Page 41 of Jagged Souls
To curse her out.
To release this utter need for violence.
But none of that will change the fact that she’s right.
I’m only going to have one chance to save Micha.
One.
If I fuck it up, I will lose her forever.
Antonio will find out we’re bonded, and he’ll kill her as a loose end. Can’t have me knowing exactly where he is.
Unless... I make it look like I found her through good old police work.
Pushing as much hope and love as I can down my bond to Micha, I give a small nod. I won’t let my emotions get my wife killed. Mother looks at Krypto, and the grass falls off me.
Maddox tries to hug-tackle me, but I shove him back. I glance away from him as my breath catches in a hard lump at my throat. My heart pounds so hard, it’s all I can hear. I tremble as I build up the courage to look down at the little girl he would’ve squished in his hug.
“He killed her,” I say, swallowing hard to push out the words. I want them to know that when I go for Antonio, it won’t just be to save my wife. It’ll be to kill the fucker with the same amount of mercy as he showed our daughter.
“Who?” Ez asks, but Maddox elbows him in the stomach, and his face instantly pales as it registers. “Shit… Varius…”
I ignore him as I take off my shirt. Slowly. Carefully.
Trying my best not to desecrate her body even further.
My eyes burn as I stare at the dark-red splodge lying on the cotton. She’s surrounded by the blood of all those I have fed on, but none of it touches her.
In that way at least, I protected her.
A poor fucking solace.
Rage pulses through my veins, helping me to focus past the pain.
“This is all he left me of her,” I say as I lift my gaze to my four brothers and Mother. Aleric stands stiffly beside them. He knows he’s my father, knows this is his granddaughter he never got to meet.
She was our little girl.
Our firstborn.
Murdered at eighteen weeks.
We never even settled on a name for her. Micha wanted to call her Bambi. I offered up Rafiki as a joke.
A joke…
I made a fucking joke because I thought we would have time to come up with something that fit her perfectly.
My eyes land on Maddox – cold and dangerous.
He stiffens, knowing what I’m going to say.
But I don’t give a shit about his silent protest.
He hasn’t claimed her.
He hasn’t blood bonded with her.
