Page 123 of Wicked Bonds

She wanted to paint the council chambers red in the blood of those who had wronged her. She wanted to scream for everyone to hear the truth. And she wanted her memories back.

Melanythos did this. She stole my memories. She was inside Balthazar’s mind, too.

Her desire for murder drowned beneath the stark need to know the truth. Her blue-green irises met his, the fire blossoming in the depths of her pupils.

This was partly an escape from the agony spearing her inside. Yet it also held an antidote of a sort, the knowledge the balm they both needed to soothe the pain.

“We need to go to the brothel,” he told her. It didn’t exist anymore. But maybe being on the same ground would spark something between them, just like in Venice.

“I know.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and misted them without another word.

Patreel could track her, which he did, following along the way.

Balthazar’s feet met pavement as Leela guided them to a vacant street. She stood as well with her arms still around him. He couldn’t see her in this form, but he felt her presence in his mind.

Too bad the partial bond didn’t grant him access to ethereal sight.

Stas had told him about Leela’s purple wings.What shade are they?he wondered.Violet? Lavender? Are there any other hues to match the marble effect of her blue-green eyes?

She slowly turned corporeal, those stunning irises of hers locked on him. But the memory of their past remained a mystery to both their minds. Perhaps it had been too long ago or too much had changed.

“I tracked you here over three thousand years ago,” Patreel said softly, his brow furrowing as he recalled the day. “I hadn’t been given your blood yet. And we didn’t know each other at all. But you were my mission. One I accomplished.”

“Clearly,” she replied flatly.

“If you imbibed her blood, then are you partially bonded as well?” Balthazar asked, feeling an odd sense of annoyance at the thought. Sharing had never bothered him, but the idea of Patreel being linked to Leela so intimately…

No. That does not appeal to me.

In fact, he didn’t like the idea of Patreel and Leela together at all.

Which was also strange because the concept of watching another couple fuck always turned him on.

Just like he enjoyed joining parties of two or more.

However, Patreel… he didn’t deserve Leela.

Very few ever would.

“The bond requires biting. So no. We are not bonded.” Patreel sounded disgusted by the prospect. Whether by the idea of bonding Leela or the notion of biting her, Balthazar wasn’t sure. But it irritated him just enough to pull away some of his soothing energy.

Emotional assistance had to be earned.

And Patreel most certainly had not earned a damn thing from Balthazar. If anything, he should be worsening the Seraphim’s emotional turbulence, not calming it.

However, he kept a loose thread between them, just to ensure he didn’t go entirely off the rails.

There were still questions that required answers.

“Tell us about that day,” Balthazar said without averting his gaze from Leela.

Patreel appeared in his peripheral vision, taking on a corporeal state once more.

“There’s not much to tell. I tracked Leela here and took her directly to Dian.” He cleared his throat. “Dian took the matter to the council. I don’t know who was involved, as I wasn’t privy to the discussion. But Dian confirmed her reformation assignment and told me you would be dealt with. I didn’t ask any questions.”

Balthazar tracked the statements in the Seraphim’s mind, searching for any hint of a lie.

“Go on,” he said when he found the lingering strand of information at the forefront of Patreel’s thoughts. He hadn’t known what had happened at the time. But he’d learned some key details later.