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I recoiled, surprised by his sudden outburst.

Zeke put a hand on his forearm, and Cyn relaxed.

“Stop framing shit like we’re trying to hurt you,” Cyn said, tone softening. “We’re not.”

“Only you,” I said with a roll of my eyes, trying to lighten the mood.

I’d severely misinterpreted their intentions. It was hard not to feel like they wanted to lock me away when everyone else had tried.

“You’re such a brat.”

What did it say about me that I kinda enjoyed fighting with him?

I didn’t at first.

But it felt good to have someone who allowed me to unleash all my pent-up frustrations over everything I couldn’t control and still kept me from spiraling too far by challenging me back.

I needed to see a therapist.

Did they have therapists in Elyrdin?

“I don’t think we can trust anyone right now. Not even Kavina and Rinlora,” Ash said, placing a hand on my thigh and redirecting the conversation. “Someone wants you, and we can’t dismiss the possibility that it’s an inside job.”

Cyn scoffed. “It was fucking weird that not one guard was out in the front gardens to hear the commotion or see the car.”

“If whoever this is eliminates her,” Ezra said, catching my attention, “there’s a strong possibility Ash dies too, since your tether is secured.”

“The rest of us will just get really sick,” Zeke said, pulling a throw pillow into his lap and hugging it.

Ash had already explained to me what happened when Nyrith mates died unnatural deaths: the severed magical bond often shattered the mind of the surviving partner, leaving them broken and catatonic or insane if it didn’t kill them outright.

“I wouldn’t be so quick to assume the outcome wouldn’t be fatal to us,” Ezra said.

Cyn sat upright. “What?”

“She’s defied every expectation. She shouldn’t have four mates. She’s absorbed Ash’s healing powers. We all suffered Bondrot without a bond. Given the number of anomalies, it’s likely that her death would cause greater consequences for us than for another Nyrith pairing.”

Cyn cursed and put his hand over his face, resting his head against the back of the couch.

The idea of dying frightened me. But the idea of taking all four of these men who’d become so important to my life with me? I couldn’t stomach it.

Ash took my hand. “Can you please just trust us for now and stay home until we have more information?”

I looked at my lap, chewing the inside of my lip.

I trusted them, but how long would it be before I could go outdoors again? Would they allow me into the yard? The pool Zeke mentioned?

“I feel a compromise is in order,” Ezra said, studying my face as if he knew what I was thinking. “Is it acceptable for you to restrict yourself to only this house and the palace? And if you must travel between the two, will you always have someone with you?”

I lifted a shoulder. “I can do that.”

It wasn’t like I went out into Alonia regularly, and I didn’t see a reason to move around the rest of the sanctum. The one time I went into the city was with Kavina for our dresses and lunch. I could save my need to explore my new home until after it was safe to exist out in public. The guys wouldn’t keep me restricted forever.

32

ADJUSTMENT

RAE