Page 31 of Bound Paths
“We are bound to the land…just as you now are,”Orion spoke quietly but surely. Was that true? Andie believed the cats were bound to the land. The longing she felt when she’d transformed—the desire to return herself and the spirit she shepherded to this place—wasn’t a feeling that could be mistaken.
But was she now bound as one of them?
“I’m human,” she said, running her fingers through her long white blonde hair as confirmation of the form she held.
“You are, and you are not,”the veil cat said, tilting its head and resuming licking its paws.
“What does that mean?”
“You perform magic even on the continent, do you not?”
“How could you know that?”
“The vow you made to the land had the ring of authority. It was a presence we’ve been waiting a long time for.”
Authority? Not from Andie. Cee was the one who led. Cee devised plans and could get people to agree to enact them. People were too unpredictable to Andie. She was never able to read them. It’s what had drawn her to magic in the first place. The expectations of magical contracts were much more straightforward.
Andie rose and placed the bed between her and the host of cats. Another veil cat sat up. Andie could see it from where she leaned over the mattress. Its golden eyes blinked. She stumbled from nerves as she took a step backward. Andie’s fingers caught on the wooden bedside table. “Ouch.”
She lifted it to her lips reflexively. She could see a splinter in the pad of her finger. Blood welled at the insertion point. Instead of sucking the finger into her mouth, she didn’t knowwhat overtook her. Some desire to prove she didn’t belong to the land here—that this was all a big misunderstanding. The blood fell from her finger and hit the floor.
Fur coated her body, and she was on all fours before she could blink. A growl ripped through her throat at the change. Without conscious thought, she’d transformed back into a veil cat.
“Well,”the cat said lazily.“Hope that answers that question for you.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Disappointment hung heavy over every step as the Compass Points trekked back through the tunnels to Osten house. They barely spoke, leaving Rose’s mind free to wander. Her magic was on edge as they inched their way around the ridge. Juliette was right—it still required all her remaining magic to fend them off, but Rose was more accustomed to the unpredictable wind currents on the return trip.
With all her energy spent, she hadn’t properly prepared for what lay between the portal and safety. After her first step up the stairs, it hit her—she was too late to empty her mind. The magic was quicker this time, as if it was more familiar with her weaknesses.
Alone again—but it was different. Underwater in her lake of power, Rose touched her fingers to the onyx stone she was sure now spider-webbed through the lakebed. She touched it, rubbed it, kicked it, stomped on it, screamed into the water. All of this, and still, nothing changed. It didn’t shake again. Nothing tried to break through. Luc’s voice never returned.
She couldn’t reach him beyond the veil.
This new, very present fear overtook her. She didn’t have to wonder where it came from—she’d thought of little else on their walk back. There was no escaping it. Rose let the fear wash over her, but she refused to freeze.
The black stone in her lake of power was a new kind of connection to Luc. Something had changed when they’d declared their love for each other in her workshop—she just wasn’t sure what.
Before the negativity of the day could crush her, she met it head-on. They were disappointed with the Lady of the Veil’s rapid arrival. Fine. Rose didn’t think they fully appreciated the fact that Carter was able to cross so quickly. They’d done something extraordinary.
One shortened attempt was not enough to dissuade her. It only gave her more questions for their research. More questions to ask Arie and Aurora when they arrived. Rose put one foot in front of the other as she climbed the stairs.
Finally—finally—she shut the door behind her. Her body sagged against it as Carter and Juliette stared at her. She took in large gulps of air and looked up at the two Compass Points.
“Are we going to talk about how there were veil cats? I thought you both said they were extinct,” Rose said as she pulled herself up from the floor. The walk back had somehow helped her organize her thoughts.
“I’m going to ask for some tea,” Juliette said as she led them down a hallway back to the Osten Point’s sitting room. Rose wasn’t surprised that the sun had set on the lake. The journey to the part of the cavern where the ritual was performed took longer than she had anticipated. It was astounding that Juliette did it so regularly.
Rose sat in one of the plush chairs and put her head in her hands. Carter sat in another seat much more cautiously, as ifafraid he’d be asked to stand. “Everything okay, Carter?” Rose asked while Juliette asked her staff for tea.
“I’m glad we’re here, but it feels strange to be sitting in Osten house…unsupervised.”
Rose snorted.
“Did I miss something?” Juliette returned with a tray. It had a teapot, mugs, and scones. Rose hadn’t realized how hungry she was. She reached for the refreshment as soon as Juliette offered.
“We’re just glad we’re working on this together,” Rose replied, adding the berry jam to the scone and taking a large bite.
