Page 26 of Forging Bonds: Part One

Ty smiles as we all walk in, "Hey guys."

"Hey, Ty," Van replies.

Everyone takes seats, but before I take mine, I unzip my pocket and pull out the flash drive, handing it to Ty. He immediately puts it into his computer.

While he waits for it to load, he says, "We'll get this out of the way first. I just need to check that we have all the information that we need in order to start the search for him and bring him in. In theory, it shouldn't take too long to locate him as he doesn't shy away from the world since he is so sure that he can't be brought in. However, we have got word that he's in a country that doesn't allow extradition, so we're going to have to wait until he comes back. We don't want to risk tipping him off that we're looking for him and have him stay there."

I nod, "That's a good idea. I also think that it would be a good idea to make sure that the team that is involved in bringing him in are the only ones, other than you, who are aware that it's going to happen. I know that it is very unlikely that you have any of his spies in your ranks, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Especially where Dimitri is concerned."

Ty nods, "I couldn't agree more. His constant avoidance of the law is proof of that." He pauses and studies me closely, "Are you sure that you want to be involved in his capture?"

For the first time, I genuinely think about going to get Dimitri. I think about the emotional turmoil that it's going to have and how vicious he will be once he realizes that I am the one who helped to capture him, and it makes me ask why?

Why am I willingly offering to put myself in the position where I'm going to be verbally attacked, possibly physically attacked, by someone who I once thought of as mine and who once treated me with such kindness, and yeah, love that he would have cut the throat of anyone who dared speak to me the way that he does now.

Tears prick my eyes. I'm not okay. I don't think I will ever be okay.

The sudden switch made me, and actually still makes me question if anything that we were was real. Then I remember the way he cradled me in his arms, protecting me as I desperately tried to hold onto consciousness, the deep wound in my stomach threatening to take me to the Darkness as pain tore at me. He got struck many times, getting injuries that should have made him falter, and at the very least, should have made him put me down, but he didn't, not once. I had no idea that he was injured until we got to safety.

It wasn't until we got to safety and back- up, not until he saw that I was being cared for and that I was going to be okay, that he gently kissed me and then collapsed.

He nearly died for me. No, there's no fucking sugar-coating it, there's no nearly about it; he did fucking die for me. It took strong as fuck magic to bring him back, and it is only because of the kind of supernatural that he is that he was able to be brought back at all.

My mind tries to wander to what happened to me in those moments that felt like hours. I refused to leave him, neither did Coen or Kar, and looking back, I would swear that what I now recognize as my magic stirred and did something. I don't know what, and I can't be sure that I'm right, but it's a thought that makes me shy away from the memory even more. Not because it was bad but because it was once one of my most favorite memories, and now all it does is cause me pain.

It's because of those moments that a part of me refuses to let him go. I don't think it ever will.

I realize that it's been a while since Ty asked me the question, and all of the guys are looking at me with a mixture of understanding, sadness, and anger, too.

I shake my head and answer honestly, "I don't think it's a good idea."

Ty nods and doesn't say anything else as his eyes go back to the screen. River reaches across from his seat beside me and takes my hand in his,squeezing it gently and rubbing soothing circles on the back of it. It's strange how soothing it is, and more than that, how my raging emotions are instantly calm. I have to admit, at least to myself, that I fight the urge to crawl into his lap. That wouldn't exactly be professional, and considering we're currently sitting in our boss's office, it's probably not a good idea.

"Would you still like to be informed when it is happening, or would you like to be kept out of it completely?" Ty asks me, his eyes on the screen as he taps away.

I get the sense that he's doing it deliberately to give me time to think. He is a thousand times better than my boss at HID.

"Can I be told when he's in the supernatural prison, please?" I ask, and he nods so I can continue, "If you have trouble locating him for whatever reason, then let me know. I'm sure I could probably help out. I was with him for a long time, and I learned his habits and movements pretty well."

"Are you sure?" Ty asks.

I nod, "Yeah. I would rather not be involved, but it's more important that he is caught and brought in, so yeah, call me if you need assistance."

"Got it. Hopefully, it won't come to that," Ty says. He finally looks up and smiles, "There is more than enough evidence here for us to bring him in. You have been extremely thorough and left nothing to chance."

I nod, "I knew that I needed to make sure that I had enough. I knew that if I didn't get enough and he slipped through the cracks again, then he would absolutely know that I was the one who gave them the information, and he would kill me. Fortunately for me, even though it didn't work and HID didn't do what they were supposed to do with the flash drive, they did decide to employ me, which kept me safe from Dimitri."

"He really left you alone just because you were with HID?" Ransom asks, doubt in his voice.

I nod and shrug, "Even he won't risk a full war with the humans."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Ransom replies, although he still seems to be a bit unsure.

Chapter Nine

Neith

"Ilooked into it when Neith mentioned that she had handed it to HID," Ty starts, distracting me from Ransom.

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