Page 10 of Bonding Beasts (Bonding: The Ultimate Guide #3)

When I pass back through the arch of flowers, it’s like stepping back in time to the Bowels. Most of my memories of that place center around darkness and nightmares, but I can’t ignore this déjà vu.

Ben steps directly in front of me and begins sniffing around my body like an animal. Kimi starts to laugh, and Mal makes a confused snorting noise, but I block all of that out. I can afford to ignore them right now because Ben is in full-on defense mode.

Any time we were separated back in the Bowels, this was how he greeted me when he came back.

Checking me for wounds, ensuring I was waiting where he left me.

At first, I would push him away from me.

I’ve never had a pet, and it seemed weird and invasive.

The more time we spent together, the more tolerant I became until it was simply a natural reaction to being parted.

I don’t know when I realized the check-in wasn’t for my benefit. It was for his. He was afraid of being abandoned, and I don’t know why. It’s not like I could go anywhere back then.

I’ve learned how to manage this animal anxiety attack, so I wait it out patiently. I focus on the sunlight above to remind myself we aren’t there anymore.

He smells down my arms and legs, checking the tears and blood stains on my pants. He even lifts my feet, one at a time, to check the bottoms. Once he makes his circuit and stands in front of me again, I finally look into his eyes and see what I was afraid of .

The man side is gone right now. I’m left with the monster and the man’s face. The ichor that leaks from his eyes has created a darkness around his features that I can only vaguely see through. He’s intently focused on me as if waiting for a command.

I feel slapped in the face, realizing that I’ve had him all wrong since we escaped that place. He isn’t a man that changes into a beast. He’s a monster that can change into the form of a man.

Scilla did an excellent job teaching him to blend in with the people around him. I should call and compliment her on it.

He’s never going to react as a man would to any situation. Like any animal, he’ll do whatever he has to for the person he’s chosen, and I’m somehow the lucky winner.

“Okay?” I ask softly and step close enough to press my chest to his. He isn’t ready for me to grab onto him yet, so I keep myself still after the contact.

“I can’t find any traces of it,” his voice has that dual echo that it gets when he’s closer to becoming his proper form.

“I know,” I try to sound soothing and hope I’m not failing.“I meant, are you okay?”

He takes a concerning amount of time to answer me. His head tilts to one side and then the other, and I try not to fidget because his eyes are the only thing I can see in the smoke surrounding his face, and they’re intense enough that I want to look away.

He slowly shifts his focus over my head and tells me simply, “I’m hungry.”

That is not a good sign. Shit, I didn’t make him breakfast, either.

“Okay,” I nod, and his eyes return to mine.“We’re safe.We’re together.We’re never buying lawn gnomes for your house,” I add to tease him, and the smoke begins to withdraw and show me a faint smile on his lips.“And I put some emergency beef jerky in the car.”

His head draws back in surprise, and the darkness completely disappears.“Beef jerky?”

“Tender bits, one of the big bags, in the glove box,” I assure him. “And right after this, we’ll get you a real breakfast. Sound good?”

He doesn’t answer in words. He just rubs his cheek against mine and walks back to the car. I watch him because he’s given in way too quickly.

Sure enough, he hasn’t taken his eyes off of the house behind me. He digs out the beef jerky, making a crooning sound to the bag before opening it and eating as if he’s starving.

I need to get this conversation over with now so he can eat something real ASAP.

“Is that normal?” Mal asks with a confused frown.

“He’s hungry, and he needs to be fed. Now ,” I insist quickly.

“You act like he’s dangerous. He’s just a puppy,” Kimi rocks back on his heels as he smiles at me.

I can’t look at him. He’s still the gold-skinned heart eater from my nightmares, which isn’t as terrifying as I thought it would be in the light of day.

But when I see him, my heart does a painful twist in my chest that I want to ignore for as long as possible.

He might be the hero, but I’m a victim of his heroism and I’m feeling the burn.

I focus only on Mitri and forget the other two.

“I was looking at it all wrong. It isn’t the powers they have that are drawing attention. It’s what they’re doing with them.”

His head tilts as his eyes slide to the side, absorbing the news.

“Laverne created a hex that can be used long distance. Darlene helped her as a silent partner. Together, they made it long distance with a multiplying factor. I think they were taken at separate times because Darlene wasn’t named when it was made public.

It took whoever this is a while to figure out she was the second half of the equation.

Renee was a reporter looking into Laverne’s disappearance. ”

“Right place, wrong time,” Mitri follows along. It’s like he memorized all the details and is right there with me in my thought process. “The hex?”

“A mental manipulation enhancer is what she tested, but it could be anything.” I’m desperately hoping it’s something else because if what I’m thinking is correct, this isn’t good at all.

He goes silent and stares over my right shoulder as he processes. Or talks to his guns. It could be either. All the long pauses in conversation make a ton more sense now.

“What are you two talking about?” Kimi leans forward to try and get my attention but I back away from him, keeping my face averted.

“The missing people no one gives a shit about,” I mutter.

Mal and Mitri exchange a loaded glance and turn back to me. What’s that about?

“I do not believe in coincidence.” Mitri’s flat voice makes me sigh.

“I was hoping you would disagree with me on this one.”

“Speaking of manipulation ,” Mal clears his throat before he continues. “We have two more team members under the influence.”

Two? Or just one with another leading the show? Or neither and an outside influence running things.

I don’t want to say any of it out loud. It will cause another rift between us all. That’s something we could do without, seeing as we’re already preparing for another knife in the back from each other. Or maybe that’s just me.

I glance back at Mitri, and he’s staring at me again.

“Any information about the hex has been erased from the internet.” I make an effort to be vague, but it’s useless.

“Delegates,” he says in monotone.

Mitri has zero tact. I should have remembered.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I sigh and look back at Ben. He’s leaning against the front of the car, watching us. I know he can hear us clearly from this distance. He finished the snack too fast, though.

“Four of them are dead now. We’ll be getting a new shipment of them soon enough,” Kimi smiles sweetly at Mitri.

“Just as corrupt as the others, I bet,” I mutter and crack my neck to ease the tension building there.

“They could be decent,” Ben calls back with a smile.

“How can you be so damn terrifying and an optimist, Ben?” I ask at a normal volume.

“Just lucky,” he shrugs.

I snort a laugh and shake my head.

The silent debate I have going on in my head weighs the pros and cons of simply going to the TGT house and seeing how far gone the rest are. I could find out if the Delegates are behind the missing people.

“Having a full team to help find the people you’re looking for would be a huge advantage.”

I slowly roll my eyes to Mal and narrow them.

He crosses his arms and gives me a level three glare back.

“King or Iris could remember the investigations. We’d be skipping a few steps.”

Damn him .

It doesn’t help that Sparky is bouncing on the line connecting him to King and shedding sparks. Reminding me that this isn’t just an idle conversation for the dragon. His mate is in trouble. Mal would have died from whatever this spell is. How bad could it be for the other two?

If it’s even possible to save the assholes, I want to. Because I’m an idiot.

I rub a tired hand over my face and groan with frustration.

“It’ll be fine, baby,” he calls out, somehow knowing exactly where my thoughts have gone.

“You can stay home, eternal optimist,” I shake my head. “I don’t want you wandering around a mind control palace.”

“I hear you,” he nods and smiles. “I just don’t care. I’m going.”

“You are not going to the house of bullshit lies,” I begin in a warning tone, but he interrupts me.

“My balls stay where they are, and I’m going.” He holds up his hand, displaying his ring proudly.

“But neutering you would be good for your health,” I snark back and walk over to him.

“The fuck?” Mal barks and stalks after me.

“It might keep him from pissing everywhere, too,” Kimi chimes in, and I frown.

Ben grins at the psycho, “What’s wrong? Too potent for you?”

Kimi makes a sound like he’s coughing up a hairball that’s vaguely familiar. I turn to look between the two of them in disgust. “I don’t want to know.”

“What’s the plan?” Ben asks as he opens the door for me.

“You need food, and we need to get our shit together,” I try to keep things vague so that I can bounce some ideas off of Ben and get a little more education on what I’ll be facing.

“Does this mean you’ll help with King?” Mal demands and grabs onto the door before I can get in. Ben is returning to the driver’s side but is watching closely.

“Yes, I’ll help,” I shake my head at my stupidity.

Why can’t I just let these jerks suffer? It’s what a badass would do. I also find it interesting that he asked about King and not GV. There’s not a line that leads to her and I’m wondering about it.

“Let’s not be dumb about it. Who knows what’s in that house?”