These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows, #2)(34)

“But you hate our kind.”

I lift my chin. “I will never be like her. So bigoted and self-righteous that I think my life is more important than thousands of lives. That the children are fae is irrelevant. They are children, and she is a monster.”

He swallows, and the echo of his heartache rolls through me as he says, “Can you blame me for loving you so desperately?”

I stiffen my spine. “So tomorrow I help?”

“Do you want to risk the children like that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t spoken to my mother since before we were bonded, Brie. I don’t know what she’s doing, what she knows or what she has planned.”

“Why won’t she meet with you?”

His jaw twitches, and he directs his hard gaze at the wall when he says, “Secrets? Scheming? I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s not good. I’m worried about what’s to come.”

“You should be. Your mother cannot be trusted.”

“I already knew that, but with so many unknowns, I worry about what she might do if she caught you in her lands. She wouldn’t hesitate to take out an entire camp of refugees to get to your power.”

I was prepared to fight for this, but his point makes me pause. Why attempt a rescue if my presence risks their lives? “If I let you do this without me, do you promise to return them home?”

His shoulders sag and his relief slides over me like cool water. “Trust me with this, and I will take you to see the children myself when they’re returned to the shadow court where they belong. I promise.”

Releasing a breath, I nod. “I’ll hold you to that, but work quickly. And whatever you do, Bash, don’t let her convince you to look the other way.”

He shakes his head. “You have my word.”

“Thank you.” I step forward, closing the distance between us, and reach up to slide my fingers into the hair at the base of his neck. The strip of leather tying it back falls to the ground, and his breath catches.

Sebastian’s gaze drops to my mouth. “Abriella,” he murmurs, lowering his mouth to mine.

In a move so swift he doesn’t see it coming, I use my knife to slice off a lock of his white-blond hair, then back away before his mouth can touch mine.

Sebastian blinks, then narrows his eyes at the lock of hair in my fist. “What’s that for?”

“It’s fare for my transport back to Castle Craige.”

His eyes go wide, but before he can respond, I’ve snapped another thread on my bracelet and handed the lock of hair to Bakken.

“Abriella,” Sebastian calls, but we’re already gone.





Chapter Nine

“You’re sure there’s nothing else I can do for you?” Holly asks, refilling my coffee cup for the second time. I should really make her stop that. I’ll be jittery the rest of the day. But better jittery than dead on my feet, I suppose.

I was a mess when Bakken dropped me in my room last night, but I made myself get into bed, and despite my thoughts going in a hundred different directions, I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. I didn’t wake until this morning, when a rush of anger and betrayal hit me so intensely, I launched myself out of bed, prepared to fight. Only to realize that I was feeling Sebastian’s emotions and not my own.

There’s a soft knock at the door, and Holly rushes to answer it before I can stand up from the little table where she served me my breakfast.

“Your Majesty,” she says, dipping into a low curtsy. “Good morning. What can I do for you?”

“Good morning, Holly,” Misha says, nodding his head in greeting. He’s dressed in leather pants and a loose white tunic, a single sword strapped across his back. Storm is perched on his shoulder.

“I’m just here to speak with Abriella a moment. Would you give us some privacy, please?”

Another curtsy. “Of course, Your Majesty. I’ll be in the hall if you need anything.”

“Thank you.” He watches her go, then softly shuts the door behind her before turning to me. “Did you sleep well?” he asks.

“Like a rock.” I allow myself one more sip of coffee before pushing it away. “You said that after I rested, you could teach me to block.”

Misha nods. “You’re sure you have the strength for this?”

“I’d like to find out.”

“It’s difficult, and of course, in the purest execution of the bond, you’d never want to block it.”

“Never?” I ask. It’s so hard to imagine wanting to be aware of what someone else feels at all times. More often than not, I want to hide my emotions, not advertise them.

Misha shrugs. “It’s a soul-deep, lifelong connection. Forever and always is the point. In fact, there are some couples for whom the connection of the bond isn’t enough.”

“What more do they want?” I don’t try to hide the horror in my voice.

“They want forever. They want the promise that the bond can never be undone and they’ll never have to live without each other. These couples travel to the River of Ice beneath the Goblin Mountains and swim in the waters, tying their lives together for eternity.”

“But why?”

Misha scoffs. “No one can accuse you of being a romantic.”