Page 59 of Tethered Fates

Her red orb spikes.

“First your brother,” Luc drawls with mocking indifference, “then Jace and now Summer. You seem to enjoy working with idiots.”

Emma’s grin twitches, the spikes slowly retracting like the claws of a predator when they realise they’re facing something deadlier. “You give me what I want, and I’ll give you what you want.”

“And what exactly is that?” I kick Mickey’s thigh. “Him?”

She scoffs, and Mickey blubbers harder.

“And before you ask,” Luc cuts in, “we aren’t giving you the First Blood Mage Tome, either.”

“Evidently.” Emma’s grin turns into a grimace. “All I want is to get out of this alive.”

I pretend to think about it, then say, “If you really want to work with us, you’ll first give something in return.”

Without even looking at Lucero, I taste his bloodlust at wanting to rip Emma to shreds. Yet he remains still, rigid and ready with his fangs out, and while we’ll always have our shared wounds, knowing I still have his trust strengthens my resolve and kills the quiver of doubt that whispers we’ll never bridge this gap.

Emma smirks like she’s won. “Summer linked herself to—”

“We already know,” I counter.

She scowls.

“I guess you aren’t needed then,” I say, taking a step forward.

“She knows how to break the spell!” Emma shouts, real fear showing before shaking it off. “Summer. She knows how to cut the tether between herself and the boy.”

“Tell me.” My words come out too harsh, too eager. Her eyes flash, but I’ve lost interest in our little back and forth.

“I can’t give up all my leverage.”

“We could help by ripping off your arm?” Luc replies smoothly.

She chews on her chapped lip. “Fine. But I will say this first; you’ll need a blood mage to break the spell, and I don’t think you’ll find anyone who’ll want to work with you like I am.”

“That certainly leaves us in a bind,” I remark. “I guess you leave us with no choice.”

Emma smiles triumphantly. “Summer is…powerful,” Emma spits out the word. Clearly, Emma hadn’t expected that. “Powerful enough that she could break the tether whenever she wants and survive it.”

Luc grabs my shoulder, and only then do I realise I took a step forward. My heart lodged in my throat.

Emma stays silent for a beat, then continues, “The boy would die, she’d be weakened, but Summer would live.”

My every blood vessel constricts as I try to keep taking steady breaths. One error, one misstep on our end, and I could lose Teagan forever.

“So why hasn’t she done it yet?” Luc asks, because I can’t. The thought of losing Teagan’s quiet curiosity and passion, his wide stare and raspy voice. Lose his scent of sweet tea and warm sand? I can’t. I’ll never allow that.

Emma sees the emotions I had no chance of hiding, and a disbelieving laugh leaves her. “You have to be kidding me. Another vampire’s mate? How is that even possible?”

“Tell us!” I order, dropping all pretence.

Whatever intrigue she has vanishes. Emma is, at her core, a survivor. “Summer knows she’ll be weakened after performing the spell, so she wants to cast a second at the same time.”

I catch on quickly. “Breaking into the demon realm.”

“She really needs to get over that.” Emma rolls her eyes like she’s saying, ‘Can you believe it?’. “But whatever. To cast the spell, however, she needs a shit ton of power.”

“Vampire blood?” Luc asks with a snort.