Page 4 of As Darkness Fall
“This should be interesting,” I said darkly. “Please, elaborate. I fried his son half to death without even trying, but I couldn’t have killed Lars? Why not? Give me one good reason.”
“Because of the power you are holding,” Vir said.
“What? What about it?”
I looked at Vir, trying to surmise if he was joking or not, but his too-perfect face could have been carved from granite. He wasn’t joking.
“Yes.” Vir looked down the hallway where Lars had departed, and I got the distinct impression I wasn’t being told everything.
“You sound afraid,” I accused. “I thought you were agod, Vir?”
“I am,” he said, still crouched down next to me amidst the swirl of energy.
Figuring out how to shut that down should probably have been a higher priority, but right then, I waspissedat Vir for intervening, and it simply didn’t matter to me.
“Okay, so can you explain, for us mortal simpletons, why that matters? I had Lars, right there.”
Remembering that brought up a mental image of naked Lars, vulnerable. I could have done without the image.
“No,” Vir replied.
I wanted to punch him in his perfect face. Really hard. But because I’m an adult, I didn’t. I can control my impulses better than that. Sometimes. I had to assume that, as a god, he had a good reason for it.
“What would have happened if I’d hit him with the energy?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Right, but you blocked my attack easily,” I pointed out. “So, you could have just done the same to him, right? If he somehow absorbed the power, if that’s what you’re afraid of. You still should have let me hit him. If you can protect us, then we should have taken the risk that nothing would have happened!”
“This power in the wrong hands, used by someone whotrulywants to do harm, would be another matter entirely.”
I contemplated that. I was fairly certain I’d wanted to hurt Lars. But I understood the point.
Then it hit me. “Wait. So you’re saying by you stopping me from frying Lars, you saved my life?”
Vir nodded. “Yes, that’s what I’m saying.
“Oh,” I squeaked, feeling the truth of his words resonate through the Soulbond. “Um. Thank you?”
“You’re welcome.”
I barely heard him. That warm, golden sensation had reminded me of something. Something I’d been desperately trying to avoid thinking about because it scared the shit out of me.
When Vir had spoken, I’d felt him. I’d felt his desire to protect me. It had pulsed through our Soulbond.
I was Soulbound. To a god.
Gulp.
“Vir?” I said, coming to a decision.
“Yes?” he replied, tilting his head slightly.
I wondered if he knew what was coming.
“Sever it,” I ordered.
Chapter Four
