They’re one of the few known living pairs of fated mates. My bond with Celine is chosen. It likely doesn’t work exactly the same as theirs, but if there’s anything the bond can do to make her safer, I want to know about it. Even if it means discussing the most personal part of myself with two people I barely know.
“Don’t mention that you’re a basilisk,” Ciprian says.
“I heard you the first nine times.” I scrub my hand over my chin and glance at the massive, bubbling fountain in the center of thecourtyard.
Ciprian keeps warning me that Gideon will be curious about my shift. As an omni shifter, he can transform into any animal, as long as he’s seen it in person. Adding a basilisk to his options would be dangerous, but I can’t stop wondering why Ciprian is this hung up on it.
He’s an enclave heir. I’m a mythical beastand... what? His boyfriend? I don’t own slacks or reading glasses. I’m a bartender. I’m not the guy you bring home to meet your parents. I know my basilisk should be kept secret. He doesn’t have to keep rubbing it in.
“Your face is loud.” Alistair nudges me with his shoulder.
Ciprian narrows his eyes at me. “Why do you look like that?”
I grit my teeth. “What do I look like?”
“Like you’re mad at me. Like I did something wrong,” he scoffs. “I’ve seen that expression on a hundred different faces, Luca; but I didn’t expect to see it on yours.”
What is he talking about?I’m terrified for Celine and worried about Malach. He is, too. This is no time to pick a fight, but for once, I can’t smooth things over. I’m too raw, and his attitude is pissing me off.
The best I can do is keep my mouth shut.
But my silence makes things worse.
Ciprian storms ahead, pushing inside the enclave’s administrative wing and leading us to a conference room with a scarred wooden table and smooth leather seats.
“I think you’re in trouble,” Ali mutters to me.
“What the fuck did I do?” I shake my head as I stare at Ciprian’s stiff back.
Alistair shrugs. “I think the time has come for all of us to stop assuming the worst. It’s a trait that served us in the Fringes, but now—this future we’re building won’t be real if we tear it down before it’s had time to grow.”
“You’re mixing your metaphors,” I grumble. “Are we a building or a bush?”
“Who cares?” Alistair says. “I’ll be a building, a bush, or a godsdamn blimp if it means I’m not alone again.” He sits down and opens his laptop, focusing his attention on the screen before I can think of a comeback.
Ciprian slides into a chair on the opposite side of the round table, his eyes landing briefly on the seat to his left. It’s the same size as the others, but the creases are deeper.His father’s chair?I want to ask. To check in and see if he’s okay, but there’s too much tension hanging between us. Before I decide what to do, Gideon and Sheena join us.
“I can’t wait to hear about your bond!” Gideon’s voice is loud and friendly, his gaze flickering to golden as he settles in his chair. “Did Ciprian tell you that he’s the one who spilled the beans about our bond to Sheena?”
He nudges her, but she’s focused on Ciprian, and her forehead is creased. “He was looking out for me,” she says. “After someone decided to keep secrets from the clueless djinn.”
Gods, they’re sharing private information like it’s nothing.I force a smile, but it’s tight on my face. “Thank you for agreeing to talk about this.” I scrub a hand through my hair. “I know it’s a sensitive topic.”
“We’re happy to help,” Sheena says. They’re being kind, but I’m struggling to remain polite. My bartender charm is buried beneath mountains of worry, a thin ribbon of light, and a basilisk who’s threatened by the massive shifter across from us.
He’s not a threat, I tell him, wincing as my fangs poke through my gums.
“Can you tell me about your bond?” Sheena asks.
I exhale, and the sound is too loud in the open room. “Yeah, sure. Celine and I bonded because the portal wouldn’t let me off the realmotherwise.”
Sheena frowns.
Gideon leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest. His golden eyes dig a hole in my face. “You didn’t want it?” Each word is dripping with judgment. Shit, he thinks I’m an asshole, and maybe I am, but I don’t want him questioning me. He doesn’t have a clue what we’ve been through.
“I wanted it,” I hiss. “But I didn’t want it badly enough to kill my girlfriend for it.” My hands are trembling. I drag them under the table and hide them in my lap.Get it together.
Sheena and Gideon exchange a glance. “Why would it have killed her, Luca?” Sheena’s voice is soothing. She’s trying to turn the temperature down. Normally, I would be first in line to help her, but my basilisk doesn’t want me talking about the bond.
