Page 125 of Tethered Souls

“What do you think his price will be?” Enoch asks as he shakes his head.

I still at the thought of my brother having to pay a price that will break him. A blood bond is a giant fuck you to the gods given they’ve already gifted each one of us a lifemate to find. So to enact it, you have to pay dearly, which is why most blood bond couples don’t last more than a year before they start to hate each other. For the only price it’ll accept as payment is an act that will destroy the couple.

Khalid could be a shell of his own self within a year.

But it also means he’ll never be alone...

“Well, Khalid’s jealous as all hel,” Ezriel starts. “So either someone else is going to have to fuck her –”

“Not it.”

“Me neither.”

I shake my head, thinking of Micha. I don’t want anyone else but her.

“Dammit,” Ezriel says as he realizes he’s the last one left. He turns his head to Mother. “Save T will you so I’m not the one Khalid kills?”

“He can’t kill those he uses for the blood bond,” Mother says as she keeps her eyes on Talon. “It’ll void it.”

“In that case, I’m in,” Leno says with a grin. “I hear he’s into the mayor.”

“Mayor Davis? Isn’t she like fifty?” Enoch says.

“Yeah, but have you seen her ass?” Leno whistles. “She’s got the body of a goddess.”

“Who is she?” Ezriel asks curiously.

“Hold on, I’ll google her.”

“Later,” I snap. “Tell me about Antonio.”

Sighing, Leno puts away his phone. Krypto settles back down beside him.

“The fucker is fast. Likebulletfast,” Ez says.

Leno’s eyes widen. “That’s impossible.”

“Tell it to him because physics sure as hel didn’t.”

“And Rudy said Talon was only out of sight for about thirty seconds.”

“He didallthat in thirty seconds?” Leno asks. Krypto’s head swings over to the counter. Then he shuffles closer to my brother. Leno’s fingers dig into his dog’s fur.

“It could have been less,” Ezriel says softly. “Rudy says he doesn’t know when Antonio attacked him. Talon wanted to spread out a bit so he didn’t accidentally hit Rudy with any electricity. They checked in every fifteen seconds. When T didn’t, Rudy went looking for him.”

“Shit. So he what, ate Cid and the rest of them before he came out tonight?” Leno asks.

When the Garcia family consumes their dead, they gain their power. It started off as a ritual to just keep the souls of their deceased with them, but somewhere along the way, it grew into something more. Something powerful.

“He couldn’t have,” Mother says as she comes over, her face pale, her hands shaking. She looks like she’s just aged twenty years for our kind, though to a human, she still looks young, younger than me.

My eyes narrow. “You better not have used more than it took to stabilize him.”

“He’s my son.”

“You’re our best healer. What happens if someone else needs you, but you’re dead?”

Her lips purse, but she doesn’t say anything.