He seemed to choose his words carefully. “Just that it would be smart if you strengthened your bond.”

My mouth went dry at that. “What do you mean by that?”

He grinned crookedly. “You can take it any way you want. Kellan will know, but if the two of you are strong enough, your father will know not to even try to break the bond. If you two work together as a team, you could be powerful, more powerful than you could imagine.”

Well…that was nice and cryptic. I was left annoyed and slightly speechless when Damien gave me a small hug before he left through the trees. I stood there for another minute before I turned and slowly walked back to the car, back to Kellan. He straightened and asked, watching where I had left, “What did he say?”

“Oh, oh. You don’t want to know.” I laughed with a hysterical note in my voice.

Kellan narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Oh, nothing. Just that my father is going to try to destroy our bond, and we’re supposed to make it stronger. Oh, and that my father is actually coming here for me, not for Gus or Vespar. They’re just his excuse to come here. Oh—I should’ve first told you that my father is the messenger coming here.” I threw my hands up. “Surprise! I’m going to meet my dad soon. How…lovely.”

Kellan arched an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest. “Did he do something to you just now? This isn’t normal, Shay.”

“It’s not a normal day for me. I find out about you, about me, about my father coming, and that guy is ‘family’ to me. Did you know that?” I jerked a thumb over my shoulder.

He was silent for a moment and then said grudgingly, “I see your point.”

That made me laugh harder. The hysterical note grew in volume until I was bent over, clutching my stomach, and slowly falling to my knees on the ground, sobbing from the laughter. Kellan watched me for another moment and bent to wrap his arms around me. Lifting me in the air, he held me against his chest while I started to sob into his shoulder. One of his hands smoothed back some of my hair while his thumb brushed at my tears while he was still holding me.

After a few moments, when my sobs had started to subside, I hiccupped against his shirt. “I’m sorry. I’m a bit not normal right now. And Vespar tried to kill me.” I didn’t even know how to comprehend that one.

Kellan whispered against my forehead, pressing a soft kiss there, “Vespar will be dealt with. Trust me.”

It shouldn’t have comforted me, but it did. When he kissed my forehead again and then bent to softly kiss my cheek, I closed my eyes and curled into him, feeling safe, even though I didn’t know if I should.

LEAH

Across the school parking lot, standing inside the doors, Leah watched them from a window. Hatred boiled inside of her, and she frowned with her fingers curled so tightly into the window frame that it drew blood from underneath her nails.

Dylan came to stand beside her. Glancing from the blood under her hands and her stony face to the couple where her gaze was frozen, he sighed. “They’re not who you think they are.”

She clipped out, “I know.”

When Shay had asked about her parents, something unlocked in her mind. Memories flew back at her, drifting in and out of focus, but they were there. She felt them. She heard her parents’ laughter, her own with them. Then she heard raised voices, threats from a man’s voice. His hands touched her, made her do things that brought shame to her. Cringing on the inside, Leah wanted it all to go away, but she knew it wouldn’t. They were permanently there, and they shifted alongside her new memories. Nothing made sense to her, but the memories and emotions haunted her. She knew they would always haunt her, but one memory that was perfectly clear was the night her parents were killed.

Vespar and Gus had rung her doorbell, and she had answered it, thinking they were there with some information about Kellan. She’d been so excited, thinking that Kellan would come to help her. Save her. But he didn’t, he sent those two and they had pushed their way inside with a sick gleam in both of their eyes. When her stepfather had demanded to know who they were, what the hell they were there for, Gus had laughed—laughed—as she flicked a knife in the air. It landed perfectly in his chest, but it hadn’t been enough. The female Braden had danced to him, took the knife out, and then slit his throat, giggling when he gaped at her with his eyes wide. When his body slid to the ground, Leah’s mother and real father had come out of the garage, alarmed. Then Vespar had gone mad, lunging for them through the air. He’d taken their heads—Leah trembled, clasping her eyes shut. She didn’t want to remember it. She didn’t want to hear their surprise or their agony, how they had begged for their lives.

“We can make them hurt.” Dylan touched her arm. “Kellan tried to erase my memory, but it didn’t work. I knew a spell that kept it from happening. His power can’t touch me.”

“How do you know that stuff?” she whispered, choking on vomit.

“My grandmother. She told me about things like them, what we can do to protect ourselves against them. They killed my entire family.”

“I saw your brother in school today.”

“Gus killed them, but I think Kellan brought them back to life.” He took her shoulders and turned her to him. “They can do things like that, but we can stop them. We can hurt them.”

With tears running down her face, Leah frowned. “How? They’re so powerful…” She looked back and felt another stab in her heart when she saw Kellan place a gentle kiss on Shay’s forehead with his hand holding her cheek. It was a tender gesture, but could they feel tenderness? Did they feel love? Why did she feel comforted by him?