I turned to look up at their home, where I would be locked up for the foreseeable future, and went inside.
“Wait, Briar,” Elias snapped, and his frustration slid over me in a brief flash. I stopped in the middle of the foyer and was mid-turn when he grabbed my hand. A gaping, soul-deep pain wracked my frame. I crumpled on the ground with a gasp.
Elias’ horror-filled gaze didn’t leave mine. I curled in on myself, like it would soothe the remaining sting.
He looked down at his hand and then over at Kyan, who kept shaking his head.
They seemed to have an idea of what was happening. Kyan turned back to me and crouched to get closer.
“I have to confirm something,” he said gently and pressed a fingertip to the top of my hand. As soon as our skin touched, the wave of agony hit me, and I wheezed, dropping onto my side.
“I’m so sorry,” he croaked, flinching back so fast he fell on his ass.
God, that hurt. I gasped, the swell of pain wasn’t acute like when he touched me, but I could taste the remnant pain.
Kyan staggered to his feet and met Elias’ shocked eyes.
“Bond Sickness,” Kyan whispered.
Chapter 39
Almost two weeks in that pit. Two fucking weeks.
I’d been sitting in the shower for so long, my skin had turned into prunes, but the pelting water felt so good. Almost as good as it felt to bathe without having eyes on me.
Jail was an invasive experience. I scrubbed my palms across my face.
The perks of Bond Sickness? They let me the fuck be.
I’d been numb, but it was slowly chipping away with each second that passed. And with the fading numbness came fear.
But as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t sit here forever. I climbed to my feet and turned the shower off. My body had been in flight for so long, I could sense the impending crash. I’d hardly had any restful sleep these last almost two weeks. Every second, I was jolting awake.
I pushed the shower curtain aside, reached for one of the neatly folded towels to wind one around my hair, and grabbed another for my body.
My sandals sat just outside the shower. I frowned down at them, not remembering whether I’d put them there. My focus wasn’t what it usually was, so I’d probably left them there.
I shut the bathroom lights off and shuffled into the bedroom. A shadow moved at the corner of my vision.
I screamed, jumping back and knocking my elbow against the wall. I hissed, rubbing it. Kyan winced and reached for me, but his hand stopped midway and slapped back to his side.
“I was just checking whether you were hungry.” He cleared his throat.
“A heads-up would have been nice,” I groused.
I passed him, tightening the towel around my body, and walked over to the drawers. I’d had time to look through everything before hopping in the shower. They’d folded the clothes and organized them in drawers based on category. It was neater than I would have done it.
I dropped the towel and pulled on the shorts and T-shirt.
“You haven’t been able to rest either, huh?”
I hummed and went over to the bed. Sitting forward, I squeezed my hair into the towel. Kyan hadn’t moved. He was still staring at the spot I’d been standing in. As if jolting out of whatever had gripped his thoughts, he crouched to grab the towel I’d dropped on the floor and walked over to put it in a hamper beside the drawers.
“I understand your anger.” He paused, visibly thinking over what words to say. He opened and closed his mouth. “Elias is wasting away.” He shut up and shuffled in place again. That was what he settled on saying?
I didn’t want to hear about any of theirpain. The lies and bullshit. I didn’t care. I hoped he could see it on my face.
“Kyan. Get out.”
