We all look to each other, even Julien seems a little perplexed by my brother’s words.
“Cool. Sick,” Sai begins, throwing in a few mocking little nods for effect. “Now, could you maybe try saying that like you’re not a massive fucking nerd?”
Julien lets out a low snort.
Ezekial’s glare cuts sharp. “Sorry, I forgot I’m supposed to dumb it down for the guy who thinks sarcasm counts as communication.” He locks eyes with Sai before taking another deep breath.
“It means I can’t trace a single damn thing,” Ezekial grits out, yanking off his glasses and rubbing hard at his scarred eye.
“They didn’t think we’d notice,” he adds dryly with a bitter laugh. “But in case we did, they hid themselves among the others. If Kane hadn’t been doing his own patrols, I might’ve missed it entirely.” He shakes his head, disgusted with the code, with the Leads, with himself.
But without this document, we may never have realised at all.
“You did well to find this, brother.”
He doesn’t respond, too frustrated to accept praise.
“Anyone got any guesses who?” Sai asks, glancing at us all. “I mean, they’ve been our Lead Commands for what… at least a decade? And surely we can cross off Orion?”
Our gazes drift to Julien. He exhales deeply. “The magics of this world are vast. I would like to think I could sense betrayal in the man I sired. Alas… he is my only one.”
“Fuck.” Sai slumps back in the chair, dragging his tongue over his teeth in frustration.
“We’ll find them,” I declare. My darkness seems to agree, enticed by the idea of violence. Of revenge. “And they will be punished for their betrayal.”
“Having Jasmine present will help.”
I slowly turn to my brother, the shadows spread, the temperature drops.
“She asked to be there, brother,” Ezekial says quietly, but firm.
He knows I don’t want her near this, he doesn’t either, but we promised her anything.
“We may not like it, but an empath of her level…” Julien murmurs, eyes distant as he trails off, falling into a memory.
There’s a snippet through the bond, dragging us all into the moment, the way her darkness calls to us, a whisper becoming a summons we can never refuse. How it can drag us to our knees.
How could we not be awed by her?
Her power. Her will.
Her.
“She will feel things we won’t,” Julien finally finishes, voice hoarse, eyes darker.
For now, Julien’s blood-lust seems sated. But the hunger in his gaze is there. Now that he’s tasted our bond, that need will always be there.
Just when I’m about to intervene and halt the shadows seeping towards him, there’s a knock at the door, and a wave of power seeps in from underneath.
The hunger clears from Julien’s gaze immediately as all of us focus on the being behind that door. Ezekial opens it with the flick of his wrist and Kacey’s bond, Amon, enters.
“I’m glad to see you have recovered from your fainting spell,” he says to me, tone sincere.
I stare at him, silent, ignoring Sai’s snort.
Amon frowns. “May I suggest spending more time with your bonded? That should help—”
“How are you and Kace getting on?” Sai cuts in, and for once, I’m grateful for it.
