Page 240 of The Bonds of Indigo

This is what Atlas was trying to tell us.

Dozens—no, hundreds—of bodies hang from the rafters of the warehouse. Mundanes in a slaughterhouse, they sway gently, drained of life. Chests wide open.

“Holy fuck…” he breathes.

Soft paws patter across the concrete, followed by a low yowl. “We need to go. The militia are here, and Thornwyn just suddenly disappeared… Oh shit…”

I look over at Mister. His head is lifted, eyes locked on the massacre overhead before he scans every corner of the space around us. I imagine there are more bodies than just the ones hanging above us. There are likely hundreds more scattered throughout the warehouse.

“This was a setup.” The feline twists, jumps, and in the flip, a portal tears open—wide enough for all of us. “They planned to pin this on you. Let’s get back before you’re seen.”

“Lucifer…” Kayn says as he rises. “Please grab Atlas.”

Without hesitation, I rush over and pull him from the seat. There’s no time to gently free his feet—they rip as I lift him. Before I turn back, I spot the mirror on the floor.

“Mister, can you get Verraketh?”

He appears at my side instantly, snatching it up in his jaws without a word. We move as the sounds of sirens and pounding boots echo closer. Dozens of vehicles. Hundreds of feet.

Fuck… this isn’t good.

We don’t hesitate and leap through the portal.

It’s been several hours since we made it back to Kairhyse and Xeraphine’s home. Amarah is still unconscious, and I know that when she wakes, we’re going to have a lot of comforting to do.

Zuhara hasn’t left her side. Honestly, none of us have. We’ve been sitting in the living room on the couch—blankets thrown over it—just waiting for her. All three of us are covered in blood, and while Kai didn’t seem to care, Xera insisted we shouldn’t scatter evidence everywhere.

Fair.

Kayn places his hand against my jaw, dragging his thumb across my cheek. “Thank you.”

I shake my head. “I should’ve killed him the moment he touched her… I hesitated, only because why would she tell you to kill her?”

“I don’t know, but I plan to get to the bottom of it with her.”

Taking a deep breath, I stroke my fingers through her hair near the scalp. Her head rests in my lap, the rest of her draped over Kayn.

A soft noise vibrates in her throat, and when she squeezes her eyes shut, a sigh of relief escapes me.

She blinks, her hand starting to lift, and I catch it gently. “Hey, hey—we’ve got you.”

Her eyes pinch closed again, and I wonder if it’s too bright. The sun is just coming up, spilling through the wall-to-wall windows. I lift my hand, casting shadows to block out some of the light but leaving enough that she can see us when she manages to get her eyes open.

It takes a second, but she finally smiles.

Bloody Beyond, she has got to stop doing this to us.

“Little slayer, you’re lucky neither of us can have heart attacks.”

She starts to shift, and I help her sit up. Her hand goes to her throat, and she winces.

“It’s just a bruise,” Kayn says as he brushes her hair behind her ear. “Nothing broke.”

“Thanks.” Her voice is rasped and raw. I reach over to the coffee table for the glass of water we set out for her.

“Here.”

She presses it to her lips and drinks—sip after sip until the glass is empty.