Page 19 of Dead to Rights
Noah kicked him under the table. “Shut up.”
His brother glared at him as he reached down to rub his shin, but for once in his life, he didn’t argue.
“Okay,” Noah said, directing his attention back to Rebes. “That sounds like the yes part. What’s the rest of it?”
The god sighed as if he found him quite slow. “It is not absolute. If a fledgling has strong convictions, his sire’s will does not override that. Obedience is not compulsory.” He reached for the chipped mug in front of him on the table, then seemed to think better of it, and refolded his hands into his lap. “For your mate, this is all rather moot, though.”
Noah perked up at that last part. Resting his arms atop the table, he leaned toward the god, ignoring the way the entire structure tilted beneath his weight.
“Why is that?”
“At death, the bond is severed.” Rebes shrugged, the move somehow elegant in its casualness. “As both your vampire and his sire are no longer living, no connection exists beyond maybe basic recognition.”
“Yeah, well, tell her that,” Keegan muttered, his gaze flickering to Karleigh again. “I don’t think she got the memo.”
Despite the distance and the drone of conversation that separated them, Karleigh remained fixated, her body language suggesting she had been hanging on very word. Judging by the way her upper lip curled over her fangs, she didn’t like what she’d heard either.
“Yes, I see what you mean.” Rebes tilted his head, studying her with a thoughtful expression. “There is a darkness in her.”
“Do you think it’s because she was turned?”
“I think not,” the god responded after a moment. “It runs too deep for that, but her transition would have made it harder to control those impulses.”
“She’s just in love with Finn.” Keegan snorted. “That doesn’t sound so dark. Just clingy.”
“She killed him,” Noah pointed out. “Twice.”
His brother ducked his head but not before he caught the wince. “Yeah, okay. That’s pretty dark.”
“Love is not the same as obsession,” Rebes added. “I do not think her capable of love. Rather, she wants to possess him.”
“And that makes her dangerous,” Noah guessed.
“Very.”
“Okay, so what do we do about it?”
“That—” The god pushed to his feet and smoothed a hand down the front of his white top. “—is not my problem.”
Then he vanished, disappearing as though he had never existed.
“You have weird friends.” Shaking his head, Keegan pushed away from the table and stood. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“Yeah, okay.” While he didn’t have all the answers, he had gotten the information he’d come for. “Let’s go.”
Outside, they turned onto the cobblestone street, following the familiar route through town that led to the castle.
“I just wish I knew what to do about her.” Noah shoved his hands into his pockets and rounded his shoulders against the biting cold. After centuries in the Underworld, he should have been used to it, but it never really got easier. “I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of eternity, you know?”
“Have you thought about crossing the river?”
Keegan’s tone lacked its usual bravado, and the words held a gravity that made even the air around them feel heavy. This hadn’t been a random thought conjured in the moment. He had given this serious consideration.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Finn—”
