by Rachel Jonas
“So, are we going to talk about it?” I managed to find it in me to smile despite our circumstances.
“Talk about what?”
I wasn’t buying it. She had to have felt the same tension I did.
“Seriously?” I scoffed, which somehow drew a laugh from her. “You can’t even look at me now. Not since your—”
“It’s not … that.”
I was immediately given the impression she regretted interjecting. Maybe because, now, I knew embarrassment might not be the reason for being given the cold shoulder. Granted, she was always somewhat cautious around me, but it seemed like we’d taken two steps back this morning.
She had to have felt more than what she allowed herself to show, I suspected. I knew this because I felt so much—starting with the raw emotion this room was barely big enough to contain. The Claiming hadn’t made me any more vulnerable than it made her.
She just seemed to be more skilled at hiding it.
I’d never been shy about expressing myself. Hence the reason I was prepared to charge full-steam ahead into this conversation, even if it made her uncomfortable.
“Then what is it? If you’re not embarrassed about the episode, which you shouldn’t be, then what? Is this about what happened after?”
At the mention of what happened after, I felt a surge of warmth pass through my chest where her head had rested. That is, until reality crept in and whisked her away.
“You may as well tell me, Love. It’s not like there’s anyplace to run,” I teased, gesturing around the confined space.
That hint of a smile was back again, curving fleshy, pink lips upward at one corner. Her hair swayed when she shook her head.
“It wasn’t about the seizure, but … you did get one thing right,” she confessed, piquing my curiosity.
“Tell me,” I pressed.
So much emotion swam in her eyes when she dared to look at me. Her fair skin tinted red, bringing life to her cheeks.
“You pointed out that there’s no place to run. Because we’re trapped here,” she explained, making things clearer with the utterance of one word. “Together.”
That redness in her cheeks blossomed and I finally understood. At least I thought I did.
“So, you’re saying you find being here with me … difficult?”
Her deep stare was locked on mine for a moment until she blinked. “What? I … no,” she stammered. “It’s just that, since we bonded I feel…”
“Does the word ravenous describe it?” I interjected, unable to contain a laugh.
I had her attention a moment longer, and then lost it when those beautiful eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head.
“I only meant that things could get weird in here between us. You know, being locked up for so long,” she sighed. “Assuming whoever’s behind this whole thing doesn’t intend to off us sooner rather than later.”
She tossed her hair back, and the maneuver was so casual.
“And that doesn’t frighten you? The idea of being killed here?”
Her full lips pursed together, and I had to admit that my imagination might have gotten away from me, but only for a moment.
“Of course I’m scared. It just won’t do me any good to hide in the corner, crying. My head needs to be clear in case an opportunity presents itself. Fear is one of many distractions we can’t afford.”
Right then, when she implied there were other distractions here in this room, her pulse quickened, throbbing like a drum at the base of her throat. I didn’t doubt for a second that our chemistry was one such distraction. It was thick and stifling, nearly coming to a head in my bedroom the night we lingered in front of the fireplace. Even before the Claiming, the pull between us—though maddening at times—had been present.
I’d gotten under her skin from the beginning. It wasn’t unusual for my crassness and arrogant nature to rub people the wrong way, so I wasn’t surprised when Corina took to me in the same manner. Only now, the frustration I filled her with wasn’t the sort that made her want my head brought to her on a platter.
It was the sort that made her want to lash out in other, far more satisfying ways.
She didn’t have to say it, I had a knack for sensing a woman’s needs, and Corina was no exception to that rule.
I stared at the pulsation in her throat, knowing it matched the quick, erratic beating of her heart. She covered her mouth when a yawn slipped out and I was reminded of the poor night’s sleep she’d gotten. I watched her toss and turn from my post near the door. Dark circles beneath her eyes told of her exhaustion.
“You should nap,” I suggested. “I’ll keep watch again.”
“I’m fine,” she replied with distorted words as another yawn slipped past her lips.
“Nonsense. You need rest.”
Her head was shaking before I even finished the statement. “I don’t disagree with you, but I’m too wound up to even think about sleep.” Her gaze drifted toward the bucket resting in the corner, and she breathed deep. “A nice, hot bath would’ve calmed me right down, but I suppose I can kiss those goodbye.”
The hint of a smile ghosting on her lips opened the door for questions.
“Is that the only thing you were going to dread leaving behind if you’d succeeded last night? If you’d gotten away from us?”
It was a forward thing to ask, but I decided to risk it.
Those beautiful eyes of hers rolled to the back of her head again. “Listen, I know we’ve all got this mess of feelings swirling around inside us, but …” She paused, pushing a hand through her hair. “None of it is real. I mean, if it weren’t for this … process, can you be so sure you wouldn’t have killed me without asking questions when you found me in the woods?”
Her forthrightness was a bit jarring, but I could take it. Actually, I preferred when people spoke their minds.
“I can’t answer that,” I admitted. “But what I can say is that I could have ended you when we had our late-night, kitchen rendezvous.”
She peered up then, seeming to listen harder than she had been a moment ago.
“I knew what you were planning, I just wasn’t sure of your timeline or strategy. And still, I let you live.”
She turned away when the intensity of our stare became a living, breathing entity, making the room feel small and charged with a powerful energy.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” was her dismissive response when the truth was a bit too hard to consider.
“Doesn’t it, though?” I countered. “It was before I claimed you.”
A surge of boldness coursed through me, and I acted on impulse, dismissing the brief thought that my next move might scare her back inside her emotional cave.
She stared at my fingers as I weaved them between hers, bringing her hand to my lap before continuing.
“Haven’t you asked yourself, even once, whether this has all been a setup? The universe’s way of bringing something into existence that the five of us would have been too stubborn to pursue on our own?”
For the first time in a long time, I hesitated to continue, feeling the weight of the words I had just spoken, and the ones I had yet to say. I’d never been one to deal in fate, but enjoyed the thrill of a gamble. Even the risk Silas and I took bestowing his gift of true sight on Julian wasn’t one I thought twice about taking. Yes, in many ways, Corina was the biggest gamble I’d ever bet on, but something about this—the bond, her becoming a part of our world—it just felt right.
“Silas is the intuitive, romantic corner to our square,” I joked to lighten the mood, “but sometimes I find myself thinking he might not have been wrong about this … or you.”
The center of my chest tightened when a wide gaze flashed my way.
“He feels that way?”
When I nodded, the news seemed to have taken her by surprise. I supposed I could understand why she would assume the steps my brothers and I had taken had only been to cover our tracks. After all, things had been handled quite p
oorly after the gala. However, while certain acts were definitely timed to keep Julian out of trouble, what if everything that happened was only to bring us to some conclusion none of us saw coming?
“I didn’t realize … I guess I thought you were all just acting on autopilot, not thinking much, just doing what you had to in order to save Julian.”
She confirmed what I pretty much knew already.
“We have always considered where you fit into all of this,” I confessed, which was mostly true. It was Roman’s stance on the matter that differed.
Much to my surprise, the hand I held was no longer limp and lifeless as she squeezed mine in return. I meant to show her that, even though we might not be on the same side, we didn’t have to be enemies.
“I know it’s not quite a bath in the Blue Suite, but if you want to freshen up, I promise to give you all the privacy you need.”
She stared with the hint of a disbelieving smile, and released my hand.
“Cross my heart,” I added.
After a brief stare down between this beautifully mysterious creature and me, she gave in.
“Fine, but I swear to you Levi, if you peek, I’ll—”
“Hurt me?” I interjected, feeling my teeth sink into my lower lip as she caught the meaning. “I wouldn’t stop you.”
“In your dreams,” she teased, and pushed off the cot using my thigh for leverage.
I watched her cross the room, feeling that beast inside me counting down the seconds until I’d have to make good on my promise not to peek. Moments before my lids fell closed, I was given a tempting hint of what I’d miss as Corina gripped the hem of her dark tee and pulled it over her head, exposing her back to me.
The darkness that came next was equal parts frustrating and exciting. It forced my imagination to fill in the lovely details, of which I swore to deprive myself. Desperate for a distraction, I thought of something I meant to share earlier.
“Funny story,” I smiled, falling back on the cot to face the ceiling while my hearing sharpened with the temporary loss of vision.
“What’s that?”
With the question, the sound of water rushing down her body and back into the bucket reached me. I imagined her standing in it, bathing quickly before the guards returned to check in on us.
I barely gathered my thoughts to answer.
“I, uh … I realized that I knew you, before I knew you.”
Her gentle laugh was almost sensual and my lips parted at the sound of it.
“I could pretend to know what that means, or you could just tell me.”
More rushing water.
More unclean thoughts.
“You’re Specter.”
The second the words left my mouth, all movement stopped on her side of the room. Had it not been for the few droplets that fell, it would have been completely silent.
“I’ve been betting on you for the past two years, solid. Well, until you unexpectedly fell off the map, that is.” I smiled to myself. “Although, I suppose I now know where you’ve been.”
She seemed to snap out of whatever daze she’d lost herself in after being exposed, making it clear I was aware that tonight hadn’t been her first race.
“I don’t suppose there’s much point in denying it,” she admitted with a deep breath. “I just … the opportunity presented itself when I was younger, and I was good at it, so it just became this thing I did.” Her answer was vague, but I expected as much.
It was easy to sense the discomfort in her tone, having just admitted that. “Your secret’s safe with me, Corina.”
I smiled a bit, imagining the panicked look she must have had on her face. I didn’t see much point in making our circumstances any more uncomfortable than they already were, so I did my best to ease her mind.
“Besides, you’ve made me an unholy amount of money, so we’ll just call it even.”
She paused a moment.
“Deal.” I was relieved to hear she wasn’t going to make this into a thing. She even managed to chuckle a bit at the odd coincidence.
The soft padding of the floor squeaked a bit when her wet feet made contact with it. That urge to glance at her returned out of nowhere, so strong I was a breath away from giving into it. My mouth suddenly felt dry and I was only mildly ashamed at how intently I listened, trying to imagine her drying off with one of the larger towels that had been left.
“And since you’ve agreed to keep my secret, I suppose it would also be okay for you to call me Cori. Only a select few are granted the privilege.” There was no missing the jesting in her tone when she spoke.
A slow smile stretched across my lips. “Does this mean we’re friends?”
I had to imagine the way her face lit up when she laughed quietly, the melodic sound vibrating off the walls of this weary space.
But I felt her. Her warmth filled the room.
“I’m afraid this bond has sped us way past the friendzone, Levi, but … I like that my friendship interests you.”
She had a way of making my heart thud more than usual, and this was one of those times. I couldn’t explain this experience, but it made me want to know her more thoroughly than I’d ever wanted to know another being in my entire life.
Her existence had thrown my brothers and I completely off course, righting our paths until we fell into orbit around her. Our sun. The outcome of our circumstances was unclear, but there was one thing I knew for sure.
Cori was now, and forever would be, the center of our universe.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Julian
Three days without so much as a smoke signal had taken its toll.
On me.
On Silas.
On my father’s patience.
The proof of his frustration was the incessant pacing—from one end of my study to the other—that he’d maintained for the last half hour. And as if life wasn’t tense enough already, we were waiting on a phone call from the last person we wanted to hear from, at the worst possible time.
“Your Highnesses,” Elle popped in, “Dr. Percival’s assistant is on the line. She said he’ll be available in just a moment.”
I didn’t respond with more than a tense nod before the door closed.
My father impatiently beat me to the phone, which rested at the corner of my desk. He pressed the button that flashed red, and we were greeted by soft music that lulled through the speaker. Once we were connected, he went back to pacing again.
Silas passed a concerned look that only fed my anxiety. I knew this was bad, knew things could get worse in a million different ways, but had to keep a clear head.
We weren’t given a briefing as to why he chose to reach out today of all days, but we couldn’t get out of it. With the heat we’d come under lately, it was imperative we cooperated with whatever demands Dr. Percival had in mind.
There was so much to hide, so many landmines to avoid. However, when a man of his caliber personally requested a conversation, one did not turn him down under any circumstances.
Even several glasses of Scotch hadn’t been enough to keep my nerves at bay. With Roman in the wind, and with Levi and Corina missing, it would be no small feat to get through this call without caving under the pressure.
“Dr. Percival will speak with you now.”
The chipper voice on the other end of the line had Silas and I straightening in our seats, and finally brought my father to a standstill.
The voice that came through the next second, was one I’d only heard once in person, and I could have gone my entire life never hearing it again. He invoked that much fear in those who encountered him.
“Dr. Percival?” My father said with a forced grin—as if he had to put on a pleasant expression to match his false tone. He must have forgotten Dr. Percival was thousands of miles away.
“Good evening, Gentlemen,” the father of our Dynasty said in greeting.
“Pleasure to speak with you, Sir,” I replied.
“Oh, I do believe the p
leasure is all mine.” There was an air of amusement in his tone that unnerved me. “I’ve heard the good news regarding you and your Dynasty Brothers and would be honored to pay you all a visit in the coming weeks. It would give us a chance to discuss some of my findings, maximizing our chances of the blood bond producing a viable cure.”
I was stunned and at a loss for words at the idea of him coming here.
“It’d be an honor to meet the fivesome whose selflessness could possibly change the course of Ianite history.” Dr. Percival continued when I didn’t interject. “That is, assuming your blood bond does, in fact, give us the result we seek.”
I swallowed hard, and blinked at my father.
“I, uh … Yes, Sir. Of course. You’re always welcome here,” I lied.
“Excellent,” he beamed. “May I ask how the five of you are adjusting so far? I’m assuming you at least, Julian, have sealed your bond with a Claiming ceremony, correct?”
I leaned closer to the speaker.
“Yes, Sir. We’ve followed your writings very closely. Silas was even kind enough to transcribe it into laymen’s terms for the rest of us,” I laughed.
“Fantastic! I’m quite familiar with Silas’ research, and trust you’re all in good hands.”
My gaze shifted to Silas, noting that he seemed genuinely shocked to hear that Dr. Percival had paid his work any attention.
“Enlighten me, has the emotional connection of the Claiming been as I suspected?” Percival asked.
I didn’t have to think about that answer, but did hesitate under the judgement of my father’s heavy stare. It was that look that prompted me to understate the powerful bond.
“Corina and I have felt the change,” I answered simply.
“And has this … Corina, initiated a bond with any of the others? Roman perhaps?”
I flinched hearing his name.
“Actually, she and Levi have already initiated their bond as well.”
Dr. Percival’s excitement was practically palpable through the phone. “Well, it seems you all have gotten along wonderfully without me so far, but I do look forward to overseeing some of the process upon my arrival. Which brings me to a vital point, one I hope does not dishearten you,” he admitted gravely. “The research you four have gotten your hands on, may be a touch vague on a few points. Namely, the effects of the Claiming.”
