Wintertide Read online

  Quickly I became aware of the rest of the man beneath me, my head pressed into his hard thighs and instantly had my heart racing. I wondered if the rest of his body would be as hard and toned as his legs. I couldn’t see under the robe I caught a glimpse of but as he reached for something near my head, his tight abs brushed against my head, sending that treacherous heat shooting straight through me again.

  His scent hit my nose, and damned if even that wasn’t attractive. Something I would have never guessed I would find myself saying. Woodsy like the pine forests that surrounded my home, and a hint of spice that I couldn’t place, but I knew it was something I would never get tired of.

  Whoever this man was, he was hot as fuck. Nothing like the wiry, disgusting Lords my father had tried to marry me off to. This man wasn’t scared of me like those pampered, cowardly aristocrats who refused to come near me, only putting in the minimum effort needed to impress my father so they could win the large dowry my father was offering.

  “I’d like you to drink something, Eva. Let me help you,” his smooth voice washed over me and instantly I wanted him to repeat my name. Carefully he slid his large hand under my head, the rough calluses catching on my hair and sending tingles across my scalp as he ran them through it. Gently he tipped my head up and moved a bottle toward my lips.

  I held back a moan as flashes of him holding me like this, his lips crashing against my own assaulted my mind. I felt the wetness between my legs and my nipples hardened at the thought. I was glad he had been looking at my face and not at my chest where my reaction would be on full display.

  He raised the bottle to my lips and the cool water washed over my dried-out tongue, instantly soothing my throat. I didn’t know if it was the company or whatever ordeal that I had gone through, but the water tasted more refreshing than anything I had ever drank in my life. Greedily I drank more and glanced up at him through my lowered lashes. Desire filled his gaze and I knew that somehow, he wanted me just as much as I did him. I had never experienced this in life, yet it was exactly as the romance novels described.

  “That’s enough for now,” he said, his voice husky and thick with the need I too felt as he pulled the bottle away. Gently he laid my head back on his lap and pulled his hand away. A small whimper escaped my lips at the loss of contact and I found myself inwardly cringing. Damn, I hoped he hadn’t heard that.

  “Are you hurting, Eva?” he asked with concern as he searched my face for any signs of pain.

  My cheeks burned red that he had noticed. “Just a little stiff,” I tried in a lame attempt to cover up my slip. Relief flooded through me that he either really hadn’t noticed or had chosen to ignore it.

  “Do you remember what happened, or know where you are?” he questioned.

  “I- I’m not sure,” I admitted as I drew back a bit and finally dragged my gaze from his to take in my surroundings. There was no mistaking that I was in the back of some sort of vehicle, though the ones my family owned were much more luxurious.

  A long plain bench lined the opposite wall, loops welded into the wall above it in what looked like iron. Though I couldn’t see it, I assumed I had been laying on the same type of bench. There were no other telling details, the rest of the space sparse and bare.

  I searched my brain hard as I tried to figure out why I would be in the back of such a vehicle. I looked over the man's shoulder and my eyes fell on the bars that separated us from the driver.

  “Shadow Isle,” I whispered in shock, the reality finally crashing down on me. “You’re taking me to Shadow Isle.”

  I tried to push myself up to escape, but he held me tightly against his chest and whispered calming words into my ear. I felt myself as I fell into his spell, I wanted to fight it, but I felt protected and safe for the first time in forever and I didn’t want that feeling to go away.

  “It’ll be alright,” he cooed as he stroked my hair, holding my head against his chest. “I’m here for you.”

  I might be dumb as fuck, but I fell for it. The combination of his heart beat against my ear coupled with the deep, gentle timbre of his voice, lulled me into a calmness that I had longed for all of my life.

  As I laid back against his chest, I took in his deep scent, one that became more complex as I breathed it in, yet more comforting at the same time. Something about this man made me feel at home. Not the gilded prison that I had grown up in, but a new home, one where I knew I would find everything my heart had ever desired.

  The rumble of his chest as he spoke vibrated my cheek, and rather than finding it weird, I found it sexy, and wanted to nestle my cheek closer to him, though I refrained, still not sure exactly what was going on.

  “I need you to trust me for a moment,” he said gently. “I’m going to help you to get your memories back, I promise it won’t hurt.” I nodded into his chest not wanting to leave the comfort I found there, and trusting him to do as he said.

  He spoke in a language I didn’t understand, though I recognized from hearing it in passing among the druid people. It was no wonder this man was able to put me at ease, he descended from some of the most powerful people known in our land.

  All at once, the memories of the past hours flooded my mind. Pleading with my father to allow me to stay, to give me another chance and only meeting a brick wall as he had already determined my fate.

  Sebastian, the druid that I now sat near, had not only listened to me, but heard me and even more so, believed what I had said. The pull I felt toward him from the very start, even though I had known why he was there, and the way it had seemed to pain him to have to hurt me as he bound my magic to leave the house.

  I had no recollection of what had happened after he bound my magic, no clue how we had reached this vehicle as I only remembered darkness after the flood of pain from having my magic forcibly locked. Of course, it was possible I went unconscious from the pain of it, but highly unlikely. Even during the hours of lessons from my tutors and them binding my magic I had never actually passed out.

  “Sebastian,” I whispered as I looked up at him, a smile quirking the corner of his lip as light danced in those dark eyes of his. “You were there, you believe me,” I stared at him in wonder as a tear trickled down my face. He reached over and swiped it away with his thumb, lingering for a moment on my cheek before he pulled away. It felt so good that it took me a moment to realize that even as full of emotion as I was, my tears remained exactly that, not frozen to my skin.

  The binding he used must have blocked my magic like none other had before. His power had to be insane to be able to accomplish such a feat. My parents had paid for the best of the best to try to get me under control, yet no one had ever even come close before Sebastian. “I can’t remember anything after the bindings. Why?”

  He frowned and furrowed his brows as he searched my face for something. A crease appeared between his eyebrows and I found myself wanting to smooth it away, both to take away his worry, and as an excuse to touch him.

  “Eva, I didn’t want you to face the humiliation of being led through the house tied up like you were some sort of dangerous criminal. I had a feeling you wouldn’t want that either, so I added a spell to put you to sleep and carried you out. I’m sorry I didn’t ask or allow you to say goodbye to your parents.”

  The idea of saying anything to my parents pissed me off. What did he think I would say to them? Thanks for sending me to prison, it’s been real, but hasn’t been real fun?

  I knew it was technically a reformatory, but it wasn’t like I would be in an academy braiding hair and painting nails with my roommates. I was escaping one prison for another. Shadow Isle was nothing more than a glorified prison for people like me. “My parents didn’t deserve any goodbye from me. Thank you though for making sure I wasn’t subjected to the embarrassment of the staff seeing me led away like a common thief.”

  “We’ll be there in about ten minutes,” the driver's voice called out from the other side of the bars making me glance up and to see him remove a
set of earbuds. The music he had been blasting echoed its tune back to us. “Is the student secured?” he asked. I figured it was the man that had been with Sebastian and had escorted my parents out when he wanted to talk to me alone, though I couldn’t recall his name.

  “Yes, Sergio. She’s alert and ready for transfer,” Sebastian replied, and I stared at him, his sudden emotionless voice taking me aback. “Radio ahead and call for a druid to open the portal. I have enough to handle with this one and don’t need to waste my energy on that.”

  What the hell? I thought he was on my side. I yanked myself away from him angrily, stumbling into the side of the vehicle from the inability to use my bound hands. He reached across and helped me to right myself, his hand lingered on my shoulder and I shrugged it away. “Handle me?” I seethed. “I thought you believed me! You’re just like the rest of them!”

  “Eva,” he started to protest, but I cut him off.

  “You don’t have the right to call me that! You obviously aren’t my friend. You’re nothing more than a guard sent to take me to a glorified prison. What kind of a sick fucker messes with the minds of students? You lulled me into a false sense of security so I would what? Be compliant? Give you a raving fucking review?”

  I held back the tears that threatened to spill because of his betrayal. I refused to let him see how he had affected me and instead I moved myself as far from him as I could in the small space and turned my back to him. “Fuck you for being just like the rest of them,” I muttered, ready to dismiss him.

  “Evangeline, you’re forgetting one very important part of our talk. I am on your side. I promised to protect you, and I meant that. Part of that protection will require me to treat you the same as every other student when others are around.” His voice sounded desperate, almost pleading with me to understand.

  “This place is not only filled with dangerous students, but also staff that would love nothing more than to turn a blind eye to you being hurt, along with all of the other bullshit in there. I have to toe the line because they want to see me sent away since I began to disturb their illegal activities. I can’t have you get caught in the middle of it, nor can I take the chance of being sent away, leaving you to fend for yourself.

  The sincerity in his words melted my icy heart a little and I turned to face him. “I want you to look me in the eye and swear to me that you have not and will not betray me.”

  “I promise, Eva. It is beyond even my power to do so,” he sighed before falling quiet for a moment. “I’m bonded to you, and as such I will do whatever I can to protect you. That is my solemn oath.”

  For a moment I gaped at him, there was no way this druid could be bonded to me. Sure, I had heard stories about the druids, even shifters having a fated mate. One they bonded with for life, never able to love another after meeting the person meant for them. Sometimes it would happen even if they had never met the person before. They would know with certainty though as soon as they met their mate that it was their one for life.

  I wanted to tell him he was seriously mistaken, there was no way that someone like me could be his fated mate. I held my tongue though as the truth rang clear in his voice, even more so in his expression, and at the very least my instincts told me that he believed it. Even if I didn’t think it was exactly possible.

  He seemed not to notice my shock at his declaration, or he had been expecting my surprise, I wasn’t sure which as he continued talking. “It’s a very tough place in there, even the most powerful struggle to survive. It hurts me to know that there is so much I won’t be able to save you from. Promise me, no matter what, you will watch your back at all times. I need you to be strong, like the woman that stormed in the room and told her father off.”

  I stared at him for a moment, lost in the intensity of his eyes, though the truth sank in at the same time. “I will,” I finally promised. I look through the bars that separated us from the driver, “I’m terrified, though,” I murmured.

  He moved closer to me on the bench, this time I remained seated, no longer feeling betrayed by him and he reached up and stroked my cheek gently before returning it quickly to his side. “You should be. Don’t let them break you.”

  I felt empty without the warmth of his hand when he pulled away and instead of comforting me any further, he picked up iron chains from beneath the bench.

  “I’m so sorry I have to do this,” he said solemnly, the regret clear in his dark eyes. “I have to make it look like any other transport.” I nodded my head in understanding and held out my wrists once again for him as he attached the chains around them, the iron from them stinging along with the bindings that still remained around my arms, controlling my magic.

  Quickly he leaned forward and surprised me when he lightly brushed his lips against my own, the curtain of his dark hair hiding our faces from the world for that brief, sweet moment. He tasted like peppermint, his lips as soft and addicting as I imagined. As he pulled away, I pushed forward for more. Instantly he obliged, his tongue darting out to run over my bottom lip. My mouth parted for him, the thrill of his tongue gliding over mine sent me spiraling, forgetting the chains that shackled me. It felt so right, so perfect in every way. As I let out a soft moan, I felt a gentle tug at my heart, like a cord that had pulled free and wrapped itself around him, pulling him to me.

  My eyes went wide as I realized that this is how he must have known he was bonded to me. He must have felt this same sense of becoming one, his very soul attaching him to me as I had just felt mine attached to his. A deep sense of calm washed over me as I let myself become lost in the kiss, letting myself know that I finally belonged with someone, even if the current situation sucked donkey dick.

  Sergio’s voice from the driver’s seat snapped us both back to reality, and I sat inches from Sebastian, questions filling my eyes as the driver spoke up. “Welcome to your new home Miss Bylar,” he stated as the vehicle pulled to a stop.

  I leaned forward and looked through the iron cage out of the front window. I gasped at the sight before me. While we seemed to be parked in a simple gated off field, in front of us there was a huge swirling vortex, dark blue with lights that looked almost like falling stars. On either side of it armed guards stood watch, their eyes fixed on our vehicle.

  The portal was darkly beautiful, but as mesmerizing as it was, it wasn’t what held my attention. In the distance, I could just make out an island, one that seemed to be floating in the sky. Sheer grey cliffs extended down into the clouds, topped by a large looming castle perched precariously on their ridges.

  I didn’t know what I had been expecting, but it hadn’t been a castle on top of a mountain. As I took everything in, my gaze wandered down the cliffs and I realized the castle wasn't on just any mountain, but was indeed floating in the sky.

  My eyes were drawn to an enormous figure that weaved in and out of the clouds as it flew around the castle. I struggled to not let my jaw drop as it turned toward us and I caught sight of the huge wings that jutted out from its equally gigantic body. “A dragon,” I whispered in awe.

  “Yes, Miss Bylar,” Sebastian was all business with me now as Sergio opened the back door and stepped back waiting for our exit. “If the drop to earth doesn’t kill anyone who tries to escape, the dragon will hunt them down and take care of the rest. I suggest you don’t make the attempt,” he looked pointedly at me before pushing me gently toward the opening. I stepped out and blinked against the bright sun, no longer shaded by the dim interior of the vehicle. I stood next to the van, unsure what to do next. He turned to his partner, “Are the others ready for our arrival?”

  Sergio nodded, “Yep. Do you need help with this one or should I get our bags?” Sebastian assured him that he could handle me, and the man skipped off to do his part.

  “Remember, Eva,” he started quietly, “I’m here for you no matter how cold I must act toward you at times. Don’t ever doubt my intentions.” He reached out and touched my chest, the spot directly above my heart, his tenderness maki
ng me swallow hard. “I’m bonded to you for all eternity. Heart to heart, two as one. When you doubt, listen to the cords that have bound us together and they will reveal to you the truth. I know you have already felt them, too,” he stated confidently.

  I nodded my head, afraid of what words would come out, so I stayed quiet as we began to move forward. He escorted me to the awaiting portal, the dark blue swirls moving so fast that my hair drifted from displaced air.

  My stomach flipped and sweat coated my hands, fear of not only the portal, but of where I was headed. I breathed hard, taking in large gulps of air as dots danced across my vision and I willed myself to not pass out.

  Sebastian reached out and gripped my elbow to lead me forward. To everyone it looked like he was simply doing his job, but gently on the inside of my elbow, out of sight of everyone he stroked my sensitive skin reassuringly. Even that did nothing to ease my fear as the portal sucked us in and tossed us out at the other end. I let out a breath, and clung to the fact that at least I hadn’t fucking passed out.

  Chapter Five

  The swirling wind ceased as it shoved us out of the portal and I stumbled forward onto a cobblestone walkway. I grunted as my shoes slapped against the hard surface and I struggled to stay upright. A small groan escaped me, my stomach revolting from the rapid speed of the portal, making me feel like I would toss up everything from the last month. Sebastian’s grip on my elbow was the only thing that kept me from landing on my face. When I straightened again, I gave him a small smile of gratitude.

  “Breathe slowly,” he murmured, just loud enough for me to hear. “The feeling will pass soon.” My heart swelled a little at his show of kindness, even though it could get us both in a shit ton of trouble if he were caught.