Bonded (The Raegan Mason Trilogy) Read online

  “Answer her then.” He stated simply.

  “Hello. Hey Jewels.” I said flatly.

  “No, I’m fine. I left the bonfire a little while ago. No, um I’m not going home tonight.” I looked back at Kyler and he just shrugged his shoulders and smiled a devious crooked smile. My breath caught in my throat and I forced myself to look away.

  “You heard what?” I paused to listen to Julie tell her tale. “Yeah, Nate did hurt me when he dragged me off.” Kyler’s tension increased at my mention of Nate. “Nothing happened because someone took care of him.” I wasn’t sure if Kyler wanted his name involved. I couldn’t tell from his emotions if the anger was solely about Nate or if he wanted the credit. I wasn’t sure what was actually going on between us to speak honestly. “I didn’t stick around to find out what happened.” Julie was hysterical on the other end of the line.

  “We heard that Nate dragged you away and that Jaxon tried to stop him. Jaxon’s face is pretty messed up. He’s at the hospital right now. I was afraid Nate might do something stupid to you.” Julie rattled off.

  “Well he didn’t, thankfully.” I looked back at Kyler. He had turned away taking the empty plates with him. “Is Jaxon okay? There was a lot of blood.”

  “I think it’s a broken nose. I’m sure he’ll be okay, but he’s there for now. Where are you?” Julie asked.

  “I’m safe. Can you do me a favor and tell my Aunt Sarah I’m staying with you tonight? I need some time, some air tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow, ‘kay?” I knew this wouldn’t sit well with her not knowing the details, but I didn’t have the details to give.

  “Raegan, where are you?? Are you alone? Where did you go? Are you sure you’re okay?” She interrogated.

  “Julie, I’m fine. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I ended the call and turned off the phone. I knew she’d call back and I didn’t want to continue the conversation.

  Kyler was washing the dishes at the sink and his emotions were puzzling. I felt anguish and frustration, and relief. He was concentrating, trying to hide his emotions. I got up from my chair, leaving the ice pack, and walked over to him at the sink. He didn’t turn toward me as I approached but kept washing a plate. I placed my arms around him leaving my face on his back. His energy pulsed strong through me and I inhaled with the pleasure I received from touching him. The flames were licking inside again everywhere our bodies touched.

  He stopped washing and inhaled to speak but held his breath for a moment then exhaled. “I don’t want you to have to lie to Julie, but thank you for not mentioning my name.” He stayed focused on the sink in front of him. That was the relief emotion I guessed. “You’re welcome to stay here tonight, but you’ll need to go home tomorrow morning. I’m not supposed to have anyone up here especially…” he stopped, “not a girl.”

  I loosened my embrace on him and asked, “Do you live here?” curiosity getting the best of me. He turned to face me in my loose bear hug and wrapped his arms around me lightly. “I stay here from time to time, but no, this isn’t my home.”

  I left my head on his chest listening to his heart beat calmly and strong. “Where are your parents?” I knew he was probably eighteen or nineteen years old and most likely not on his own, but you never know. Julie said he was Valedictorian for our class, which meant he was somewhere around my age.

  “My mother is away on University business and will be back soon. My father is… not around.” He stalled on the last part. Something told me he wasn’t being truthful, but I let it go.

  “Oh, so your mother wouldn’t like the idea of a girl sneaking around in the middle of the night with you?” I tried to lighten the mood.

  “She wouldn’t mind much.” He followed with, “I definitely wouldn’t mind.” He squeezed me closer to his body and I felt the intense heat flare up between us and I melted into him. He sighed and loosened his embrace and put his hands on my shoulders to push me out from him. “I’m not so sure this is a good idea.” His sapphire eyes were pleading. That must be the anguish emotion flooding my body.

  I was lost in his mesmerizing eyes and at this moment I didn’t care if the world came crashing down, I wasn’t leaving his arms on my own will. My body was craving his touch and I desperately wanted him to kiss me. We were so close earlier. I knew if I kissed him, I would be hopelessly his. Maybe he knew that too and that’s where the frustration came from. I’m sure girls were always obsessed with him, and here I was no different.

  “You are different.” He whispered to me as he leaned closer to meet my lips.

  His lips were burning and I could feel my blood boil in my body as his arms brought me closer to him. His mouth was eager and I felt like I couldn’t get close enough to him. My arms reached up around his neck and he lifted me up on the sink counter. His lips found my neck and caressed up to my ears. I gasped breathlessly as the room spun. His hands were gentle when he pulled me closer, my legs wrapped around his waist and he found my mouth again. The electricity flowing between us was extreme. I felt like exploding from the pleasure. It was intense and gratifying. I wanted more, but knew I had limits. I was getting very close to those limits and I knew we needed to stop soon before it was too late. I was getting dizzy and couldn’t think clearly.

  He lifted me off the sink and carried me toward the couch. I looked into his eyes and felt overwhelming passion pulse through him. He gently laid me on the couch and leaned closer to kiss me again. I couldn’t breathe. He closed his eyes, leaning closer and whispered, “Not now.”

  I don’t know if he meant me or what, but it was enough to startle me back to reality. I stopped kissing him and looked at him with as much seriousness in my face that I could muster. “Not now?” His eyes fluttered open and he stared at me. He opened his mouth to say something, but then reached in his pocket with one arm under me and pulled out his cell phone. He read the name on the caller id, and then jumped up. He flipped the phone open and walked out the front door.

  I lay on the couch breathing hard, trying to catch my breath. What was I doing? I was almost raped less than an hour ago. I barely knew this guy and here I am alone in a lighthouse practically giving myself to him. I tried to collect myself and sat up on the couch. The room was still spinning for me and my face felt flush. I wasn’t ready for this, although my hormones were contradicting my head. Parts of me yearned for so much more tonight. I needed another shower, but a cold one instead. The burning in my body was increasing.

  I couldn’t hear him on the phone but I could feel his irritation and submission. It must have been his mom. Moms always seem to have that extra sense when something is out of line. I stood up and walked toward the restroom to cool myself off. I grabbed a hand towel from the cabinet and got it wet with cold water. I wiped my face first then folded it to make a neck wrap and watched myself in the mirror. What are you doing? I questioned myself. You should go home right now. My reflection seemed to tell me what I didn’t want to hear. I heard Kyler come back in and I turned to go back out into the room prepared to tell him to take me home.

  He looked at me and then looked up to the ceiling. He took a deep breath and looked back at me. His body was tense again and his music was irritated. “You need to go home.” He stated directly. He looked away from me when my mouth dropped open. “You can’t stay here much longer. I let this get out of hand and I apologize.” He dropped his head to his chest. His light brown hair fell too. Defeat. I didn’t understand the emotion.

  “What happened? Who was that on the phone? I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong?” I felt ashamed all of a sudden and felt the tears welling up in my eyes. I knew we were getting out of hand, but this felt like rejection.

  He looked up at me when he heard the emotion in my voice. He came close, but didn’t hold me. “Raegan, please don’t feel this way. I don’t mean to hurt you. I just…I can’t…I do want you with me. I want you more than you realize. Things are very complicated for me and…I don’t want you hurt.” His eyes were sincere and his emotion overwhelme
d me.

  “I don’t understand. Why do I feel what you feel? Why does your touch and voice send such powerful energy through every part of my body?” I felt very weak and tired suddenly. I looked at his hands held tightly in fists. His knuckles were turning white.

  “I don’t…I can’t explain it.” He mumbled. “Not yet.” He whispered again. He sighed and grabbed my hands sending those electric shocks through me again. He took a strangled breath. “I have some things I need to take care of and I need to be able to concentrate.” Our hands were heating up again and his breath quickened. I wanted him to kiss me again and never let me go. I moved closer to him craving his heat against me. “This isn’t helping, Raegan.” He dropped my hands and backed up a step. The heat left me. “Look, you can stay here tonight and I’ll come back and get you in the morning and take you home. I need to take care of something tonight and you need to get some rest. You can sleep upstairs in the bedroom and I’ll lock the door down here so … no one will enter. You have your cell phone in case you need me.” He grabbed my phone from the table and began entering his information.

  “So you’re locking me in the tower?” I tried to laugh but I was confused and frustrated with everything and it came out hysterical. I didn’t know anything more than I did earlier, except I was addicted to his presence and didn’t want him to leave. His face hardened.

  “Not at all. If you want me to take you home now, I will.” His blue eyes were severe. “You told Julie to tell your Aunt Sarah you were with her. Do you want to go to Julie’s?”

  His tension surged through the room. “I’m not sure of anything right now. Where are you going? What do you have to do that has you so tense?” He sighed and closed his eyes in concentration. The tension eased a bit. He opened his eyes again and looked right through me.

  “I have to go soon, so if you’re staying I’ll show you the room. If you’re leaving, we need to get going.”

  I was torn. If I stayed, he would come back for me in the morning, but I’d be alone. If I left now, I’d be able to hold him a little bit longer, but wouldn’t know when I’d see him again. I decided that knowing I’d see his glorious face in the morning was enough to get me through the night. “I’ll stay.” His tension eased more.

  He motioned to the stairwell. “Let me show you your room then, my lady.” He teased in a playful manner. The emotional roller coaster had me baffled. I started climbing the narrow staircase feeling him a step or two behind me. The stairs wound up to the second floor to an open space with a framed bed and an old oak dresser. The walls held two long windows on opposite sides. Another staircase began directly across from the one we just ascended leading to the light tower. The room was quaint and warm. I could hear the rotation of the lens above me but it wasn’t too loud. The brick walls that made up the lighthouse were painted white, but you could see the individual bricks beneath. It wasn’t decorated, just the essentials. “Do you live here?” I asked him again.

  “I stay here a lot. The lighthouse isn’t needed a lot anymore now that most boats are equipped with GPS. My family bought the lighthouse not too long ago and I’ve been cleaning it up. I come here when I need to get away.” He smiled that crooked smile at me and my heart fluttered rapidly.

  “It’s nice.” I managed to whisper, my eyes locked on his. My blood was pulsing loudly in my ears. I could feel the heat flooding my face. His presence was magnetizing. He was breathing harder and his fists were clenched again, but his eyes were amorous. I reached for his hands and tried to pull him to me. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes. He wouldn’t move toward me so I moved in closer to him. His energy filled me as he wrapped his arms around me again. “Stay with me.” I breathed into his chest willing myself to sound authoritative as he had when he commanded me earlier.

  “I want to.” He shuddered slightly as he kissed the top of my head. “I just can’t. Trust me if I could I would.” He straightened up and put his hands on my shoulders to push me gently away. His hands were scorching on my already burning body, but I didn’t mind the heat. His touch dominated all other sensations. “I don’t know how to explain it to you right now, so that’s why I need to leave. I need to get some answers, and you are driving me absolutely crazy.” He smiled at me and leaned in to kiss me. He moved his hands tenderly down my back as I reached up around his neck to pull him to me. The fire erupted in me again as my blood boiled at the touch of his lips. My fingers grabbed at his neck as I tried to get closer to him. His euphoric chuckle sent tremors through my body and I heard myself moan before everything went black.

  CHAPTER 11 – NIGHTMARE

  It was dark and I was sure I was dreaming. The room I was in was nowhere I’d been before. I was underground somewhere. The rock walls were high, almost like a cavern. Streams of water trickled down the smooth walls in a few areas leaving a dark line in their paths. Torches of fire were scattered around the circular room providing enough light to see the walls, but creating flickering shadows where the light didn’t reach.

  I tried to get up off of the cold floor, but my arms and feet were restrained by chains. My wrists burned as the metal cuffs cut into my skin. I was barely covered in a white cloth. My top was a makeshift ribbon tied at my back to cover the majority of my chest. Around my waist, another piece of fabric created a short skirt barely covering my mid thighs. I shivered from the coolness in the cave and being restrained to the cold floor.

  I could hear scuttling noises in the shadows and my fear escalated. “Who’s there?” My voice echoed off the walls and the scuttling stopped. Then I heard chains scrape across the rock floor a few feet away from me and my chains began to tighten, pulling my arms and feet until my body was inches off the cold floor. My head hung backward and the metal bit into my wrists and ankles. I screamed out in pain as the tears began to flow. Why couldn’t I wake up?

  “Don’t scream.” Kyler’s voice softly instructed. I couldn’t tell where he was. “Don’t say anything.” He whispered.

  Hooded figures were approaching me. I tried to raise my head to see around me and the chains tightened again. I tried not to scream but the pain was excruciating. Each of my limbs was being pulled toward four huge stones. I could feel blood flowing from my restraints. I bit my lip to hold in my scream and tried focusing on waking up.

  Four hooded figures stood by each stone and others created a circle around the perimeter of the room. I could hear hissing noises coming from a distance and my heart started beating even faster. Fear was coursing through me and I still couldn’t wake up. As if on cue, the four hooded beings began creeping closer to me following the chains to my limbs. I tried wiggling my hands through the cuffs but they were too tight. Each struggle I made caused the chains to tighten and made it more difficult not to scream.

  “Your fear issss delectable.” A raspy voice sneered. An ice cold finger traced its way along each of my arms and legs causing my heart to stop for a beat before kicking into over drive. “Hear that brothersss? That isss the sssound of pure fear.”

  “Don’t react. Calm your heart.” Kyler’s voice pleaded in my thoughts. I tried, but I didn’t know how to calm my heart. Was he one of these hooded beings? This had to be a nightmare

  Two of the hooded creatures inched closer to my head and they kneeled next to me placing their icy hands around my arms. The other two grabbed my legs. The shock of their freezing grips stopped my heart again for a beat and then they all leaned down and bit me. The numbness started spreading through my limbs just like it did with Nate. Chanting began and my head began to spin. I felt drugged or maybe I was losing too much blood. The painful flames screamed through my body. I couldn’t contain my screams when Nate appeared between my outstretched legs. “I told you, you’re mine, princessss.” He hissed as he dropped his robe and thrust into me.

  I screamed and woke up sitting bolt right in the soft bed. My heart was still pounding from the dream. The sun was shining through the long windows on either side of the room. The feather comforter was tangled aro
und me and I struggled to get my bearings.

  Kyler’s bed in the lighthouse. That’s where I was, but my head was frantically trying to remember what happened. I searched my arms and legs for any bites or cuts from the cuffs. That dream was too vivid and I wasn’t sure it really was a dream. My heart rate began to slow down. The burning was gone. The fuzzy memory of kissing Kyler began to surface, but that’s all I remembered. I didn’t remember going to sleep or him leaving. It was morning and he said he would be back to take me home. I kicked at the covers and tried to free myself from the tangle and tried to forget the fearful dream. Ice packs hit the floor when I stood. They must have been placed on my ribs and face during the night.

  Was Kyler downstairs? I paused searching for the sound of his music, his presence. Nothing. I felt panicky again. What if he left me here and I had to explain to Julie or my Aunt Sarah about why I was here? I ran down the stairs half expecting him to be lying on the couch, but he wasn’t there. I grabbed my cell phone to check the time. It was 7:00 a.m. and I had fifteen missed calls from Julie, but no messages. I let out a frustrated sigh. She’d have to wait for now. Where could he be?

  My grumbling stomach forced me to rummage through the refrigerator. I found milk and searched for some cereal to go with it. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the same table where we ate dinner. I absentmindedly scooped spoonfuls into my mouth as I tried to remember what happened after the kiss. My mind was coming up with zilch. I checked my phone again, 7:15. I carried my bowl and spoon to the sink and washed the dishes quickly. I dried them and put them away. I tried busying myself around the small room looking for things to pass the time. I tried the front door but it was locked from the deadbolt. Trapped like Rapunzel in the tower. I don’t belong here, I thought, feeling trapped.

  I ran back up the stairs to his room and made the bed as best I could. I sat back down on the bed and looked out at the morning. The waters were white capped with the wind. There were some early morning surfers on the waves. I wondered if Kyler was one of them. I shook my head. He wouldn’t lock me up to go enjoy some waves. But the doubt was planted in the back of my mind.