows and French doors.”
“The doors lead onto a private balcony. When the developer converted the place, they opened up an atrium at the top, so even though it looks onto the interior common space, it’s quiet, lets in a ton of sunlight and lots of fresh air.”
“As I was coming up from the tube, I tried to tell myself that I couldn’t be remembering how much I liked it here. This was my dream flat from the first time I saw it. I think maybe that’s why the decision to sell my aunt’s place was so easy.”
