Ties That Bind: a New Adult Fantasy Novel (The Spire Chronicles Book 2) Read Free Page A

mean, the only person worse than me in the kitchen was her, and that’s only because I, contrary to my very nature, haven’t managed to set anything on fire yet.
    Alex smiled as I stepped into the room. “Lily called – said she’d be late and to save her some leftovers.”
    “Mhm.” I nodded absently, trying not to drool over all the food.
    “Oh, and one more thing.” He came over and wrapped an arm around my waist. His lips pressed against mine, warm and firm, and I melted against him, threading my fingers through his hair.
    There was a goofy, satisfied smile on my face when he pulled away. “Is that all?” I asked. It would have been coy if my stomach hadn’t decided to start growling louder than any of those hellhounds had. “Shut up,” I mumbled against his chest as he laughed.
    I was on my third serving when the phone rang. Alex went to answer it, shooting a concerned look at all the food I’d piled up. Hey, I was small. Small people burned energy faster.
    I have no idea if that’s true.
    “It’s Rowan,” he said, putting the phone on speaker and placing it on the table.
    Rowan had been one of the greatest hunters in the Order over six hundred years ago. When she got older, she – along with a handful of other accomplished hunters – agreed that upon their deaths their souls would be placed in new vessels in order for them to guide future hunters. Sadly, those vessels were limited to a variety of smaller animals such as birds, cats, and so on. I didn’t know the specifics of the ritual. Only the Council did, and they showed no interest in sharing that with anyone.
    Now, Rowan was in the body of a fluffy black cat with piercing green eyes. She became my partner when Lady Cassandra decided I would be a good candidate to lead the Maxwell family. In those years, Rowan had become like a second (or third, technically) mother to me as well as a close friend; the chance to speak with her again had me grinning from ear to ear.
    Since we prevented the first lock on the Spire from being broken, Rowan had been sequestered with the Council while they sorted through everything that had happened. We used to spend all our waking time together, and now I hadn’t seen her in over a month. Hopefully, this was the call that would tell me she was coming home soon.
    “Rowan,” I crooned.
    “Morgan.” Her husky voice was a sound for sore ears. “Have you been behaving?”
    “Never,” I said. “You know, it still amazes me how you manage to dial with those widdle paws of yours.”
    “Alex, please scratch her for me.”
    “He already scratches all my itches.”
    Alex snorted, then chuckled and shook his head good-naturedly. “Is this a social call, Lady Rowan? Morgan would never admit it, but she misses you dearly.”
    I smacked his knee and gave him my best fake stern look. “He is a filthy liar.”
    “You two have plenty in common, then,” she said.
    “…I miss you less now.”
    “I thought you didn’t miss me at all?”
    I pouted, alternating between glaring at Alex and the phone.
    “Anyway,” said Alex, bending down to press a kiss to my forehead, “what can we do for you?”
    Rowan sighed in a way I was still surprised a feline could. “There’s a problem.”
    The severity in her tone had me sitting up straight. Alex and I exchanged looks before I spoke again, the lightness in my voice gone. “What’s wrong, Rowan? Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine.” She paused a moment. “It’s your father.”

2
    Before the call, I could have eaten another full plate or two. Now, even looking at the food made me sick. I leaned back in the chair, bringing one of my knees up to hug. Alex took a seat but remained silent, probably sensing my mood, which wasn’t hard considering I was radiating waves of contempt. You could probably surf on them– No, damn it.
    Surfing was done on water. Which Order city is located by the water? Dovesport. What family ruled there? The Wallace family. As in Sullivan Wallace. As