Page 218 of Cruelly Bitten
Tell him it’s a good thing I didn’t and remind him that you’re my only link to my memories. Because he erased them all with that fucking weapon.
My brother hadn’t actually confirmed that yet, but his lack of a denial seemed to be proof enough.
“I did what needed to be done to fix you,”he said before following up with a command to repeat that via our bond.
He didn’t seem to understand that I could already essentially hear him through Ismerelda’s thoughts. Of course, his voice was her interpretation of it as she absorbed the words in her mind. But the general concept of his statements translated just fine.
Hmm, we’ll discuss that more very soon,I thought at Ismerelda, my words for my brother. She repeated them aloud just as the jet touched down, a roaring sound ripping around me.
Only for silence to fall in the next instant, the abruptness of it leaving me dizzy.
While I’d likely flown before, this was my first remembered experience. Although, from what Damien had said, Kylan’s jet was unlike anything I would have ever known.
However, I had nothing to compare any of it to, as I had no recollection of flying before.
Thanks to Cane.
His little game has taken a thousand years of memories from me. And I wanted to know why.
What had he hoped to accomplish? Was it all a way to break my ties with Ismerelda?
If that was the case, he should have just killed her. It would have been faster and more efficient.
Not that I wanted her to die. Quite the contrary, I was prepared to do whatever I had to do to keep her alive.
But something about my brother’s motives wasn’t adding up.
“It seems Helias, Ayaz, and Robyn are here,” Damien said. However, his words didn’t appear to be for me because he didn’t utter them over the sound system. “Yeah, there’s a fourth jet as well. But there isn’t a decal on it. Maybe that’s the one Cane used?”
I unbuckled myself and met him in the cockpit, his gaze on the tarmac as he took in the airfield. He hummed in agreement to whatever he was hearing via his earpiece, the frequency of it too low for me to pick up the words.
“Looking forward to it,” he drawled, his lips curling as he touched the device with his thumb. “Ryder wants to play.” That statement appeared to be for me.
“He’s going to have to wait.”
Damien snorted as he shifted his attention to me. “I realize you’ve had the last thousand years zapped from your head, so perhaps you’re not aware, but Ryder isn’t a patient man. He doesn’twait.”
“Well, then you’d better hope I can reach your sister before your maker’s impatience gets Ismerelda killed,” I told him.
His gaze narrowed. “You mean whenwereach Izzy.”
“No, I meantI.” I leveled him with a look. “You need to stay here and ensure no one fucks with the jet. We’re likely going to need it, and soon.” Because I fully intended to grab Ismerelda and take her to Damien. Then I would determine how best to deal with my brother.
But I wouldn’t make the mistake of trying to handle him on my own.
Jace and Darius were perfectly capable of assisting me.
As were Damien and Ryder.
However, my first priority was protecting Ismerelda.
If she were a vampire, none of this would be an issue,I thought, once again furious with my former self for never turning her.
Was she a divine treat? Yes.
Did a dark part of me enjoy her fragility? Also yes.
But my Ismerelda was meant to be a vampire queen. Not a docile doll designed for display only.
