Page 186 of Wicked Bonds

Osiris sighed. “You will, child. You won’t have a choice.” He stepped away from her. “I’ll be around.” He glanced at his son on the ground, his lips flattening. “Heal him, Caro. Heal them all.”

Rather than mist, he merely walked toward the trees.

And disappeared down a path into the night.

“We’re just going to let him wander Hydria now?” Stas demanded as Caro knelt beside Sethios.

Compulsion, Balthazar realized.He just compelled her to heal.

Of course he did,Leela muttered.

“I think Osiris has been wandering Hydria for centuries,” Luc said quietly, his eyes narrowing at the path Osiris had just taken. “How many casualties did we—”

“Luc?” Eliza’s voice came from the dark. A hint of fear preceded her arrival, her aura clouded with a mixture of shock and terror.

Balthazar frowned, his power immediately engaging as he attempted to find out what had caused that reaction in her.

He’d spent the last few months monitoring her emotions, helping her heal from the horrors of her past.

But the moment she stepped into the clearing and saw everyone standing around, she froze.

Or maybe it was the icy look Luc gave her. “I do not have time for you right now,” he bit out. “Come back later.”

“Luc,” Balthazar interjected, stepping forward.

Luc cut him a look. “Not. Now.”If she speaks to me right now, I’m going to say or do something I’ll regret.The admission echoed between them, the serious quality of it giving Balthazar pause.

His old friend had continued to deny his attraction to the young Hydraian over the last few months, stating she was too young for him, too inexperienced. But that didn’t stop him from secretly wanting her.

He appeared to be openly admitting the attraction now, at least to Balthazar, and saying he wasn’t ready to face it in his current mood.

Because he didn’t want to risk destroying the potential there with a few choice words.

An interesting development.

Or perhaps it was merely a tired admission.

Regardless, Balthazar nodded, saying he understood.

“But I really—”

“Eliza, I have more important matters to handle right now, including cleaning up the dead on the island,” Luc stated firmly. “Unless your statement involves giving me the number of Hydraian casualties we’ve just endured, it can wait.”

The dark-haired female swallowed, her midnight irises clouding over with resolve. She dipped her chin in understanding, her mind going oddly blank as she stepped back into the shadows without another word.

Balthazar sighed. That wasn’t the way to handle the situation at all, but it was better than Luc blowing up at her.

Still, he wondered what she wanted to say. She appeared to be blocking it in her mind, perhaps because she’d noticed Balthazar standing nearby, which only intrigued him more.

He almost made to step toward her, to talk to her alone, but Sethios came back to life with a furious curse that distracted them all.

Caro immediately went to work on Jay, not even giving Sethios a kiss or a hug or a comment regarding his recovery.

Which had him frowning down at her and glancing around.

“Grandpacompelled her to heal everyone,” Stas explained through her teeth.

Sethios’s brow furrowed as he ignored everyone else and knelt beside Caro, pressing his palm to her shoulder. Energy flowed between them, the connection palpable and strong.