so does he. With four of us snooping around the castle, surely we can discover something.”
“I don’t know—”
“Sebastian might be willing to talk to me, too.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Sy asked.
I didn’t like the idea of them snooping around, but Katrina was probably right that they’d be good at it. “What about breaking the bond? Can we do that?”
“We don’t know that you need to. He might be innocent,” Olivia said.
“Even if he is, I want it broken. I need space. I need to figure out what I want and how I feel without being magically influenced.”
“Okay, we’ll get back together in a couple days.” Femi went to the bar to talk to Sy and Katrina. Olivia and Holden, judging by their distant expressions, were talking silently with one another. I was alone with my thoughts and the pain in my chest from missing Cheney.
“I’m going to go lie down. I have a headache,” I told Sy and headed for the back.
Holden caught my arm and pulled me over to him and Olivia. “I might be able to redirect your feelings. It would be a very temporary fix, definitely not a solution. And it could backfire. Magical bonds are a pain in the ass.”
“I don’t think you should break it. If Holden can ease the effects so you can wait this out, that’s what I recommend,” Olivia said. “Let Holden try.”
Holden frowned at her. “I might not be able to do anything. I told you this isn’t the same as that. You’re thinking with your heart. Magic has nothing to do with souls. You and I are bonded on a molecular level; she is bonded by a spell. It’s more like the arrangements the jinn have with demons. But instead of having her soul, Cheney has her life. If she dies, he dies and vice versa. That’s why no one gets married in the Abyss.”
My eyebrows shot up. No one had explained this to me before. “So that’s why he came to help me when the bounty hunters were after me? If I die, he dies.”
Holden nodded. “Probably. Breaking this bond might actually fix a lot of your immediate problems.”
“You don’t know that,” Olivia argued, frowning right back at him. “If they love each other, Holden, why break them up.”
“Who says they’re in love?” he shot back. “Not everyone thinks with their heart.”
I looked back and forth between the two of them. How on earth did they ever end up together? “Why would he bond himself to me? I won’t live as long as him.”
“Exactly,” Olivia said with a triumphant smile.
Holden rolled his eyes. “You will so long as you’re bonded.”
Again, that was news to me. “And had I decided to stay a human?”
“Cheney would have a very short life expectancy.”
I shook my head. I had a lot to consider. “I’m going to tough this out until I can break the bond, but thank you for your offer to help.” I looked at Olivia. “The problem I have is the more I remember, the more I doubt I ever loved Cheney. I don’t know if the pull I feel toward him is my true feelings or the side effect of whatever plan I had. And I don’t want to decide the rest of my life based on manufactured feelings. And then there’s Jaron.” I looked toward the door. “I’m not indifferent to him.”
Olivia smiled. “That’s very logical.” She looked at Holden out of the corner of her eye and placed a gentle hand on my arm. “But love isn’t logical. Even the strongest magic can’t make your heart lie. Only you can know what you truly feel.” She released me and took Holden’s hand. He kissed the back of hers.
“If you change your mind …” he said absently, no longer interested in me as he watched Olivia glow.
I went back into Sy’s apartment and lay on the couch. All I had to do was break an impossible bond, steal Michael’s finger back, save him, and swear off men for the rest of my life and the world would be perfect.
“That was the craziest meeting I’ve ever been to.” Katrina plopped down by my feet. “Femi is sort
“I don’t know—”
“Sebastian might be willing to talk to me, too.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Sy asked.
I didn’t like the idea of them snooping around, but Katrina was probably right that they’d be good at it. “What about breaking the bond? Can we do that?”
“We don’t know that you need to. He might be innocent,” Olivia said.
“Even if he is, I want it broken. I need space. I need to figure out what I want and how I feel without being magically influenced.”
“Okay, we’ll get back together in a couple days.” Femi went to the bar to talk to Sy and Katrina. Olivia and Holden, judging by their distant expressions, were talking silently with one another. I was alone with my thoughts and the pain in my chest from missing Cheney.
“I’m going to go lie down. I have a headache,” I told Sy and headed for the back.
Holden caught my arm and pulled me over to him and Olivia. “I might be able to redirect your feelings. It would be a very temporary fix, definitely not a solution. And it could backfire. Magical bonds are a pain in the ass.”
“I don’t think you should break it. If Holden can ease the effects so you can wait this out, that’s what I recommend,” Olivia said. “Let Holden try.”
Holden frowned at her. “I might not be able to do anything. I told you this isn’t the same as that. You’re thinking with your heart. Magic has nothing to do with souls. You and I are bonded on a molecular level; she is bonded by a spell. It’s more like the arrangements the jinn have with demons. But instead of having her soul, Cheney has her life. If she dies, he dies and vice versa. That’s why no one gets married in the Abyss.”
My eyebrows shot up. No one had explained this to me before. “So that’s why he came to help me when the bounty hunters were after me? If I die, he dies.”
Holden nodded. “Probably. Breaking this bond might actually fix a lot of your immediate problems.”
“You don’t know that,” Olivia argued, frowning right back at him. “If they love each other, Holden, why break them up.”
“Who says they’re in love?” he shot back. “Not everyone thinks with their heart.”
I looked back and forth between the two of them. How on earth did they ever end up together? “Why would he bond himself to me? I won’t live as long as him.”
“Exactly,” Olivia said with a triumphant smile.
Holden rolled his eyes. “You will so long as you’re bonded.”
Again, that was news to me. “And had I decided to stay a human?”
“Cheney would have a very short life expectancy.”
I shook my head. I had a lot to consider. “I’m going to tough this out until I can break the bond, but thank you for your offer to help.” I looked at Olivia. “The problem I have is the more I remember, the more I doubt I ever loved Cheney. I don’t know if the pull I feel toward him is my true feelings or the side effect of whatever plan I had. And I don’t want to decide the rest of my life based on manufactured feelings. And then there’s Jaron.” I looked toward the door. “I’m not indifferent to him.”
Olivia smiled. “That’s very logical.” She looked at Holden out of the corner of her eye and placed a gentle hand on my arm. “But love isn’t logical. Even the strongest magic can’t make your heart lie. Only you can know what you truly feel.” She released me and took Holden’s hand. He kissed the back of hers.
“If you change your mind …” he said absently, no longer interested in me as he watched Olivia glow.
I went back into Sy’s apartment and lay on the couch. All I had to do was break an impossible bond, steal Michael’s finger back, save him, and swear off men for the rest of my life and the world would be perfect.
“That was the craziest meeting I’ve ever been to.” Katrina plopped down by my feet. “Femi is sort
Similar Books
