Page 64 of Bind Me

“Shit,” Sasha murmurs. “It’s gone. Hold on.” She strides over to a nearby dock worker, a burly man sorting through nets. Tense all over, I march to another group of workers, drawing the article from my pocket.

The two men turn in my direction, their expressions questioning me for interrupting their conversation.

“Do any of you know this woman?” I ask, shoving the photo forward.

Both of them stare at it, then shake their heads.

“Never seen her.”

“Me, neither.”

Exasperated, I march back to Sasha, unsure if those fuckers are lying or not, but I don’t want to cause a scene right now. Sasha’s coming my way, her expression dropped, and I sigh heavily.

“No one’s seen her or remembers the boat banked here the other day. I mean, a lot of boats come and go through this port, so it rings true that they might not remember her.” She runs a hand through her hair. “But I’m sure she’ll show up again. You’ve got a lead to follow, at least.”

She touches my arm, and that earlier anticipation has morphed into frustration. But she’s right. It’s my first real clue, and I’ll stalk the docks until she returns.

I’ll find Lilia and the truth. No one hides from me.

Chapter 18

Kaden

The small plane hums with the strength of enchantment, the chair beneath me vibrating, the motor roaring. I shift in my tight location, my knees brushing against the seat in front of me. I glance out the round window at the puffy white clouds.

It’s been three days since I discovered Lilia might be in Norway, so I spent every moment down by the docks with no sign of her. But once those bastard mercenaries started tracking me there, I knew I had to fix that small problem first.

So, here I am, flying with my little mermaid to a place called Finland.

Tightness squeezes my chest each time I stare outside, and I’m breathing rapidly at the small clouds showing me the land so far down below. Fuck! I’m made for swimming, not damn flying.

A tender, soft hand touches mine, and I flinch slightly, which isn’t me. Nothing scares me, yet I’m squeezing the armrests with a death grip. Add to that the sensation of being cramped, and the whole experience is itching on my nerves.

I look over to Sasha next to me, her grip on my hand light, and I breathe slightly easier that she’s not frightened.

“How are you holding up?” she asks.

Chowder’s head pops out of her backpack in her lap, tilting his head, staring at me as though he’s judging me.

“How do you sweat so much?” he says in that chirpy voice.

“I’m fine,” I half growl as perspiration rolls down my back.

“No harm in being scared of flying,” Sasha tells me. “Lots of people dislike it.”

“Then why do it? Nothing about this feels natural.” I glance around at the other passengers, noting their tense expressions. At least it’s not just me feeling unsettled.

“It’s a fast way to travel, and actually, it’s quite safe, especially when propelled by magic.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Magic can be easily countered and manipulated.”

She pats my hand, grinning.

Chowder reaches out his little claws, patting my arm, too. “You be strong.”

I eye him. “Like I said, I’m fine,” I counter, shifting in my seat again. The sight of clouds so close outside is too much, and I shove down the blind.

Turbulence strikes again, shaking us, and I try to concentrate on anything else. Sasha is leaning against me, her hand resting on my thigh in a comforting gesture. It’s hard to keep calm when the plane keeps shaking.

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