Page 28 of Upon Shattered Bonds

No matter how many times he repeated that he was—and always would remain—her brother, Izzy’s mind had already clouded, her memories too far out of reach.

As if suddenly sensing his melancholy, the woman in his arms stirred. She peered at him from beneath her long lashes, as he continued to carry her towards her bedroom.

“I’m fully capable of walking, Ezekiel.”

A lie, but one he chose to ignore. “Allow me this small favor, Nina. It’s the least I can do.”

“Since when do you care about my wellbeing?”

“I have always cared about your wellbeing.”

His answer, immediate and decisive, left no room for question. The very thought he could be indifferent toward her—in any regard—sat ill with him.

“Is that true?”

Skepticism veered her voice to a higher pitch. At any moment, he half expected her to leap from his arms, rejecting this small showing of affection, but she remained still in his embrace.

When he nodded his assent, she scoffed. “I’m not going to do this with you when we have company.”

He’d almost forgotten the two men following in his footsteps. They remained silent, even when he entered the bedroom and laid her carefully on the bed. Kaien strode to her side as soon as Zeke stepped back. A wave of healing energy illuminated his hands in a pulse of power.

Curiosity speared through Zeke as he watched the healer work. “Your defeat of Rhonnen. What ability did you use?”

He caught the wave of surprise that rippled beneath her detached mask. “It’s of no concern of yours.”

One corner of his mouth lifted. “You demonstrated your control of electricity only months ago at the peace summit. I can only assume you’re able to travel through the currents?”

“Don’t push me, Ezekiel. You won’t like where it gets you.”

Zeke detested the fact that she continued to use his full name when she knew full well he preferred the other. In response to her bitterness, he quipped, “I’ve never liked where I got with you.”

A half-hearted chuckle erupted from Kaien, breaking a portion of the tension.

Though he offered the other man a smile, his attention returned to Nina—who was glaring at her twin. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten the fact that you invited him to the wedding, Kaien.”

“Oops.”

Nina scoffed, but the sound was lighthearted. “A little heads-up would’ve been nice.”

“I tried,” Zeke said.

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“What a relief,” he replied, settling slightly. “I’ll continue pretending to know nothing of your abilities and deny the fact that our mating bond continues to strengthen. Like you are. How long are you going to hide from the truth, Nina?”

Nina’s escalating ire manifested physically, prickling along her skin in visible static. Unfortunately, it was a testament to her degrading ability to restrain the supernatural gifts that lived within her.

“You have no right to be here,” she growled, the static dissipating as she forced it back under control. “No one asked you to come.”

“And if I hadn’t, you’d be dead!” Zeke’s fear surged back to the surface. “If I’d elected to remain in my territory, five hundred clanless Raeths would be planning your burial ceremony, and your fledglings would be mourning the loss of their sire! When you were dead out on that terrace, life stopped for me, for your brothers, for your friends—you were gone, Nina. You were surrounded by the people who loved you most and even then, we almost couldn’t save you! Your heart wasn’t beating, your bonds had vanished, and I—”

Overcome, the words strangled in his throat. He wasn’t able to vocalize how much he’d been affected by her loss, not yet understanding the depth of the pain that continued to live within him.

The truth of it hit home, setting Nina back against the headboard. Her lips parted in response to his raised voice, the momentary loss of control that’d mirrored hers.

For the first time he could remember, Nina looked lost. Despair shadowed her features as she frowned. The otherworldly blue of her eyes was hidden behind a wall of glassiness, rapid blinks hiding her vulnerability. Her shoulders were hunched forward, almost as if she were collapsing in on herself.

What nearly sent him over the edge was the hint of a quiver in her lower lip.

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