Bond Severed (Bound #2)

1. Chapter 1

Josiah

Isucked in a deep breath, painfully filling my lungs as I finally came to.

I frantically glanced around the room and took in my surroundings.

I was lying awkwardly on the floor in Camille’s office.

I was unmistakably disoriented, to the point that I wasn't sure what I was doing here.

I was completely unsure about how exactly I had managed to wind up on the ground.

The memories suddenly came flooding back to me like a tidal wave. The momentary flash swept through my mind—my cells burned like they were engulfed in lava—my skin tightened in waves as the goosebumps rippled across my body.

I moved my hand toward my face and immediately froze.

That was the moment that it had all finally registered.

I was actually in control of my hand. I touched my face, causing another chill to cascade across my skin.

I couldn’t help but to breathe a sigh of relief.

It had been so long since I had been able to do anything, aside from being trapped in my own head.

I moved one last time, just to be sure, and I was absolutely in control of my body again.

I knew, without any doubt, that I should have been dead after that experience.

The bond that had tied my soul with Camille’s was completely gone.

There was an uncomfortable void, like an endless abyss, where the bond used to be.

My body still hummed sharply from the lingering after-effects of the bond severing.

I felt as though a piece of me was gone forever.

I imagined it was what a phantom limb might feel like, gone, but the lingering feeling, still playing tricks on my mind.

I sifted through the last few days as I pulled myself onto the leather chair, trying to recall what I had been doing in those moments before.

Since I had basically been a prisoner in my own body, I found myself less and less present the longer I had been trapped.

I just didn't see a point in paying attention after a while of being inhabited.

I slowly felt myself disappearing into the background, at least until the bond had finally burned away.

Amelia—Camille’s childhood friend, now the host of a parasite called the Gilarian (or Athia as I had called her behind closed doors), rarely left me alone for long.

I was automatically expecting her to burst through the door at any moment.

I wasn’t positive how long I had been passed out for after the excruciating experience of the bond breaking, but I considered that maybe I could use it to my advantage.

There was no way she would know I was in control again because the outcome of the broken bond was ultimately unheard of.

Like she had a sixth sense and knew I had been thinking about her, Athia came gliding into my office without any warning.

“Akuma, you look gods-awful,” she chimed. She had a look of consistent abhorrence when she looked at me.

Akuma had been the parasite that had inhabited my body, and he was a fucking complainer to his core. Constantly whining about my body and how it was an unwelcome receptacle, like I was some kind of body suit. My body, though not human, was never good enough for that freeloader.

I knew if I made a subtle sarcastic remark about weakness, it wouldn’t even begin to raise her suspicions, “Well, these bodies are fragile. At least it’s not as frail as your human one.”

“Careful there, love. Don't insult the skin sack I got stuck with. I'm making due and I keep you around out of respect for Kyril. Nothing more,” she admitted in an irritated tone. “The preparations are complete for the next phase of our takeover, for your information.”

I scoffed, “Kyril has yet to show. What makes you even think he’s still coming?”

My tone remained highly doubtful. This had been another of Akuma's regular questions.

I had yet to meet whoever this Kyril was but Athia made it clear that he would be in charge when he did finally show up.

When she talked about him, she made it sound like he was some sort of supernatural being with God like qualities.

I highly doubted everything she said with his lack of involvement.

He couldn't have been that great if he was relying on Athia.

“He’s working on other things at the moment. We need to prepare for the spread. Many of our brothers and sisters lay dormant. It’s time we get them bodies, don’t you think?”

“Of course, I want nothing more! But, are we sure these feeble vessels are the wisest choice? I mean, when will this takeover happen?” I pressed, trying to get more information.

“It's not like we have much option on that front. I mean really, Akuma, we've been over this a million times now. And if this next meeting goes well, we will begin in a week,” she gushed, clapping her hands together animatedly in excitement.

A week wasn’t much time.

I had a week to figure out a game plan. Alone.

With no help. My stomach flipped at the thought of that time frame.

It wasn’t enough. I was cut off from everyone important to me and worst of all, no one knew I was back to my old self again.

How the fuck was I going to keep pretending without getting caught?

“Who are we meeting with again?” I asked.

I couldn’t remember for the life of me. Apparently I should have been paying better attention in the background, but I honestly never imagined I’d be free and in control again.

“Akuma, you really are worthless. We’ve talked about this multiple times,” she responded, clearly annoyed. She was obviously not thrilled with the Gilarian she had gotten paired with.

Thank the Gods that this guy was so unreliable, because it would definitely make my life a lot easier playing this part.

“I know that we have, but you know how well I do with names,” I argued.

“We have a meeting with multiple leaders from around the world. Really, who actually cares what their names are?”

Gods, she was insufferable.

She looked at me quizzically. I needed to dial it back or she would get suspicious.

“Good point. The names don’t matter,” I agreed. “Did you need me to do something?”

“No, I just haven’t seen you all morning. I figured I should probably check on you to make sure you were still alive. Gods forbid you fall for another trick and get knocked out with a coffee mug again,” she sneered, voice unemotional and flat. “I’m going back to work, you should do the same.”

She was never going to let that mistake go.

Akuma really fucked up in that scenario.

I had been lucky that Camille and Jade hadn’t killed me when they had come back to Earth.

They definitely had the opportunity and Camille's mercy had almost gotten her killed.

I had almost killed her that day. Athia had been furious after they had gotten away and made sure to scold him at every chance she got.

She didn’t even bother to wait for a response back from me as she flipped her blonde hair dramatically, her heels clicking against the hard flooring, and she stalked back out of my office.

This was going to be a rough transition but it was pretty clear that I was going to have to collect as much information as I could.

I couldn’t let everything I lost because of that asshole inhabiting my body, be in vain.

But—who would I tell? It wasn’t like I had a quick way out of this place.

Then it dawned on me, Akuma did have a quick way around. He used to do it regularly. I searched through my memory for a time when I was actually paying attention during one of his trips.

What the hell did he call it? Rifting, maybe?

I doubted I would be able to do it anymore now that the Gilarian was no longer in control. No longer alive even. I didn't exactly understand how it worked.

I still didn’t understand fully what had actually happened when the bond had broken.

I mean, I knew what it felt like when the bond snapped.

Maybe, what should have happened to me, happened to the parasite within?

Regardless, I was going to have to try to see if I still maintained that ability, to travel unhindered by space and time. It could change everything.

I thought back to the last time he had transported somewhere.

From what I had gathered when I was paying attention, he had to have been there to rift back to that place again.

I always wondered why he had never gone back to Salioes.

He took my body over while we were there, right after Camille and I had been bound, but he never even attempted.

The slimy fucker had hitched a ride, completely undetected, right on my person.

That meant there should have been a way for me to go back to my home planet. I contemplated locking the door, just in case I did figure out how to rift, but then realized it would make no difference if I wasn’t in the room anymore. If anything it would draw more attention to my absence.

I closed my eyes and thought about my living space.

It was the last place I had been with Camille.

I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye or even enjoy her when I finally had her right at my finger tips.

The thought of her being so close but inexplicably far, was agonizing.

I was so close and that fucking body snatcher ruined it all.

Gods, what a fucking mess.

I found myself lost in thought again, but nothing was happening. Nothing probably would happen. He was dead now, so good fucking riddance.

I opened my eyes and found myself standing in the middle of my living space, back on Salioes, like I had never left. Everything still exactly how it was the last time I was here.

Holy fucking shit, it actually worked. So, maybe it was tied to a memory of somewhere I had been? Or, a feeling?

Either way, I was home. I let out an exacerbated breath in relief and threw myself on my bed. The fabric still smelled of her, intoxicating my very senses. I reveled in the feeling for a little while longer and curled up in the sheets. My heart ached mournfully at everything I had lost.

My time was limited though, so I got back up and thought again of Jerrod's room, my brother, for all intents and purposes, and the head of the Salioan Council.

I rarely visited him there but I hoped with my entire being that they had made it back after we had captured him on Earth.

I still couldn't believe that he had sacrificed himself after we had damaged their ship.

Camille almost didn't make it that day, or rather Akuma had almost killed her to make sure she didn't.

I rifted to his living space and found it empty. It looked like it had been unused for quite a while.

Why couldn’t things just be easy for once?

My last thought was going straight to the Council.

I was completely in the dark about what had happened since being infected, but I hoped someone had a plan.

Obviously, Camille had been training and changing since being bound to me.

I took one last second to think of the Council quarters.

I hoped someone would be there and they had already seen this happen through their sight.

I didn’t really want to die today, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

So, I closed my eyes and rifted one last time.

Athia wouldn’t be occupied for long, so I needed to get back as soon as possible before she caught me.

Rifting seemed to be as easy as breathing.

It happened without much concentration and didn’t take up much of my stamina either.

I opened my eyes and stared straight into the group of four Council members.

The middle seat was empty and the others lifted their heads to show their faces.

“Welcome home, brother,” they said in unison.

Welcome home indeed.