Page 26 of The Bonds of Indigo

When he drops his head, pinching his fingers over the bridge of his nose before rubbing his eyes, I fear the worst.

Please say no. Please, please say no.

“Well, I’ve got bad news for you—it was. Why?”

My whole body ignites with panic. How could I have been so reckless? I knew better. I swore I’d written it with my uninjured hand. My dominant one. But my sliced fingers… Was that the hand I used to move the page?

Was that why he sounded frustrated when I finished?

Oh, Vendra, no. This can’t be happening. I can’t be bonded to this man.

My gaze flickers up to meet his. “I’m not sure I can undo it.”

He stiffens. “Undo… what?”

“You have to believe me when I say I didn’t do it on purpose.”

His damn nose twitches, and I clear my throat.

Alright, note to self: don’t be ambiguous.

“Never mind.”

Fuck it. It’s not like I’m getting out of here to be bonded to my actual mate. This means nothing.

“I give you permission to share it with whoever you need. Now get out of my cell!”

At this point, I don’t care. He can shout my name to the entire fucking world if it means he leaves me here and never comes back.

“Bullshit. Fucking bullshit.” I try to tune him out, but his thoughts bleed through—angry, sharp, impossible to ignore. “I didn’t just kill everyone to leave you here, stupid girl.”

Oh… fuck.

“Listen to me.” His tone hardens. “I’m going to break your chains⁠—”

“What?!”

“—and you’re going to walk out of here. I’ve carried you once, and that’s it. You’ll help me get what I want, and then you can either crawl back here or disappear.”

He’s lost his godsdamn mind. Shaking my head, I can barely form words.

He has no idea what this means. What it’ll cost. I’ll be vulnerable, easily accessible to what I truly fear. I have to convince him to see better reason.

“You know what I’ve done. I-I’m a murd⁠—”

“I know exactly who and what you are, slayer.” He steps closer, his growl low and dangerous. Even at a distance his presence swallows the room, and up close—by my God—he could smother me without a thought. “Don’t mistake this for mercy. I’m doing it for me. Now get up.”

“No.” I shove myself harder against the wall, digging my nails into the floor.

“I’m taking you whether you like it or not.”

“Then I’ll fight you every second of it.”

A feral sound rips from his chest. “Freedom doesn’t entice you? I saw what being outside did to you. I felt it.”

I don’t answer, instead, just shake my head and curl into myself, pressing my forehead to my knees.

His voice drops, low and cautious. “What will entice you?”