Page 34 of Tethered Fates

“He’s right, Kate. You said yourself you don’t want to see any more weird shit,” I tell her. “And it doesn’t come any weirder than our family reunion.”

Kate doesn’t say anything.

Then faster than anyone can see, Bran is by the front door and opening it with all the smugness of dismissing a servant.

Kate doesn’t scream, but the breath she sucks into her lungs could easily become one as she stumbles into me.

“This way out, human.”

Kate’s expression is so hard it could crack stone. “Fine, I’ll leave. Try not to burn another mansion down, or a block of flats in this case,” she remarks, chin up as she stalks towards the exit.

“You know about the mansion?” Lucero asks, eyebrows drawn in. “The one Vidar was staying in before Golden burnt it down?”

“That idiot told me about it.” Kate throws a look over her shoulder. “And who do you think he made cover it up?” she replies with a pointed look before her utilitarian shoes tap against the concrete stairs as she makes her way down.

I’m relieved she’s gone. But a part of me wishes I hadn’t promised to never touch her memories. Wouldn’t it be safer if I took this strange world away from her? And me along with it.

Lucero gives me an odd look, which I choose to ignore, as well as Vidar’s gaze. Heavy with nine hundred years’ worth of history and too many words left unsaid. They all thought I abandoned the family after Vidar lost himself to apathy, and in many ways, I did. But staying away from them has always been as complicated as staying close to them.

Bran swings the door closed with a quiet, definitive click and strolls back to the dirty window.

“Would you like to explain why you attacked us?” I demand of Elio since Bran is being as helpful as ever.

“You fucking came into my place,” the blood mage barks like a puppy, either not caring or realising he’s surrounded by wolves. “I have the right to protect myself and that dickhead.” He jerks his head to Bran, who shrugs with a little self-deprecating smile, like darn it, he just can’t help himself. I manage to resist my eye roll.

Luc doesn’t.

“Elio has you there,” Bran says, drawing a smiley face with fangs in the dirt.

“So you’ve coincidentally taken on a blood mage fuck toy, in the flat of a woman who resembles the Roth family and mysteriously died?” Vidar remarks.

“Granny Janet died of dehydration. How the hell is that mysterious?” Elio snarks, then makes a face. “And who’d wanna fuck a vampire?”

Bran flutters his dark lashes. “You don’t think I’m pretty?”

“What about the landlords’ changed memories?” Vidar asks.

Bran cocks an eyebrow. “Aren’t you also squatting in a mansion where you compelled the owner to leave?”

“He isn’t wrong,” Luc drawls.

“And why doesn’t your blood mage smell of rotting meat?” I demand.

“I’m not his anything!” Elio snaps.

“But the smell?” Vidar pushes.

Elio glares, his mouth clamped.

“Come now, Elio, we’re all friends here.” Knowing Bran, it isn’t about being helpful. It’s because Elio has a secret, and Bran likes nothing more than forcing others to bring to light what they’d prefer to keep in the dark.

“It’s the fucking spellbooks,” Elio spits out each word like he wishes they were bullets.

“The spellbooks?” Vidar repeats.

“Did I stutter?” Elio mocks. Impressive, since Vidar could rip out the boy’s heart before he’s even aware it happened. “It doesn’t matter if you made one or inherited it; the second you start using those gross things, your magic corrupts. Magic isn’t good or evil. It just is. But carving runes into someone’s flesh, then skinning them alive to create a spellbook? That is an evil act. That rots magic, and I’ll die before I ever use one.”

“Useful information,” Vidar remarks, his pale-grey gaze swinging back to Bran. “But not what we came here for.”