BOUND (Ch.#1) Book 1 in The Crystor Series

BOUND (Ch.#3) Book1 in The Crystor Series

Chapter Three

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” A cool breeze blew a lock of hair over Kira’s eyes. She tucked it behind her ear then watched as Lydia set her tripod beside the rustic footbridge that spanned the creek they’d followed for over an hour. The contrast of the wild daisies against the weather-beaten planks had obviously caught Lydia’s eye.

“I can’t believe you came,” Lydia said.

“Well, it’s not like you gave me much of a choice.” Kira leaned her back against a nearby tree before pulling the two sides of her jacket together to ward off the evening chill. “You do realize there’s no outlet for my laptop up here?”

Lydia shook her head. “There are other things in this world besides the Internet, you know.”

“You only say that because you’re computer illiterate. What you have against modern technology, I’ll never know. Honestly, I’m surprised you don’t use one of those antique cameras, where a person has to hold perfectly still while you slide that big doohickey in and out.”

Lydia laughed as she stepped away from the camera to take her shot. Holding the tiny remote in the palm of her hand, she gave it a squeeze. She leaned forward to take a peek at the image on the LCD screen. “The light isn’t right.”

Lydia’s frustration didn’t surprise Kira. They’d spent most of the day taking photos of wild flowers and Lydia’s eye for detail had made the day drag on and on. Kira pushed away from the tree to get a closer look. As Lydia stepped back from the camera and motioned Kira to take a peek, goose bumps rose on Kira’s arms.

“Maybe we should go,” Kira said. “I feel weird.”

“I think you’re right. It’ll be dark soon anyway.” Lydia released the camera from the tripod and handed it to Kira to place in the backpack, but as Kira opened the bag, she heard a strange noise in the distance.

“Lydia?” Kira whispered, shoving the camera in the bag and pulling the zipper shut.

“It’s okay, probably just a squirrel or something.” Lydia’s actions said something entirely different. After taking another quick glance through the trees, she tossed her bag over her shoulder, handed Kira the tripod, and motioned for her to walk toward the car.

More than once Kira caught Lydia looking behind her, but it wasn’t until they were almost to the road that she heard heavy footsteps. She spun around just as a man stepped out from behind a tree.

From his shoes to the hood pulled over his head he wore solid black, a stark contrast to his pale blue eyes and albino skin. He flashed a sinister grin.

The tripod slipped from Kira’s hands and fell to the ground with a loud clank.

“Run!” Lydia yelled as she pushed Kira toward the road, the white roof of the car barely visible through the underbrush.

Kira spun around and took off toward the car, skidding to a stop a second later when she noticed another man standing a few feet in front of her. He casually picked his fingernails with the tip of a very large switchblade. The wicked grin on his face made the skin on Kira’s arms grow cold and a chill rise up the length of her spine.

“Going somewhere?” he mocked. His long, stringy blonde hair set him off from his cohort—as did the deep scar that ran from the corner of his mouth to his ear.

Lydia ran full force into Kira’s back, sending them both scrambling for their balance. They clumsily regained their footing and tried to avoid the men by going a different direction, but their pursuers cut them off like a pack of wolves cornering their prey. Kira’s stomach twisted into a massive ball. She should have listened to her instincts.