“You have taken to wrangling your magick with a strong-willed focus that I admire.” That was more like it. I stuck my tongue out at Cova and crossed my eyes to be extra petulant. “However, no matter how sexy it was to watch you play with ice, I already told you how dangerous that loss of control was.”
“But—”
Ezra shook his head. “No buts, babe. You still have a long way to go.”
Now it was Cova’s turn to smirk, and it only deepened with Ezra’s next question.
“And how about your siren call?”
Ugh. My damn zombie bell, I forgot about that thing.
“I was told it would be a while before I could be sure it wouldn’t break free in times of high emotion,” I grumbled. “But I know how to rein it in if it slips now! Everything will be fine.”
The boys exchanged a look, and I didn’t miss the current of anxiety that passed between them. I was sure I could have itunder complete control by the time the next semester started. Before then, probably. I was doing such a damn good job of everything else.
“My control is only going to get better,” I insisted. “And once you take care of the djinn, my life will go back to normal. I don’t need all this extra training to be some kind of warrior, okay?”
Another sidelong glance. I was getting real annoyed at this silent conversation they didn’t want to let me in on. There was obvious tension; Cova hadn’t dropped his shoulders since they walked in. In fact, they were almost near his ears now. Even Ezra, his mouth locked in a tight line, was acting strange. What didn’t I know?
He looked at Cova. “What if I can guarantee she will start… attempting some of your suggestions?”
My mouth dropped open at his blatant audacity. The motherfucker. Cova didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked to the ceiling, like he’d find an extra set of patience up there.
“You were going to work on communicating with aquatics next, right?” Ezra continued.
“Yes,” Cova sighed. “But I need her actually near a fish to do that.”
“I’ll get her a goldfish.”
“They are quite literally the least intelligent lifeform anywhere in the water.”
Were they kidding me? They were once again planning out my life without even asking me. And Ezra. I thought we had an understanding. I thought he was on my side. Was it all just an act? Their conversation continued as if I wasn’t standing right there. My fury was about to be a whole extra person in this room.
“You have to get her in there before they come.” Cova’s face was set in that stern mask. “Her life depends on it.”
“She will. I swear it.”
“Hey!” I shouted, pushing between them until I was staring up into the deep green eyes of one soon-to-be-dead witch. I didn’t care that he helped me through one of my lowest moments. Or that he saved my life. I was tired of being overlooked. “You. Don’t. Speak. For. Me.”
My finger jammed into his chest repeatedly. His very hard chest. It was an effort to hold back my wince when pain radiated through my first knuckle, and the slight twitch in the corner of Ezra’s mouth told me he noticed. I dug my finger in deeper, despite the pain, to keep from doing something worse, like claw his eyes out.
“Actually,” he drawled, with a little conceited smile. “I do.”
Could a fingernail puncture a lung? We were about to fucking find out. Cova’s ill-timed, or maybe intentional, interruption was the only thing that halted my bloodthirsty inclinations.
“As a member of my faction,Iam the one that has say over her.”
Never mind. I was about to test if sirens got supernatural strength along with glowing powers. Shoving my hand through two chests might just make themfinallyshut up. Ezra looked down at me in challenge, like he knew what I was feeling and was excited for me to try. But Cova continued, oblivious to the very real danger he was in, “Until the bond is complete—”
I froze. All thoughts fled from my head, leaving only one word behind. It circled around my mind like a trapped bird in a dome.Bond.The entire world froze at the term while inside, some new, instinctive part of me awoke and started paying attention.
He said bond.
It was perhaps the only part of not being human that I already knew about, and that was only because I was practically obsessed when Eryn explained to me what it was. She and Kai were bonds. Two halves of the same soul, she said. It was whyKai was always around last semester and why they were drawn together like opposite sides of a magnet, no matter how much she claimed she wasn’t interested.
I thought it was the most romantic thing I’d ever heard. But now… Now I was going to be sick to my stomach.
“What did you just say?” My words were strained. There was a ringing in my ears, so I might not have heard him correctly. Please say I heard him wrong.
