Page 26 of Blood Bonds

But Talon needed to know, so after excusing myself, I stood and made my way to the front of the coffee shop. I exited and positioned myself so as I could keep my eye on her through the window. For I would not let her out of my sight for a second. Not now we had found her again.

“Who are you speaking to?” my brother demanded, his mood the sourest I had experienced in years and, again, I found myself grinning. The once foreign expression was quickly starting to feel familiar.

The sadistic part of me contemplated making him suffer for a little longer but, in the end, I decided to ease his torment.

“Someone you will be happy to hear does indeed smell of peaches.” Silence on the end of the call ensued after a hiss of disbelief.

“Tell me you do not jest? For I know you are a cruel bastard but surely you love me as a brother more than the desire to inflict sure torture.”

I grinned again.

“I do not jest.”

“How… when… what the fuck, Brother?!” I laughed at that, and heard him mutter,

“And now he fucking laughs, Hell certainly did freeze over whilst I was locked away in this fucking surveillance room.” His complaint only had me smiling more.

“I had just caught our rogue and finished my meal, when our little firefly ran right into me.”

“Firefly?” he questioned.

“Her hair was glowing a reddish blonde under the light when I found her.”

“Cute,” he mused, and oh how quickly we had changed, for neither of us ever found anything fucking cute before in our dark lives.

“She is indeed,” I unashamedly agreed.

“I told you. Fuck, tell me where you are so I can come down there and bask in this discovery as well.” This was when my body tensed because I knew he was not going to like this part.

“I can’t do that, Tal,” I stated firmly, my body tense and ready for the outburst.

“Why the fuck not?!” he barked, making me close my eyes in frustration.

“Because she is terrified of you,” I reminded him.

“And she isn’t of you?” he asked incredulously.

“No, our meeting happened seconds after I had left the body out of sight, and seconds before I ended up saving her from being mugged at gun point,” I informed him making him growl.

“What the fuck?! Was she harmed? Is she alright?” His panic spoke volumes.

“Yes, for naturally, I took care of the situation,” I said, my tone saying it all… my actions should have been fucking obvious. As if I would have let anything happen to our girl.

“I hoped you drained the fucker dry,” Tal snarled.

“I was a little busy trying not to give the girl another excuse to run from us,” I pointed out sardonically.

“Ouch, fucking gut me, why don’t you?”

I shrugged my shoulders out of habit.

“Well, I wasn’t about to waste the opportunity when it presented itself,” I told him, knowing I was only feeding the bitterness he would feel.

“Great, so I get to be the villain she is terrified of, and you get to play the fucking hero… where are you now? Showing her your white horse?” I couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“No, we are having coffee, which you are interrupting, I might add.” I could practically see him grinding his teeth after I said this.

“Asshole. Fine, make her fall in love with you, but you know as well as I do that at some point she will figure out the truth. You cannot keep her from me.”

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