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“Well fuck, you listen to him and notme?”What a bitch.

Two male voices begin laughing, and it’s so synchronized it reminds me of Ben’s dual tone.

I lean back and open my eyes. Ben is settled in his seat with his eyes closed as if he’s taking a nap. He’s crooning under his breath like he did back in the Bowels, which further relaxes me.

I try to brush off all the nonsense words in my head. A look around me tells me we’ve stopped in a park, and Mal stands outside the driver’s side door, looking in with concern.

I look over at Mitri, and he stares right back at me with narrowed eyes.

“What is happening? I need someone to explainrightnow,” I demand. I’m inside a car with the only two people willing to explain anything to me.

“What’s going on?” Ben asks and opens his eyes to focus on me.

“Something inside of her created a bond between us,” Mitri explains calmly. If I’m not mistaken, he sounds slightly smug or pleased, which makes no sense.

Ben releases a deep breath and says, “That’s all? Sparky has a mind of its own. I’m not surprised.”

“Excuse me?” I shriek in his face and instantly feel bad as he winces. “Sorry.”

“You’re close to him,” he gestures between Mitri and me. “You trust him, at least a little. If you didn’t, he wouldn’t be in this car. You would have knocked him out in the driveway or turned him into putty, not sit next to him or harass him.”

I’m following what he’s saying but disagreeing at the same time. I’m not supposed to build any kind of attachments. Rule three. I guess the spark didn’t get the memo.

Peacemaker:“What memo?”

I won’t haveanysecrets now. How can I hide like this?

Ben continues speaking when I don’t respond, smoothing his hands up and down my back. “I know how the Old Man raised you, but this is different, okay? You have a direct line to him that will tell you if his intentions aren’t good.”

“If anyone would know how to manipulate that, it would be this fossil,” I glare at Mitri as if this is his fault.

He raises an eyebrow.“I may be able to control my side of the bond due to experience with my weapons. I do not wish you harm, zhena.”

“How do I believe that, Mitri? You may not want to harm me now, but it’s because you have a use for me. What happens when that usefulness ends?”

“Your usefulness to me willneverend, zhena.”

“I don’t believe you,” I eye him with mistrust. “And stop calling me names!”

He rolls one shoulder, unperturbed.“I have time to convince you.”

“Is he talking to you mentally?” Ben asks with surprise.

“Yeah,” I turn back to Ben. Mal is now impatiently knocking on the window and gesturing for us to roll it down, but we ignore him.

“That means you bonded,” Ben sounds so pleased and relaxed that I want to hit him. “He has his side open, and you have your side open.”

“So, I can close it?” I ask hopefully.

“Nyet.”Mitri’s jaw starts to clench.

Ben winces, “Well, yeah. But why would you want to? This is something that people look for all of their lives, and most don’t find it.”

“You’re telling me that people constantly search for someone to invade their privacy? Excuse me for not wanting to be codependent. That has not worked out for me in the past.” I look pointedly over at Kimi, hanging halfway out of Mitri’s car to watch us curiously. He grins and waves at me.

“It’s a partnership,” Ben mutters, bringing my focus back to him. His mouth is turned down slightly, and he looks sad. “It’s supposed to be a connection to cherish, not just shut down.”

I lean back from him to study his face for a moment, and understanding dawns, along with fear and a lot of anxiety.