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

“Is it possible,” I begin hesitantly, thinking of the best way to phrase my question as I stare at the scraps of skin in disgust. “That she went a little too far?”

“Yeah,” Ben answers grimly and shakes his head with exasperation.

“So, she didn’t just wipe my record,” I try to confirm as my attention goes to his tense back.

“She wiped any knowledge of any events dealing with you from their minds,” Ben sighs.

“If she could whammy the Delegates that hard, then why not do it to them?” I gesture to the Agents around us as they watch our conversation with confused head tilts .

“Think about it, Bees.”

I think like Scilla and come up with nothing. I guess I’m not evil enough to be on par with her.

“Just tell me. It’s late. I’m exhausted and don’t feel like thinking hard thoughts anymore.”

Kimi stops his dance to laugh at my whining.

“She wanted you to solve your own problem.”

“She wanted me to kill them?” I can feel my face draining of color at the thought, and I grip his shirt to try and shore up my now wobbly knees.

“Not necessarily,” Ben shakes his head, completely at ease with that plan while I freak out.

“She would hope for that, but she’d accept whatever judgment you came up with. Maybe add on her own version of justice. I know she definitely would have wanted to meet him,” he points at Mitri.

“That can’t happen. Mitri is innocent. Kind of. His heart’s in the right place? Shit, no. Semantics,” I grab Ben’s shirt with my other hand and tug him back towards me.

“Just tell her he’s yours,” Ben shrugs as if it were that simple. “She might complain about it, but she won’t touch him if you make it clear he’s off limits.”

“Mitri is not mine ,” I protest with a frown.

“He is,” Mal and Kimi say in unison.

I glare at Mal’s smirking face because I can’t really meet Kimi’s eyes without freaking right now. “It would never work. She’d take him to piss me off if I said that. I’m not giving her leverage over me.”

“You’d be withholding something she wants. No one can do that to her but you,” Ben reminds me.

“Then she’s going to be even more obsessed with me, not less,” I sputter out in horror. “I’d like her to forget we ever met! ”

Ben cringes, “That’s not going to be possible. She’s been around since the beginning of time, and you are the only person who has ever told her no.”

“Oh, come on, you tell her no. Right?” The desperation in my tone is almost hysterical.

“No, Bees, I don’t,” Ben tells me earnestly.

“Super interesting. Who are we talking about?” Kimi wheedles.

We both fall silent at that.

“You are saying that a person wiped away any trace of your influence on the Delegates?” Mitri asks as his head tilts and his eyes drift to the side.

“We’re saying your investigation is now closed, and you would do well to let it drop. We won’t say anything about this, and you won’t either if you know what’s good for you,” Ben states as if he can force Mitri to his will. I cringe as I wait for the hail of bullets to begin.

“Hm,” Mitri rolls one shoulder, drops the skins on the ground, and refolds his handkerchief to place it back in his pocket. Gross.

Then he calmly asks Ben, “Unless you were interested in eating them?”

Ben chuffs in annoyance, and Mal asks me, “Where did you meet someone with that much power?”

“Prison,” I reply with a scowl.

“Amassing an army already?” Kimi asks with surprise and delight. “Morally gray villain romance, here I come!”

“No. No armies and no minions,” I say firmly, keeping my eyes on Ben’s back.

“Are you sure?” Kimi waves at the faeries behind him with a smug smile.

I don’t have a comeback for that other than, “I didn’t ask for them!”

“Suuuuuure,” Kimi begins to grin. It’s the same smile he gave the Goddess before he kissed her, and a chill runs down my spine.

“How much influence would this person have over the Delegates?” Mitri asks.

Ben glances back at me briefly before answering in an echo, “She doesn’t have everyone. Yet. But she could sway them all however she likes.”

“Ben,” I hiss at him in horror. He’s just going to sell out his own Mom? I mean, she’s evil, but she means well. Okay, so she’s just evil, but still !

“And she could control us as well?” Mitri elegantly holds a hand out to gesture at Mal.

“Your problems don’t stem from that influence.”

He nods as he thinks that through.

“So we just take his word for it?” Kimi asks casually and tries to dribble the tape ball, which falls to the ground without bouncing.

“We’ve been taking your word for it for years,” Mal points out with a shamefaced grimace.

That says a lot.

I bump into the fence, and Ben quickly turns to lift me in his arms and leap over it. He lands without issue, which I’m jealous about. I would have fallen. He doesn’t release me as he begins striding to the front door.

Mitri calls out to me as we depart. “I have more questions.”

As if I’m walking away on my own here? I lift my hands up and shrug.

“It’s time for bed, immortal,” Ben yells back.

Mal growls, his wings flaring threateningly.

“Pleasant dreams, Bae!” Kimi sings out mockingly.

Ben flips the bird as he steps past the doorway.

“Bad dog!” Kimi scolds indignantly as the door slams shut behind us.