Page 88 of Tethered Souls

“Vinny!” he says, his face pale.

I start to tell him it was necessary, that our cousin was planning to kill us all and rape Mother to take the throne, but before I can get a word out, he shouts, “He’s gone.”

Mother spins on her feet. “What?”

I’m out of the room in a few strides, needing to see for myself. Khalid didn’t just slit his throat; he fucking tore it apart, severing half of it with his knife.

But when we get down to the kitchen, his body is gone.

So is Alexis, but she was moved out not long after I went up to find Micha so Louise could heal her. Our beef is not with her.

“Varius.” Mother’s voice is close to cracking, and I turn to her, my heart hammering in my ribs. Her sixth sense has always been strong, doubly so when it comes to the welfare of her children.

Khalid needs me now. Vinny’s mystery will have to wait. Striding through the house, I start to bark orders. “Micha, get Stefaan to comb the house to see if he’s still here or if anyone saw anything. Talon, have Leno watch over Alexis, then tell Enoch and Ezriel to gear up. They’re coming with me. And get Maddox’s ass in here for a location spell.”

“No,” Mother says. “That’ll take too long. Hand me your phone.”

I pull it out of my pocket and place it in her hand. She taps my contacts, then Aleric’s name. She steps away from us as she raises it to her ear. My eyes narrow, wondering why she is calling him.

All the times Mother has ever spoken of Aleric, it’s been with the urge to kill him clear in her tone. We are not the first ‘batch’ of children she’s had. Born as a breedmare, she started young, having seven children in six years. The next batch, she had seven more, and Aleric killed or caused the death of most of them in only a month.

If she’s calling him, pleading with the devil himself, then Khalid must be close to dying.

My pulse jumping, I turn to the chair where Vinny was restrained. Micha and Talon have already split, and Stefaan now comes running in from one of the archways.

“Two of my assassins are dead,” he says. “They’ve been ripped to pieces.” His eyes drop to the empty chair with the bloodstain on its seat. “Was he a shapeshifter?” he asks.

It would explain how my cousin survived a knife to the throat. He could have rearranged his anatomy, moving his vital parts somewhere else.

I shake my head. “He was a telekinetic.Is.” Fuck.

“So how did he survive?”

“Myers knows a lot of dark magic,” I say, my lips tight. “He most likely spelled his son before he attacked me. That would explain why he didn’t come back for Vinny; he knew he would make it.”Fuck.He probably rejoined his father immediately. Is Khalid fighting the both of them right now? I turn to Mother and only just catch Aleric’s last words.

“...lotion every night.”

“If he lives,” she hisses, her knuckles white. Then she hangs up. She takes a breath before looking over at me. She pales further before lifting her chin and striding over.

“Get everyone back to the house,” she says, then she looks at Stefaan. “The party was wonderful. Thank you for hosting it, and we apologize for the mess. Send us the bill when you have it.” Her words are clipped and rushed, but if he’s offended, he doesn’t show it.

“It was a pleasure hosting,” he says with a formal nod. Then he turns to me. “I’ll call you when the Mad Hatters are no longer in business.”

When I nod, letting him know I’m still keen on our deal, he walks off.

“What about Khalid?” I ask, turning to Mother.

“He’ll be there,” she says.

My eyes search hers, niggling questions at the back of my mind making me tense. “Why is Aleric doing this for you?”

“Khalid is dying. I need to get home.”

“We’ll talk on the drive then.”

She pales, a tremor shaking her. But then she’s back in control, locking down her fear. She starts to stride past me, but she barely takes two steps before Aleric appears, his shirt covered in blood, and I know it is my brother’s. His chin is too, and I take a step forward, seeing red. Without even glancing at me, he grabs Mother’s wrist and phases away.

My pulse spikes at the idea of him having fed on Khalid. Then spikes again at the thought of my brother dying before I can even make it home. It’s over an hour’s drive back.No.