Page 67 of Bizarre Bonds
All the sanctuaries I’ve ever built have been made out of frigid ice. Peri’s the only being I’ve ever met who I could imagine bringing them to life—and wanting to.
I need to show her. Somehow… I need to show her everything.
I set off through the shadows, following my sense of where I’m meant to be, where I can be most at home. Knowing it won’t mean anything unless I can share it with her.
24
Periwinkle
We’re heading back to the trailers when a waft of emotion reaches me. It washes over my body in a poignant mix of regret and longing, like chocolate so dark only the faintest sweetness laces through it.
It must be Hail, off in the distance—he’s the only one of my marked men who isn’t nearby. As the sensation saturates me from the inside out, the impression solidifies that he’s longing forme.
I stop in my hurried trek through the shadows. Raze pauses, his presence looming large and impenetrable even in his ephemeral form.
“Hail hasn’t headed back to the trailers yet,” I say. “He’s gone off somewhere in the city… I think he needs me.”
The basilisk shifter bristles protectively. “Has he run into Viscera on another rampage? We’ll let the others know and?—”
“No. Not like that. I think he just wants to talk. To have someone listen.”
Raze is silent for a few beats longer. “Just to talk? The way he’s looked at you sometimes… There’s some kind of attraction between all of us with the marks, isn’t there? Not because of the bond. It amplifies feelings that were already there?”
For me as well as for them, he implies but doesn’t say.
I hesitate, careful of his own feelings. Raze might look like a toughie, but he’s got a lot of marshmallow under his brawny exterior.
No jealousy or anger taints his vibe of concern, though.
I scoot closer to him so our essence brushes together like a shadowy embrace. “There is—and they were. But that doesn’t mean— I’m not forcing anyone into acting on them. And even if you allwantedto act on them, I don’t have to go along with that. You were here for me first. If you need more time?—”
I get the sense of Raze shaking his head, as much as he has one in the shadows. A tingling warmth wraps around me on top of the pang of Hail’s emotions, as if I’ve taken a long sip of sugar-laced tea.
“Ifyou’dlike it…” he says. “I can tell now how happy it makes you to get close to people. To enjoy all you can with them. And then you bring that happiness with you when we’re together. I know you aren’t abandoning me, so you shouldn’t have to abandon anyone else.”
He pauses, and a trickle of anxiety seeps through his comforting aura. “Hail hasn’t always been kind to you.”
“I know. But I think he’s starting to let down all the defenses that made him snap and snark at everyone. Maybe I can peel off more of his prickles.” I give Raze another nuzzle. “And if he decides to act like a jerk after all, I’ll just leave.”
“Then I have nothing to worry about. I’ll tell everyone else that the two of you will be back later.” Raze nudges up against me in return. “Be careful. We know there’s at least one other being running around this city whodoesn’tcare how much misery she causes.”
“I don’t think Viscera is likely to notice me if I stay quiet, but I’ll watch out. I’ll be back with you soon.”
I flit off through the darkness toward my impression of Hail.
With night falling, more of the city is draped in shadow than not. I weave between the pools of light cast by the streetlamps and the beams sent out by car headlights, but there’s lots of room to maneuver. The late-spring warmth lingers even without the sun.
The deepening thrum of Hail’s emotions leads me to a city park. A large one, with a path branching off in several directions toward a playground, a sports field, and a large stretch of trees like a miniature forest.
I pass only a couple of humans as I enter, both of them hustling out of the park. People don’t generally like to hang out in these natural spaces once night falls, I’ve noticed.
The atmosphere probably feels even scarier when some unknown threat has been smashing up their city.
I veer toward the trees. The pang of Hail’s longing expands until it’s squeezing around my heart.
Then it softens with a buttered roll sense of relief.
As I dart across the last stretch of mini-forest before the glade where Hail is waiting, he pulls his lanky frame to his feet. He turns toward me, his mouth twisting into a crooked smile.
