Bound (Bound Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page A

friend.”
    I had no idea what to do next. I wondered what Matthew, my uncle’s hired man, would do. He’d let it die, I decided, and he would be right to do it. Having an eagle around wouldn’t be good for the chickens and the sheep.
    But I couldn’t just leave.
    “You’re hurt,” I told the eagle, and looked away from its fierce gaze. “It’s going to get very cold tonight, and if I don’t take you with me, you’re going to die here. I don’t want to hurt you.” I shifted my weight closer to the bird. It pulled back a little, but didn’t screech or hiss.
    When I risked another look, it had laid its head in the dirt and closed its eyes—I suspected more from weakness than from my kind words. My jacket was off a few seconds later, covering the bird’s eyes and body. It didn’t object.
    The eagle wasn’t particularly heavy, but its massive wings made it awkward to carry. I was careful to keep a strong grip on its talons and to make sure all of the sharp bits pointed away from my body, but still spent the walk back to the cart half-expecting to get my innards clawed out. Jigger laid his ears back against his head and scraped a fore-hoof against the hard dirt. He only settled when he could no longer see me carrying that odd bundle.
    I placed it in the back of the cart and took a closer look at the wing, careful to leave the eagle’s eyes covered as I’d read about people doing with hunting falcons. Blood oozed from its wing and was already staining my jacket. I sighed and took two blankets—one to cover the back of the cart, and one to wrap around my shoulders. I left the jacket where it was.
    Jigger had found his usual plodding rhythm again when the thud of faster hoof beats came from ahead of us, the horses and riders still invisible around a bend in the road.
    I shivered, remembering what Ashe had said about the world being dangerous, and realized how foolish it had been to stop. You could have been off the main road by now, I told myself. Idiot. I reached for my knife, unsheathed it again, and tucked it between my thigh and the seat of the cart.
    I didn’t look up when the hoof beats grew louder, but watched from beneath the hanging curtain of my hair, hoping that if I didn’t draw attention to myself the riders would pass without stopping. A pair of horses and riders approached, silhouetted by the lingering sunlight in the west, and they slowed as they came closer. Low voices spoke for a moment. Then one rider came closer.
    Calm down , I told my pounding heart. We’re not doing anything wrong. Still, I reached for my knife.
    “Stop, please,” he called. “Excuse me, Miss? I—Rowan?”
    I looked up to see Callum’s familiar face, and he grinned as I lifted my gaze to meet his blue eyes. I breathed a sigh of relief at finding a friend with me. He looked like he’d been on his horse all day and hadn’t shaved for longer. His light brown hair was a mess and his clothing dirty, but he still looked good. Better than I remembered, actually.
    “Hello, Callum. I wasn’t expecting to see you out here.” I signaled for Jigger to stop, and Callum brought his big black horse up next to the cart, leaving his companion to continue toward the stone ridge behind me.
    “I wasn’t expecting to be here, myself,” Callum said. “Are you all right? You seem flustered.”
    I slowed my breathing and reached up to smooth my hair. “I’m fine. Ashe had me concerned about the sort of people I might meet on the road, so when I heard you coming…” I shrugged, then forced a little laugh. “Silly, right?”
    More hoof beats approached, this time from behind us, and four rough-looking riders came into view. They slowed to a walk as they passed, each of them giving us a careful look. They wore full beards and dressed in coarse, dark clothing. The one in the lead gave me a lewd wink and sneered at Callum, but none of them stopped or spoke.
    Callum watched until they’d disappeared down the road. “He wasn’t