The Viper's Nest (Kit Davenport #4)(72)

“So, what? You tricked him into a confidentiality agreement for his own good?” I scoffed at this weak and frankly predictable line of reasoning, and Bridget’s dark blue eyes narrowed back at me. I was testing her patience, that much was clear. It made me curious to see who the real Bridget was when her control got snapped.

“Yes. I did.” She tipped her chin up defiantly. “It was for his own good. And yours. That boy needed all the help he could get, and I don’t regret the way I had to go about it.”

“Why you?” I demanded. “Why could you help where no one else could?”

She smiled faintly at me, and I saw a small spark of softness in her eyes as she replied, “One of my mother’s dianoch was a Blood Mage. Before that pathetic heap of shit, Jackson, who was Master Yoshi’s counterpart. I grew up around the Blood magics, so I understand it in a way that very few others can.”

“Okay,” I mused. That made sense, I supposed. “So that explains why you tricked Caleb into the NDA to start with, but not why he kept returning to meet with you. If it were just the confidentiality agreement, I could forgive him. But he made a conscious decision to keep seeing you behind my back. He should have just... I don’t know... found someone else.”

“Like who?” Bridget challenged me. “Jackson made it clear he would offer no assistance. Would you really have wanted Caleb to deal with his cravings alone? Especially with your blood constantly tempting him? Do you think that would have been fair to him?”

My jaw dropped in shock. Was she seriously calling me self-centered for feeling betrayed right now? He’d kept a huge fucking secret from me! One that directly affected me! How was I not allowed to be pissed right off?

“Besides,” Bridget continued, evading my eye contact, “I may have been slipping a little something into his tea to ensure he’d return each night.”

This time when I gasped, it was Nicholai that spoke.

“Bride,” he groaned. “You didn’t. That is low, even for you...”

His choice of words for a woman he was supposedly bonded to for eternity made me do a double take. Even for her?

“I had no choice, Nicky,” she hissed at him defensively. “If he didn’t learn to get control of his magic and not let it control him, then Christina could very well be dead now. And you damn well know it.”

“Ah,” I interrupted. “News flash, Mommy Dearest. I can’t die. Believe me, people have tried.”

Bridget’s glare was withering as she considered me. “Don’t be dense, girl. Everything can die if the right weapon is used. For us, it’s our dianoch. They’re the only things on this planet that can end our lives, just as we can extend theirs.”

Holy shit.

“Wait, so even though we weren’t bonded...” I trailed off, and Bridget rolled her eyes.

“Your heart had chosen him, so even without the bond, he would have had the power to kill you. If he’d gotten a whiff of your magic-soaked blood and not been able to control the magic, he’d have torn you into confetti then licked up the remains.” She shrugged like it was no big deal, but I could feel my face had drained of color.

Until then, I really hadn’t realized how much I was taking my immortality for granted. The idea that my Achilles’ heel had been by my side the entire time was eye-opening.

Not that any of my guys would try to kill me. Even Caleb. I had faith that he could well have learned control on his own, but... Bridget was probably right. Training with her made the whole process a hell of a lot faster and easier for him, and I really would have fucked it up for him had I known.

Shit, maybe I was being a selfish bitch.

“Okay...” I rubbed at my forehead, expecting a headache to hit me from all this truth bomb going on. Except, I couldn’t get headaches. “I think I need some time to process all of this so far.”

“But I’m not nearly finished,” Bridget protested before Nicholai placed a hand on her arm.

“What Bride means, Kit, is that is totally understandable. This has been a lot of new information. For all of us.” The look he shot his Ban Dia said that he wasn’t pleased by some of what he’d heard, either.

“Of course.” Bridget plastered on a fake-as-fuck smile and scrambled around in her purse. “This is where we are staying. I’d love if you might call me when you’ve had time to think this all through. I really want to help you with your magic. When I first bonded my guardians...” She shuddered dramatically. “It’s a rough transition. Isn’t it?”

She glanced at my wrist as I held out my hand to take the card from her, and she made a small sound of surprise.

“Oh, you’re wearing my amulet!” She stared at the little gold chain, and I pulled my hand back to squint at it.

“Uh, yeah.” Frowning, I inspected the bracelet I’d totally forgotten I was wearing, It was certainly helping, which I guessed was its purpose. My magic hadn’t gone screwy once since putting it on, and I’d certainly been worked up enough for it.

Bridget smiled, tucking her bag back over her arm. “I’m glad. I hope it’s helping.” She glanced between Nicholai and I, but when neither of us made any move to leave, she gave another tight smile. “I’ll just... call a cab, shall I?”

“That’d be great.” Her guardian nodded, then watched her walk away before he turned back to me with a stern look on his face.