Free Chaos Bound by Rebekah Turner

Lora.’ Roman hurried after me, and I slowed, leaning heavy on my cane. Fowler’s chair had done my hips and bad leg no favours. Fucking Grigori. They tortured you even when they didn’t mean to. ‘Do you have plans for tonight?’ he asked.
    ‘There’s a fancy party I'm apparently going to tomorrow night, but my books are free tonight.’
    ‘I want to show you something. Will you come with me?’
    His words were earnest, reminding me of the fragile trust that was growing between us. I eyed him suspiciously. Fowler’s words about friendships with nephilim had echoed Orella’s and their warnings hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. I hadn’t forgotten how dangerous the nephilim were, even while I reminded myself that I was nephilim, too. But I wasn’t crazy. Yet, a snarky inner voice added. I wasn’t crazy yet.
    ‘Aren’t you supposed to be taking me directly home?’ I asked.
    ‘What I want to show you isn’t far outside the city walls,’ Roman said. ‘I can have you home by midnight. I promise you’ll be impressed.’
    We walked in silence until we were outside and in the front courtyard again. The sun was descending and shadows pulled at the buildings about us. I wanted to believe in Roman, as much as I wanted to believe I could control my own destiny. If Roman was redeemable from the ruthless image I'd had of nephilim, then maybe there was also hope for me.
    ‘What do you want to show me?’ I asked. ‘Because right now, your invitation sounds like a bad pick-up line.’
    Roman gave me an amused smile. ‘I can assure you, your honour is safe with me.’
    I smiled back. ‘Oh honey, that ship sailed a long time ago.’

Chapter 9
    The air was colder outside the city walls, the sunset a dome of blazing orange and violet. We left the city through a well-known smugglers entrance, manned by a good-natured otherkin with scalloped ears and an easy smile. I was surprised Roman knew of the entrance, being the law abiding citizen he was. The otherkin’s smile had disappeared when he spied Roman’s uniform, but returned after I paid him well for passage.
    Now we were following a winding dirt road that led into to the western forest, snow-peaked mountains rearing up in the distance. And … we were on a horse.
    ‘I don’t like horses.’ I sat behind Roman, my hands wrapped around him in a death grip. My cane was tucked in the back of my work-belt, and I'd chewed on some painkillers to numb my hips after Fowler’s torture chair.
    ‘You keep saying that,’ Roman murmured. It sounded like the bastard was smiling.
    We approached the edge of the forest, populated with old pines and bracken. Swallows looped and whirled overhead, calling to each other in the fading light.
    I looked back at the city over my shoulder. Lamps glittered along the city wall tops, a comforting glow of civilisation. A civilisation we were leaving. I wondered what had possessed me to come. Morbid curiosity? Something more?
    Roman had steadfastly refused to reveal what he planned to show me. I could see from the way he had watched me, waiting for my answer, that it mattered. So I'd agreed to go with him, even when we’d gone to the stables and he’d announced our transport would be of the four-legged variety. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or mortified when it turned out we had to share the only spare horse available.
    ‘What about bandits?’ My arms tightened around him, feeling as if the trees were closing in around us. ‘I've heard there are bandits in this forest.’
    Roman’s shoulders shifted up and down. ‘I've never had a problem. Probably the uniform puts them off. The Order of Guides tends to frown on anyone trying to kill their Regulators.’
    ‘So we’ve established you’re safe from marauding tree pirates. Too bad I don’t have a nifty uniform.’
    ‘I think Fowler would have you stitched up in one, if you ever had the inclination to join the ranks.’
    ‘I think I'd rather wear a bridle and saddle.’
    ‘I think I'd