The Viper's Nest (Kit Davenport #4)(67)

“God damn, stupid, stubborn woman,” Austin snapped, also crouching to look at me when I lay on the carpet and shook.

“C-c-can I t-t-try...” I started to say, but my chattering teeth made me stutter almost uncontrollably. Giving up, I dropped my wall between Austin and I and let him have a whack at sensing what I was trying to get across. Obviously he couldn’t read my mind, but I hoped that a solid mixture of my emotions plus common sense plus those few words would lead him in the right direction.

“The amulet.” Austin held his hand out to Caleb. “She wants to try the spelled amulet.”

“Yeah, of course.” Caleb fumbled in his pockets and handed the gold chain to his brother, “Are you sure?” This question was directed at me, but I was so far beyond being able to nod. Hell, I was barely keeping conscious, let alone sane and coherent.

“She’s sure,” Austin translated for me and deftly clipped the chain around my wrist. “Worst case, she can take it off when her mind is a bit clearer. Right?”

“Right,” Caleb agreed and watched me with concerned, guilt-filled eyes.

Almost instantly after Austin closed the latch on the bracelet, my trembling stopped. The pain and conflict within my body drained out like someone had just pulled the plug on a bath, and I sighed with relief.

“Thank fucking magic,” I groaned, lifting my heavy hands and running them through my hair before sitting up with the twins’ help. “So, I’m pretty sure this amulet is exactly what your mentor said it was.”

“Yeah?” Caleb gusted out a heavy breath that he’d been holding. “You’re... okay?”

Closing my eyes briefly, I took a moment to assess my magic... It was all still there, but this time the four additional flavors were sitting quietly and not fighting one another. It was a shock, for sure, but a good one.

“I’m good,” I confirmed. “Really good. I promise. The second anything starts to feel weird, I will take it straight off, but I have to be honest, it was a damn good thing she gave it to you. That bonding was rough.”

“Fuck, Kitty Kat, I am so so sorry,” Caleb apologized. “I never should have pushed for it so soon; I knew you were having a rough time. I should have waited.”

“It’s fine, Cal. I’m fine. But did it work? Did the NDA break?” I let Austin lift me from the ground and settle me on the couch, even though I really did feel totally fine.

“Let’s see.” Caleb took a deep breath, clearly preparing to say something in direct violation of his confidentiality agreement.

Before any words could come out of his mouth though, there was a sharp knock at the suite door before it burst open, and a huge, cloaked man strode into the room while throwing back his hood.

“Vic?” I exclaimed, seeing the huge, scarred man standing there and glaring death straight at... Caleb? What the hell am I missing here?

“Christina,” he nodded to me. “Came to tell you not to bond with that one.” He stabbed a finger in Caleb’s direction, and I saw my newest bonded guardian drain of color.

“Ah, you’re a bit late to the party, old man,” I scoffed a bit sarcastically. “But maybe you want to explain what in the fuck you’re doing here? Last I saw of you was in Alaska when you shooed me off with your little spell, not even admitting that you’re probably my biological father. Guess you must have just forgotten that part, huh?”

Vic’s jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed on me. “Explanations can wait. Your chosen guardian has been meeting with your Ma, Bride, in secret for weeks.”

I’d always considered the saying “knock me over with a feather” to be stupid, but right then, in that very moment when Vic’s words filtered through to my brain... well, quite simply, if I had been standing, I could have been knocked over with a damn feather.

“What?” I finally exclaimed to a room silent enough to hear a pin drop, “No, that’s... insane. Right?” I turned to the twins, noticing first Austin’s stunned expression and then Caleb’s pale, sick-looking face. “No, surely not. You can’t have been.”

Suddenly all the pieces clicked into place in my brain like some sort of crazy elaborate, mechanical puzzle. The magical NDA, the fact that Caleb’s mentor was stronger than the ruling Mages, the fact that she’d known exactly what to spell the fucking amulet with to help me in a very specific Ban Dia problem.

Holy fucking shit. How dumb can I seriously be?

“Caleb?” I squeaked, desperately praying that he’d tell me it wasn’t true. That he hadn’t been meeting my fucking mother behind my back for going on a month now.

“Kitty Kat,” he started, but the thick layer of guilt in his voice told me everything I needed to know. I sucked in a sharp breath, swallowing past the shock and betrayal.

“I need some air,” I mumbled, pushing myself up from the couch and stumbling toward the door.

“Kitty Kat,” Caleb yelled from behind me, “stay and let me explain! This is what I wanted to tell you myself; this is why I needed to break the clause!”

“Christina,” Austin barked. “Where are you going?”

“Out,” I replied to Aus and totally ignored his brother. “I need air. Space. Just... don’t follow me.”

Grabbing my leather jacket from near the door, I rushed out of the suite and slammed the door behind me. I was no idiot; of course one of them would follow me, but I just hoped they’d be smart enough to stay out of sight until I calmed down. If I ever calmed down.