Page 21 of Blood Bonds

How did one fight such foolishness?

She couldn’t stay here, not with her uncompleted mission. Nor did she want to remain with him.

Lie.

Right, well, her body wouldn’t mind the extended holiday, but her brain required much more than a few seductive games to flourish.

She pushed off the bed and flinched at the onset of dizziness again.

What is happening to me?

Seraphim did not suffer from disease or bouts of weakness. But she felt positively awful.

Had he done something to her while she slept? Given her a command to respond to his acts in a human manner?

She frowned. Could he do that?

No.

This wasn’t him so much as her—a reaction to the onslaught of foreign sentiments. Nearly a century living in stoic silence had numbed her and crafted an impenetrable armor around her angelic soul.

But Sethios had cracked it and forced her inner vixen to come out to play.

She expected regret to join her other emotions, except it didn’t. Instead, she felt a strange surge of satisfaction and an equally strong desire to teach Sethios a lesson. Not out of anger or retribution, but out of pure challenge.

He’d commanded her as one would a child, spanked her as well, and then proclaimed to be keeping her. Well, she was not an object to be possessed.

It seemed he was in need of a lesson, one where she reminded him that Seraphim were the superior beings for a reason.

And for that, she required stealth, precision, and the perfect ploy.

Yes.

One last game before she left.

Then she would complete her mission.

6

Shattering Blood Bonds

Sethios smirked at Caro’s clothes on the floor of the living area. Would she stalk out here naked for their negotiation? He certainly hoped so. And if she did so angrily, all the better.

A little nude sparring would suit his mood just fine. The knives were in his pocket, just in case she wanted to play again.

He grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and started the coffee maker. Surely Seraphim enjoyed caffeine. If not—

A familiar presence tickled his spine, interrupting his thought process.

Hmm. Bad timing. Normally, he’d welcome his best friend’s visit, but Sethios preferred to taunt his angel without an audience. For today, anyway. Maybe he’d invite Ezekiel over to play tomorrow.

“E,” he murmured as the Ichorian materialized beside him. “I’m in the middle—”

“He’s coming.” A hint of urgency underlined the words, causing Sethios to meet his friend’s ebony gaze.

“Who?” he asked, curious.

“Your father.”