Page 242 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

“Can you not block the bond with mental shields?” Razik asked, watching her with familiar eyes.

“Ican,” she answered. “To protect myself from those who would harm a Lord’s Source, but that does not block the ability to feel one’s physical presence.”

The male rubbed at his chin. “I see.”

“Where did Scarlett find such a Mark?” Tristyn asked. Then he added, “Corbin, can I see that tablet I gave you?”

The Fae handed over the tech, Tristyn unlocking it before tapping numerous things on the screen.

“She has a book,” Eliza answered. “A spellbook.”

Tristyn looked up. “Where’d she get that?”

“She stole it.”

“From a Witch?” he demanded. “They kill for such a slight.”

“It’s not a Witch that will ever kill that female,” Razik grumbled, stepping back a step before Eliza could elbow him again.

“She stole it from a being imprisoned in our land,” Eliza supplied. “The point is, it can be done.”

“But not to the same capacity,” Razik argued.

She rounded on him, fire sparking in her eyes. A fire Fae then. Even more interesting.

“Are you suggesting that we leave an innocent Fae locked in bands that suppress her magic and keep her bound in some sadistic mockery of a bond she was forced into?” Eliza demanded. “She should have a choice. She had a curse forced on her, and she should have a fucking choice, Razik.”

Something pained crossed the male’s face, and Eviana watched him pull her into his chest. “This is not the same thing,mai dragocen,” he murmured into her hair.

“Isn’t it?” she demanded. “Not the same outcome, but still something forced on her. Something that took a choice away from her.”

Her head cocked to the side as she took in the exchange. She had seen several Source bonds over her years, and none of them looked like that. Surely she chose her bond with Razik, but she wasn’t wrong with the way she spoke either. She was still trying to work out where they came from that a Legacy and Fae were together so freely. Or maybe they weren’t so free? And that was why everything about them was so secretive?

Either way, none of it mattered. If the bond could truly be blocked, it would make her tasks insurmountably easier. No incessant voice in her head. No dealing with his emotions. No way for him to track her down.

She remained quiet while Razik continued to console Eliza. Lange had plopped down on the sofa, and Corbin was hovering over Tristyn’s shoulder, watching him work on the tablet.

“Why not use the other code?” Corbin asked.

“Because that one leaves a trace,” Tristyn answered. “When you add these extra digits and symbols, it scrambles everything further. It becomes untraceable.”

“Nothing is untraceable,” Corbin argued.

“It is when we can shift the energy and power,” Tristyn said. “Watch.”

Seconds later, Corbin’s hazel eyes lit up with excitement. “That’s amazing. You can access anything from anywhere.”

Tristyn nodded. “It takes longer with certain devices, but it’s why I gave you one of my own. I can navigate it faster.”

Fingers swiping quickly, he flipped the tablet over, showing the screen to Eliza and Razik. “You’re talking about this Mark, right?”

Extricating herself from Razik’s arms, Eliza peered at the screen. “Is that a spellbook inside there?”

Tristyn chuckled. “No. I do not keep a spellbook in here, but I do have a database of Marks and such.”

Eliza studied the image for a moment longer before saying, “I never got a good look at Scarlett’s Mark. It was…a complicated situation.”

“Her bond obviously isn’t still blocked,” Tristyn mused, flipping the screen back to him and studying the Mark more. “What was the cost?”

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