Page 47 of The Bonds of Indigo

“And you? You look a mess.” I watch him shift, adjusting himself before taking her wrist, and an irrational heat builds at the back of my neck. “How’s your arm?”

She sighs and gently pulls away from him. “Okay. Can Kayn heal you?”

“Ugh.” Atlas throws his head back against the car. “More humiliation.”

The rocks below me roll down as I move faster, with a bit more purpose. It gets her attention, and as she slowly turns her head up to meet my gaze, her eyes widen as if surprised.

What? Did she think I wouldn’t come to them?

Why is she shocked?

She shuffles back, wobbling to her feet just as I reach their side. The moment I’m close, she reacts in that same familiar manner: arms gripping around her waist, closing herself off, holding on like she’s keeping herself from splitting in two. Gods, she needs to fucking eat.

“What happened?” I pull my gaze from her to look at Atlas, who has a roguish grin plastered on his face.

“Nothing.”

“A Werewolf knocked our car down the hill,” Amarah provides softly. “We rolled down and boom, here we are.”

“And… where is said Werewolf now?”

My friend gestures with his head downward. I’d been too focused on the girl to notice the four slabs of meat resting lazily just a few feet behind the Witch. It looks like it fell cleanly into a table saw, sliced into even pieces.

I find my gaze raking up her legs, all the way up to her face, the blood beginning to crack as it dries in places. “I channeled.”

“Yeah, she did,” Atlas says through a groan.

“Don’t get too excited… I was only able to connect for a very specific reason.”

I narrow my eyes on her. “And that reason?”

She simply looks at Atlas, and before I can demand she speak, my friend is grabbing my attention.

“Hey, Butcher, listen. I don’t want to even ask for this—and again, don’t tell anyone—but do you mind?”

“Why didn’t you answer me when I reached out to you?”

She clears her throat and lowers her head, looking at the groaning Mundane. “Sorta busy.”

“Getting undressed,” I mumble before quickly moving down to Atlas. “Collar couldn’t hurt that bad if you took your shirt off.”

Pressing my wrist to my mouth, I bite into the flesh, and just as Atlas is about to say something stupid, I’m sure, I thrust it against his mouth. “You know the drill.”

He grumbles but takes in a helping of my blood.

“Thought it had to go onto the wound,” Amarah says as she slowly moves around me. I track her until she disappears behind the vehicle.

“Mundanes can drink it and it’ll heal them. Unlike for other Dylox, their blood isn’t complex. Very… boring.” My friend’s eyes narrow on me as he bites down harder onto my wrist, clearly trying to make a point.

“I see.” The sound of glass falling with her response has me turning back to see her reaching into the back seat. She’s grabbing the bag from the thrift store and the items that spilled out. It doesn’t look like everything survived the tumble, but some pieces are still intact.

“I can get that for you, Amarah.”

She freezes. I can see the twitch in her hand as it stretches into the vehicle.

What is her deal with me saying her name?

She gathers herself, takes what she can from inside the car, and pulls it out. “I’m fine, thanks.”