Page 99 of Burdened Bonds
“What did you say?” Stone says.
“Renzo is my fated mate too. Five you see. Five fated mates just like Queen Æðelflæd. I know it seems ridiculous and perhaps this is madness or maybe we’re all wrong about this situation and–”
Stone throws back his head and laughs so loudly his entire body shakes. The man in black does not look amused. Not one bit. In fact, he glares at me so hard I’m surprised the ground doesn’t really split open underneath me.
I cross my arms, glaring right back at Azlan as I wait for Stone to finish. Finally, his mirth subsides and he wipes at the tears in his eyes.
“Are you done?” I ask.
“Sure,” he grins at me, “that was the funniest thing I ever heard in my life.”
“I’m not trying to be funny, Stone, I’m serious.”
“Oh, come on, Rhi, him? Renzo fucking throw-him-in-the-loony-bin-and-toss-away-the-key Barone?”
“Loony bin? That isn’t funny, Stone. Least of all from you.”
The smile falls from his face. “It’s where he should be,” he says, “that or in a shallow grave somewhere. And you’re right, this isn’t funny. We risked our necks to find you, Rhi – we risked your best friend’s neck too. While you’ve been off gallivanting around the countryside with a psychopath, riding on the back of dragons, sinister forces have overtaken our country. There’s nothing funny about this situation at all and it isn’t the time to be messing with us like this.”
“She isn’t messing with us,” Azlan says, staring right at me. “She’s serious.”
“I am. One hundred percent.” Stone throws his hands in the air. “And I know it isn’t … ideal. I know he isn’t the best mate out there – not one I’d have chosen if I’d had a choice. But, let’s be honest here, I’m not the girl you’d have chosen either. It’s why you kept everything secret from me for all those weeks.”
They can’t argue with that. It’s undeniable and they are both silent for a long time. Finally, Stone says, with a whine, “Are you sure he really is? You haven’t just been suffering from indigestion? Or a bad case of the–”
“I’m pretty familiar with the sensation by now, Professor. I know what it is, I know what it means.” He goes to ask me another question, but I beat him to it. “And before you ask, no, we haven’t sealed the bond. It’s only in the last couple of days that I’ve actually wanted to stop killing the dude.”
“At least you do have an inkling of sense then,” Stone mutters.
“Five mates,” Azlan says.
“That we know of,” Stone says, shoving his hands in his pockets, “knowing Miss Blackwaters, they’ll probably end up being a hundred.”
“No,” Azlan says. “Five. There will only be five.” I nod my head. I think he’s right. It’s no coincidence that fate brought my mates to me all at the same time. If there were more, I’d have met them by now. “It’s the strongest number.”
“Yes,” I say, “fate has thrown us together – she wants us together.” Stone swears under his breath but I ignore him, addressing Azlan. “Which is why we have to rescue Spencer Moreau.”
38
Rhi
When we returnto the kitchen, we find Winnie has set Renzo buttering bread for sandwiches – although sensibly, she’s the one in charge of the serrated bread knife, whereas he has the harmless-looking butter knife. Of course, he probably has my very sharp knife hidden in his pocket somewhere but Winnie doesn’t know that. If she did, I doubt she’d be willing to stand so close to him. Then again, I’m amazed she’s willing to stand that close to him at all.
Winnie’s gaze flicks to us as we enter and I can tell she’s curious about what we’ve just been discussing, but she tries her best to look casual about it.
“Renzo?” I say.
“Here.” He grins.
“Can I talk to you next?”
“You can do whatever you like to me, little rabbit,” hesays, which has Stone grinding his molars. “Hey, Prof., it’s only fair. You did what you wanted to her this morning in the shower.”
“What?” Azlan says.
I grab Renzo’s hand and drag him out of the kitchen, back to the room I just left. Inside, I pull my hand free of his, but he grips onto it with his fingers and tugs me towards him.
“You smell of him, little rabbit.”
