Page 126 of Tethered Souls
“Is he okay?” Leno asks, his voice raw. Despite knowing she wouldn’t have come over here if he wasn’t, he needs to hear her answer.
A part of me does too.
She nods. “You okay with taking over from here, Leno?”
He climbs to his feet. “Yeah. Yeah, of course.”
As he heads for the counter, Krypto trotting after him, I take out my phone to text Rudy the news, knowing his guilt is killing him.
Rudy:I’m glad. Thanks for letting me know.
As I put my phone away, Mother says, “Antonio couldn’t have eaten Cid or the others Khalid killed yet. He needs time to purge that magic from their bodies.”
“Then how is he that strong?” Ezriel wonders.
“Maybe he grew his pack over the years, and he has just started culling them off?” Enoch suggests.
It’s possible, but it doesn’t feel right.
Nothing about this damn thing feels right.
Exhaustion hitting me full force, I rub a hand over my face. “Well, whatever he’s done,” I say, searching for the fine silver lining, “he hasn’t shared it with the rest of his pack yet, so we need to kill them all before he does.” Otherwise, he won’t even need any hybrids. If he can get the rest of his pack on his level? He’ll be able to kill us all himself.
“Maddox ain’t going to be happy if that includes Zita.”
“Then he can start a blood bond with her,” Enoch jokes, “and apologize to her in the next life.”
His twin laughs, but my heart skips a beat.
A blood bond is forever.
Regardless of how much you hurt each other in a past life.
Regardless of how much you might hate each other after paying the price of the bond.
It cannot be broken.
I could have Micha without betraying my brothers.
Even if she steals the ledger…
Even if she betrays us in this life…
We could start over in the next.
My pulse pounding in my ears, I pull out my phone.
Varius:Come to my room when you’re back. I don’t care about the time.
Pressing send, I head up and wait for my little monster to come home.
Forty-Four
HER
As I drive back home, all I can think about is my list of suspects – the people who would’ve known the house was empty when they texted me:
Khalid. But he has dedicated his entire life to protecting Varius. He can kill him at any moment. He has no reason to be blackmailing me.
