Bound, An Arelia LaRue Novel #1 YA Paranormal Romance Read Free Page A

time we tried to go camping. I hesitantly
grabbed my duffel bag along with one of her suitcases and followed
Henri up the five steps that led to the spacious, marble porch.
Anxiety intensely gripped me for the first time in a long time. I
don’t know what it was about this place. I knew the spirits were
stronger here. What exactly did Bade mean by his little comments? I
never let what the spirits said get in the way of my existence, but
for some reason his words really got under my skin.
    Henri opened the front door to reveal a
broad hallway with a shiny, white marble floor. At the end of the
long hall, there was a spiral staircase with delicate
railings.
    “ I’ve tried to convince
daddy to get a spiral staircase in our home so many times, but he
prefers the elevator. This is epic.” Sabrina immediately ran to the
end of the hall to the staircase and started to drool over the fact
that its railings were gilded in real gold. The last room at the
end of the hall was opened up to what I assumed was a ballroom. On
one side of the massive room sat an antique, grand piano with a
harp by its side. The high ceilings were home to not two but three
crystal chandeliers.
     
    “ Ms. Mae, the summer help is
here!” Henri shouted down an adjacent hallway.
    “ Bring them right on in
here, I’m pulling the yam biscuits out of the oven,” replied a loud
velvety voice.
    “ Ms. Mae is getting some
snacks prepared for the guests, they should be arriving in a few
hours,” explained Henri as he directed us into a spacious but
surprisingly modern kitchen. Bending over the stove was a large
woman who must have been around grand-mere Bea’s age. She wore a
green dress printed with tiny flowers. Her grey hair was tied up in
an elegant bun, and despite her age, her golden skin was
unwrinkled.
    As she looked up to greet us, her dark
green eyes looked astonished. “Hello girls,” she said calmly, “tell
Ms. Mae your names.”
    “ This here is Sabrina, and
this is Arelia,” offered Henri, before I had a chance to say
anything. “I’ll give you girls a chance to talk. I have some
preparations to do before the guests arrive. Ms. Mae will get you
all set up.”
    “ It’s a pleasure to meet you
both,” Ms. Mae graciously extended her hand. When I reached out to
shake it, I got the sensation that I knew her. From exactly where,
I wasn’t sure, but she had an odd sense of familiarity about her.
Her kind eyes looked into mine, and I was sure that she could read
my mind. “We’ve been waiting to meet you for a long time Arelia,”
she said, “and of course, you too Sabrina,” she added.
    “ Is there anything to drink
around here?” Sabrina briskly interrupted. “It was a long drive,
and I’m so thirsty.”
    “ Of course, I made a fresh
batch of sweet tea.” Ms. Mae headed over to the corner of the
kitchen where a small, wooden table sat. She cordially handed each
of us a glass filled with tea.
    “ This is so good,” said
Sabrina after taking a sip.
    “ It tastes just like
grand-mere Beas’s tea,” I agreed after savoring it.
    “ Kind of.” Sabrina filled up
her glass again. After inhaling her third glass of tea, she was
desperate to go to the bathroom. “Is there a bathroom around
here?”
    “ Go down that hall, take a
left then a right,” advised Ms. Mae.
    After Sabrina left the kitchen, Ms. Mae
focused her attention on me. “So your stubborn grand-mere finally
let you come, did she?”
    “ How do you know grand-mere
Bea and how do you know she didn’t want me to come to Darkwood?” I
coolly asked unsure of what she was implying.
    “ She didn’t even tell you
about me, did she?” Ms. Mae predicted.
    “ Who are you?” I squirmed in
utter discomfort.
    “ Take a closer look; I’m
sure you’ll figure it out.” She leaned in towards me. I could smell
her sweet tea infused breath.
    “ Okay, enough with the big
mystery. Please just tell me who you are.” I was a bit freaked out,
and at the same time morbidly