Page 126 of Burdened Bonds

“And I’m telling you there is,” the assassin says, his eyes – mismatched and manic – gleam. “Me.”

Then he grabs my arm as Rhi reaches for his hand and I don’t know what the hell they have planned but my father is here, racing down the steps, shooting powerful magic our way.

Immediately, Rhi flings her hands forward and fires her own magic, meeting his with a crash of sparks.

Rage rolls through her body in hot, hot dangerous flames and she makes no effort to hold it back. She pushes her magic at my father with the full weight of her body.

His own magic withers away and he holds up his arms, shielding himself, although the force of her magic has him sliding backwards.

“There!” he says. “Powerful. But not quite crimson magic. Seems Miss Clutton-Brock was a little over excited in her description.”

He goes to strike Rhi back, and no fucking way.

No. Fucking. Way.

No way is he laying one single finger on my girl.

I dart in front of her and crash magic his way before he can retaliate against her. His face curls with rage and he raises his arms to strike me back.

“Renzo,” Rhi shouts, this time firing far darker magic at my father. He raises his arms again, shielding himself a second time, only this time I can feel his defenses are no match for hers. I can feel them creaking.

“Ready?” the assassin calls.

“No.” Rhi shakes her head. “Tristan!”

The assassin tuts his tongue. “Really?” he mutters. “The dude’s kind of a jerk.”

I’d take offense if I knew what they were talking about. Instead, I’m too busy battling my father.

“Renzo, please,” she insists.

“Fine,” he says sulkily. “Grab the beast,” he says to Stone, then takes a hold of Rhi’s arm and Stone’s. “When I count to three,” he tells Rhi, “you stop firing and grab the jerk, okay?”

Rhi nods, battling as the Lord Protector attempts to push back her magic.

“One, two, three!”

47

Renzo

I bendthe strings of time, force them to part, and slip the five of us through.

But fuck me, that’s tricky stuff. Really fucking difficult. Much harder than I expected. Or maybe I knew. Yeah, maybe I knew it would be this hard.

Maybe I did it anyway. For her.

And now I am out.

Completely empty.

Tank drained.

So this is the End.

Curtain down.

Lights out.