Page 124 of Tethered Souls

“And Maddox and Khalid?”

Ezriel shrugs. “Haven’t seen them.”

“Or heard from them.”

I dig out my phone as Mother sucks in a breath, but she doesn’t look up from Talon, doesn’t break her concentration as she bathes him in a white light, using up her life force to save him.

As I scroll to Maddox’s name in my contacts, I can’t help myself from glancing down at ‘Micha.’ For a second, I’m torn between who to call, wanting the comfort only she can give me.

But she’ll be back later.

I call our brother, and he answers almost immediately, which tells me that he’s most likely out of danger. I let out a heavy breath.

“Where are you?” I ask as I put the phone on speaker.

“Almost at the car.”

“And Khalid?”

“Fucking left me, the asshole.”

“Why?” That isn’t like Khalid at all, and the hairs on my neck rise. If I can’t trust the reaper…

“He bonded with a fucking WALL member! He’s started a full on fucking blood bond.”

“What?”

“The fuck? Enoch and Ezriel add together.

Krypto woofs, and Leno shakes his head.

A blood bond is a binding of souls, not just in this life but in all the lifetimes after. It’s permanent, and I have never heard of one being broken after it’s been forged. You can break it before it’s complete but only in death. The blood bond requires blood in one way or another. Either you can share the burden with your claimed mate. Or one of you can pay it in full. For Khalid to start one with a fucking WALL member, a woman who hates his guts and is terrified of us? This could literally kill him.

“A fucking blood bond. With a WALL member,” Maddox says, driving the insanity home, “and now he’s going to get her or something.”

“And you let him?”

“He left me!”

“Fucking follow him, Maddox, and make sure he doesn’t do anything else that’s fucking stupid.”

Dear fucking gods, can the world not just pause for one fucking second?

“Ugh!” He mutters a whole string of curses. “Someone come get my car. I ain’t leaving it out here all night.”

“Rudy will get it.”

“Fucking stupid fucking brother.Ugh.” He hangs up, but I know he’ll follow Khalid.

Utter silence hangs in the kitchen.

Then.

“What –” Enoch says.

“The fuck,” Ezriel finishes.

Leno laughs. “Of courseKhalidwould start a blood bond rather than just ask her to marry him. He’s fucking intense. Dear fucking gods.”