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“You bonded me to you against my will, Raven.” He gestured to the majesty before us. “It doesn't matter how nice the wrapping is. A cage is a cage.”
I rolled my eyes and turned to face him, the alcohol working its magic. For the first time since I woke up in this place, I felt a flicker of anger.
“Yeah, after you kidnapped me! Also, that was an accident, Rycon. I didn’t intentionally bind you to me. I will gladly let you go if we find a way to free you. I would be happy to be rid of you.” He took the flask from me, eyeing me carefully. He didn’t look hurt by my words, he honestly looked at me like he respected the sentiment.
“I know that, and I know I can’t take what I did back. But we’re stuck with each other. Maybe forever. Until the day comes that you find a way to free me, we might as well try to trust each other. I believe you will do everything you can to release me from this bond. As long as that remains true, I will never betray you again if it is within my power not to. You can tell if I’m lying. You’re probably the only person on this planet who can. Well, you, and maybe my sister.” He finished thoughtfully.
“Fine,” I said, the word slurring slightly. I turned and stumbled back into the bedroom. A wave of drunkenness crashed into me, and I knew it wouldn't be long before I lost consciousness. I barely made it to bed before I passed out. The darkness consumed me. Rycon had been right about the whiskey. I did not dream.
6
“Rayven, wake up.” Conrad’s voice pierced through the excruciating headache that seemed hell-bent on splitting my skull in two. I groaned and pulled the nearest pillow over my head.
“Go away,” I mumbled, from under the pillow. Conrad shook my shoulder and pulled the pillow away.
“Rayven, yuh need to eat someting, yuh haven’t eaten anyting since yuh woke up, it nuh healthy.” I opened one eye and squinted at him. My head was pounding and my mouth tasted like a sewer. Rycon hadn’t lied about the whiskey having negative side effects. I had never been hungover before and honestly, it was shit.
“I’m not hungry,” I said, and Conrad’s eyes widened, and he made a face.
“Yuh breath.” He exclaimed. Stepping away from me and clapping a hand over his nose. “Yuh smell like a liquor cabinet. Yuh drunk?”
I sat up, holding a hand to my throbbing temple. “I was drunk.” I corrected.
“Guess mi dun need tuh ask whose bright idea it was to give yuh alcohol.” He grumbled. I just curled in on myself, putting my head between my knees.
“Yuh have to eat Rayven, and to tell di truth, yuh shouldn’t be drinking. Alcohol is a depressant. It nah help yuh get better.” He said that like I cared about getting better. Honestly, all I wanted was another drink. Maybe if I drank enough whiskey, it would make the headache go away. “Ray-ven.” Conrad persisted, and I finally looked at him.
“If I eat something, will you leave me alone?” A hurt look flashed across his face, and I immediately felt bad. Just because I was miserable didn’t mean he deserved to be. “Sorry. I just… I just don’t feel well.”
“That’s because yuh hungover. Yu have a bruk head,” he pointed out. I shrugged again and moved to stand up. Like the day before, he had come with a tray piled full of food. There was even coffee, which normally would have perked me up, but the sight of it made my stomach turn over. I slumped down into a chair by the small round table and grabbed a glass of water instead, downing it in a few gulps. It magically refilled itself. Good, I was so thirsty.
Conrad sat across from me and made me a small plate of cheese, thick crusty bread, and fruit. I accepted it from him but didn’t immediately eat. My stomach turned over again, and I forced the sick down. If I ate a couple of bites, maybe he would leave, and I could summon Rycon back in here with more whiskey.
“Good morning!”
“Hey, hey!” Meredith and Kasha spilled in through the open door, their cheerful greetings grating on my skull like nails down a chalkboard.
“Wow, look, you’re out of bed!” Kasha exclaimed, flopping down on the bed to face us, patting the space next to her for Meredith to join. I groaned.
“Not willingly, mi had tuh bribe her to get her up. She hungover. Mi guess our favorite shifter got sick of enduring di consequences of his own actions and paid her a visit last night.” Kasha’s eyes widened and Meredith pursed her lips. I glared at Conrad.
“Snitch,” I muttered, finally working up the courage to take a bite of bread with some cheese. I could barely taste it. The food felt like cardboard in my mouth.
“Raven. You’re experiencing depression and PTSD; I don’t think alcohol -” I held up a hand, interrupting Meredith.
“I don’t need a lecture, ok?” Sparks crackled between my fingertips, and I snatched my hand back into my chest. That hadn’t been voluntary. I could feel my power rising up for the first time since I woke up, and it didn’t feel good.
It was a familiar fist around my heart. Similar to how it had felt before I had learned how to control my aura. I shoved the power down into a box deep within myself and slammed the lid shut.
“Listen, I know you don’t know me very well, and I don’t want to tell you what to do or anything, but Amon will be coming back soon. We just heard from him today and I don’t think he’s going to be thrilled at the idea of you drowning your sorrows in a bottle. Especially when we clearly need to start preparing you for the Quickening,” Kasha said, gesturing toward the offending hand I had clutched against my chest, to keep the sparks from spreading.
I tried to glare at her, but again, there was no real bite to it.
“Do I look like I give a fuck what Amon wants?” I asked. She shrugged and the corner of her mouth twitched up.
“No, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Yuh didn’t even ask what di Quickening was,” Conrad said, his voice soft. I was normally full of questions. I normally needed to know what was going on and was practically demanding answers.
