Page 97 of Tethered Fates

“And where is that, whatever-your-name-is?” Apollo snarks.

“I already told you,” the detective bites out, “my name is Kate.”

“And I told you,” Apollo replies with a snicker, “I’m either calling you that or pig, copper.”

“Aren’t you delightful,” Kate deadpans. “We’re going to the police station.”

Apollo rolls his eyes. “Great. So we’re leaving one group of violent extremists for another.”

“Apollo, mate, we get it. You’re a punk,” Kai snaps impatiently. Apollo wiggles his eyebrows at me. It’s all so ridiculous that I manage a small rasping laugh, which makes Apollo grin. “But Kate is right, we’ll be safe there.”

Apollo pops his head between Kai and Kate. “By the way, I’ve got a couple of resisting arrest charges on my file from back in the day.”

“I’m not even going to ask how long ‘back in the day’ was,” Kate responds. “But are you actually asking me to get rid of them for you?”

Apollo falls back into his seat, grinning. “Nah, just wanted to let you know.”

There’s a sharp pain in my finger, and I look down to see I’ve wrapped the yarn tight enough to cut off my circulation. It gives me an idea. “Maybe if I hurt myself, it’d distract Summer and they’d—”

“Absolutely not,” my brother cuts in.

“Kai.”

“I said no, Teagan.”

I twist the piece of yarn tighter and tighter until breathing becomes nearly impossible.

We gotta go back.

We have to.

Oh, god, what if Sen dies? I just found him. He’s mine. Summer can’t have a single piece.

“They’re fighting,” Golden tells me. “Which means Sen is feeling a lot. Lucero is, too. It’s the bond. I promise, Teagan, he’s gonna be—”

“But I love him!” I cry out, shaking with the force of it, the yarn pulled taut. “And he needs me! We gotta go back—”

Golden takes my face in both hands and makes me look into his eyes. “Calm down.”

The noise in the car dims.

The yarn goes slack.

All I hear, all I see, all I feel is Golden’s voice.

It slips into me, soft and gentle as cotton. I lose myself in his hazel gaze, shining like polished amber.

“It’s okay, Teagan. You’re okay.”

My breathing steadies.

Then the car engine screams back into focus. Kai’s twisted around, gripping Golden’s wrist, his face enraged. “Are you compelling my little brother?”

Golden’s eyes widen, his mouth opening and closing as he looks between us. “I…I didn’t…realise. I was just…”

“You’ve never compelled anyone before!” Kai shouts, causing both Golden and me to flinch. “You could’ve hurt him! What the hell were you thinking!”

Golden’s face crumbles, his lips trembling.