Page 92 of The Bonds of Indigo

No. No. She—she can’t be dead.

“Amarah!”

Her shoulders jolt, and the creature glances down at her.

“I’ll fucking kill you for touching her, you damn piss target for dogs!”

The creature roars, and just as the pressure around my throat reaches the brink—ready to pop my head clean off—it stops.

“Kayn?” Her voice isn’t strained. Not even worried. Which terrifies me, because this seven-foot nightmare just had its hand in her chest.

I couldn’t see it, but the action alone was to impale her. But now that I take everything in… it didn’t penetrate her back.

What is happening…

“Amarah.”

She turns her head over her shoulder, and the bright gold in her eyes slowly drains away, returning to the indigo I’ve grown attached to.

“Let him go.”

“I know not to kill him, but you know my feelings about the male.”

The moment the vines loosen, I’m ripping them off and charging toward her. Water waves around my legs, soaking through my pants. The creature steps back from her, and she hesitates to fully turn in my direction.

Right. She’s naked.

I reach her in a heartbeat, grip her shoulder, and turn her toward me. She’s talking so calmly, she shouldn’t have a hole in her chest, but I need to see for myself. Her hands fly up to cover her breasts, but all I care about is the fact that she’s whole. Not a drop of blood.

I snap my head over my shoulder, ready to tear that wooden bastard apart… but there’s nothing. Just rising steam and the forest beyond.

“You saw that?” Her voice snaps my attention back to her.

I nod and bring my free hand—the one not gripping her shoulder—to the side of her neck. “I did… but I can’t explain what it was I saw. What the fuck was it? Are you okay? It… he⁠—”

“It’s a he.”

It. He. She. Santa Claus. I don’t care. It touched her, and it saw her naked. If I ever see him again, I’m using him as firewood.

She exhales slowly. “You interrupted…” She shifts, visibly uncomfortable, but I couldn’t give less of a shit right now. “His name is Thornwyn. He’s a warrior and protector of Vendra. When my kind die, he carries our souls to her.”

A crushing weight hits my chest. “Why… was he here?”

Her small, sheepish smile eases something sharp inside me. “Not to take me away. He came to help me figure out what I’ve been doing wrong.”

“Why the fuck did he have to touch you? And why’d you have to be naked?”

She clicks her tongue. “Gods, you’re so… weird. I don’t even know what to call you anymore. Why do you think I don’t wear shoes, hmm?”

“Because you’re weird.”

She rolls her eyes and presses her arms tighter against her chest. I keep my gaze stubbornly above her chin; I’m being very well-behaved. “No, it’s so I’m connected to Vendra’s world. I figured I’d come as I came into the world. Seemed to work.”

“Alright, alright… was I seeing shit, or did he reach into your chest?” When she bites her bottom lip, I slide my hand to her collarbone, right above her heart. “I could’ve sworn…”

“Um…” Her breath hitches. “The heart is our energy source. It gives us life. Yours pumps the blood that sustains you, even if it’s not as powerful as ours. Sirens eat hearts for sustenance. It’s the organ that must be repaired for a Demon to regenerate fully. I was offering it for help.”

I force my tongue to stick to the top of my mouth, because I was about to say something I know I can’t come back from. To tell her that isn’t hers to give away.