Page 78 of Hidden

“Oh, so you’ve done this before?” I quipped, holding his gaze. “You know this? You don’t even know how the bond works!”

“I’m not going to die,” he repeated, frowning. But his refusal to answer spoke volumes.

I crossed my arms, mentally daring him to lie. After everything I’d done for him, he’d better not.

Finally, he sighed. “Kiania isn’t going to kill anyone. She wants to stay in this realm. We need to think long-term. I need you, and Finn needs to be able to do his job. I offered a compromise: I would give her what she needs, and she’ll use me instead of you. She accepted.”

“But—”

“In return, Kiania agreed not to take her frustrations out on you,” Damen continued. “But she refuses to consider severing your connection. For now, I have no choice but to trust her.”

And from his expression, he was extremely begrudging about this entire situation. I didn’t imagine for a second that he trusted Kiania. “But—”

“It’s your job to not worry about it.” Damen leaned over Julian and touched his finger to my forehead. “What are you supposed to be focusing on right now?”

My brows furrowed in confusion, because I had no idea what the heck he was talking about. It wasn’t my fault that Damen had terrible communication skills.

“You have classes and a life to get back to.” Damen changed the subject, his voice suddenly light. “And when you feel up to it, you need to go shopping. Bryce has not shut up about it. What do you want me to tell him?”

He looked hopeful, most likely assuming I’d say no. But now I was mad at him.

“Absolutely.I’m thrilled at the idea of shopping with Bryce.” Besides Bryce still owed me a ring. I couldn’t pretend to be a lawfully wedded woman without one.

Damen’s expression dropped slightly, and his mouth dipped. “Well, okay then.”

But still, although my muscles were tight from disuse—and I needed another shower—there was something else missing.

My arm still hurt, and my neck was tender. But the bodily aches from my bruises had faded.

I sat up in Julian’s lap, pulling up the loose sleeve of Titus’s shirt. Miles and Julian had said I’d been asleep for only a day. That shouldn’t have been long enough for the marks to fade.

Yet all traces of those bruises were gone.

“What happened?” I asked, touching my side.

“Damen,” Julian said, caressing my back. “Since the bond has spread to him, the last of the physical effects were removed from you.”

The thought of Damen putting himself at risk made my throat close and my stomach twist. He focused on the wall across the room, the frown still etched into his expression.

“Damen…” I wasn’t sure what to say that hadn’t already been said.

“You don’t need to take your medication anymore.” Julian’s words cut through my thoughts. He wore a knowing look. “I thought you might be interested. With Damen’s presence in the bond, it should be safe for you to stop them.”

“Really?”

“You should explore your abilities. Use Bryce and Brayden,” Julian said, twirling a lock of my hair around his finger. “They’re your best resources. Brayden, in particular, can show you how to block negativity.”

Was that what they were arguing about? I’d recognized their voices, as well as Finn’s. “What about Xavier? Should he teach me anything?”

Julian’s mouth dipped. “I’d forgotten you met him.”

The room had grown tense at the mention of my Tongjun.

“You should avoid him,” Titus interjected. “Focus on Bryce and Brayden.”

“Why?” I glanced at him. “Everyone seems to have different specialties, so what do they do?”

“Brayden is an empath and a medium,” Damen said. “Bryce is a medium and can compel others. But they are members of the Seelie court. While theycoulddelve into the darker side of your abilities, they won’t.”