Page 205 of The Bonds of Indigo

Those same vines snap quickly around Lucifer’s throat, and yank him backward. The moment I’m up, a towering familiar creature shadows over the three of us.

I square my shoulders to Thornwyn, who growls, “I do not like you.”

“I don’t give a fuck. Let him go.”

I pop my head to the side, looking down at my little deviant—completely wrapped in shrubs. I’ve been held by those before; they’re strong. It’s no surprise he can’t just tear himself free.

“She wouldn’t want this…” I say in a low, threatening tone.

Thornwyn bares its teeth, each one razor-sharp and ready to gnaw straight through any of us if given the chance.

“He will just suffer, he cannot die.”

I shake my head. “He tried to save her. Don’t punish him for the acts of his father.”

The large, overgrown weed-tree leans over both Lucifer and Amarah. His head mere inches from mine as he spits out, “Yet she’s punished. For what, Vampire?!”

I’m bracing to attack when a burst of loud static tears through the air, crackling across the space around us. Then, out of nowhere, Zuhara is hurled through wrought-iron gates that slam into existence, cloaking the area in swirling red and black smoke. She tumbles across the ground, rolling until she’s just a few feet from us. She forces herself up onto her paws, but she seems slightly disoriented.

“Lucifer? Where…” Her eyes lock on the scene in front of her. “What the fuck are you doing to him?!” she snarls up at the creature.

“Yes, Thornwyn. What are you doing with my son?”

Chapter 50

Why is it possible a fucking tree can keep me subdued?! I’d feel embarrassed if it weren’t for the fact my father’s voice feels like a fog horn in my ears.

“Release me!” I grit through my teeth.

This creature, Thornwyn, merely tightens its hold on me, the vines around my throat and wrists binding me to the soil below. I try to wiggle free but it’s no use, and when I settle, my gaze lands on Amarah.

Pain like I’ve only felt once, for leaving Kayn, tears at my chest at seeing her lifeless eyes stare at me. Had I just listened to her and sent her back before talking to my father, she’d not be in this position. I don’t know how strong she is here, but at least she would’ve had some sort of chance to defend herself.

I did this to her, and as blood pools under her head into the ground, it’s like my life is pouring from me.

“I’m sorry…” The link between us is cold and desolate, and I fear that even if Vendra can save her life, the damage to her brain may be too severe.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I clench my teeth as I grab hold of the dark thread of shadows and cast them upward. Wrapping them around the creature holding me down, I attempt to crush inward and break apart each branch of this hunk of wood.

“It appears you have two things that belong to me,” my father seethes. “Release my son, and give me the girl. She’s as good as dead and I’ve already claimed her soul⁠—”

“You can fuck right off, Belial,” Kayn spits. “Neither of them belong to you.”

I lower my voice, and although I have no idea if she’ll even hear me, I plead to a God that I know hates me. “Please, Vendra, let me go. I need to protect them, please.”

“You are nothing but a selfish coward, son of Belial. You follow your father’s word without thought to the consequences.”

“I… I am… I was protecting him. Protecting Kayn…”

“From what you did yourself.” The binds around me tighten and I gasp as my oxygen is cut off completely. “I should remove your head, then take Amarah away from you both, and let you see what happens when you cross me.”

My neck begins to snap.

“Vendra, I have no quarrels with you!” Belial bellows. “But I will come for you after Vaeloris if you make me.”

“But I know her, and doing that would hurt her beyond the physical pain your father has subjected her to…” The God ignores my father’s words. The tightness around my throat and body begin to relent, and I quickly suck in a breath. My body begins to snap itself back into place, and the popping of bones and ligaments has a tremor running across my skin. “I am going to release you, and you will fight beside my warrior and Kayn. If you choose your father again, Lucifer, you will never be allowed back into the mortal world and you will truly know suffering.”

“They’re all that matter to me, Vendra. I swear to you.”