“Something’s happened,” he says, and the vagueness of it has me rolling my eyes. “I don’t want to worry you.”
My brows dart up. “That’s funny, because you’redrenched in it.”
I see him try to shut down those emotions, but once I’ve had a taste, you can’t simply revoke them.
I step closer. “Don’t try to hide from me, Ezekial.” I keep my voice soft. “Just tell me.”
He looks so uncertain. His normal warmth is tainted with a cold dread that has my tendrils reaching out, brushing over his crossed arms. His gaze tracks their touches, my expression.
“Is it Kane?” I suggest, hating how concerned I sound. “Has he changed his mind after what happened this morning? Because you can tell me, I’ll understand, even though I never meant to—”
“What? No, Jasmine. No.” His heavy frown and narrowed gaze leaves no room for miscommunication. “I know my brother’s given you many reasons to doubt him, but don’t doubt him on this. On you.” He steps closer. “He may deem himself unworthy, but he wants you, this. He’s made that clear… to me at least.”
Has he made that clear tomethough?
He’s made it clear he never wanted to hurt me… even though he did. He’s made it clear he regrets those things. That he would walk away from the unit if I couldn’t accept him. Is it really far-fetched to imagine he’s changed his mind?
“It’s Julien,” Zeek blurts. He sees my panic, then my confusion and quickly continues. “After this morning, his hunger has gotten worse. We’ve had to detain him.”
A sharp slice scores my lungs, hitching my breath. “Is it something I did?”
His frown deepens, and finally, the spiky mixture of fear and dread eases.
“No, no, ana mea.” That little nickname melts the slice into a flutter. “This is a struggle Julien has always battled. He just needs… distance.”
The slicing returns tenfold.
I pull my bottom lip in, dig in my teeth as I slowly nod.
“And the others are with him?” I ask, he nods and my brows draw tight. “Shouldn’t you be with him?”
Nervous apprehension blooms again.
“I don’t want to leave you,” he admits quietly. “The last time we left you…” He turns away, dropping his head.
The night I fled their house in the capital, jumped out a window, imprisoned in a cell, beaten, chained, left to bleed out like an animal carcass.
I shake my head, clear those visions away.
“Ezekial, go to him.” His eyes flick to mine, mouth open, ready to rebuke. “I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself, and this time is different to then. I want you to go to him.”
But he bats my words away with a soft frown, re-straightening to his solid, tense height.
My chin tilts higher, crossing my own arms as I stare up at him. “You said you’d do anything I asked. I’m asking you to do this.” My gaze is full of determination and defiance.
He holds strong, for barely a second.
“I can’t leave you.” The broken sound of his voice clutches at my heart. My expression softens as more words spill from him. “If anything happened to you, the thought of losing you… We’ve just got you back. I can’t—”
My tendrils expand, engulfing his entire body in thin lines of black, then they pulse. I siphon away all his anxiety with that one action and he falls to his knees.
I stare into his hazy eyes, level with his from one small downwards tilt of my head.
“I think you’re forgetting something, my lord.” His irises fluctuate from blinding silver to deep grey, and when I place a gentle touch upon his shoulder, they both darken. “I am your bond, equal to you in every way, power included. I do not need protection.” Entwined with the dark, some of the words echo. “But I do need you to be with Julien.”
Goddesses, this feels good.
Right.
