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Syn City’s falling. A dead god is supposedly back to cause panic and chaos. My killers are taunting me by shooting my mate yet I haven’t gotten any smite the evildoer signs from my immortal mothers that means I’ll have the revenge that brought me back. Things are a mess. But at least I have Nolan’s warm hand in mine.
According to Stone, the wolf ran out of here the moment he felt the mating bond fall. My fault. He ran to my garden looking for me. Also my fault. And he got shot for his efforts, likely by whoever murdered me and my family. The need for revenge thrums through me the same as any high the Mad Maes must feel.
“Why does it stink of cat in here?” Nolan’s rough voice has me jerking my head up.
“You’re awake.”
He stares at me. “The mating bond?”
“I broke it. But it was an accident.”
“Was it?”
Without the colors coming off him and with him giving nothing away, I can’t guess at his feelings. He’s leaving in two days. If I don’t have the tiny bit of connection that the mating link gave me, I’ll lose him entirely. “My spell went wrong. I meant to banish the grief I’ve been struggling with, but the magic misunderstood when I told it to cut out what hurts me.”
He looks away. Gods, he looks so much weaker than he did. How much damage did the wolf’s bane and arrowhead do?
“I’ll bring you some water and food. Or pain meds. Which do you want first? We’ll get you better, and then we can put the mating bond back in place like nothing ever—”
“No.”
I flinch. “No to the water, the food, or the pain meds? I get it if you don’t want what the Mad Mae left although she seemed to know her—”
“No to the mating bond. It wasn’t meant to be.”
Pain erupts in my chest, as sharp as if I took the arrow we pulled out of him. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s gone for a reason. It’s better this way.”
“It was a mistake. I told you the magic goes wrong sometime in Syn City.”
“The Fates don’t make mistakes, not when it comes to mates.” He closes his eyes, and it seems as if the strength has been sucked out of him. “We tried. It didn’t work. Leave it be. At least for now.”
“But I—”
“Go, Sadie. Please don’t make me say it again.”
I should. I want to. I’d like nothing more than to yell at him to give us another chance even if for a couple of days because those will be memories I can keep. But he looks so tired and defeated. “I’ll ask Stone to check on you, and I will come back. You’ll change your mind about the mating bond.”
I’ll make him, and yep, the world just got weirder if I’m convincing Nolan Freakin’ Bankston that we’re meant to be for whatever time he’ll give me before he picks the marshals over me…again.
22
NOLAN
Getting shot with an arrow like something out of medieval times hurt, but not as much as losing my connection to Sadie and pushing her away. The magic couldn’t have gone that wrong—not even in Syn City. If her spell cut our bond, then she doesn’t want to be mated to me. No matter what she says. I’ve never heard of a connection failing because of any accident, and she said our bond severed because it hurts her.
I hurt her. More than her grief over her own family’s death.
She’s either lying to me, herself, or both of us if she thinks she’s ready to simply snap our connection back into existence. I won’t force her to accept an uncompleted bond that she doesn’t want. She means too much for that. Instead, I’ll figure out this damn case so I can win her back.
Which is why I’m standing outside a temple that looks like something out of a history hologram. The House of Huntresses didn’t spare any expense. They rebuilt an ancient Greek temple surrounded by steps and fronted by six massive columns. How the hell did they lug so much marble into the swamplands?
I thought temples would smell like incense or candles, but this could be the wildest forest with the scents of trees, moss, and damp earth. The scent makes me think of Sadie’s garden on steroids, without the care and tending. Instead of pretty rows and neat circles, I imagine tangled vines and towering redwoods. Not white stone columns and empty spaces leading to a wide door dwarfed by its colossal surroundings.
“You lost, marshal?” Bunny’s whisper-shout would be funny except her shifty movements and the fear in her eyes scream that I should run away. “You’re not supposed to be out of bed. Hell, no one knew you were awake yet.”
“I’m fine.” It’s the same lie I gave the nosy bear shifter right before I snuck away.
