Page 85 of Vengeance of the Gods

Hours later, when he’d begun rolling a pebble back and forth, Bridger felt the door creak open, followed by, “Don’t make me regret this.”

Hearing Vega’s words inside his head for the first time made him melt. The feeling of her inside a place that had once been only his… Gods, he could live in there forever with her. “You found me.” Bridger’s laugh echoed inside his own head. “I promise to be on my best behavior, Kitten.”

Her groan vibrated Bridger’s mind, and he laughed again… but at least she didn’t shut him out.

The euphoria of Vega’s first words down their bond would have lasted longer had he not decided to psychoanalyze every word Romulus had said for the fifth time through.

His conclusion: Vega hoped Bridger didn’t know the difference between Death and the ruler of the underworld, or she herself didn’t know the difference.

Bridger didn’t believe it was the latter.

“Did you pull the short straw tonight?” Bridger asked with a sarcastic smile. It brought him joy to see how easily he got under Leo’s skin.

“Shut the fuck up.” The annoyance in his voice was palpable.

Fucking fire-wielders were always so grumpy. Must be the heat inside them or something—But damn, dude.

“Hey, can I request a guard change?” He spoke down the pathway, waiting for Vega to respond.

“What did I say about interrupting me with stupid questions?” Vega snapped back.

He relaxed at her words. “Well, if you’d tell me anything about what’s going on, what the next plan is, literally anything, I wouldn’t have to be such a bother.”

Hours of silence later, and a group of footsteps came from down the hall, followed by Khort’s voice. “You can take the rest of the night off, Leo.”

“Hi,” Vega said, opening his cell. “I think it’s time the four of us talk.”

They didn’t let him out of the cell. Not yet. Khort and Arlet followed Vega in.

“No warning you were coming and bringing friends?” Bridger asked, raising a brow.

She answered with the roll of her pretty eyes.

The color had come back to Arlet’s skin, and she looked good. Rested.

Then there was Khort, who looked like he was ready to set Bridger on fire at any moment. Typical.

Bridger smiled at him, wiggling his fingers in a sarcastic hello. “Is this my trial? To see if I’m trustworthy enough to rejoin the elite bonded?”

Vega held a hand up, keeping Khort from rushing Bridger like a bull. They could sense each other’s movements, even while locked inside a cage meant to suppress even the strongest of powers.

“We’re here to talk about the logistics of making this work,” Arlet pointed out, always the one to step in when the three of them needed redirecting.

Vega plopped down at the other end of the cot she’d had sent to him last night. The note she’d tucked into the blanket read:

Because the Vega I am today doesn’t think you deserve to sleep on the cold ground. Not anymore, at least.

He’d traced Vega’s quick script with his fingertip close to a hundred times.

“Do they know about your deal?” He needed to know if Vega expected him to keep it a secret.

“They know everything,” Vega responded to Bridger out loud, a seamless transition into what they needed to talk about.

“Everything?” Bridger asked, cocking his brow as a crooked smirk formed across his lips.

“Everything,” Khort grumbled.

Arlet stood in the middle of the room, blocking Khort and Bridger from each other while also standing in between Bridger and the only exit he had—he wouldn’t take it even if he had the chance.