Page 34 of The Bonds of Indigo

“That’s so kind of you.” The cashier takes his card, swipes it, and hands it back. “Have a good evening.”

Grabbing the bags, I reach in, pull out the sunglasses, and slip them back on before turning away.

“She’s ungrateful for what she’s been given,” he says with a laugh. “Thank you, have a good one.”

The air outside hits me, cold and sharp. It’s a relief after the stuffy store, but it bites through the thin shirt instantly. Winter’s closing in fast, and this part of Orwyn gets brutal the closer we get to the mountains.

I grab the thick sweater I bought and tug it over my head, wrapping my arms around my waist for extra warmth.

“You need to eat.” Gods, he just appears out of nowhere again. “We’ll get takeout. I’m going to grab a burner phone, and you can order some tacos from the place right beside the shop.” He points down the strip of stores.

“I don’t eat meat.”

“Shocker,” he groans. “Then get chips, I don’t care.”

I actually do eat meat. I’m just trying to piss him off. I’m allergic to dairy, though—but that’s easy enough to avoid.

We take care of our business separately, and I don’t bother trying to run. He’d catch me in seconds anyway, and I still don’t have a plan to undo this blood bind.

Fucking Vampire. Fucking idiotic Vampire.

Vendra? Can you hear me…

I’ve got my legs propped up on the dash, body turned toward the window so I can watch the blur of the highway. The heater’s on full blast, so I ditched the sweater I’d thrown on earlier. Now I’m down to his shirt and the long-sleeve beneath it.

Butcher said we’d stop at a hotel tonight so I could change, but we have yet to.

I’m surprised he didn’t comment on the three bags of disposable razors I tossed in the cart, because he keeps glancing at my legs.

Good. I hope I disgust him. Maybe I won’t shave. Maybe the sight will keep his mind off the rest of me he can’t stop looking at.

I’d bought things that will make me as unappealing as possible: baggy clothes, torn tees, unstylistic dresses. Let’s see if that helps keep his eyes to himself.

“Question.”

It’s been almost an hour since we started driving, neither of us saying a word. Figures Mr. Can’t-keep-his-mouth-shut would be the one to break first.

“What?”

“Have you tried to channel since I got you out of the slammer?”

I swallow hard and let out a choppy breath that almost turns into a laugh. Okay. He is funny, but in that smug, infuriating way that makes me want to throttle him.

“Yes,” I answer honestly. “Vendra hasn’t connected with me…”

He lets out a sharp pfft. “Your God shutting you out for using your abilities for evil. How shocking.”

“God, that isn’t it, she’s having a hard time⁠—”

“You better start apologizing.” He cuts me off, and the condescension in his tone makes my skin crawl. “Because you get one night in a hotel before we are roughing it.”

I grumble under my breath. “Why are we roughing it?”

Not that I really care. I’ve lived most of my life on farmland or in the mountains. I owned one pair of shoes, and only wore them when I had to go into town. My life was built for the wild, not the cities. I’ve always hated the noise, the stench, the people. I avoided places like Sidence whenever I could.

“You connect with the earth, and you can’t do that in a town I take it.”

“Right…” Guess he has been listening. “I mean, I can. It’s just easier when I have a direct connection to Mother’s nature. Thick concrete and… artificial… grass…”