Bound (The Spellbound Series, #1)

17 | Lady in Shining Blonde Hair

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Chapter 17 – Lady in Shining Blonde Hair

Sam stood in the middle of a bedroom in the old woman's house – Penelope Anderson, as he had read off of a letter that sat on her nightstand – and sighed heavily as he stared out the window. Amongst the twinkling stars, the new moon was at its apex in the dark sky, like a glowing light submerged in black water.

His gaze lowered to the side of the window, where the curtains were pulled away to the sides. He frowned, his hand drifting to the fabric; they were stark white, with black stitching in bizarre designs that weren't any particular shape. They took him back to his childhood bedroom, where a similar set of curtains had hung before the window. He'd told his parents that he hated them, because the light that shone through them in the night cast strange shadows on his bedroom floor that made him afraid.

"A man without fear is a man walking blindly to his death," his father had said to him, his hazel eyes sharp as he stood in the doorway, while his mother tried to get him to sleep, her soft, brown hair tumbling onto the covers. Sam wondered if they had been without fear when they'd taken on the Demetrios – something any sensible witch would know was an ill-fated decision.

He ran his hands through his long, dark hair, pulling it over and behind his shoulders. He felt so strange recalling a memory of his parents from so many years past. It had been ages since they'd died, ages since he and his sister had left home. Even finding Malachi and battling Melissa's parents, though ever-present in his mind, seemed like a lifetime ago. He couldn't help but wonder what it would all amount to, in the end.

"So, you managed not to screw up."

Sam exhaled slightly, before turning around to see his sister standing a few feet in front of the doorway. She cocked her head in the direction of the living room. "Blondie's settled in, nice and cozy. Fun's gonna start any minute now."

His heart hurt at the thought of what Melissa had told him, of the terrible tale his sister had spun to frighten her. He looked back to the curtain, his hands now clasped behind himself. "Do you know why I wanted to leave home?"

She answered almost too quickly. "To find Malachi. To free him, and avenge our parents."

Sam shook his head. "I mean before we even knew about Malachi." His hand reached for the curtain again, rubbing its lace between his fingers. "I didn't want to dwell in the past, because nothing good could come of it. I didn't want Mom and Dad's death to consume me. But I didn't leave, and now that's exactly what's come to pass."

She let out a guttural scoff. "I told Malachi this would happen."

Sam looked back at his sister, and thought of her before all this mess. It used to be like looking into a mirror, if it were a funhouse mirror that reflected a more exciting image of yourself; she'd had bright eyes, soft, round cheeks and a mischievous smile. But now her features were hard with heartache and hatred, and it seemed that all she cared about, and all she knew, was revenge.

"Serena," he whispered, a hopeful twinge in his voice. "What you said to Melissa at their school... You couldn't possibly have wanted to do that to her parents, could you?"

"Do you hear yourself, Samuel?" she snapped, tapping her fingertips near her ears for good measure. "They killed our parents."

"And our parents killed the Blakes' parents, and Malachi killed Melissa's parents – where does it all end?" Sam gave her an exasperated look. "None of what we do today, and nothing we ever do, is going to bring them back."