Page 148 of This Blood that Bonds Us
It was part of the plan. It was fine.
“What do you want with me?”
“So many things. You see . . . you’re quite the pest. We didn’t squash you soon enough, and you’ve turned into a full infestation.” Her gown trailed behind Her, and She closed the distance between us. “Infestations must be dealt with accordingly.”
I flinched as She reached for my cheek, and the world fell away.
Let’s see who Kimberly Burns really is.
Panic burst through my chest. I couldn’t feel my hands or my feet. It was just me and Her in my head.
Focus. Show me. Now.
Before I could protest, my memory fluttered by. I was back in foster care, sitting alone on my bed looking out the window. Crying. Sobbing into my hands.
My head pulsed like it was being sawed in half. Flashes of light and images pushed me along in the vast expanse of my mind. She was raking her nails through my childhood. That’s what it felt like. Her fingers scratched at the back of my skull and pulledup every memory in Her wake. Excruciating. Unbearable. It had to stop.
“Stop.” I barely managed the words.
The world returned, and I crumpled up on the floor, and my face was wet.
She laughed. “You’ve always been so painfully alone. Longing for bonds . . . It must be terrible knowing you have nothing now.”
Her palm rested on my cheek delicately, and She dug her long nails into my face. The blood trickled down my cheek, and I licked it from my lip.
“I’m going to love combing through every single one of your sad little memories. We can have so much fun together.”
Ezra interjected. “My queen . . . if I may.”
“Yes, you may speak.”
“It will not be wise to torture her now, and killing her isn’t favorable.”
“Ezra,” Sirius growled a warning.
“The Legion is nearly at our door. This girl is important to the Calems. Doing anything to interfere with their emotional state at such a vulnerable impasse is ill-advised.”
“Ill-advised. You baby them. She is too dangerous to keep alive,” Sirius said.
“I’m aware of all the possibilities.” She leaned into my ear. “That’s the only reason I don’t have your pretty little heart in my hands right now.”
I swallowed.
“What’s this?”
Her attention turned to the ring on my hand. Cold fingers wrapped around my hand and yanked the ring off without mercy.
Her eyes darkened as She examined it in the light from the glass ceiling. “He gave this to you?”
“We’re married.”
“So you are.” Her fingers brushed the gold band. “Such a small delicate little thing.”
Without another word, She pushed my ring onto Her finger.
“Fits perfectly. I’ll hold on to it for you. You won’t be needing it anymore.”
Warmth pooled in my cheeks, and my eyes stung. My stomach burned with anger. This was just another one of Her tactics for getting into my head.
