Free Bound (Bound Trilogy) by Kate Sparkes Page B

laid a hand on me, perhaps because they were only a little less afraid of me than they were of Severn, but their presence was a threat in itself.
    The stone walls and rich furnishings we passed were as familiar to me as my own reflection, but returning home offered little comfort. So much depended on my brother’s mood and whatever had happened in my absence.
    Severn himself met us at the door. His white hair, an effect of advanced magic he once tried to work before he was ready, hung loose over his shoulders. Nearly as tall as me, with a regal bearing and piercing blue eyes that missed nothing, he looked every inch the king he would soon be. Even in casual surroundings, clothed in nothing more than simple cotton pants and his silk dressing gown worn open, he commanded the room.
    I couldn’t let my nervousness show. Severn was like a dog, and would attack at the first sign of weakness.
    He dismissed the guards with a wave of his hand. They bowed and retreated, closing the door tight behind them. Severn turned and led the way through the lavishly decorated receiving room and between the heavy wooden doors that led to his personal living space. Empty bottles and half-filled wine glasses littered every flat surface, and piles of discarded clothing covered the floor in patches. The scent of sour grapes and sweat hung thick in the air.
    Severn leaned against a marble-topped table and picked up a glass of pale wine. Hard blue eyes regarded me as he sipped, taking in every clue I might reveal about my absence.
    “How wonderful,” he drawled. “Just what I wanted for my birthday. A ghost.”
    I didn’t speak. I’d learned over the years that if I didn’t have an answer that would satisfy Severn, it was best to say nothing at all.
    “We thought you were dead,” he continued, his voice as cold as I’d ever heard it. “It’s not like you to disappear. You know how I worry.”
    “I was injured escaping from the mountains. I needed time to recover, and had no way to contact you without being seen.”
    Severn poured a glass of wine and offered it to me. I drank it, not because I wanted it, but to show that I trusted him not to poison me. That, or I feared him enough to do as he wished with no thought for the consequences. It didn’t matter to Severn. Respect and fear were nearly the same thing to him, and he would accept either from me.
    “And why was escape necessary?” He took my glass to refill it. “Surely you didn’t make such a mess of that simple mission that you brought the magic hunters down on you.” He arched one thick, dark eyebrow. “When I heard that one of Dorset Langley’s top magic hunters had been murdered, I assumed it was your doing. Got in your way, did he?”
    “In a sense.”
    “You need to control that temper, brother. I have other people I can use if I want to stir up trouble. From you, I require control and forethought.”
    “It won’t happen again.” I didn’t ask how he knew. Though he couldn’t see into people’s minds like I could, he had some skill that seemed to bring him information on occasion. It wasn’t anything he’d ever explained to me, which made it all the more unnerving. Every secret I kept from him was a gamble. They had paid off so far, but there were never any guarantees where Severn was concerned.
    He handed my glass back. It was several uncomfortable moments before he looked away and sipped again from his own. “You’re ruining my party. Tell me what happened, and go.”
    “I learned that the hunter had executed every magic-user in the area, and I became angry. I manipulated his brother’s mind and sent him to kill the hunter.”
    Severn sneered. “I’m not sure whether I’m impressed by your skill or disgusted with your unwillingness to dirty your own hands. Either way, what’s done is done. I can’t say I’m sorry.” I was certain he was pleased that the man was dead, but this was the most praise I could expect for it. “I assume you were