Bound Read Free Page A

inside and shutting the door with a wave.
    I gaped at him. He looked ordinary—or at least, as ordinary as it was possible for Luc to appear. Dark jeans, dark green shirt, black leather coat, cut close to display his lean swimmer’s build. It wasn’t his clothing that set him apart. It was the eyes, the smirk, the way he walked into a room and instantly, effortlessly took command, like it was his due.
    Which he probably figured it was.
    “What are you—” I sighed as the pieces fell into place. “Some people actually say hello, you know. They don’t lurk in corners.”
    He looked offended. “Neither do I.”
    “You’ve been watching me all night. It’s a little creepy.”
    “Just walked in the front door.” He crossed the room, took my hands in his ice-cold ones. Up close, I could see water beading on the surface of his coat. “City’s a hell of a lot less charming in the winter, by the way.”
    I pulled away, crossed my arms over my chest. “I felt you. Earlier tonight. The magic knew you were here.”
    “Magic doesn’t know anything.” He blew on his hands, enveloping them in a red-tinged glow. Show-off. As my words sank in, his brow furrowed. “Wasn’t me. What happened?”
    I hadn’t seen Luc for months—since our last run-in with the Seraphim; since I had once again fixed the Arcs’ magic; since he’d left me for dead, then risked his own life to save me. All winter, he’d left me in peace, our only contact the small gifts he left in my locker or my coat pocket. Messages without words. A clutch of sweet olive blossoms, a single praline in a white cardboard box, a tiny silver fleur de lis, a glass vial of brick red dust. Each time, my heart stuttered, simultaneously pleased and nervous. I’d try to put him out of my mind, tuck the reminders of him away in a dresser drawer, but every so often he would slip back into my thoughts, and I’d study the odd little collection. And then I’d put them back, annoyed with myself all over again.
    Luc had made no secret of the fact he was going to pursue me, but so far he’d given me space and freedom. The two things I could never get in Chicago. Telling him about what I’d seen—or thought I’d seen—would change everything between us. Again.
    I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.
    I wasn’t sure I was strong enough.
    Waving a hand like it was nothing, I said, “I thought I felt something, and I assumed it was you.”
    “Someone worked a spell? Here?”
    “I don’t think so.” I chose my words carefully, not wanting to give too much away. There was power in a secret. I might not want it, but I wasn’t going to hand it over unthinkingly, either. “I can feel it in the lines when someone does magic. I can see it, if I try hard enough. Like now, when you warmed up your hands. There’s a ley line on the west side of the building. I sensed it responding when you drew on it to cast the spell. But this was different. It was inside me, like it came from the source of the magic, not the lines.” I tugged at my apron again, regretting I’d ever brought it up. “It was nothing, Luc. Probably just stress.”
    “You’re positive?” He searched my expression, and at the same time I felt the connection between us strengthen, as if he were trying to get a magical read on me.
    The familiar contact jolted me, a reminder of how we’d once been, and I responded without thinking. “I’m not sure. I’m not sure about anything.”
    “That so?” His eyes glinted.
    I couldn’t change the subject fast enough. “Why are you here, anyway? Did the Quartoren send you?”
    God, that was the last thing I needed tonight. A summons from the Quartoren, leaders of the Arcs. Unlike the Seraphim, they didn’t want me dead—but they weren’t my biggest fans, either.
    “This is all me,” he said with a shrug. “Big night, with your daddy coming home. Figured I’d check in, see if you needed a hand. Or a fast getaway.”
    “You’re sweet.” I’d forgotten