Page 153 of This Blood that Bonds Us

“My Guardian.” The queen gasped.

“Guardian . . . What does it mean?” It was the word I’d seen in Eros’s journal.

“It means you’re my gift from the stars. You possess the ability to control the power that lingers in the blood that connects us. Eros was the last holder of the gift. I’d hoped Luke would possess it but . . . when he didn’t, I wondered if I wouldn’t be blessed again by The Divine.”

“I don’t understand. I thought . . . the Thing in my head was going to take over one day if I let it.”

“For others, yes. But you were born as my Guardian. The stars chose you to protect me. You can hold the power in your body and not be overcome. You belong to me.”

“Don’t listen to anything She says. She lies!” Kim spat blood on the floor, and Ezra moved to gag her with a cloth this time.

The queen frowned. “Eros’s thirst became unquenchable after he changed and tasted my blood for the first time. No human blood would sustain him. That was the first sign, but how did you . . .?”

She looked between Kimberly and me.Shit.If She figured out what Kimberly and I had done to break the bond, She’d never let her live.

I’d have to fight them. Guardian bond or not, that was a fight I knew I’d lose.

Still, I braced to free Kimberly first.

A shrill ringing broke through the silence of the atrium. A high-pitched buzzing that felt like a razor blade in my ear.

“Ah!”

All of us covered our ears, except for the queen, Sirius, and Ezra. Somehow, they were immune. Or more likely our younger sensitive ears weren’t accustomed to it.

Kilian would know that. This was a diversion. It wasn’t just us. The gasps and groans from the other men outside the atrium were barely audible, and I struggled to adjust.

“They’re here.” As I said the words, the first explosion rang out.

Sixty-Eight

Kimberly

The room erupted into chaos, and some of the lower members of The Family pressed into the atrium. Ezra and Sirius barked their orders, but I reached for Aaron, trying desperately to grabhold of him. The pulsing noise was excruciating. I guessed a drone.

“I’ll lock her up,” Luke said, wasting no time in grabbing my arm and pushing me toward the door.

“No, let me take her.” Aaron grabbed me and pulled off the restraint.

Zach interjected. “So you can run off? No. You don’t even know where it is. Stay next to me.”

“Get off me!” Aaron reached for me, but Zach yanked him away. My hand barely grazed his again.

“She’ll be fine with Luke,” Zach said.

“It’s okay, Aaron.”Get the dagger, I mouthed to him.

He nodded with a pained expression. I’d lost sight of it. Sirius could have given it to someone else.

The only solace I had was knowing Aaron would be safe, but what about Zach . . . Luke? They clearly were still not going to fight with us, which meant The Legion would fight them if they stepped in their way.

Luke threw me over his shoulder. I dug my fingers into the cloth of his jacket when he started to run. My head was spinning. The air on my back soothed the sting of the gashes. I moved to look out across the field as we reached the doors that led outside. Yelling. Fighting. It was really happening. A larger group of Legion were coming from the front of the castle, but I lost sight of them as we disappeared into the charred hedge maze.

My feet hit the grass, and I stood face-to-face with a statue I instantly recognized. Icarus falling from the sky. Luke touched the side, then a door opened, and he led me down a dark dusty hallway with stone on either side.

In the barely lit room, I saw a silhouette of a man.

“Will!”