Page 59 of This Blood that Bonds Us

There wouldn’t be another moon like this for weeks, and time was precious. Too much time had already passed. If the twins were with The Family, there was no telling what was happening to them. I tried not to imagine it, but Luke’s panic attacks came to mind. His fear and inability to focus because of Her. The thought alone sent my heart aflutter.

We were missing something.

“Maybe it needs blood,” I said. “I mean, this entire thing is about blood.”

“Wait, is this not the exact same thing that created the queens? Is this Thing going to reach in and possess her?” Aaron asked.

“Good point,” I said.

“The entity—”

“Thought you said it was a demon.”

“Whatever its origin, I can guarantee it will not be able to harbor itself in your body. The text is clear about one thing. It must be a human woman. Kimberly has already been changed and taken on the entity in her body. She can’t be a vessel because she is no longer pure.”

Aaron shook his head and raked his fingers through his hair, clearly not believing Kilian. I didn’t trust Kilian, but if something happened to me, Aaron would bail and all of Kilian’s plans would be ruined. Which meant he thought it was a viable option.

I bit into my thumb and ran the blood along the blade. Aaron’s frown deepened.

Kilian spoke again in Latin. It sounded like all the other things he’d recited, yet this felt different. My hand was tingling.

Come closer.

I flinched.

The Thing in my head never spoke to me in the way Aaron had described it. A distinct voice. But this must have been what he’d been referring to.

“Are you okay?” Aaron said.

“Yes, keep going.”

Closer.

I wrapped my hand around the dagger, wincing at the slight sting as I gripped the sharp edges. Then there was a pulling sensation that turned into a sinking feeling. Like the floor was giving out and I was seconds away from falling.

And I did.

The world disappeared around me, and a strange weightlessness settled into my blood. Like my body was pumped full of helium, I fell into pure bliss.

And there was . . . nothing.

Nothing for me to fall into.

Nothing to feel. Everything was a void.

I wasn’t afraid it would swallow me. This place was safe for me. Even if I felt like someone was watching me.

Show me.I pushed, no longer feeling my hand on the dagger but knowing it was there.

Help me. Show me something.

It was hesitant. There was no way for me to know that. Nothing to see or physically assert, but I could feel the truth in my head like It was speaking, but it sounded more like . . . singing. Singing that was a low whisper in my ears.

Perhaps It wanted me to beg. I dug in harder.

Help me help him.I thought of Aaron’s face. His golden-blond hair and his warm eyes.

With that, a flash of light overwhelmed me. The brightest light I’d ever seen. Something that could only exist in a void.