“I appreciate it, but you were hurting, and I’d like to think you’d do the same for me.”
He nods. “All I can say for now, without changing one of your paths, is that the Gods blessed and cursed me with this gift. And now, I may have found a key to figuring out my purpose. Here, let me show you.” He reaches out to take my hand.
Hesitant and stalling, I watch a green light wrap around my wrist with such a gentle touch, fighting against it doesn’t cross my mind. Instead, I return a cheeky grin at watching his magic in action. It pulls my hand closer, and the last words I hear before everything goes black is, “Trust me.”
Power explodes inside my core. Familiarity follows as I sense two auras, my own and another. Images flash, and I hitch my breath. Despite not being able to see him, I can still feel his very real hand. I squeeze, not letting go of the only tether to an existence I’m no longer a part of.
“It’s okay, let it in.” His voice acts as serenity and stillness, but my chest is pounding out of sync in one hyperventilating breath I can’t catch. Time moves forward and backward in tandem. Life, death, creation, and destruction all blend in havoc and balance.
Until it stops, and I’m surrounded by a void of ethereal light. Animpossible possibility only someone with divinity could manifest. Light and dark in perfect harmony.
“Kyra.”I hear. Her angelic pitch stretches out to me–near yet so far.“The Temple of Seventeen, come search for me. Time is not on our side.”
“W-Who are you?” Nothing answers, but I know it’s real. This place, this moment. Whatever or whomever’s energy resides here dances over my skin and absorbs into my aura.
I call out once more, but like flicking a light, my vision shrouds in black until my bedroom comes into view, unaware my eyes were open the entire time.
Blaise’s cheeks are coated in sweat, his body wavering side to side on the verge of tipping over.
“What’s wrong?” I haul him close then lay him back with a pillow behind his head. “Here, lay down for a second and catch your breath.”
It’s big talk for me after what I just experienced. My head spins as I watch him with blurring vision.
“Don’t…get all sweet on me now,” he states, chuckling after.
“Hush.” I chuckle in return. “I’m far from sweet, but after everything you’ve told and shown me, you have to admit we’re somehow linked.” I lay beside him once he is situated, taking solace as I stare at the rise and fall of his chest. “Not mentioning Haven’s Hole.”
“Right, the dance,” Blaise mumbles.
“Care…to elaborate on it?” Now I feel the grip of tiredness taking hold.
Calmness pulls me under with a sweet promise of rest, pressing the weight of my lids together, but a sudden jolt of energy forces my body to sit up with eyes open.
All too familiar, I recognize theBook of Bondsmagic, and I freeze in place. A chill rushes down my spine as though the room is freezing over, and once more, darkness consumes me in a blink.
I try moving but this hold of ethereal energy has my limbs going numb, and my thoughts racing, until a dull light blurs into focus. Iblink, the only granted motion, and I’m suddenly staring at an outlandish ceiling. Much like mine in color, but the pattern, atmosphere and spiritedness is different.
This isn’t my room, so where am I?“Hello?” I call out, but instead of being greeted with an answer, a growling grunt returns, ended by a rapid series of blinks, not by my doing.Am I looking through someone else’s eyes?I gain my answer from a few more blinks like I’m obligated to sit front row in their mind. Muted. “Hello, can you hear me?”
Their lids close for good, returning me to my own, and panic sets in. Alarmed, I leap off the bed. “Blai–” But he is sound asleep, tucked under my blankets. I begin pacing back and forth, alive and far from tired after the act of invading someone’s privacy.
“Okay, let’s figure this out.” I loosen my arms as though the action will help me think. But it helps with anxiety, so I do it anyway. “First, you experienced Blaise’s magic. Rather his visions or…” *Sigh* “Slow down, Kyra. You experienced his magic in some form or shape.” I stop to glance at him again. “But he fell asleep like an asshole before telling you whatthatwas all about.”
“Caught the teacher giving his eyes to a student.” A text pings, muffled under the blankets, but I’m well aware whoTeacher’s Petby Melanie Martinez belongs to. Caspian.
Why is he up?Going for my phone, I stop midway.No, one thing at a time.
I return to pacing and pondering. “Next, we were dozing off, or so it appeared, then you felt an unmistakable force coursing through your body. TheBook of Bonds.” I gasp loud enough to wake Blaise. “Was that my eternal bond magic!” Whisper shouting, I hear my heart pound loudly, and trepidation replaces my blood flow. “The magic is fucking body jumping?”
Nothing logical can be made of this, and above everything else, I have no damn clue whose eyes I was seeing through. As it stands, from what I know, Ethan and Alex both occupy House Death.
Turning my head up, I view my ceiling out of sheer confidence that it wasn’t me looking at it. I rotate to Blaise who is soundasleep, snoring in peace.Aww cute.“Damn it.” This self-diagnosed ADHD isn’t helping. Who’s to say he didn’t wake up? However brief.
Bottom line, this nightmare is real. I just unlocked my eternal bond magic, and though he is sleeping now, one of the three in this building is written by their Gods to be forever mine.
“Shit.”
Chapter 35
