Page 99 of Bound
Chapter 36
Amoret
I shiver under the cold deadening my limbs and crack my eyes open. Stone walls rise around me, but it is not the familiar white marble of the White Tower. The ceiling is dark, like pitch, and full of shadows. Even more dim spaces rest in the corners of the small room and my heart gives a hard thump.
Rolling, I get one hand under my body and heave myself into a sitting position. The bend of my arms twinge and I glance down.
Twin pinpricks rest in my pale skin, the little scabs bruised, and one bears a dried trickle of blood.
My blood.
Stomach uneasy, I squint and peer around.
Across from me, Gage is in thick shackles against the wall, his white hair loose and hanging around his face.
I move as fast as my body will allow to his side. His cheeks are so icy compared to his normal scalding warmth. Tugging at the cuffs digging into his wrists, I curse when they don’t budge. I lift his head. “Gage? Gage? Please wake up.”
He groans.
I smooth back his beautiful hair and my fingers come away sticky with his blood. My stomach gives a sickening cramp. “What did they do to you?” I ask, heart aching.
“Amoret?” he breathes. I hold him tighter as his eyes flutter open. The emerald expanse is nearly black, pupils wide, and his focus skittering across my face. He moans. “Gods, my fucking head.”
“You’re bleeding,” I whisper.
He makes a noise of disgust. “Assholes hit me with a gun.”
My face scrunches. “Who were they, Gage?”
“No clue. They wore a symbol on their jackets. Like a moon and a blade. Or something.” He tries to shake his head but stops. “Fucking hurts too much to think about it.”
I caress his cheek. “Then rest,” I advise.
One dark eye focuses on my face. “You okay?”
“I’m fine, Gage.”
His snort makes him flinch, but he tries hard not to show it. “You’re pale and your lips are almost blue.”
Now that he mentions it, the little cell is icy. My breath fogs the air with every exhale and a fine shaking laces my body.
Where are we that it is so cold?
“Amoret. Come here.”
“Gage—”
“I can’t come to you.” He shakes the chains for emphasis. “Come to me.”
Biting my lip, I move around his outstretched leg and sidle up against his cool side. “There. Happy?”
“In my lap, Amoret.”
My skin flushes and I stare at his face in profile. But he raises a brow, waiting. I climb onto his lap and lay my head on the strong wall of his chest. He never makes a sound, but his chin nuzzles over my hair as I press my numb hands between us.
“I hate these fucking chains,” he grumbles. “I can’t even hold you to get you warm.”
I can’t quite stave off my chuckle. “You’re nearly as cold as the room.”
