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The connection between our minds was alive and I could smell the smoke of his burning childhood home. I knew in my bones that the Nightshades had been behind it. My skin erupted in gooseflesh and I watched as Kieran’s gaze seemed to follow the invisible line that anchored Rycon to me. I glanced at Conrad who tried to hide his discomfort with a smile.
“I would like to start by thanking you all for making the long journey here.” Mr. Abbey said politely as he settled into his armchair by the window.
“As you know, Raven has recently been targeted by the Dominion of Sin. What they want with her is unclear at the moment, however, we have reason to believe that Ash Nevra has a contract out on her. Rycon, here, was hired to...take care of her. However, during the attack, Raven seems to have accidently bound herself to him. He cannot hurt her without putting himself at risk.”
Kieran nodded understandingly. Meredith entered the room at that moment with several cups of tea on a delicate tray. They floated of their own accord around the room to their respective recipients. I noticed that Marcus and Maria did not take a sip.
Kieran observed Rycon over his cup, his grey eyes crinkling.
“Rycon?” He asked. “Rycon of Olkuyrbe?”
The shifter nodded minutely. I frowned.
“You are the son of Kallio and Rysa, no?” Kieran asked, casually stirring the hot tea in his cup. Rycon stopped breathing next to me. I could feel the rage coursing through his veins as if it were my own. “Terrible, what happened to them.” Kieran said softly, never taking his gaze off of the young mercenary. A dark rumble erupted from Rycon’s chest. The growl was so deep that the couch shook.
“That is enough.” I seethed at Kieran, surprising myself. My own body was tense. Even Conrad looked pissed off at the way Kieran used the names of Rycon’s parents to goad him.
“You are here by our invitation,” Mr. Abbey spoke up from his place in the armchair, his face grave. “You will treat us with respect or you will be asked to leave.”
I drew strength from Rycon’s rage and my aura brightened beneath the oppressive spell of the triquetra. Kieran’s eyes flashed and he smiled.
“You have inherited your father’s uncanny ability to command a room.” He said to me softly, falling back into his kind facade. I knew he was not talking about Jeremy. “My apologies. I only meant to express my condolences. Please know that I had nothing to do with the attack on the Olkuyrbe leap. That was one of the many reasons I chose to emancipate myself from the Nightshade coven.”
I didn’t know what a leap was, but I wasn’t about to look ignorant in front of this strange man. I assumed it meant pack, or pride. I wondered briefly what type of animal group was referred to as a ‘leap,’ before my train of thought was interrupted.
‘Yeah, right.’ Rycon growled into my mind. ‘He’s lying. I can smell it on him.’ I remembered what he had told me about how it was impossible to lie to a shifter. My body went cold, it had been a bad idea to ask them here.
“I find it interesting that yuh claim to have emancipated yuhself from di Nightshades, yet yuh have not denounced di name.” Conrad stated calmly. Kieran shrugged, and Marcus and Maria sat, stony faced as ever.
“Ah yes. Well, the goal was not to abandon such an old and powerful bloodline, but to change our ways.” He responded easily. “Once I broke the blood bond, the rest of the coven followed, unhappy with the cruel and corrupt ways of the past. We rebuilt the Nightshades under a new credo. We follow the goddess’ rule of three. Whatever we send out into the universe will return to us threefold.”
‘Liar,’ Rycon hissed into my mind. Kieran’s eyes darted back to him. I wondered if he could sense our silent exchanges.
“I have heard of you Rycon.” He drawled. “From what I know about your ways, I find it hard to believe that you are happy to be bound to Raven. You seem the type to value freedom above all else. Would it make you more comfortable if we could offer you some reprieve from these invisible shackles that bind you to the daughter of The Origin?” He asked, gesturing towards his associates. The air seemed to have been sucked from the room. He had caught Rycon’s interest.
“I’m listening.” He said. It was the first time he had spoken out loud since he had entered the room.
Before I could say anything, Kieran held out a hand, his thumb, and forefinger about an inch apart. I jumped as I felt him metaphysically grip the bond between us. He slowly brought his fingers closer together, and it felt as if the bond was narrowing. The liquid pass of energy slowed as the edges of the channel closed beneath the Nightshade’s grip. I gasped when his fingers finally met.
I couldn’t feel Rycon anymore.
40
We had only been bound for a few days, and I had not realized how accustomed I had become to his mind existing within mine. My senses dulled back to a human capacity. I could not smell his rainforest aura anymore and I felt a deep swell of loneliness in my chest. I turned and stared at Rycon, my eyes wide and my heart pounding. I don’t know why I expected his reaction to be the same. Why had I assumed he had come to care for me at all, considering he tried to kill me just days before?
Rycon did not seem to be experiencing the same sense of loss that I was. He was staring at me with a sense of awe. A slow, cat-like smile bloomed on his face. Rycon turned his head slowly away from me, and made eye contact with Kieran who had a disturbing smile on his face.
“Thank you.” He breathed, flexing his hands before him, as if he could finally truly feel his own body. Kieran’s smiled widened.
“Rycon,” I said, my voice cracking. He stood up from the couch smoothly, barely glancing in my direction. He looked toward the window as if he was seeing the outside for the first time in years.
“Later Kitten,” was all he said, and then he was gone. Everyone was silent. I was shaking. The hole in my chest where Rycon had been was getting larger by the second. My throat was closing and I felt my eyes burn. I would not cry. I would not cry.
“Well, that is one of your problems taken care of,” Kieran said jovially, taking a sip from his tea. Mr. Abbey was frowning. He seemed concerned and shaken from the terrible display of power Kieran had just demonstrated. I knew that he himself would not have been able to block the bond between us.
“Now it is simply a matter of taking care of the Dominion of Sin. I have a few tricks up my sleeve for that as well.”
My spoon was rattling in my teacup as I quivered. Conrad put his cup down and reached over to take it from me. Meredith's lips were pursed from where she stood silently in the corner of the room. Marcus and Maria looked...pleased. Something was very wrong. I needed to get out of here. Mr. Abbey spoke up.
