8
Bronywyn
The book in my hands is proving to be a shit distraction. Tossing it aside, I push to my feet and stretch. My entire body is on edge, every muscle tense, as I wait for Tarnley to get back from wherever the hell he went.
He went to get them,the voice whispers.They’re going to put us down.
Good.
You are a fool if you think I’m going to let them separate us, witch.
“And you’re not real,” I shoot back, practically yelling it aloud to the empty apartment.
It doesn’t respond…no surprise there.
I walk to the balcony and stare out at the night sky. Regret over the things I said to him sits heavily on my shoulders, even as I believe them. He can act like what he feels is not a direct result of the bond, but we both know that’s not true.
It started after that day when we exchanged blood, and unfortunately, it won’t go anywhere until one, or both, of us meet an end. “You’re an idiot, Bronywyn,” I murmur to myself. There’s a huge part of me that just wants to give in, and maybe that is the answer.
Maybe, once Lucy is gone, giving in to what we feel wouldn’t be such a bad thing. After all, even if it’s due to the bond, it’s still somewhat real, isn’t it?
The elevator dings a breath before the doors slide open and Tarnley steps out. His shirt is different, his face tight and expressionless.
Jealousy is the first emotion to hit me. Had he gone somewhere to feed? To be with another woman? And, so what if he did? It’s not like I have any actual claim to him. I start to tell him how sorry I am, and instead, end up snapping at him. “Where the hell have you been?”
He doesn’t answer, just goes straight for the refrigerator and withdraws a bag of blood. After popping the top off, he pours it into a glass, still not saying a damn thing.
So, he didn’t feed.
“Tarnley?” I move closer. When I’m only a few feet away, I see the blood. Too small to have anything to do with what he’s drinking, the smear is just beneath his jaw. “What the hell happened?” Concern over him obliterating my own pride and smashing through that ridiculous jealous streak, I rush forward and close the distance, brushing my finger across his jaw.
He pulls back as if my touch stings and glares at me. “I ripped the throat of a vampire out today because he was in my bar, causing trouble.”
Shocked doesn’t really begin to cover my reaction. I’ve seen him kill before, hell, he’s done it quite a lot since this screwed-up war has started. Butneverin his bar. If I remember correctly, he even has his own rule against it.
“Surprised?” he asks, eyes hard. “Me, too. Seems there’s a bit of credence to this bond corruption you’ve been going on about.”
His words slam into me, and I take a step back. “You feel it, too?” My words are barely above a whisper. I’d honestly only spoken about it in theory—a guess, at best, as to what could happen given our link.
“I felt something,” he replies. “And it was dark, Bronywyn. I completely lost it. Turned into a monster.”
“As in you—”
“As in I had zero control over my actions. I knew what I was doing, but not until I was already doing it. By then, it was too late to stop. I killed a man in my bar. Then made my barkeep clean up the mess left behind.”
“Tarnley.” Tears burn hot in the corners of my eyes as I cover my mouth with both hands. Is that what’s going to happen to me? Will I just completely lose control, too? And if it is where I’m headed, why hasn’t it happened already?
“We have to get that magic out of you, Bronywyn. If you use it tonight, you’re going to damn us both.”
“I don’t have a choice but to use it. If I don’t—”
“Then we may lose.” Setting his glass down, he moves toward me. “But if you do use it, youwilllose yourself, Bronywyn. And take me down in the process.”
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” I sniffle, trying to keep from letting my emotions completely overtake me. The fact is the dark magic in me—unwelcome as it is—remains our best chance at defeating Lucy.
Tarnley shakes his head angrily. “Around and around we go, huh? Are you ever going to get tired of having this same conversation?”
“Yes.” The word comes out a hell of a lot more callous than I meant it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. “I will absolutely risk myself over risking thousands. Because that’s what will happen if Lucy is not stopped, Tarnley. This is so much bigger than me, than you, than our entire group. This is the lives of thousands of supernaturals and humans.”