Page 62 of A Thousand Lifetimes

“I’m two-hundred and eight,” I remind him.

“And I’m far older than that. My time is precious, and you’re wasting it. So tell me, what do you want?”

“You and I have business now that my father has stepped down from council, but that can all be dealt with when everyone else arrives.” I narrow my eyes at him. “I have no doubt you and I will have many occasions to be in conversation, but that’s not what I’m here for.”

“I know.”

“Then why did you ask?”

His lip twitches again, an annoying little smirk pulling at his mouth. “Because I wanted you to ask. Go on, Ezra. Ask for my help.”

I want to crawl across the table and tear his throat out with my bare hands. I worry I’m close to actually doing it, so I tuck them under my thighs and shift my weight around. He watches me make the adjustment, and he chuckles.

The little asshole will wait me out, I know it, and I want to make him, but I want to get home to Declan. I want him back.

“I need to know how to rebuild a severed bond,” I say.

Walter arches a pale blond brow.

I suck my teeth at him. “Can you tell me how to rebuild a severed bond?”

“Hmn?”

“Please,” I growl.

“I can,” he answers.

I never want to be in a room this silent again in my entire life.

“Would you?” I press, gritting my teeth together so hard I fear they’ll crack. “Please.”

“It’s only been successful once, as far as I can tell.”

“How many times has it been tried?”

“I’ve lost count.”

I squeeze my eyes closed. “I didn’t think bond severing was such a common practice.”

“Times are often hard, Ezra. You’ll learn that, the older you get.”

“My age has nothing to do with this. I stared down my mate who’d been poisoned and tortured while I had a gun with silver bullets pressed against the back of my neck. I watched my brother’s girlfriend burn alive in my driveway. I know what hard times are.”

“That was an unfortunate morning.”

“Unfortunate that it happened and you didn’t come aid us in taking care of the problem,” I accuse.

“Franklin served his purpose, until he didn’t.”

I’m out of my chair so fast it slams into the wall behind me, knocking porcelain figurines onto the floor. I brace myself against the edge of his desk and lean over, my face inches from his smug expression.

“You knew what he was doing?”

“I needed help with a vermin problem.” Walter shrugs unapologetically.

“My mate was not part of your vermin problem. Nor was anyone in Wildemount.”

“You can think that if you want.”