Page 3 of Crimson Bond

Imogen sat at an antique vanity table, brushing her hair. She wore a deep red silk dressing gown loosely tied at the waist so it gaped open at the top to expose her cleavage.

Seeing me in the mirror, she turned slowly to face me. A smile spread across her red lips.

“It’s a good thing you’re my favorite. Anyone else who entered my chambers without permission would find himself lacking a head.”

I bowed stiffly, struggling to contain my impatience. “Forgive me, my queen. I was told you needed to see me immediately on a matter of great importance. I was in a hurry.”

Her smile widened. “Yes, and I knowwhyyou’re in such a hurry. Your eagerness to obey me has nothing to do with it. Never fear, your friend Kannon is taking care of the situation at the checkpoint. He’s transporting the girl here.”

“Where? To the medical clinic?”

I prepared to turn and run toward the place I’d spent so much time when I’d first arrived at the Bastion, whenIwas the one in bad shape and Abbi had savedmylife.

Imogen’s pleasant smile turned savage. “I will make sure you’re informed of her whereabouts—afteryou’ve done what I require of you.”

Oh God no. Not now.

Noteverwould be preferable, but honestly, Imogen couldn’t expect me to “serve” her at a moment like this, could she?

She’d never summoned me to her chambers for that reason, but I knew from the other guys what happened in this room. It would besolike her to claim her rights with me when Abbi was on her way back to the Bastion. When my heart was so close to returning to my chest.

Frankly, she was going to be disappointed. There was no way I’d be able to summon the necessary “enthusiasm” to get the job done.

Imogen laughed. It was not a jovial sound. “You should see your face. Whatcanyou be thinking? Perhaps it’s a good thing I don’t share my sister’s gift of intuition. I doubt I’d like what I’d see in your head right now.”

She stood and moved away from the vanity table toward her enormous walk-in closet.

“As for what I require of you... I need you to go to the armory and count the weapons for me.”

I didn’t follow her, frozen in place by shock. “Count the weapons?”

Was she joking? Abbi was out there hurt, possibly dying, and she was assigning me a task that could easily have been performed by the most junior member of our ranks.

Her voice from inside the closet sounded blasé. “Yes, the daggers and swords and various types of guns. Armor too. I want to know how much we have of each sort and what kind of condition it’s in.”

Frustration and impatience simmered in my veins, raising them precariously close to the surface. This was the definition of busywork. I went to the closet door but didn’t enter, summoning all my reserves of self-discipline to keep my tone measured and respectful.

“My queen, I can assign someone to—”

Imogen whirled to face me, her acidic tone cutting me off sharply. “I don’t wantsomeone. I wantyou.You’re the only one I trust to give me an accurate count.”

She turned back to browsing through a rack of hanging dresses, all black. “When you are finished with that,thenyou may find Kannon and inquire about your childhood sweetheart’s condition—assuming she lives long enough to even reach our sanctuary.”

Glancing back over her shoulder, she gave me a cheeky grin then dropped the dressing gown. “I hope she does. I haveplansfor her. It would be such a shame if she died prematurely. You are dismissed.”

Seething and gritting my teeth, I bit out, “Yes, my queen,” turned, and left her chambers.

My bond of fealty to her had chafed since the moment I’d accepted it—but never so much as in this moment. Now it felt like a chain of molten silver was wrapped around my neck, scorching and choking me as I walked toward the armory.

It was nearly impossible to keep my attention trained on the task. On the other hand, I needed to finish it as quickly as possible so I could respond when Kannon radioed that he’d arrived with Abbi.

Hewouldinform me, wouldn’t he?Of course he will. He had to know I’d be... interested.

When the call came over my walkie, Kannon didn’t address me by name, but his announcement grabbed every ounce of my attention. There was no one in this place—or anywhere in the world for that matter—who cared more about what he had to say in this moment.

“I’m in house—on my way to the clinic,” he said. “If anyone’s near there, let Dr. Coppa know we’re gonna need a lot of O-neg blood. I’ve got a gunshot victim here who’s about to bleed out.”

A sword of icy fear gutted my mid-section. The physical one I was holding dropped to the floor with a clatter, and I took off in a full sprint down the west corridor toward the cavern that housed the medical center.

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