Thunder boomed outside,and the heavy pattering of rain quickly followed. It was so heavy, we could hear it even down in the basement.
I stared at the wall, keeping my breathing as even as possible. Zephyr was chattering away on the other side of the room while Levi fed.
My brother had over a decade worth of bullshit to explain to Levi. He was currently showing him a smartphone, explaining how apps worked. Levi knew of the novelty apps from years ago, but now he was getting a crash course on all the useful things modern apps could do.
I, meanwhile, was fighting nausea.
Guilt nudged at my stomach.
I didn’t want to be here.
Aiden, my one connected Link, was upstairs. I could feel his presence above me as if it were a tangible pressure pushing down on me. I slipped into his mind every five minutes, monitoring his dreamless sleep, checking his pulse. He wouldn’t object, but I made a mental note to tell him about it when he woke.
His mother had tried to kill him not twelve hours ago, and then we’d both been in abattleat the academy.
Aiden had killed some attackers.
I’d killed some attackers.
I’d killed…Landon.
I stared hard at my hand, imagining my affinity looking back at me. I liked to imagine my affinity was some type of animal. Some days, it was a cat, doing whatever it wanted while ignoring me. Other days, it was like an excitable puppy, looking for a bone to chew, or…people to squeeze.
I winced, then flexed my fingers.
My affinity had taken on a static-type quality since the battle at the academy. I’d touched metal several times in the last several hours trying to rid myself of the sensation, but it seemed like it was here to stay.
The static made me think of Aiden.
I checked him over again.
Heartbeat was even. Breathing was even. He wasn’t dreaming, but was in deep sleep.
Aiden was safe, that was all that mattered.
That was all thatshould havemattered, but my chest squeezed as I thought of my other two Links, the ones I’d left behind.
Wyatt. The asshole counselor.
Rafe. The fuckingPrince.
My Chain was shaping up to be a fucking mess, and I had no idea how to fix it. No wonder my mother used to let Levi be a dick, it was probably easier than trying to control him, especially when she was having a bad day.
“Skyes?”
I turned, looking through my brother as he tried to get my attention.
“What?”
Zephyr rolled his eyes.
“I was just showing him that one music app you like.”
I hummed in response.
Levi chuckled, and I glanced over to see he was looking at me with something dangerously close topity.
“Good to see that hasn’t changed,” Levi chuckled again. “She still thinks we’re boring.”
