Blinded by Jennifer Dean Book Tour and Giveaway :)
Blinded
Bound
Series Book 2
by
Jennifer Dean
Genre:
YA Paranormal Romance
Despite
the attack that almost took her life, Emma Morgan has accepted the
risk that comes from being in love with an immortal like Liam
Alexander.
But
continuing to seek the approval of her older brother is a whole
different struggle, and when tensions finally reach a breaking point
between the siblings, looming enemies take advantage of the
distraction.
I
turned back to extend my ready hand into Liam’s, letting him guide
me out the door. I let my fingers entwine with his as he led me down
the steps. “You
look beautiful,” Liam said. “Thank
you,” I said. “You are looking quite dashing yourself.” Well,
more than dashing, if I was honest. Despite having a suit on it
didn’t change the fact that every time I laid eyes on Liam desire
circled down my body like a cunning serpent. The
Liam Effect,
I called it. As we reached the bottom step he stopped, ready to swoop
me up against his chest. “Wait,”
I said with my hand to his chest. His
eyebrows lifted in curiosity while his eyes waited patiently. “I
know it’s cold but do you mind if we walk my human pace for awhile
up to the Mansion?” Liam
grinned. “Not in the slightest.” “Oh,
and one more thing,” I said. “Anything,”
Liam said. Without
any thought, I raised on my toes letting my lips lead me to his just
as my arms wrapped around his neck for a small support. I felt him
rest his hands against my back while the other cupped my face
intimately. Finally
after a few—too many—minutes we pulled away. His face held the
same blissful grin as me. “Sorry,”
I said. “I couldn’t help myself.” He
moved his thumb to trace my lips. “Never apologize for that.” I
smiled before looping my arm into his, beginning our walk toward the
Mansion. We walked, arm in arm, for a few minutes until his closeness
began to rouse my desire. “You
know, on second thought, you better get me there faster. I feel I
might not be able to keep from kissing you if we keep at my human
pace.” Liam
chuckled as his bright emerald eyes drilled into me. “I know the
feeling,” he said. He swooped down, pulling me into his arms. I
laid my cheek to his shoulder to avoid the chill air on my skin just
before he took off into a run. A run that had ended seconds later as
my feet hit the ground, and my hand entwined with the warmth of his
again. The
sight of the mansion at night was beautiful, with many windows
allowing light from the inside. I caught sight of Patrick walking out
of the house and onto the porch. I began to smile but felt it drop
along with my stomach as I took in his expression. It was as if he
had been looking for us but hoping not to find us. Liam’s
furrowed brow at the oddity just as Patrick’s palm rose up in
protest of any further steps. We stopped. “What’s
wrong?” I said. I
fidgeted nervously as my eyes bounced from Patrick to Liam. Suddenly,
I could see Liam’s lips. They were moving fast but the words were
at a volume I couldn’t hear. When I looked back to Patrick I found
he was doing the same. They were having a conversation that no human
could possibly detect. I
felt a twist in my stomach at the sound of Liam’s sigh. Slowly I
let my eyes meet his emerald gaze. There was no smile anywhere on his
face as his right hand moved to cup my cheek. “Your
invitation has been rescinded,” Liam said.
My
eyes widened involuntarily at the words. “What?”
I said. Liam
closed his eyes, taking a few seconds to gain his composure. It
seemed he needed the time to control his fury.
“Sean
has decided that he no longer wishes you to join tonight’s event.”
Liam closed his eyes briefly with a pause, as if he regretted the
next words. “And it has been voted that, as his coven, we have to
respect his wishes.” I
took a step back, out of Liam’s touch, needing space to clear my
mind as my eyes darted around, searching desperately for Sean. “But
why now?” I asked. “I
don’t know,” Liam said. His
last word set off a trigger as my head shifted back. I turned to
Patrick’s still stance. He hadn’t moved an inch, only dropped his
hand back to his side. I opened my mind, remembering my weapon. Something Sean had no choice but to listen to. Atleast
have the guts to tell me yourself. Don’t send someone out to give
me a message. Get out here and face me you ass. Less
than a second had passed after my mental curse before Sean’s feet
led him through the door. His momentum kept him moving down the porch
steps, but he still paused a safe distance away. Why? “I
don’t believe you’ll like the answer,” Sean said. “I
can handle it,” I said. Sean
narrowed his eyes in protest. “I’ve
started to find your presence indifferent.” I rolled my eyes. “No,
you haven’t.” Sean
chuckled without amusement. “You wouldn’t know how it feels as an
immortal. The mind changes. Things that once consumed our human
thoughts merely disappear.” I
said nothing, simply stared. “I
began to feel your importance
slipping but I thought it was kinder to lie. But I think the lie has
gone too far.”
“You’ve
got to be kidding if you think I’m that naïve,” I said. “Let
me be clear. This event tonight is sacred to those of my kind.” “I’m
aware.” “Then
you must realize that you are only here because it would be something
I allow.” “Does
this have a point?” I said. “Yes,”
Sean said. I
sighed. “I’m
tired of walking the fence of my former life and new one. It’s like
a heavy burden. And I am ready to just let go.” I
gulped. “You mean you want to forget me?” “Yes.
Just like our parents. Uncle Greg. My friends. The humans of my old
life. The last, to forget, is you.” I
looked around to notice more had joined Patrick on the porch. My gaze
sat upon Lillian’s narrowed glare at Sean. It was different than
the anger from yesterday. An almost confusion. I wish Grace could
tell me what was behind it. Swiftly I looked back to Sean. “Don’t
you think that…” “No,
even with the years Liam decides to keep you around I won’t be. You
won’t see me after tonight. This is farewell.”
Sean’s
interruption caused anger to flow up my veins into my now curled
fingers. “Well, if my presence is nothing
to you, then I guess there is no reason for me to be standing out in
the cold.” “Exactly
my point,” Sean said. “Screw
you, Sean,” I said. “At
least you can be mature about it,” Sean said. I
wanted to punch him but knowing it was only likely to do more damage
to me than him, I held my feet steady. “You
know if you’re trying to manipulate me into leaving Liam again then
you can just save your breath with this ‘I
don’t need you’ crap.”
I watched as his eyes grew sterner with my words. I turned, storming
back toward the front gate. “Emma,”
Sean said. “Yes?”
I said, whirling around, sudden hope at the sound of my name. “Have
a nice life.” Just
as quickly as he had appeared, Sean disappeared into the mansion
within a blink. I looked to the ground, unable to bear the eyes of
each Alexander in front of me. I felt Liam’s squeeze, lifting my
chin to focus on only him. “Do
you have to stay?” I said. “No,”
Liam said. I
sighed grateful there wasn’t some immortal bound tradition
that would force me to be left without him.
“Then
please take me anywhere but here,” I said. All
I had to do was speak the words before Liam swept me up into his
arms. As he ran I could feel the anger festering into something else
I had felt earlier in the car with Grace. Only this time the sadness
wasn’t going away. It was real.
Bound
Bound
Series Book 1
When
fate leads Emma Morgan back to her small hometown of Washington, she
learns that the life she knew three years ago has changed once she
meets the charmingly, mysterious Liam Alexander. But when her brother
Sean, voices his disapproval, Emma finds her loyalty in the way of
her newfound curiosity of the youngest Alexander. Only the more she
tries to avoid Liam the more she finds him in her constant
company.
A
risk that leads down a dangerous path once Emma begins to discover a
secret about the Alexanders that no human should ever know.
I had woken early Saturday
morning with a panic plaguing my mind. I must have checked the Daily
Washington News five times, front to back. I even watched two early
morning news editions before my dad had even gotten out of bed. It
felt excessive and I realized it must have looked that way too as the
corner of my eye caught sight of my mother’s many worried glances.
But I was almost certain I would find one of the horrid reports that
had haunted my dreams most of the night before. Teenage
Boy Found Dead or
Local
Boy Presumed Missing.
But nothing stood out among the articles of birth announcements, city
budget cuts, and girls’ basketball playoffs. Not even in the
obituaries. It was the same on Sunday too. By Monday I felt nauseous
from the tightened nerves of my stomach. My mind was utterly useless
in my first five periods. Luckily, for my sanity, as I entered the
cafeteria for lunch I caught sight of both Ross and Nick almost
instantly at a corner table. The tension in my shoulders dropped.
Even though I knew I would never see them the same, it was comforting
to know they would live another day. At least this way they would
have a chance at redemption. Wait,
I thought. My eyes shifted back to notice something strange
about the
two boys. They weren’t in their usual seats, which was always on
either side of Sean at the left corner table, in the back of the
cafeteria. In fact, they weren’t even near his table at all. They
sat in the front left corner of the room as if they had been shunned
from popularity. What was worse was catching
Ross’s remorseful gaze as I walked toward the lunch line. I
couldn’t stand the uncomfortable melancholy that his slumped body
held. Nick, on the other hand, couldn’t even find enough courage to
look up from his thumbs. Had they shunned themselves from guilt? I forced my eyes away so
that I could grab some tea. My stomach was settling but still against
the idea of food. I pursed my lips at the cause of my loss of
appetite. The sight of them only brought back memories I hoped to
soon forget, and hopefully that would be sooner rather than later. But if I had felt the
nerves at lunch, it was nothing compared to the way the anxiety of
walking into English made them jump around. Once I had spotted Liam
in his assigned seat I felt a dizzy spin from my stomach. I sat
looking at my books, suddenly dissatisfied with the placement of my
seat. Why did I have to be next to him? I looked up at the overhead
slides and back at my paper with determination when class began. It
was a blessing that today’s notes gave my hands and mind something
to do.
I was so anxious to leave
when the bell sounded that I elbowed my pens right off my desk with
annoyance. Just as my body swiveled, I found myself face to face with
Liam. My eyes froze on his as I inhaled with the awareness of the
increased pace of my heart. I felt the slight gulp from my throat as
a shiver traveled down my arms and into my fingers. Just like the
memories of Ross and Nick, seeing Liam had flashed the images of what
he had done to them. When I woke this morning I knew how foolish I
was to dismiss, or deny, it all, especially after the weekend had
left me with nothing but time to relive the night. But maybe it was
easier that way. At least until I saw his face to remind me that I
was merely lying to myself. “What are you?” I was still, watching as he
leaned his neck closer. I wasn’t sure where my courage had come
from to ask. I certainly had none Friday night.
“A high school student,”
he said. I narrowed my eyes,
forgetting that I was even slightly terrified of him. As if I hadn’t
been plagued with nightmares over the weekend. As if the slightest
unfamiliar sound didn’t make me jump, leaving a trail of goosebumps
behind as proof. As if I hadn’t asked Sean, like a child, to come
over Saturday and Sunday night. No, right now I was only led by my
curiosity. “I wasn’t under the
impression that most high-schoolers could move things with their
minds.” “I didn’t,” he said. My eyes squinted as I
leaned in closer with my whisper. “I saw him floating. It was like
magic or something.” “Did you actually see me
doing that?” Liam asked. “Yes. Well….” I
scrunched my lips as I took a minute to remember. He was right. I had
never actually seen him lift Nick because I was too shocked to look
away. Liam’s lips were straight
as he stood. I followed his movement. “Okay, no I didn’t see you
doing it.” He nodded, making it clear that was his point. “But
you did move me away from getting hit by the truck. I know that.” He opened his mouth, ready
to speak, but said nothing. In his eyes, I thought I could see, the
conflict, the same I had seen before. I didn’t like to see him that
way. Finally, he closed his mouth and gathered his books before
turning his back to me.
“Thank you,” I said. It was impulsive but
needed. “For what?” Liam said.
His back was still facing me but his neck had turned at my words. The shock of being so
frightened by Liam had overshadowed my gratefulness for his presence
Friday night. I watched as he turned back to face me. “I realized that I never
thanked you for what you did. I don’t know what would have happened
if you had not been there.” I looked down with the lie,
or maybe it was a realization. It was pretty clear what would have
happened if he hadn’t been there. The shame of what felt like
stupidity led my eyes to rest on the ground because of this. When I
finally let myself look back up at him, I noticed he had moved back
to stand at his desk. It was good to know a few students were
occupying Mrs. Anderson, keeping her from awkwardly watching our
encounter. Liam leaned in with the
gaze of his bright eyes. “If fate were to rewind us to the same
moment, I wouldn’t hesitate to be there again.” My eyes bounced back with
his, like a tennis match. Suddenly the fright of what he was had
begun to melt. In its place was a warmth of safety. Uh-oh.
I grinned involuntarily.
“Can I ask you something?” He nodded with an approved patience. “I know what I saw can’t
be normal. I mean, I’ve never heard of such a thing in a human.” “I don’t believe that
sentence was a question.” I tried to resist the roll
of my eyes as I walked past the desks, parallel with him. He seemed
to keep more with my pace than I did with his as we exited the
classroom. “All right, what are
you?” I asked again. He gazed at me like I was an intruder inside a
security vault. “I’m not going to tell anyone. I didn’t even
tell my brother about what happened, and I tell him everything.” Really it was more oddly
like I couldn’t tell Sean. Part of me was protective of what I had
seen. I still didn’t understand that. All I knew was every time I
tried, I remained silent. When we stopped at my locker, I watched as
Liam’s chin lifted with surprise. He leaned his lips a few inches
away from my ear. “I wish that I could say.” “Can’t you?” I asked. He leaned back to see my
lifted brow. “I wish for so many things.” I squinted with confusion,
watching him shake his head once before turning to walk down the
hall. I was almost certain there was a small grin on his lips. I
didn’t know what person would be able to resist the need to solve
the mystery of it. He had just silently confessed that what I saw
Friday night was true. How was I supposed to ignore that? I was smiling almost too
much, when Sean walked around the corner. He had a narrowed gaze that
wasn’t happy but not quite upset either. “I know,” he said. My eyebrows lifted with
guilt. Had he watched secretly as Liam once again walked me to my
locker? I looked toward the ground. “Why didn’t you tell me
about what they did?” They
did? Suddenly my eyes flashed up to meet his gaze. He wasn’t
talking about just now, how I had technically broken my own promise
to stay away from Liam—a task I thought would be so easy. No, that
wasn’t it. My mouth felt dry as my
eyes darted away from him. The image of Ross over me had filtered
through my mind again. I was sure that Sean could see my small
grimace. “Tell you what?” I said
innocently. “Emma, please, I can see
it written in your eyes as much as I could that night.” It wasn’t
an easy thing to relive, and now more than ever I was grateful for
Liam. “Em?” I finally moved my eyes
back to meet the patient gaze of his own. I gulped. “How did you
even know?” “They confessed to me
this morning.” I cocked my head back in surprise. “Why?” He narrowed his eyes to
question my inquiry. I shook my head in defense.
“I just mean I didn’t think that would be something to confess to
you of all people.” “I wouldn’t say they
were exactly willing,” he said. “It was almost like they were
overcome by some pint up guilt.” “Then what made them?” “Liam Alexander.” So he did know about Liam,
or at least that he had been there. “Really?” “Well not physically. All
he did was walk by us before Nick sudden spit out…” Sean exhaled with anger
with the small shake of his head. It seemed as if he couldn’t even
finish the thought of what had happened. I waited for more anxiously
but nothing. So it appeared that Sean didn’t know everything about
Friday night, just that Liam had been there to rescue me. He knew
nothing of how he rescued me. “So, that’s why they
weren’t sitting with you at lunch?” It all made sense now. They
hadn’t shunned themselves because of the guilt. They had been
shunned. I was actually grateful I wasn’t around when they told
Sean. They were lucky they were still able to be in the cafeteria at
all. “They won’t ever be
sitting at any table that I’m at again.” I felt guilty about him
losing the friendship that had been ongoing for fifteen years.
Because of me it had abruptly and permanently ended. “I’m sorry.” “I’m not.” Though his
voice was stern, I could see in his now angered eyes that he was
lying. Ross and Nick had grown up with him, and now that bond was
broken with betrayal. It would be like Lauren or Erika hatching a
plan to kidnap and kill Sean. Though I held a bond with my friends,
their act would naturally sever any care I previously held for them.
I didn’t want to think about it. “I’m just sorry that I wasn’t
there to protect you,” Sean said.
“And that Liam was.” I
paused, unsure whether I was saying this as a serious or sarcastic
thing. Sean’s gaze had previously been halfway between me and the
space in front of him, but I had his full attention now. “I can’t say that I’m
ungrateful, but it doesn’t change how I feel about him. I question
why he was even there.” “Does it matter?” I
said. Sean only glared to my
question. His golden honey eyes almost brightening, with each new
second that passed. “Has your promise
changed?” I sighed. “No.” I
wasn’t sure how much I meant that. On the way home, I was
terribly grateful that Sean hadn’t asked for details, details like
why, if Liam had saved me, did I come home willing to stay away from
him. Funny how I asked myself
the same question as I hopped into bed that night. A question I was
made to contemplate once my head hit the pillow and my eyes shut. Instantly, I found myself
surrounded by a forest of trees in a cloud of darkness, but I could
see that I wasn’t alone. Liam Alexander stood beside me, looking
toward the space directly in front of us. There I caught sight of
Ross and Nick, charging at me with an angered vengeance. It wasn’t
lust but anger in their eyes. I was to blame for their ending
friendship and they were going to make me pay for that. I
instinctively readied my arms to swing, when both of Liam’s hands
rose forward, flinging both boys backward and out of sight, without a
single touch. The swift control of their speed was like a stunt man
being pulled back on a harness. “Thanks,” I said. He nodded before looking
behind me. I followed the gaze over my right shoulder to find Sean.
He was furious and running right at us like an enraged bull. But as
he got closer I could tell it wasn’t me he targeted, it was Liam. I
tried to stand in between, but Liam gently pushed me behind him
protectively. Sean had his fist out, ready to swipe at Liam as he ran
with hatred in his eyes. “Stop!” I yelled. But my voice was drowned
out with Sean’s continued charge. No amount of sound that came from
me would catch his attention. I was left to watch helplessly as
Liam’s hand instinctively moved in front of him to force Sean’s
body to fly back and out of sight, just as he had minutes before with
the other two boys. I turned back to see Liam’s eyes glowing with a
bright emerald green of unnatural beauty. Suddenly my eyes flashed
open and my torso flung upward. I looked around my dark room, laying
my hand across my chest, feeling the increased beating of my heart. I
only had one thought that crossed my mind now that I was awake. Just what the hell was Liam
Alexander?
I was never that child you found in the corner reading. In fact, I loathed the idea of picking up a book. The activity seemed more of a chore than a past time.
All that changed
when my brother began talking to me about the newest novel he was
reading.Harry
Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. Before
I knew it, my curiosity got the better of me, luring me to try the
series. It didn't take long for my mindset of reading to turn on its
head.
But even with my new
hobby discovered it wasn't until my junior year of college that I
developed a hidden desire for writing stories. And when I found
myself writing scenes instead of paying attention to my professors, I
knew becoming a writer was the career path I was meant to follow.
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