Page 68 of Forging Bonds: Part One

“That’s not good. Even if she is a supe, she’s not a very strong one and was able to pass as fucking human. She’s going to die. For fucking certain this time,” Kar replies angry for her.

I nod, “The Choosing is brutal, and she shouldn’t be a part of it.”

“Agreed. What’s the plan?”

“I’m going to kill the team that called for the Choosing,” my smile is sharp. “No team, no Choosing.”

Kar’s smile is as dark as mine, “One second.” He pulls out his phone and starts tapping away. It only takes him a few moments, and he looks up. “The team that called it is called the Draconian Team. Neith is actually with Evander’s team, and by all appearances, is happy there.”

“Of course she is. Evander is extremely important to her,” I reply with a smile.

“Get this,” Kar says, his smile falling. “Coen is on the Draconian Team. Apparently, he can’t fly or shift.”

I shake my head, “That’s not right. Not only would Coen never put Neith in danger, he loves her as much as I do, but he’s incredibly strong, and shifted early, there’s no way that he can’t shift. There’s something going on there. I would be willing to bet that it has something to do with the Draconian Team. Who is the leader?”

All confusion clears from Kar’s face as he replies, “It’s fucking Kylen. Coen told us he had it out for his team at the academy. It’s about the only thing that he did fucking tell us. We don’t even know who Coen’s actual team were, but it obviously wasn’t Kylen’s.”

“Definitely not. Coen liked to keep everything separate. It speaks of his hatred that he told us about Kylen,” I reply.

“Exactly,” Kar agrees. “So it’s incredibly unlikely that he’s willingly on his team. I know we haven’t seen him for years, but he wouldn’t put Neith in danger.”

“No, he wouldn’t. Something is definitely wrong,” I reply with a frown.

“Agreed,” Kar says. He puts his phone back in his pocket, “Well, it won’t be a problem for much longer. We’ll kill the team and question Coen. If they are controlling him somehow, like you’re being controlled, then hopefully that will end when the rest of the team dies.”

I nod, and pull out my own phone, “I’ve got the jet meeting us at the hangar, we need to go now.”

∞∞∞

Somehow, I managed to stay completely in control on the flight back home, but as soon as we land, I know that something is wrong.

“Kar, you need to split up from me. Something's going to happen,” I warn him.

He doesn’t question me. He just nods and disappears. Blending into the crowd. I walk for ten more minutes, and I’m nearly at the gate when I suddenly find myself surrounded by SID agents.

I fight.

Not because I don’t want to be taken in, but because I can’t be taken in, not right now, Neith isn’t fucking safe.

I have to keep her safe.

Casimir’s gaze locks with mine in the fleeing crowd, he grins, lifts his fingers, and flicks something at me. I don’t move quickly enough, and the tiny dart pierces the skin at my throat, and I feel the hold, the control, take over my mind again.

Fuck.

Kar

Casimir is here, and he shot something at Dimitri. I fucking saw it, and I would bet my left nut that it was the serum that has been keeping Dimitri under his control. The good news is that he’s been taken in by SID, which should give him enough time to attack it and get rid of it again. I saw all of this in a passing glance as I jogged by with the other fleeing people, trying to look like I was terrified. I know better than to stop and help. It would just end up with me being arrested too and Neith is in danger.

I know Dimitri, this Dimitri anyway, and he would kill me if I tried to help him. I need to find Neith. I need to tell her about Dimitri, and I need to try to stop this team just like Dimitri and I had planned. It gets a bit more complicated without him, but I’m sure her team doesn’t want her to go into it; maybe they’ll help.

Shit, they’re on the other side of the law, so maybe not. I need to get to the Draconian Team and take them out before she gets pulled into the pocket realm where the Choosing is held. I won’t be able to follow her there. As I step out of the airport, I realize that the fucking pilot set us up, and instead of being at the airport closest to SID, I’m on the other side of the fucking country.

My hope of getting to the team before the Choosing is fading quickly, but Neith is my little sister in every meaning of the word apart from blood, and I will not allow her to go through something that is more than likely going to kill her. Even if she is apparently a supernatural. Which, to be honest, blows my fucking mind and makes me incredibly fucking happy at the same time.

My phone pings with a notification. They’ve been pulled into the Choosing already. How? Why? Usually, it takes a week or more between the announcement and the teams being pulled in.

Dimitri is going to be pissed as fuck.

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