Page 43 of Divine Oaths

I stared at him in disbelief. “I saved your life.”

“I’m sorry, was that what just happened back there?”

“I’m talking about in the alleyway,” I snapped. “I found you bleeding out before the ambulance came. If I hadn’t done that, none of this would be happening. I never would’ve come to Westfield.”

Kasem laughed, his eyes dark in recognition.

“You know, if you’d accepted my offer in the pawnshop, I would have given you the money anyway.”

The meaning beneath his words cut through me.

“You think I robbed you after the attack?”

“Isn’t that what happened?”

“No. I mean, I know it looks like that. But I saved your life.”

“You left me for dead,” he said. “You don’t think I saw you grab handfuls of my money before you bolted when the ambulance came?”

Shame burned against my cheeks. It tore at me and so too did seeing Kasem look at me like I was an interloper. But that’s what I was. A stranger. And even if I had been the reason the ambulance had been able to find him, I’d taken his money and abandoned him in the alleyway.

“I had a good reason.”

“Yeah,” Kasem said, “and so did my attackers.”

His tone was biting, and I recoiled at the intensity of his disdain. If I could truly apologize for how the night had unfolded, I would. But no words could express the guilt I felt.

“I brought the money with me,” I explained, “and your bracelet too. You can have everything back, but I want to make things right. I think we’re linked. I don’t know how, but we are. And if we work together, we can help each other.”

Kasem watched me, pausing for a beat at my words. His brow furrowed, and for a second, concern gleamed in his eyes. He hesitated.

“Explain,” he said.

So, I did. I told him how I’d found the bracelet in Jojo’s car, and how I’d seen a vision of the future where Kasem succeeded in inheriting the estate. I even told him about how I’d attempted to use my powers on the bracelet to no avail. Here I was at Westfield, asking for his help, just like he had asked for mine back then, so that I could figure out how to unlink our bond. All of it came spilling from me, everything except the part about me lying in his arms, unconscious.

“Am I missing something?” he said. “You found my bracelet in my brother’s car, after a stabbing that I was too unconscious to witness.” Anger churned in his eyes. “And, somehow, my brother’s not involved in all of this?”

Of course, when he said it like that, it didn’t sound great.

“I’m not trying to defend him.” I was angry too, furious at Jojo for all the lies and secrets. But I couldn’t bring myself to condemn him completely. It was as if I hadn’t only lost control of my powers after that night—I’d lost Jojo too. All of his secrets and lies were one thing, but the thought that he might be part of the attack that night, that he might be connected to what happened to Kasem—that was painful in a way that made my migraines and nosebleeds almost bearable. I wanted to find out the truth so I could control my powers again and so the pain would stop. But I also wanted to prove that the Jojo I loved wasn’t capable of what I’d seen that night.

“Jojo’s lied to me enough about who he is,” I continued. “But I saw the attackers. Jojo wasn’t one of them. I can help you find them.”

It took a moment for Kasem to piece together the meaning in my words, but when he did, his eyes lit up. There was a mixture of fear in his expression, and awe too.

“You know because of your powers.”

I nodded. “You said I was marked earlier. After I used my powers on you, something changed. I can’t control my visions like I used to. I think—I think we’re bound, somehow, by an invisible thread. If I help you find your attackers, maybe you can help me break the bond. Deal?”

I waited for him to speak. But whatever questions were churning in his mind, Kasem seemed trapped in his search for answers.

“You saved me, I saved you,” he said simply.

My heart leaped, hope fluttering in my chest. “Okay, great,” I said. “So I think we should start with the bracelet. Maybe it’s the key to all of this?”

But Kasem didn’t meet my gaze. In fact, he wouldn’t look at me at all anymore.

“What I mean is, if you’re somehow bonded to me, that’s not something I can help with. And my problems are none of your concern.”