Free Mystically Bound (Frostbite, Book Three) by Stacey Kennedy Page A

Under
my feet was a sidewalk, and all around me, I recognized the
historic buildings that lined the paved road. The scent of the
Wonder Bread factory at the edge of downtown swept through my
nostrils. Even the King’s Palace Café, with its red and white
striped awning, stood in front of me.
    I fought to understand why I now stood in
downtown Memphis. “What the hell?” Okay, maybe I was dreaming, only
a dream I was wide-awake for. Couldn’t I have come up with
something a little better than this? At least, more original, and
maybe not of home? Then again, perhaps my missing Memphis was why I
dreamt of it now.
    “ Tess.”
    At my name again, I instantly realized my
error. I wasn’t dreaming. I wasn’t in Memphis. The sound of that
low voice drifting over me in the warmest embrace physically hurt
me now. I held my breath, tears filled my eyes, and a warm presence
closed in on my back.
    On a long exhale, I turned and looked into
the face I’d begged to see again. I stared into his eyes, one blue
and the other brown. A chiseled face, sculpted lips, and a body
that usually made me melt, but now only brought forth sadness I
couldn’t possibly control. “You went away.”
    Kipp’s eyes saddened. “I did.”
    How to understand that? How to know what to
say in this moment? Maybe I thought it wouldn’t work—thought I
wouldn’t succeed. I scrambled to think straight so I could get the
answers I needed. “Did Dane force you here with a spell?”
    “ A spell?” Kipp looked genuinely surprised
with wide eyes, but then his expression shifted, still intense and
almost angry. “No.”
    His answer didn’t appease me, since it meant
he chose to come into the Netherworld. Instantly, he reminded me of
all the pain, the betrayal, and the heartbreak. “You’re staying
here willingly?”
    He gave a slow nod. “I am.”
    Tears swept down my cheeks and even if his
eyes were more pained than I’d ever seen them, it could not erase
the misery he’d caused me. “Are we safe?”
    “ Tess Jennings,” his voice became a near
growl and eyes blazed dangerously, “What are you doing
here?”
    “ My gifts allowed me to come,” I snapped.
“Answer me; are we safe?”
    Kipp’s pause was long, his gaze burning
beneath his narrowed eyes. “Yes, we’re safe.” He hadn’t blinked or
moved, and continued to stare at me with a hard look. “You better
not be dead.”
    “ Do I look dead?” I hesitated at his harsh
glare. “Okay, maybe a little, since I’m here, but I’m not.” I
scowled in return. “And that’s beside the point.” I gritted my
teeth and with all the fury that had been driving me to a totally
insane place for too damn long, I slapped him across his face. “How
could you put me through this?”
    The second my hand lowered, all arguments
left me in a ragged exhale. The sting on my fingers was so
shocking, I could do nothing but hold my breath. I looked at my
hand, spotting the redness on my palm and then raised my gaze to
Kipp’s flaming cheek. “Oh. My. God. I. Touched. You.”
    Kipp slowly turned his head, recovered from
the blow, and drew in the longest, deepest breath. One second, he
stood in front of me. The next, he slammed me up against the brick
wall behind me.
    I gasped as my back took a hard hit from the
full weight of his body pressed against mine. He tangled his
fingers into my hair, yanking me closer and holding me in an
unforgiving grip. A low groan rumbled from his chest when he sealed
his mouth over mine and kissed me so deeply, I whimpered.
    His lips were all over me and this was not
love-making, but brutal passion of ownership. As his teeth trailed
down my neck, I couldn’t get enough of him either and returned the
force of his claim. His kisses were bruising and mildly painful
with bites, but I welcomed the attack and understood his fierce
nature.
    Real, raw, and long overdue.
    When his erection pressed against my bare
stomach, I realized I was now naked. But as I’d seen with