Page 121 of Bonds of Starfall

She bit her lip, tapping the side of her blood-speckled phone case, as bubbles popped up as Lucien typed a reply. As if he’d been waiting, with their chat already open.

Vesperin Vox,the message read.

She winced, and Cyrus smiled against her shoulder, his cheek nuzzling her. All it took was her name, and she felt herself shrinking back as if scolded.

Lucien’s contact photo flashed on her phone. The sudden ringtone made her nearly drop it, and Valkar’s hand landed on her shoulder.

Rin turned her head, staring at the vampire.

"Take the call," Valkar said. "But watch what you say, wife. Just because we’re allies now doesn’t mean shit."

Rin’s finger hovered over theaccept callbutton, but just before she clicked it, Valkar spoke again. "Put it on speaker."

She answered the phone and placed it on speaker, laying it on her lap, with the two dangerous, immortal males anchored on either side of her, while the very mortal Lucien listened on the other end, none the wiser.

"It’s been a day, and all you have to say is,I’m sorry?" Lucien snapped. "Vesperin, I’ve been worried sick over you. I was minutes away from forgoing everything to come find you, and you say your phone died?"

She hated the lies she’d told him, but the truth was even more dangerous. She wanted to trust him—she really did.

"I—" Rin closed her mouth, unable to think of something to say. Anything. All she wanted was to scream for help and cry for understanding.

Valkar’s fingers tightened on the soft, vulnerable spot where her neck met her shoulder.

She couldn’t do any of that. "Lucien," she whispered, so aware of Cyrus’s eyes on her. He had never seen her interact with Lucien directly, had only heard through the crack under the door, or second-hand stories of the man who had lifted her shattered pieces from the ground and glued them back together with golden adhesive.

Something in her voice made Lucien pause, and that soft tone she loved so much—the one he’d used when he whispered praises into her ear as he made her come undone—filtered through the phone’s speaker. "Vesperin, did something happen? Are you okay, sweet girl?"

Her lower lip trembled, and she scratched a nail over the dried blood on her shirt. "I’m fine." Her voice wavered. "I’m just tired. And I, um, miss Kit." It was the only thing she could think of saying that would make the wobble in her voice understandable.

"My V girl, I’m so sorry. I wish I could be there for you. God…"

Rin sniffled. "It’s okay." It wasn’t. "I miss you, too."

"When do you think you’ll be able to come home?" Lucien asked, his voice strained with held-back, concerned anger.

Her eyes met Valkar’s, and her words stalled. She had made a bargain, and she had to meet it—for answers. She wouldn’t go home until she knew the arms she fell into weren’t those of a villain.

Besides, she was in no state to drive home, regardless. Her eyes burned with exhaustion, and her head pounded with the remnants of her episode—they had always taken a lot out of her. Combined with the gas the vampire had thrown into the motel room. Just the memory made her wrinkle her nose—the sour fog had clung to her lungs, burning no matter how hard she’d tried to breathe it out.

"Soon. I should know more in the next few days. Hours, I hope." Rin’s focus was ensnared by Valkar, and it was like she was speaking tohiminstead. "As soon as I know more, I’ll call you. Promise."

"You better," Lucien replied. "If I don’t hear from you…" The threat trailed off.

"You will," she vowed, staring into Valkar’s eyes.If I don’t get killed first,she finished in her mind.

His rough exhale filtered through the speaker. "Vesperin, please take care of yourself. I lo—I’ll be waiting for your call."

"Bye, Lucien," she whispered, taking a deep breath of her own.

He murmured a goodbye, and the phone beeped as the call disconnected.

Valkar held out a hand. "Phone."

Rin wrapped her fingers around it, unwilling to let it go. "I’m not going to tell anyone, Valkar. If I were going to, I’d have done it by now. All I had to do was scream, just one word, and Lucien would’ve known something was wrong, and he’d come for me," she said.

He didn’t retract his hand. "The same man you think is illegally experimenting on Aetherborns? You put your trust in him easily, considering."

"You know nothing," she seethed. "I would bet my life that he’s not behind this. He’s being used. I’m sure of it."