Page 68 of Killer of the Bells
“Elaborate,” I said, seething on the inside, knowing that one wrong word or move would have her vanishing for gods knew how long.
The Cody ignored me and continued to speak to Echo like I didn’t exist. “Cal is a good boy, Echo, so you don’t need to worry.Everything he does for people is for their higher good. It’s his price, you see. Or perhaps penance is a better word. He believes he’s done something unforgivable, and since nothing can sway his belief, his patrons have taken mercy on him and given him a way to atone. It has done him worlds of good since his patrons took him on.”
Echo nodded, clearly having no idea what The Cody was talking about, but I knew far too well.
Cal was a menace as far as I was concerned. He wandered in and out of people’s lives, heedless of the chaos that followed, never sticking around for the aftermath, claiming that his patrons required that he not interfere after his job was done.
Cal was a conduit for his patrons' whims, and Echo was a recipient of their dubious gifts.
When I’d seen him in Echo’s memories, I’d wondered what Cal had done to Echo, when instead, I should have wondered what he’d done to both of us. I was so far beyond my comfort zone that I couldn’t even see it.
Nothing I knew made sense anymore. The only thing I knew with certainty was that I was keeping Echo no matter what.
“What did Cal do to us?” I asked, somehow managing to redirect my ire away from The Cody and toward Cal enough for me to speak in a polite tone.
“He cast a spell that ultimately bound your soul to Echo’s. From what I can see, the purpose of the spell was to help Echo stabilize his soul until he found someone he could love and trust enough to spend his life with. The tragic losses in his life cut him far deeper than they should have. His love was so deep that parts of his soul died with his loved ones.” The Cody glided up to Echo, taking his hand and holding it to her bark-covered cheek. “You love the same way we love, dear Echo. It’s all or nothing for the fae. It’s appropriate that you’ve become one of us.”
“How can you know all of this?” I asked warily.
I’m a man of science. I don’t take things on good faith.
“One of my gifts is to know the truth.” The Cody continued to hold Echo’s hand in hers, moving it away from her face and stroking it with mossy fingers.
My jaw ached from holding back my irritation as I asked, “Then why didn’t you warn us before?”
“I don’t know anything about a situation until someone asks me a question. If you don’t know enough to ask, then I can’t access my power.”
“That’s an incredibly stupid gift,” I said, unthinking.
The Cody released Echo, and her eyes flashed. The forest grew darker as the fairy fire surrounding us shifted to a creepy, ghoulish green. “I chose the limitation myself, you giant, overgrown bat. If I knew everything all the time, I would go insane. You should be thanking me for the restraint since my sanity is what’s helping keep this little utopia safe.”
“I didn’t mean?—”
“You rarely do, Vale, but it doesn’t make you any more palatable. Stop talking to me now, or I’ll stop answering questions because I’m done with you. Echo, sweetheart, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
I pursed my lips together to keep my insults to myself. The Cody meant it. We were lucky she’d bothered to continue to speak to us at all, and it was probably only because she’d taken a liking to Echo.
The only problem was that Echo couldn’t ask The Cody anything.
He tugged on my sleeve, looking back and forth between me and The Cody anxiously.
“It’s okay, my love,” I said, cupping his cheek and telling him with my eyes that he could do no wrong. “I can live without knowing as long as I’m with you.”
“Iwant to know,” Echo said, “How do I ask?”
“Can you ask me?”
“I don’t think it works that way.”
“It can’t hurt to try. Close your eyes, face The Cody, and pretend like you’re asking me.”
Echo swallowed hard and nodded. He turned to face The Cody and closed his eyes. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. I felt his anxiety flow over me like a wave through our new bond, and I stroked his back to comfort him. I drew close to his ear and said, “It’s okay, Echo. You can ask me anything. What do you want to know about our soul bond?”
Echo’s breath hitched, and he tried again. “Wh-what does being bonded mean? How does it a-affect us?”
I saw The Cody’s face soften, and I relaxed, knowing Echo had calmed her ire at my mistake. “The two of you will soften each other’s edges. You will continue to be yourselves, but the strengths of the other will bolster each of your shortcomings.”
Echo’s hands scrabbled until they found my arm and clutched me tight before bracing himself and asking, “Will I need to drink blood?”
