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Those two words speak volumes for all the things he’s not saying.
“What was today?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
“Why did you bring me with you?”
“I told you, I want you to see this place as more than a prison.”
I might have believed him this morning, but now, after what Reagan told me about the bear, I’m not so sure. “You’re stalling.”
“Stalling for what?”
“I know you. You might not be the evil monster everyone thinks you are, but you are ruthless when it comes to protecting the people you care about. So, why haven’t you gone back to my world and destroyed every one of the Crimson Roses?”
“I’m glad you recognize that I care about you.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
His lips twitch, but the smile never comes. He stares out into the distance, and I know I’ve struck on the truth.
“I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that this Uziah made you a deal to hunt me,” he says at last.
“What do you mean?”
His mouth flattens into a hard line. “When my mother fashioned her weapon, she made sure I was to be wielded by a master always.”
“I don’t understand.”
“My immortal life requires a blood oath to another.”
“Is that what you meant about others wanting your blood?”
He nods. “My very existence is contingent upon being blood-bonded to another. A master with the power to command me. To bend me to their will.”
“Wait. Your mother did that to you?”
“I think she knew the god’s essence in me would make me powerful enough to resist her evil intentions, so she created an insurance policy against any hint of rebellion in me.”
“Your mother bound you to her so you’d have to carry out her orders even if you didn’t want to?”
“Yes.”
I try to imagine a parent doing that to their child, but I can’t. It’s too horrible. “How old were you when she first bound you?”
“Six.”
My stomach roils with what he’s telling me. “She deserved to be locked in a prison world more than you did.”
“Maybe. But being sent here was the best thing that could have happened. Caius learned of the blood bond and demanded I bind myself to him. At first, I fought it. Fought him. But he wasn’t like her. I wasn’t forced to kill or destroy against my will. He earned my loyalty and respect—and my willingness.” He casts me a glance as he says, “I unbound myself to Caius when I met you.”
“I’m glad,” I say, shuddering. “No one should ever be trapped like that.” My relief is short-lived as I note the heaviness in his gaze. “Wait, what do you mean your immortal life? What happens if you stay unbonded?”
“I’m not sure,” he admits. “My shadow beast couldn’t be happier, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
“Well, at least you’re free.”
“I wasn’t meant to be free,” he says quietly. I hear a twinge of bitterness in his words that leaves me desperate to help him.
