Soul Unbound (Key to the Cursed Book 3) by Jean Murray Read Free Book Online Page B

could they gain access to this
world? That portal was sealed during the war.” To his surprise she broke eye
contact. She was hiding something. He had seen that look once before, which surfaced
another memory. One other possibility. One Siya needed to stay as far away from
as possible.
    “I do not know, but I intend to find out,” she
said with her back turned.
    “With two of us working, we can finish it off the
same night. No need to linger.” If he could find and destroy the warrior first,
Siya would never be the wiser.
    “You will not be going, but remain here to protect
the base. When I return, we leave.”
    * * *
    Siya assessed Theris as he exited the door. It was
wrong of her to keep dragging him along this journey. She had tried to release
him from duty before, but he refused to leave. Honestly, she had few friends in
this world. All but him abandoned her after her exile. Out of guilt and her own
loneliness, she had given into his advances, thinking she could grow to love
him. No matter how she tried to convince herself, her heart remained cold and
empty.
    She received a nudge from behind, interrupting her
self-recrimination. Execution greeted her with a warm muzzle when she turned.
“Hey, boy.” She rubbed her cheek against his black velvety nose. Bigger
problems loomed over her than her relationship with Theris. Since they had
discovered the reven’s nest, the prickling against her skin had yet to subside
and had worsened in Menthu’s presence.
    “You feel it too, don’t you?” She met the horse’s
red eyes. He flicked his ears forward and jerked his head up. His answer came
out as a snort.
    “You hate being trapped here.” She petted his
broad neck and long mane. The coat had thickened with the change of seasons,
dulling its ebony shine. She grabbed the brush and ran it down the stallion’s
back. “Ready to ride tonight? Stretch those legs of yours.”
    After brushing, she pressed her ear to his massive
ribcage. She closed her eyes and listened to the steady breathing. The whoosh
of air and the rise and fall of the horse’s chest calmed her. Her father’s
visitation dredged up memories she would rather forget. She glanced out the
door to the room filled with adolescent males. Despite being surrounded by
others, her isolation weighed heavier on her soul.
    Was her father right? Was she amassing her own
army? Was she doing this only because it was in her blood to conquer?
    Menthu’s words made her second guess her
motivations. She had found the first youngling over a century ago when she
arrived to North America. Every location she found more discarded younglings,
especially in recent years. She hated to see them suffer on the streets
needlessly, unwanted and alone. Not unlike her.
    She swore to herself she would make the most of
this prison sentence. So many years she had inflicted death on the battlefield,
exploited her darker side, taking the lives of their enemies for the good of
the Pantheon. Only after her exile did she explore the lighter side of her
soul.
    The gifts of her mother had strength and value but
caused Siya significant stress. Her darker thoughts were more readily
available, well-conditioned and practiced pathways. It warred with the
positive, more spiritual side. The duplicity repelled the other, often ripping
her soul in two.
    She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped her chest.
Could her mother have seen Menthu differently than everyone else? Fallen in
love with him? The Mother Goddess had always said love had no bounds. Siya had
very little faith in love. But, if Menthu and her mother were mates, then the Protector
gods had lied to her.
    Anger spurred her resolve to find the truth. Her
questions would be answered.
    She saddled Execution and tightened his girth strap.
Holding onto his reins she opened the paddock gate. “Let us visit an old
friend, shall we?”

Chapter Seven
    Bomani groaned and jerked up from the floor.
Despite the chill of the night, his skin continued to burn