Page 33 of Wicked Bonds

Clara moved closer to him, an action not lost on anyone in the room, just as Jacque appeared in the hallway with Luc.

His emerald irises flared upon seeing Clara in the living area. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Oh, good. A game of repetition,” Ezekiel muttered, drawing his fingers through his hair before flopping his head back on the couch. “Wake me when they’re done, love.”

Skye merely blinked in response, her head canting a bit to the side at whatever vision she appeared to be following.

Balthazar had never actually met the prophetess in person. However, he’d overheard a bit about her from the minds of others, helping him to know what to anticipate from the female.

So far, she was living up to his expectations.

“Clara goes where I go,” Stark declared, standing in front of the female in question and folding his arms while staring directly at Luc. “There will be no questions. No elaborations. No discussions.”

Balthazar arched a brow.

What the fuck?Luc thought.Is he protecting her?

Balthazar gave a slight nod, answering the question.

Since when? Why? How?Luc’s questions rattled off in sequence, his complex mind puzzling through the situation at rapid speed.

He analyzed their mannerisms, noting Clara’s hand as she touched Stark’s lower back and the way she peeked out around him with guileless blue eyes. Then he took in the manner by which Stark moved just enough to continue blocking her in a shielding motion.

All of it ran through his thoughts, coupled with his omniscient ability to know and remember every detail. Luc almost immediately concluded that the two were engaged in some sort of romantic affair.

Unexpected. Odd. Perhaps related to the blood Stark imbibed earlier. Similar to Issac with Stas…He trailed off, his emerald irises flashing as he took in the Seraphim’s neck.Did she bite him back?He tried to search for evidence and found none.

He switched focus to Balthazar.Are they bonded?

The mind reader paused for a moment, uncertain of how to reply. He wasn’t entirely sure, and yet, it seemed relatively clear that they’d engaged in some sort of connection. So he gave the Hydraian King another nod.

Fascinating,Luc thought. “Where are Jay and Lizzie?”

The shift in conversation was normal for Luc. His mind constantly contemplated five thousand avenues at once, making it impossible to know what route he would pick next until he voiced it out loud.

Although, several millennia of knowing each other allowed Balthazar to guess better than most.

And, of course, it helped that he could read the other man’s mind.

“Leela went to retrieve them,” Stark replied, his brow furrowing. “She should be back by now.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed, his expression darkening. “Something’s wrong.”

Balthazar couldn’t hear how he’d come to that conclusion—thanks to his inability to read the other man’s mind—but he guessed it was a result of the call not going through.

“War,” Skye whispered, her gaze still far away. “There will be war. It’s certain now.” She canted her head again into an angle she seemed to favor. “Death. Destruction.Reformation.” She shivered.

Ezekiel immediately wrapped his arm around her, his opposite palm going to her chin as he tilted her face toward his. “What do you see, my love?”

It was the gentlest tone Balthazar had ever heard from the man.

Just as he’d never seen him handle someone with such care.

The assassin preferred knives and pain, not sweet words and soft caresses. But he clearly used them with this female.

Luc’s mind rivaled Balthazar’s thoughts, his surprise drowned out in understanding. They both knew Ezekiel had worked with Osiris for a reason—his love for Skye. But it was a concept neither of them had understood.

Until now.

Until seeing it with their own eyes.