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“I should’ve been able to find you. I should’ve. The way my power works…the secrets I hear—the voices that tell me what I need to know—they were ominously quiet.”

Secrets? Voices?

He reaches for my hand before pressing the back of it to his mouth. I feel the slightest tremor in his touch, like the memory is still visceral to him.

“What about our bond?” I ask. “Couldn’t you have found me through it?”

I’ve heard tales of soul mates tracking each other down, their bond like a compass directing them to the location of their mate.

Des tears his gaze from the horizon. “There is something about our bond that I haven’t admitted to you…”

I don’t know how a single sentence can fill me with such foreboding, but this one does. My gut squeezes.

“What is it?” I can barely force the words out.

“Cherub, our bond…has issues.”

Chapter 31

When I find Temper back in her room, she’s picking out what to wear. Today, the braids in her hair are woven through with crystals and spirals of gold thread.

“What’s up?” she says after I plop onto her bed.

I watch her change, propping my head on my hands. “Nothing…”

Everything.

“Not going to lie, these fae outfits are cute as hell,” she says, tossing one next to me.

I make a noncommittal response.

Why did I come here? Temper is practically humming under her breath. Clearly, things between her and Malaki are going well. She’s a sorceress in lust, which means she’s in no mood for a sad story.

“What is it?” she asks as she begins undressing.

“Nothing.”

Temper snorts. “Callie, we’ve been friends for nearly a decade. Stop beating off the bush—”

I wince. “Around, Temper. Beatingaroundthe bush.”

She turns to me. “I know. I’m just not going to miss an opportunity to saybeat offwhen it presents itself. Now spit out whatever’s on your mind.”

“Des and I aren’t officially soul mates.” It comes out as a whisper.

She pauses in the middle of changing. “What do you mean?”

I grab the bra from the pile of clothes next to me and throw it at her. Distractedly, she begins to put it on.

I can hear Des’s words up in that treetop.Cherub, our bond…has issues.

“When I was Karnon’s prisoner, Des couldn’t find me because even though we’re technically mates…our magic is incompatible.”

“Incompatible?” Temper says, looking bewildered. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. How can it be incompatible?”

“I’m a human. He’s a fairy. Our magic comes from different worlds.” It’s the same reason why my glamour doesn’t work on the fae and why Karnon’s dark power never worked on me.

It’s not like human and fae magic is completely incompatible—Des can obviously use his own powers on me—but when it comes to the melding of our two essences…our bond is imperfect.