Page 90 of Commanding Blood And Bonds

“It’s always blurry,” I whispered.

“We should tell Aren.” August reached for his phone, but the second his hand left my skin, panic surged. That white expanse. The scream. The chains. My hand shot out to catch his wrist.

“Wait,” I gasped, voice barely more than a breath.

His eyes snapped back to mine.

“We’ll tell him,” I vowed quickly. “But please…just stay.”

Understanding dawned in his eyes as he set the phone down and gently pulled me into his arms. I melted into the solid comfort of him, his warmth grounding me as his shield slipped beneath my skin, sealing me in the safety of his presence.

My fingers traced the familiar lines of his chest, each rise and fall of his breath a lifeline. His hand slid beneath my shirt, warm and protective over my spine, while the other cradled the back of my head.

“They’re coming for us, August,” I whispered. “And I don’t know how to stop them.”

“One step at a time, baby,” he said, brushing a kiss into my hair. “Your plan is a good one. We just have to see it through.”

I nodded, but the images kept flashing—his body hanging, blood pooling beneath him.

“I have to add a caveat.”

August stilled. “What kind of caveat?”

“If something happens to me, you can’t go after Adrastos’ keeper.”

“Excuse me?” August asked flatly, tone implying I was either joking or daft.

“His keeper—whoever pulls his strings—there’s a power there that I don’t recognize.”

“You saw him?” he questioned, his hold on me tightening as his fingers speared through my hair in firm strokes. When I nodded, he added, “You don’t know him?”

“No. But I feel like I should.” It was that same eerie familiarity as the music box on the battlefield, niggling at the back of my consciousness. Something so simple I should recognize it, but couldn’t, no matter how hard I focused. “This soul…he feels like death.”

“Like Kade?”

I pursed my lips, running my fingers across the soft curls of hair over his chest as the steady thud of his heart soothed my own. “Not quite. This is different, somehow. And I…I think Adrastos fears him, at least judging by his tone.”

“And you expect me to let you face him alone?” he demanded, hand stilling on my lower back.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I expect you to trust me to see a way out.”

“Ally—”

“You are what the world needs to secure this win. Not me. You.” I leaned in, grazing my lips over his, our breath mingling. “Which means—no matter what happens—you follow the plan. Understand?”

Every agonized goodbye over centuries hunting for each other stared back at me as he said, “You are mine, Alvara Porter. And we’re doing this together.” His hands came up to cradle my face, one spearing into my hair so he could position my head.

“You have to listen⁠—”

“I can’t promise that, Ally.”

“You’re the hope, August. The mercy. They’ll follow you.”

His pain cracked open and spilled between us, raw and furious. “You are mine. We’re doing this together.”

Tears pricked behind my eyes. “Then promise me. If it’s me or the world⁠—”

“It’s you,” he cut in, voice ragged. “Every time.”