Vines That Bind: A Game of Gods Novel: Game of Gods, #8

By Rosetta M. Overman

The battle for our world has begun…

MeiYing has lived for the better part of a year secluded in a small cabin surrounded by nothing but forest, hidden away from the growing turmoil outside. But she's tired of being suppressed and far more interested in the freedom and independence that the outside world promises – if the movies she's seen are anything to go by. Her independence is cut short when she runs across Kingsley Bane, a human with sticky fingers and the common sense of a bot fly, running from a bear in the middle of the forest. Compelled to help him despite her belief that being by herself is better for both her safety and sanity, neither of them expect the consequences that one moment will wrought upon them. 

Faced with an unlikely alliance with a Seelie Fae noble and her estranged siblings, she must fight to save a world that, for all intents and purposes, is hers. But to what ends will Darius go to enslave the world, what powers clash on either side of the battle? And how can Mei keep an entire world safe from a power hungry vampire and his frenzied soldiers when she herself has no emotional attachment to the people living here or their plight? 

Perhaps it's finally time for her to reach deep down and find what is left of her humanity and compassion before it's too late and everything she holds dear, including her life, is lost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rosetta M. Overman
• Release date: Aug 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386405993

Book preview

More by Rosetta M. Overman

Game of Gods

Sacrifice

Hexed

Tidalwave

Catalyst

Firestorm

Hurricane Force

Vital Signs

Vines That Bind

––––––––

Windstorm

Sun Oracle Burning

Bright Star, Dark Sun

Ensemble

Scar Tissue

Caged

Chapter One

W

ind whistled through the branches of the redwoods around me. I could tell it was hot by the sun that beat down on my upturned face. Muir Woods, I think I heard them call this place. My beautiful prison. I could walk less than a quarter of a mile in either direction, always in sight of the house. From what I heard the little cottage was built illegally in some kind of nature preserve. Though the word illegally wasn’t one I recognized, I figured it was a bad thing since they were grinning about it. They only ever seemed to smile when they were doing something wrong.

A gentle sigh escaped my lips, eyes still closed as I lay on my back soaking in the warmth of the summer sun. Morning dew soaked into the thin shirt my captors supplied me with. Along the backs of my jeans were little spots of water as well, but none of it mattered as I tried to find a way to get out. There was no real hurry. The people here hadn’t given me the injection again. Instead I was stuck inside what they called an electric fence. Electricity and elements just do not get along.

Originally, my permanent residence was to be a wine cellar, but one of my siblings apparently electrocuted themselves in front of someone as a means to escape not knowing that there were cameras everywhere. They kept a close eye on us. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if they watched us bathe like perverts. Let them, I had nothing to hide.

Turning my head, I stared at the top of the fence and then back down at the ground, contemplating. Could I turn into a single leaf? A root instead of an entire plant? It was something that never occurred to me until that moment.

Brownish-green eyes half closed, I continued to stare at the fence. How long would it take them to notice my escape? The question drifted across my mind lazily. I knew what they wanted me for. What they wanted us for. If they thought keeping us in captivity would help their cause, they were in for a rude awakening if they hadn’t already received one. 

Though some of us weren’t as bright as others, both literally and figuratively speaking, we wouldn’t go about joining up with these creatures without being threatened in a way that could hurt us somehow. The cogs in my mind clinked lethargically as they attempted to figure out what could make us agree. What could we, quite literally, not live without?

Drawing a blank, I stretched myself out, muscles tensing and relaxing in a way that let me know I’d been lying there longer than I realized. Yawning, I pushed up with my hands, legs still stretched out in front of me with my feet flopping in either direction.

Once again my eyes were drawn to the fence. I could feel three of my siblings, though I knew there was a great distance between us. They felt so strong, stronger than ever before. Had I been anyone else, I would have been jealous by the amount of raw energy that seemed to assault every cell of my body when I opened myself up to reach out for them. It called to me, sang a song of promise that only another element could hear.

That song assaulted me now just as it had so many times before when I opened up to them. It must have been about half a year ago that the latest of the three joined in to share the freedom. That was the only problem though, that I could no longer distinguish between my siblings. We had been separated for so long that their individual signatures were but a jumble of useless energy patterns somewhere in the back of my mind.

Deciding not to worry about it, I let the longing for freedom guides me to the edge of the fence. My eyes shut slowly. A leaf. How hard could it be?

My fingers dissolved, soon followed by the rest of me and like magic I was airborne on a stiff breeze. A camera whirred behind me, just missing my transformation and escape. That breeze carried me higher, spinning me to and fro before dissipating. Slowly, I fell toward the ground, swaying side to side in a leisurely descent that matched my personality flawlessly.

There was hardly a ripple in the little creak I landed in. I floated along as it washed me downstream, the shouts of the guards that were usually posted all around the grounds reaching my ear. I hope they don’t step on me, I thought absentmindedly, taking in a boulder that might be good to hide behind depending on what direction they decided to run in. It would be most unpleasant.

I decided it would be best to just keep floating along because, let’s face it, no one ever notices what’s right under their noses. I hoped I wasn’t something weird like a palm frond. That might stand out. I felt like an oak leaf, though, all smooth curves and sharp, jagged points. An oak leaf I could work with, anything else was questionable.  

Feet splashed over the surface of the slowly moving creek, disturbing the serenity of the forest. Shouts joined in. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes before humanizing myself and killing them only barely. One thing I despised was people interrupting my meditation for any reason. The need for peace and quiet probably came from somewhere deep inside my being and rerouted through the earth I was so in tune with. It certainly felt that way.

Once the first of them crossed the water, I was sent spiraling in circles, still headed downstream. Unfortunately, I soon found that I should have hidden behind the boulder. One of the younger men walked over, careful not to disturb the water too much. A sickening smile sliced across his face to reveal a set of jagged teeth that reminded me a little of a shark’s. Dark hair fell to nearly cover equally dark eyes as he crouched down, his hand reaching out to lift me up from the shallow water.

My back skimmed over a rock that broke the water’s surface and I hung there. Wonderful, I though dryly, all my focus on the man-creature before me. It looked like I didn’t have any other choice, so I brought myself back into my human form, eyes perusing his slightly stunned face before I turned and bolted.

The feeling was wonderful with the wind rushing through my damp hair, the dirt, twigs and leaves crunching underfoot. A girl could get used to this. There were just two problems. For one, there was a group of men hunting me down and for another, I was completely naked. From what I saw in Brooklyn and the few other stops we made between here and there, the only people who ran around without clothes were nudists and it would be quite the coincidence for me to run into one of their camps.

Since my life wasn’t a fiction novel, I didn’t run into any nudist camps. No, what I ran into was much more disturbing.

A blonde man with a thin silver chain holding a violet stone stood before me, hunched over as he did up the zipper at the front of his pants. His black shoes (the ones with the little checks on the sides) were covered in mud and leaves, the same organic materials splattered up to his knees. He straightened up, stumbling backwards in surprise and landing in a mud puddle when he spotted me peering at him curiously.

Are you a nudist? I wondered aloud, taking in the streaks of blood that colored the expanse of his tanned chest.

He opened his mouth, eyes wide and bewildered. The sound of a voice cut him off. Come out, come out wherever you are, little fairie pet! I have yet to finish playing with you!  The man’s hand covered my mouth to keep the woman from hearing us, but there was really nowhere to hide except for behind a tree a few feet in front of us.

Studying the thick trunk, I peeled his hand away from my mouth easily. My footsteps barely crunched against the leaf strewn forest floor as I observed it. The man’s eyes burned into my back, either daunted by the fact that I was naked or because I was staring at this tree with such a relaxed kind of curiosity.

Reaching out my hand, I pressed my palm against the bark. Would you be so kind as to let us in? I asked softly, already feeling the bark give. Turning my head to look over my shoulder, I held out a hand to the man. He hesitated, eyes darting around the woods.

I, too, am hunted. The words seemed to spur him into motion, his warm fingers clasping mine tightly. With a gentle tug, he was by my side, but it wasn’t fast enough. A woman with long copper curls stalked through the forest. I could smell it on her from where I was, the impending change from woman to beast. This was not my first introduction to the more wild creatures that skulked the earth.

Her lips peeled back, a bear roar ripping from her mouth before she charged. It all happened in a split second. Her clawed hands raked at the man’s back where I could now see they had already dragged themselves at least once. His arm lifted defensively to ward her off, eyes closed tight as he turned his head in my direction.

With a sigh of boredom, I pulled him into the tree and away from the woman. Yours? I asked once the opening was sealed. He stared at me in confusion, pressing his back against the other side of our little cubbyhole as the bear slammed into the tree. There was still a crevice in the side of the trunk. It would be there until the tree died, reminding me that it once rescued both myself and this nameless man. The bear out there that is trying to kill you, is she yours?

He shook his head so fast the motion was nearly a blur. It was a wonder he didn’t hurt himself. Christ, no! She’s trying to bloody mate me! I had a feeling it was a funny story that I wanted told to me, but from the look on his face, I probably wouldn’t be getting my wish.

Ignoring the fact that he probably expected the naked girl from the woods to feel sorry for him, I held out my hand to him in the slightly cramped space. I’m MeiYing. He stared at my hand for a long moment before grasping it in his.

Kingsley, he replied with an uncertain smile on his face. Are you a fae or –

Shaking my head, I responded, That’s absurd. Eyeing him warily I tacked on, I’m an element, naturally. What else did he think could open up a tree with such ease? This Kingsley fellow seemed to turn a deep shade of blue before going red and finally settling on purple. It took me a moment to realize he wasn’t breathing, which was necessary for humans if I wasn’t mistaken. Surely he knew this fact. Convinced he didn’t after several long seconds had passed without him inhaling, I explained, If you don’t breathe, you will die.

A gust of air hit me in the face, letting me know that he listened to my words. That explains it then, he mumbled to himself, pressing farther away from me in the small enclosure of the tree’s trunk. The bear attacked the tree again as I reinforced it with my own essence, shaking our fortress but not causing any real damage.

Explains what? I asked, cocking my head sideways as I looked him over with renewed curiosity. Why his lungs were aching, perhaps?

He swallowed, his eyes roaming over my body. Ummm...your nakedness, he replied, obviously uncomfortable. You just...morphed or whatever, right? I nodded slowly, deciding I would go with his unusual word choice for now. It seemed fitting, I supposed. So, what did you change into? He question, his bleeding back pressed tightly against the inner wall of our little crevice, egging the bear outside on as the roughness of wood forced the wounds to bleed more.

A leaf, I replied, back leaning against my side of the inner wood nonchalantly. What drew her to you? I asked, jerking my chin in the direction of the snorting beast outside.

A sigh left his lips as he ran a hand through his hair. His blonde hair. It all clicked into place and I couldn’t stop the amused chuckle that rumbled in my chest, destroying the near silence we had between us. Bears like blondes, I commented upon seeing his confused expression.

Huffing out a breath, he turned his head for only a second before a sly smile formed on his face and he was looking at me again. Pinning me between his body and the inside of the tree with his hands on either side of me, he asked, How ‘bout you, shelia? His blue eyes slid over my body from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. Do you like blondes?

Copying his perusal, I lifted my eyes up and met his before leaning in next to his ear. In the barest of whispers, I replied, If you are asking me if I want to mate with you, Kingsley, the answer might upset you. He shivered at the sound of his name, or perhaps it was my breath blowing against his skin that evoked the response. Either way, I found it all rather amusing. Leaning back to where I was originally, I pressed my hand against his chest and pushed him back while saying, Though, you might be quite fun to tease. 

Pressing my hand against the opening we came through, I mentally whispered a quiet thank you. The opening spread apart to allow us to exit. Have you lost your bloody mind? Kingsley hissed, pulling back against my hand desperately as I continued to move forward.

The woman lunged forward, back in a more human form with the same amount of clothes adorning her body as adorned mine. She lunged at Kingsley with those curved claws ready to sink into his tender, human flesh. Sliding between them, I held up my hand and forced her backwards. Sorry honey, but this man is mine, I told her with not an ounce of apology in my voice.

Something ran up my arm from where my hand was joined with Kingsley’s and I suddenly got the feeling that I made a grave mistake in claiming this man so casually, even if it was purely to save his life. The bear posed no threat to me, but there