Page 84 of Seared Fates

I free the air trapped in my body and fill my lungs with Vidar. “I love you,” I say, just because I can and how true it is.

“I love you, too,” he replies, and I melt.

The door flings open. I let out a strangled cry as the wood bangs against the wall.

Vidar jumps up, ready to attack, only to relax as Summer barrels towards us in a wild flurry of her purple coat and blonde hair.

“Kai!” she shouts, distressed.

I shoot up just as Summer careens onto the bed. “Shit, Summer, are you okay?”

“You had the First Tome this whole time?!” she yells, grabbing hold of my forearms.

I wince, but don’t pull back. “I should’ve told you, I’m really sorry. Vidar was just worried—”

“Damnit, Kai! How long have we been friends, and you kept this from me? How stupid could you be!”

“Watch your mouth,” Vidar growls.

“I’m the mage here, not you!” Summer snaps at him, then turns back to me. “I could’ve actually helped. Now Emma has the spellbook and…” her eyes fill with great wobbling tears. “Your soul, Kai.Your soul!” Summer throws her arms around me and cries. “You idiot! You big idiot!”

I hug her back, guilt as thick as the smell of alcohol coming off her. “I know, I’m sorry.”

“Here’s what’s gonna happen, babe.” Summer rocks back up, mascara running down her cheeks and expression hard. “Someone’s going to hand me a massive cup of coffee, because I’m still a little drunk from the girls' night I crashed, and thenyou’re going to tell me everything. EVERYTHING. If you farted last week, I wanna know about it. Got it?”

And even with everything stacked against us, I can’t help but smile when I softly reply, “Got it.”

Chapter thirty-one

Kai

I’m seated at the light-wood rectangular table in the kitchen, swimming in Vidar’s shirt and a pair of Ramy’s black sweats.

Bitter rainpit-patsagainst the wall-length window. The heavy dark clouds perfectly fit my mood as I retell the room how I, like a prize fucking idiot, let Emma slice me open and take my soul.

The only other sound in the warmly lit room is Vidar’s knife hitting the chopping board with achonkas he quarters crispy red apples. A sweet, fresh scent melding with the melting butterfrom the thick, toasted sandwiches and large marshmallows he’s piled in front of me.

“Why do you only have animal blood?” Sen interrupts my re-telling from where he leans against the kitchen island, cradling a cup.

Which is fine with me, I’m tired of hearing my own voice.

“Do you expect we keep human blood at hand?” Rurik snarks from beside him.

Sen glances my way, the tip of his fang glinting in the warm light. “I was hoping after giving Kai so much of mine to heal him, he’d return the favour.”

“Or—” Vidar moves around the kitchen island, growling low at Sen. “—I could remove your head, offspring?” Vidar gently places the massive bowl of quartered apples in front of me, his hand stroking my braids as he draws back. Eat,” he orders gently.

Golden, who’s as subtle as a kitten on cocaine and ignoring his own cup of blood, bolts upright in his chair next to mine. Wide eyes darting between Vidar and me. Ramy, on his opposite side, watches us curiously.

I snort at my friends, then push the bowl into the middle of the table. “I can’t eat all of this. Share with me.”

Lucero takes a handful of apples from where he stands behind Golden, placing them in front of his mate. My friend bristles, still annoyed Lucero wouldn’t let him race into the night to fight Emma and get killed in the process.

Apollo, where he’s perched cross-legged beside Golden, snickers at Lucero and loudly crunches on an apple slice.

“So Emma promised she could remove your soulmate connection with Vidar.” Summer brings us back to the topic at hand. “Then Sen, who no one has seen in well over ten years, comes out of nowhere and saves the day?”

“I try not to be the hero in every story, and yet…” Sen’s tongue flicks out to capture a drop of blood from his devilish lips. “I guess I’m just that good, honey.”