Free Bind the Soul by Annette Marie Page A

of perspiration. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, her hands fisted in his hair. Blood was smeared over her bare arms. The man gripped a handful of her auburn hair in one hand while his other was somewhere behind her.
    Piper stared, trying hard to breathe. In the photo, her mouth was plastered against Ash’s. There was little doubt that her tongue was in his mouth.
    She still remembered exactly how he’d tasted.
    Panic ballooned inside her. Where had Quinn gotten this? Who had taken it? She swallowed hard. Her face was in profile and half covered by a mask. Ash’s face was mostly hidden, tilted away from the camera as he kissed her. He wasn’t recognizable, especially with his hair darkened to black.
    She looked at her father. “That isn’t—”
    “Don’t lie to me, Piperel,” he interrupted. “Your expression was all the proof I needed.”
    She snapped her mouth shut on a curse. “I was going to say, that isn’t what it looks like.”
    “So you weren’t participating in highly illegal daemon fights beneath the Styx nightclub? And you weren’t, for no reason I can fathom, exchanging saliva with that daemon?”
    “I didn’t have a choice because—”
    “Now do you want to tell me where you were last night?”
    “I—”
    “Reeking of alcohol and covered in scrapes and bruises. I don’t know what you were thinking.”
    “I—”
    “Your uncle and I always knew that daemons would have a poor influence on a teenage girl, but we thought we’d raised you to make better decisions. We made it absolutely clear: intimacy with daemons is unacceptable for Consuls—or Apprentice Consuls.” He sighed. “You obviously aren’t ready to cope with their influence, so—”
    “It’s not like that,” she burst out. “I only fought at the Styx because the club owner had information on the Gaians’ whereabouts. I thought you were their prisoner. I was trying to save you! Are you punishing me for trying to save you?”
    He closed his eye for a moment, then picked up the sheet of paper. “This letter came with the photo. It demands I remove five dangerous daemons from the Consulate’s blacklist. If I refuse, the sender will circulate the photo to all the Consulates under my jurisdiction.”
    “They’re blackmailing you?” she whispered.
    “I will, of course, refuse. In a week, this photo will be in the hands of Consuls all across the country. I’m sure you’re aware of how that will reflect on me, particularly after the scandal surrounding the lost Sahar.”
    Horrified, she couldn’t speak. The photo alone wasn’t enough to lose Quinn his position, but on top of everything with the Stone?
    “I was trying to save you,” she mumbled.
    He laid the paper down and picked up a nearby folder. “When the semester is over, we will review your apprenticeship. Until then, you will attend Westwood Academy. Calder will drive you on Monday morning.”
    He flipped the folder open and glanced up as though he were surprised to see her still sitting there. “You have today and tomorrow to pack, so don’t waste any time.”
    She clenched her hand around the photo. With deliberate care, she rose to her feet and stepped around the chair. She stopped. Looked at the photo again. Remembered how strong she’d felt after beating the three daemon fighters. How she’d even managed to knock Ash off his feet. How proud she’d been of her skills.
    Now she felt sick with shame. She felt like an embarrassing bit of garbage shoved in a bag and dumped on the curb to be taken away before the neighbors noticed.
    She took a deep breath and said flatly, “I’ll be in my room packing. I’d prefer to be left alone for the rest of the evening while I . . . get my things.”
    “Of course,” he agreed without looking up. “I will be leaving at seven for the gala.”
    Unable to bring herself to utter anything pleasant to end their conversation, she walked out.
    Uncle Calder waited for her in the hallway. His expression was