Bonded Read online

  Bonded

  Fallen

  Caleb Zane

  Copyright © 2018 by Caleb Zane

  Cover Artist: Leonardo Sá

  https://www.artstation.com/leo_sa

  Typography: Dark Matter Book Covers

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Join Caleb’s newsletter to learn when his next story will be released.

  Created with Vellum

  To my brother, thank you for all the hours playing video games. It was a blast.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Other Books By Caleb Zane

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Even though Kaiden Hill lived in the designated safe zone, he never felt truly free. On either side of Kathill, the city where all the lower level people like Kaiden lived, was a war, one that had gone on for hundreds of years, if not more.

  The battles between the angels and demons with the humans they were bonded to had decimated the planet. Earth was a shell of its former self, no longer a great thriving civilization but one that was on the brink of collapsing.

  Kaiden hated every second of it, but there was little to be done. All he could do was just live his life to his fullest and enjoy the time he had.

  Right now, he walked along the western wall of the city, the border between them and the home of the angel-bonded. Everyone dreamed of bonding with angels and living there.

  Lindsey was one of two people in the city of Kathill over level twenty. The other was Charlie, and he was friendly enough, Kaiden supposed, but not like Lindsey who was bonded to an angel and not just any angel but Adriel, one many people knew and loved.

  She told stories of the great utopia that the angels helped to forge on the other side of the wall until the demons attacked and destroyed most of it. Charlie laughed and snorted each time, she told the story. He was demon-bonded. Babeal his demon was not allowed into the safe zone. Charlie had to keep the agreement in place to make sure all those under level twenty were safe from the war.

  Kaiden wasn’t alone as he walked and looked up at the wall. Lincoln was with him. Kaiden’s best friend was only level eighteen and just barely that. Unlike Kaiden who only needed a little experience to be level twenty.

  “You ever going to level up?” Lincoln asked.

  Kaiden wasn’t sure if he wanted to reach level twenty. That would be having to go through the ritual and risk being bonded with a demon. That was his greatest fear and a common one. Charlie really didn’t do a good job of selling the life on that side of the world.

  The horror stories of the demons wanting to conquer Earth and turn it into Hell were bad enough. Charlie lived up to the stereotypes of demon-bonded people. He was mean, dressed poorly, was a slob, and treated people as if they were beneath him. Sure, when he showed the lower levels his powers, they were truly breathtaking. His mastery of fire was to be feared and respected. Charlie was a high level, and his magic was strong.

  Lindsey was the same and, in many ways, lived up to a stereotype as well, but she made the lower levels in the war-free zone want to be bonded to the angels.

  Kaiden shook his head, going back to his friend and the question of leveling up. “You know I’m scared of it.”

  “Grow a pair, buddy.” Lincoln liked to tease Kaiden and pretty much everyone else as well. It wasn’t like he was leveling up at a high rate. Kaiden wasn’t that slow either.

  As the pair walked along the wall, Kaiden peered out to the land that was once a lush and beautiful place. Now, it was covered in scorch marks and fallen buildings as far as the eye could see.

  The land had been divided into two, and a great wall separated the two places. According to both leaders of Kathill, there were sections of the wall that lay in waste from the constant battles between the angels and demons.

  They hated each other. Both were angry with God and their place here on Earth. No one knew why God had left the angels here, and they had forgotten much about their lives before here.

  “You need to get that last bit of XP,” Lincoln said.

  Kaiden sighed. “Yes. Yes. I will soon.”

  Their walk took them past the wall on the north, and now, they could see the demon holdings. It wasn’t much better or worse than the angels. It made Kaiden question if they were truly as bad as they were made out. Sure, they did most of the attacking, and killing.

  Lilith, the first demon summoned and the most powerful, was out there. She ruled the lands with an iron fist and killed many angels and humans. She hated them with a passion. According to Charlie, God had slighted her and refused her entrance to Heaven. Now, she sought her revenge on God and the angels.

  Perhaps it was time to stop fighting the last few XP points he needed to reach level twenty and take that step to be bonded. Kaiden wasn’t going to worry about being bonded to a demon. If that was what happened, so be it. Now was the time to stop being fearful and venture out of Kathill. While the city was nice enough, there was a lot out there to see.

  Another low level person ran up to the pair. He was panting and out of breath. “Lindsey wants to see both of you. She has a minor quest, and she won’t take no for an answer.”

  Lincoln smiled. “Looks like you won’t be given a choice in the matter.”

  Kaiden shrugged. “That’s fine. I’m ready.”

  Lincoln eyed him suspiciously. “About time.”

  Following the level four through the safe zone, they reached the building that was home to Lindsey and her angel. It was on the western edge of the city and next to the gate that would let an angel-bonded leave Kathill.

  Lindsey was a tall woman with a stern face. She was level forty-eight and had magic that increased her strength and stamina. The woman trained with the sword and other weapons. The woman would be able to defend the city against many lower level demons, though if one like Lilith attacked, Lindsey would be doomed. The only reason why demons didn’t attack the city was because they needed more to join their cause. If they didn’t need humans to enter Earth, the demons would remove all humans from existence.

  That was what Lindsey always said. Kaiden wondered if that was truly the case. It was tough to prove with no demons in the city and only one angel, Adriel. The only people above level twenty were Lindsey and Charlie, so there wasn’t anyone else to ask.

  Lindsey stood in front of her house, waiting. To Kaiden, she never looked happy, nor did she look mad. She was a hard person to read.

  “So kind of you to join me,” she said.

  Kaiden gulped. “We came as soon we were summoned.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Yes. Well, be faster. When you are out there fighting the war, speed is vital.”

  Kaiden and Lincoln both
nodded. “Yes, mistress,” they said.

  Crossing her arms just below her breasts, she said, “I need you to go around the city and find me some angel root.”

  Kaiden almost groaned. A fetch quest and a boring one. He hated them with a passion. They were busy work and used to gain just a few XP points and maybe some sort of reward be it a coin or a low-level piece of armor or a weapon that wouldn’t be upgradeable.

  “How many?” Kaiden asked.

  They couldn’t refuse the quest for fear of being sent to the dungeon. Under the city was a dungeon run by Charlie and where his demon was. At least, that was the story. Kaiden didn’t know a single person who had been sent there, but the threat of it was real, and he didn’t want to be the first.

  “Twenty,” Lindsey said.

  Kaiden added up the XP points he would earn. It would be just enough to level him up. Lindsey knew that as well. They could all see the points a person needed to level up.

  Lincoln grinned from ear to ear. “Great. We’ll get right on it.”

  Both men turned from the leader of Kathill or one of the leaders. It was hard to call Charlie that, but technically, he was too. They started the tedious fetch mission.

  When on a quest, one couldn’t just meander. They had to find the items. Kaiden wasn’t sure why or how it worked, but he desired to find twenty angel roots. It consumed him, and he loathed the feeling. All the quest given out felt like that. One had this inner craving to complete each quest.

  Angel root grew all over Kathill. There was little doubt that if she really needed the plant, Lindsey could have gotten it herself. She was either punishing the two or kicking Kaiden out of the city. There was a chance that she had grown tired of him taking his time to reach level twenty.

  Both sides needed more people to fight in the war. Not that she spoke of the fights that occurred outside of Kathill, but they were going on. That much was clear, and people were dying.

  Keeping that in mind, Kaiden searched for the angel root. It was a small plant that flowered several times a year and was used in almost every potion around from tonics that healed people or angels to ones that could explode. It wasn’t as if potions were needed all the time since some could heal, and others could hurl balls of fire. Magic allowed for a lot of amazing things.

  But in here, no one had any magic at all. The lower levels were all about learning how to fight with weapons or their hands. Kaiden was okay and had leveled up through training until recently.

  As Kaiden and Lincoln found the angel roots, they traversed the city. Kathill was big, and the streets were littered with so many people Kaiden had no way to know them all.

  Though it hurt to see the people leave, and now, he was going to be one of them. It felt like he had been here for a very long time, but he was about to leave. Kaiden could feel his XP filling.

  Only one more angel root left to collect. Lincoln walked around with a shit-eating grin on his face.

  “You don’t have to be so happy about me leaving,” Kaiden grumbled.

  Lincoln laughed. “It’s not about you leaving, but you getting to twenty. I’ve never been by a person when they dinged.”

  Kaiden hadn’t as well. He heard the level up to twenty was more impressive than the other levels. That much was clear, and he was slightly looking forward to that, to seeing and feeling it, as much as he was scared.

  They found the last root, and he knew that once they turned the roots over, that he would be twenty.

  This part he wanted to take slow, so he could savor his last few moments as level nineteen, his last few hours in Kathill before he was forced to leave with whatever he had bonded with and join the wastelands.

  The walk back to Lindsey was tense, and Kaiden dragged his feet.

  “Pick it up, buddy,” Lincoln said.

  Kaiden sighed. “I’m nervous.”

  “You’re fine, golden boy,” Lincoln teased.

  Kaiden rolled his eyes. “Please. We all try to do our best.”

  It was true. All the lower levels hoped that if they behaved, an angel would appear when the ritual was taking place.

  Around the last corner, they turned and saw Lindsey and Charlie standing there. It was no surprise that both were there. There was a good chance the ritual would start right away since no one wanted to risk a person dying. Not that gaining magic and joining the battle meant you were going to enjoy a long life. Kaiden feared he would get his magic and die in his first battle.

  This was the green mile for Kaiden. People started to poke their heads out and stared at him. With all these eyes on him, Kaiden felt even more nervous.

  By the time he reached Lindsey, he was sure he was pale white, and his throat was dry. His body shook with shock. His anxiety rose.

  “You have the angel root?” Lindsey asked.

  Lincoln nodded. “We do.”

  “Yes,” Kaiden answered begrudgingly.

  “Good,” Lindsey said. “Give it to me.”

  Both did.

  When Kaiden handed it over, his XP filled. Just enough flowed into him, and he leveled up. A massive bang sounded from him, and the ground shook under his feet. His body tingled from head to toe. Never in his life had he felt so powerful. It was more than gaining a level or an ability to learn new skills or access to new upgrades.

  Lincoln stood next to Kaiden and smiled. “That was amazing.”

  “It really was,” Kaiden said.

  “You have one day to complete the ritual and bond.” Charlie stared at him, almost taunting Kaiden with just his eyes.

  Kaiden gulped. “I know.”

  “We shall start it first thing in the morning,” Lindsey said. “You have one night to say goodbye.”

  Kaiden cringed and gestured an understanding. “Thank you.”

  Chapter Two

  The night flew by for Kaiden. He went back to his home that he shared with Lincoln and a few others who were about the same level. First, he gathered his things from the small trunk that held all his supplies and clothes. The world didn’t allow for much. The house was little more than a shack, with two bedrooms and an open living area.

  After packing up all he had, Kaiden walked to the living area. Lincoln, George, and Mark were there and waiting for him. George and Mark walked over and hugged him.

  “Congrats,” Mark said.

  “Thanks.” Kaiden was nervous. “I don’t want to leave.”

  “It’ll be okay,” George said. “You’ll get an angel, a powerful one. Gabriel needs to bond again. Then you can live in the capital and boss people around.”

  Kaiden liked the sound of that. The angel or demon a person bonded with not only impacted the magic one could do but also the role that person played. Kaiden wouldn’t mind being in charge of people. Not that he had ever been a leader before.

  “With Gabriel,” Lincoln said, “you’ll get all the girls.”

  Kaiden snorted. He didn’t need all the girls. He’d be happy getting one since so far, he never had any. That was pretty common for people under level twenty since they all feared getting separated. Worry that he would lose that person to the other side had been enough to keep Kaiden relationship-free.

  The night was flying by for Kaiden as he spent time with his roommates and then walked over to visit the others he had grown close to over the years.

  Traveling around Kathill was bittersweet, seeing the city one last time. Part of him thought about risking it and staying. It had been a long time since that had happened, before Kaiden had been born. Lindsey had talked about it. The person had died, and that was enough to keep the others in line.

  Kaiden wouldn’t skip the ritual, but not being able to see the city again was going to be painful. All the nooks and crannies Kaiden had grown to love, they would be gone to him forever.

  Lincoln stayed up with him for hours and hours. They visited friends and conversed into the wee hours of the night.

  Kaiden had to get some sleep before he left. Back at his place, he was drained and scared.
In his bed, he closed his eyes and passed out immediately.

  Kaiden woke with a start and rolled over to see Lincoln standing over him.

  “About time you woke up. I’m sure Lindsey is on her way here to make sure you show up.”

  Kaiden jumped out of his bed and looked at the clock on the wall. It was after eight in the morning, and the ceremony started at nine. The world outside of the city would be different. Kaiden wasn’t sure how much so, but he knew they had better homes and more technology.

  As Kaiden had leveled up, Lindsey and Charlie had allowed him to watch movies and even play video games. Kaiden would play all day and night if they would let him, but they thought preparing for level twenty and the war was more important.

  Kaiden didn’t want much to do with the war, though the games and movies were nothing like before the bonding, when big buildings had been built and people traveled in cars. None of that was possible now. Magic had killed it all. Kaiden wondered if the world would ever recover from the damage of magic and the war.

  Shaking his head, Kaiden dressed and dashed out of the house. He needed to get to the ritual site as fast as possible. If Lindsey did come to drag him there, he would never live it down. That would make a bad first impression if he bonded with an angel.

  That was the last thing Kaiden wanted to do.

  Chapter Three

  In the heart of the city stood the ritual site. Kaiden had seen it countless times. Until recently, he would come to watch all the people who had leveled up to twenty. That had stopped when he’d hit level eighteen and the fear of Kaiden being the one had started to seep into him.