Free Bound, An Arelia LaRue Novel #1 YA Paranormal Romance by Kira Saito Page B

grotesquely
fascinating.
    “ Right here in Darkwood. In
New Orleans, the spirits are alive and well.”
    “ How did you know that I
would be able to heal Ben, you hear them too?” I was excited at the
possibility that maybe he was just like me.
    “ Sadly, I’m not as a gifted
as you. I figured that because your aunt Mae is a powerful voodoo
queen that would make you one too.”
    “ Oh.” I tried to hide my
disappointment. “Hey, wait. How do you know that Ms. Mae and I are
related?”
    “ She speaks of you
often.”
    “ So she knew I would be
coming here. She knew that Sabrina would accept the invitation all
along.”
    “ I suppose, she did. How
does it feel to have so much power?” He keenly asked.
    “ Power? I don’t have any
power. It’s a curse really. It sucks being constantly targeted by
things that you can’t talk about with your friends. It’s like being
trapped in some kind of bubble. You don’t want to let anyone else
in because you’re afraid of spreading whatever disease you
have.”
    “ A disease, what makes it so
terrible?”
    “ You wouldn’t understand.” I
wanted to tell him everything. I had a feeling that somehow he
would understand, but I’ve never been the type to pour my heart out
to strangers.
    “ You never know, people can
surprise you if you let them in. Maybe I will understand.” He
seemed genuinely eager to listen.
    “ Yeah right, I’m sure that’s
exactly what you want right now. You really want to listen to some
girl you just met ramble on about how she’s supposedly a voodoo
queen.”
    “ It would be much more
interesting than a majority of the conversations I’ve suffered
through.”
    I noticed a book lying open on the
table and picked it up. “You’re actually reading this? The Count of
Monte Cristo.” I held up the book, conveniently changing the
subject.
    “ It’s my favorite book.” His
eyes brightened with enthusiasm.
    “ Why?”
    “ You’re not interested,” he
shrugged as he used my line.
    “ Okay fine, don’t tell
me.”
    “ Have you read the story?”
He inquired gently as he came closer and took the book from me. His
hand brushed against mine. It was smooth to the touch.
    “ No.” I replied in a voice
that sounded too weak to be mine.
    “ It’s the story of Edmond
Dantes, wrongly accused of a crime and imprisoned in Chateau d’If
for fourteen years.”
    “ Doesn’t sound that complex
to me,” I mumbled.
    “ It’s not the fact that its
complex, it’s Edmond’s character, he never stops believing that he
will get of prison, and one day be free. Even though, he faces
countless challenges along the way,” he stared at me in
anticipation hoping I would understand. If I were Sabrina, I would
have gone on about how smart he was and made googly eyes at him,
but I was me.
    “ So, you can relate to it
because you’re rich and have everything in the world and to you
that’s like prison? I’m sorry I don’t get it.” I expected him to
get angry like most guys did when they were challenged. Maybe say
that I was stupid and kick me out of the room.
    Instead, he said, “I guess everyone has
their own perspective of the world. What’s your favorite
book?”
    “ If I tell you will you
laugh?”
    His arched eyebrows furrowed in
confusion. “Why would I laugh?”
    “ It’s Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory,” I blurted.
    “ Why is that?”
    “ I guess I like the fact
that Charlie is the underdog but still comes out on top at the end.
I can relate to being an underdog. Plus, he gets an unlimited
supply of chocolate, and I live on chocolate. Although I can’t
really afford any luxurious brand like Godiva or anything,” I
caught myself rambling. I was interrupted by an embarrassing growl
that came from the pit of my stomach.
    “ I don’t think I’ve heard
anyone’s stomach growl so loudly.” Lucus was clearly impressed by
the fact that my stomach probably woke up the entire
house.
    I looked away in embarrassment. “I
haven’t