Page 100 of Soulbound

Power bloomed within him. All his telekinetic lessons sprang to mind. It was ridiculously easy to reach out and pluck the table upright. To set the room below to rights. He used a cushion of force to pin his mother to the ground where she couldn't move.

Sebastian gained his feet, staring at his hands. He felt like he could do anything.

Glass smashed as someone in black hurtled through the window, and then Bishop rolled to his feet, shimmering knives of pure etheric force forming in his hands as he took in the scene. Verity punched into midair, fists raised as if to block a blow that never came.

Bishop blinked in surprise to find the room already locked down. "Heard someone screaming, and then the house wards went down."

"It wasn't us," Sebastian replied, still holding his mother pinned to the floor with telekinesis. Sweat slicked his temples. The effort it took to keep her in place without crushing her was immense.

"I can handle this," Bishop said, seeming to note the strain. A pair of shimmering golden manacles suddenly appeared in his hands. "Let me in?"

He dropped the pressure wards, and Morgana threw something at him. Bishop slapped it away almost contemptuously, and knelt down to slap one of the manacles around her wrist.

"No!" she cried, fighting him.

"Morgana, I have a warrant for your arrest and execution," Bishop said, "for the murder of Drake's nephew, Richard de Wynter, twenty-seven years ago. You will face the Prime of the Order, and the Triad Council for your crimes, including the use of a sclavus collar on your son, the murders of many others, theft, blackmail, and the summoning of a demon to this plane. If you make any sudden moves, it is within my powers to eliminate you, do you understand?"

"Sebastian!" his mother hissed, reaching toward him. "You treacherous little cur. Do you think they'll stand by you when this all comes to fruition? Do you think you can ever be part of them?" Her green eyes locked on Cleo. "You'll ruin her. You know you'll ruin her."

"That's enough." The heat drained from his face.

"You're my son," she spat. "You'll never be free of me! I'm in your bones, in your soul, in your—"

Bishop muttered under his breath and she suddenly gaped, her mouth freezing around an invisible gag.

"That's better," Bishop said. He looked up. "Are you all right?"

You'll ruin her. You know you'll ruin her. He held out his hand, only to find it was shaking.

Cleo took hold of it, squeezing it gently. "I think it's time to go home."

And he had nothing left within him to argue.

Morgana had scraped him raw.

Chapter 22

"ARE YOU PLANNING on this being a regular occurrence?" Cleo asked as she helped Sebastian out of his bloody shirt. "I don't know that my nerves can handle it."

His ears were still ringing. He could barely remember the carriage ride home. The last he'd seen of his mother, Bishop had been dragging Morgana to the cellars, where he planned upon questioning her about the demon's whereabouts. Nobody thought Sebastian needed to be there for the questioning, and neither did he.

"Sit," Cleo said, pushing gently upon his shoulders.

He sank onto the chair by the fireplace, exhausted right to his bones. Slumping his head into his hands, he let her dictate his movements as she clucked over his arm. He barely felt it. The wound to his heart was far deeper. Nothing had changed. His mother had taken a damned good shot at killing him.

He was a weapon to her, nothing more. And now he'd become a threat. He couldn't even understand why he'd... hoped... for anything different.

Water rippled as Cleo squeezed out a clean rag, and checked the wound to his shoulder. "Not too deep. I think I can heal it. Are you ready?"

He nodded, and felt her hands suddenly heat. Then energy swirled through him, and there was no more pain.

Sebastian caught her hand, looking up. "Thank you."

He didn't know how to ask for what he wanted, but she knew. He saw it in her eyes as she slid onto his lap and wrapped her arms around him.

"I—"

"No." She pressed her fingers to his lips. "Just let me hold you."