His face crumples as his eyes slide to mine. He drops his hand from Emi’s neck and runs a hand over his head. “Your peace nearly cost us his sanity,” he points at a thunderous Archan.
I close my eyes and suck in a deep breath. “I know, and I’m sorry for that.”
“Sorry doesn’t cover your selfish actions.”
My eyes flick open and harden. “Haven’t I paid enough? You use me like a pawn in a dangerous game of the gods, yet leave me defenseless. I had to draw on everything I had to ensure everyone I loved survived, so excuse me for being grateful for the rest I needed. You would have dragged me back into a war I have already fought. You hold me responsible for the evils in this world when I have given back far more than I have ever taken. I’m here right now because of the ties that bind me to him,” I point at Archan. “Even purged of the memories that threatened my sanity, my mind was still plagued with images of him and my heart was crippled with an emptiness I couldn’t fill.”
I spin away from Jed and fist my hands at my sides. “I won’t be made to feel guilty for protecting you all. My job isn’t to prevent the end of the world, it is to protect those I love and offer a lifeline to humanity.”
“And you did that,” Jed whispers. “But at the same time, you dug yourself into all of our hearts. It hurt, like being shredded from the inside out and knowing you wouldn’t ever be whole again.”
“You forget what I have given up. Don’t think for a second my heart isn’t as broken as yours.”
He swallows, his throat bobbing. “So you know then?”
I nod and glance around the room. “I was warned of the consequences.”
Aaden frowns. “What consequences?”
I close my eyes against the threat of tears. “Not now,” I whisper.
“Tell us,” Zee growls.
“I can’t, I need time.”
“Speaking of consequences, we have a minor problem,” Lucifer says. I smile and give him a grateful look for diverting the conversation away from me.
“What’s that?” Archan says.
He sucks in a breath and winces. I know in that second I am going to hate whatever it is he’s about to say. “Lysa has a vial of Natia’s blood.”
“What!” Archan roars as he stands. “Why the hell would you agree to that?”
“To get the poison to kill Ty,” I mutter, glaring at Lucifer. “Why bring this up now?” I ask.
Jed nudges me towards the seat. Anger rolls off Archan in scorching waves, making my skin tingle.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “It’s just blood, right?”
Emi flops down in the seat next to Aaden and tips her head back. “He’s telling us because they can use it against you. Wielded by the right person, they could control you, make you a target, destroy you.”
“Then we get it back,” I state.
Lucifer shakes his head. “It would have to be willingly gifted back to you, or bartered for something else. You gave it freely in exchange for the poison. That means it will find its way back to Lysa if we steal it.”
“Then we offer her something she wants in exchange for it,” I state.
“No!” Archan, Zac and Jed shout.
I blink at Zac. He sucks in a breath. “She will want something even more important than your blood in return. We can’t afford for you to be used against us.”
“So what do we do?”
“Finish the binding,” Zac states, staring at Archan.
I shake my head. “No.”
Zac glances at me and folds his arms. “Why not?”
