Soul Bond: Part 12

Finally, right?  The next episode in our continuing saga! 

We're getting close to the end, folks.  And tomorrow's post will be the next episode.  

Catch up by clicking the label in the side bar, right?

Enjoy!  I hope it was worth the wait.  

12

            Blinding, searing, excruciating pain woke Jared from a dead sleep.  He barely managed to scramble out of Liam’s arms and make it to the bathroom in time.  His knees hit the tile hard as he hunched over the toilet, the heaves hurting his abdominal muscles as what was left in his stomach exited through his mouth.  His eyes watered and the regurgitated bile stung his throat and still, he kept heaving.

            It was long minutes later before the stomach spasms stopped and the pain in his head dissipated to a dull ache.  It was only then that he realized that Liam was crouched beside him, supporting his head and shoulders.  Embarrassment swamped over him but he was grateful he had at least made it into the bathroom this time.  He pulled out of his lover’s touch, but he was weak and shaky and landed hard on his butt.  He quickly scrambled back onto his knees as his sore ass made contact with the hard tile.  For just a moment, the reminder of what they had done together replaced everything else and Jared nearly smiled.  Shivering a little, he reached out to grab the edge of the counter and haul himself to his feet.  Liam helped and Jared let him.          

            “Angel?” Liam asked quietly.  “Are you sick?”

            Jared shook his head, the motion aborted when the dull throb made itself known.  He reached for the toothpaste and his toothbrush, shaking hands making a mess of the paste as he tried to put it on the bristles.  Just before he popped the brush in his mouth, he whispered, “No.”

            Liam’s big hand rubbed soothingly up and down Jared’s back and the man waited until Jared had spit, rinsed, and wiped his mouth before pulling him close and wrapping him up tight in strong arms.  Jared let out a sigh and snuggled into Liam’s warmth, not realizing how cold he was until he felt the heat emanating off of Liam.

            “Okay,” Liam said slowly, softly.  “I’m not getting much from the bond except confusion and pain.  So can you please tell me what the hell?”

            For a moment, Jared wasn’t sure how to answer.  He knew the pain in his head had felt the same and when Liam tried to poke around but he was certain it hadn’t happened again.  Suddenly, Jared jerked back far enough to look up into Liam’s face.

            “I remember,” Jared murmured, a little awed.  He could remember everything.  It was like a hole in his brain that he hadn’t been entirely aware of had suddenly filled up with everything that had been missing.  It explained the excruciating pain.

            Liam didn’t say anything for a long moment.  Then he nodded just once and led Jared back to bed. Once they were once again snuggled together under the covers, with Jared lying on his stomach to keep from putting pressure on his tender bottom, Liam blew out a long breath.

            “You remember everything that you didn’t before?” he asked quietly.

            “Yes,” Jared answered in the same tone.

            “That doesn’t make sense.  Why, all of a sudden…”Liam trailed off and his body went tense.  Jared quickly lifted his head from Liam’s chest and was shocked to see the man’s features were a study in awe.  Liam’s eyes were suspiciously bright and Jared didn’t fight when Liam leaned forward far enough to place a reverent kiss on his forehead.

            “Thank you, angel.  I’m just…I don’t have the words to express how much this means to me.”  Liam’s voice held the kind of wonder that Jared would have reserved for a miracle.  He didn’t understand what Liam was talking about.  Thankfully, because of the bond, Liam knew just how confused he was and quickly explained, “Your trust in me, your complete and total trust, broke down that barrier that was keeping your memories locked.”

            “Really?”

            Liam nodded.  “Whoever locked them up in the first place must have thought that you’d never trust anyone completely to work that kind of break into it.”

            “Mr. Ridgley did it,” Jared said absently as he was trying to assimilate this new information.  He knew the theory behind the kind of memory locking spell that must have been used and he knew that the kind of power it would need to complete required a counterbalance.  He shouldn’t have been surprised that Mr. Ridgley knew the one thing that should have kept his memories locked forever.  But if that was the case, then Morgan should have been able to break it at well.  She was the only person, other than Liam, that he trusted completely.    

            “It was your boss?” Liam asked incredulously. 

            Jared waved that off.  That so wasn’t the important part right now.  “Do you think that Morgan couldn’t break it because she was the one that triggered it?” Jared mused out loud, turning the thought over in his mind.

            Liam went completely still.  It took a moment for Jared to realize that the man had gone silent because he was so lost in thought.  But as he became aware of it, he focused on Liam’s face.  And actually flinched back from the unmitigated rage darkening Liam’s features.

            “What?” Liam’s voice was low and threatening.  Jared scrambled back even though he knew it wasn’t directed at him.  He’d never seen Liam like this and yeah, it was a tiny bit scary.  He sat next to Liam on the bed and wiggled for a moment until he could find a position that was comfortable for his bum.

            “Wait, hold on Liam,” Jared said, trying to make his voice as soothing as possible.  He sent calming thoughts through their bond, hoping to make Liam relax a little.  Hoping to diffuse the situation a little, he said softly, “It wasn’t her fault.”

            It had been the wrong thing to say.

            Liam gave a deep growl as he jumped out of bed.  His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were white as he began pacing up and down the length of the bed.  He didn’t seem to care that he was naked and, in any other situation, Jared would have found it amusing.  But right then, it sure wasn’t.

            “Please calm down,” Jared whispered, trying not to let fear take hold.  He knew Liam wasn’t upset with him.  And even if he were, he knew the man would never do anything to harm him.  But Liam’s anger was making him very nervous.

            Liam’s head jerked to focus on Jared and, with a deep breath, he visibly forced himself to relax.  Jared breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Liam’s fists loosen and the tension in his shoulders ease a fraction.  Thank God for the bond allowing Liam to feel Jared’s emotions, and that Liam seemed committed to making Jared feel at ease. 

            “Perhaps you’d better start from the beginning,” Liam forced through clenched teeth.  The man drew another breath and unclenched his jaw.

            Jared nodded fast, wanting to keep Liam from getting too angry.  “Right, well, it all started about a year ago.  I noticed that we weren’t making as many arrests and taking as many practitioners to rehabilitation.  It was subtle, at first.  Just a few less.  And then Mr. Ridgley was getting more hands on.  He’d always been content to sit back and let the investigators do what they were supposed to and simply take credit for it.  He wasn’t a bad boss, not really, but he was an arrogant prick.  But he started taking more of an interest in what was going on.”

            Jared peeked up at Liam’s face.  Some of the anger had left but Jared had no doubt that it was lingering just underneath the surface.  Liam made a motion with his hand, signaling Jared to continue, so he sucked in a breath and said, “He suddenly was very particular about which investigators got certain cases.  It took me a little bit but I finally figured out how he was manipulating the situation.  He’d assign investigators that he felt would be swayed by the circumstances and would rule in the way he wanted them to.  If he wanted a particular outcome, he’d hand pick the investigator that would oversee the case.         

            “Once I finally put together all the pieces, that he was basically rigging the investigations so that the practitioner would be found guilty or not depending on what he wanted, I started doing a little digging.  He was taking bribes.  Not a lot, and not for every case.  But certain ones, yeah.  He was a mastermind at getting it to work out like he wanted.”

            “Fuck,” Liam muttered. 

            Jared nodded.  He remembered exactly how sick to his stomach he had felt once he realized exactly what was going on.  He couldn’t prove it without a shadow of a doubt, but he suspected that more than one practitioner that had been executed or sent to rehab hadn’t deserved it.  And the reverse, those how had really needed to be executed, had been allowed to walk free.  He pressed a hand to his stomach.  It was already sore from his earlier bought of vomiting but he could feel the queasiness start up again just thinking about everything Mr. Ridgley had done.  He took three deep breaths, slow and silent, to calm himself.

            “Remember how I was surprised that Morgan had gotten to my place so fast?  It was because she had been there just a few hours before, casting a spell to dredge my mind for all the information I had.  There had to be things that I knew that I didn’t think meant anything and she needed it all.  It didn’t work right when she did it, and she thought it was because she needed some hematite to boost the power of the spell and to focus my mind.  She’d gone to get some when the trap slammed into place.  When I couldn’t remember anything, I called her in a panic and she arrived.  She figured out pretty quickly what was going on and she sent me here.”

            Liam was breathing heavily by the time Jared finished, his fists clenched tight again.  He was trying to control himself, Jared could see that, but Jared knew how angry Liam was.  Jared frowned.  Didn’t he see now that Jared explained how Morgan couldn’t be blamed?  Maybe he was just angry at Mr. Ridgley for what he had done.  Liam was that kind of man.  He didn’t always show it, but he cared deeply about people and wanted what was best for them.  This situation, with Mr. Ridgley playing around with people’s lives, would be enough to set off his anger. 

            “Get dressed,” Liam bit out, stalking toward his dresser and yanking clothes from the drawers.  His movements were jerky, rage tinting everything

            “Liam,” Jared whispered the plea.

            The man stopped was he was doing and his head hung down as he breathed deeply.  Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet and controlled, “Please get dressed, angel.”

            Jared moved to do what he was told even as he asked, “Where are we going?”

            “To see Kelly.  We’re going to put this thing to rest once and for all.”

            Jared swallowed hard.  He put on his clothes as quickly and efficiently as he could.  He wasn’t exactly sure what Liam meant by that statement.  And he was too afraid to ask.


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