Page 34 of Wicked Bonds
Unfortunately, the seer appeared to be oblivious to his affection. Her expression remained vacant as he attempted to connect with her gaze.
“It’s coming,” she whispered. “The power is coming. Awakened. Destructive.Reformation.” She blinked, startled, and focused on Ezekiel. “We’re no longer safe here.”
“Where do you want to go?” he asked without missing a beat.
She shook her head. “We need to split up.”
He narrowed his eyes, causing the gold flecks of his ebony irises to glitter in the low lighting. “Not happening.”
“They’re not ready,” she pressed. “The Seraphim need a distraction, or they will attack too soon.”
Balthazar wished that he could read the female’s mind to better understand what she meant, but she remained as blocked to him as Ezekiel, Gabriel, and now Clara.
It was irritating. His natural abilities were ingrained in him. They helped him thrive on a daily basis. To not be able to use them felt as though he’d lost one of his senses.
“Hydria needs better boundaries. Runes. Protection.” She blinked again before focusing on Luc. “Your wards will fail.”
“What wards?” Luc asked.
“The ones Osiris created,” she replied. “They’re old. Too old. Too fragile. He must—you must—bolster them to survive.”
Luc and Balthazar shared a glance. This was the first they’d heard about wards around the island.
“Were you aware of this?” Luc demanded, his attention having shifted to Stark.
“Yes.” A flat response, one that suggested Stark didn’t intend to elaborate. But then Clara pressed her palm to his lower back again, her nails digging into his shirt, and the Seraphim continued speaking. “I didn’t know Osiris created them, as the wards lacked an energy signature. But Skye is right. They’ve been deteriorating with age and need to be fortified.”
“Why would Osiris place wards around Hydria?” Clara asked softly.
“To protect the Hydraians,” Skye hummed, her eyes falling closed. “Prized creations. Worthy. He values them.”
Luc didn’t reply, but he intently considered her comments and started running a thousand scenarios through his mind at once.
Balthazar didn’t even try to track his thoughts. When Luc reached a conclusion, he’d share it.
Skye jolted upright, her eyes widening. “We can’t stay here,” she reiterated, her wild gaze landing on Jacque. “Teleport your king home.Now.”
A crack thundered through the air outside, punctuating her words.
“Go,” Balthazar said, giving the teleporter the command he needed to react.
Luc’s lips parted to protest, but Jacque already had a viselike grip around the Hydraian King’s wrist. The two vanished as Ezekiel jumped off the couch, a gun in each hand.
Stark drew a sword out of thin air, causing Balthazar’s eyebrows to lift.That’s impressive.
But it was a quick thought that died as the ground began to shake beneath them.
“Leek,” Stark said, disappearing.
Lightning lit the sky outside, illuminating the windows of the home. Owen came flying down the stairs in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that he’d only partially pulled over his freshly shaved dark head. “Where’s Jacque?”
“Hydria,” Balthazar answered. “With Luc.”
Owen nodded, seemingly relieved until another flash of light startled the night. “What the fuck is going on out there?”
“They brought the fight here,” Skye said, slipping off the couch and to the side. “Incoming.”
Bodies began to materialize as she uttered the word. First Jay with Caro. Then Lizzie and Aidyn with Leela. Followed by Stas and Issac.
