This Blood that Bonds Us (This Blood that Binds Us #4)

23. Twenty-Three

Twenty-Three

Presley

A fluffy blanket rested on my head while I watched Lion King 2 —arguably the best Lion King movie, and I’d fight anyone on that till the day I die, which, of course, would be never. Therefore, I’d win. Within thirty seconds of the opening song, I was crying. Luke and I used to watch the movie together over and over. I had a not-so-subtle obsession with Kovu—still do. I endlessly clicked the different tools on my fidget toy Mom picked up for me in town, and combined with the movie, it helped get my mind off things.

The fire had been burning all day long and the cold still crept into the cabin like the plague. How was that even possible?

The clock on my sad little flip phone told me how late it was, and Kim and Aaron weren’t home yet. I’d tried to get my mom to stay up with me, but she said she was too old to stay up past 9:00 p.m. I’d even made her extra strong coffee at 7:00 p.m. for her nightly drama. It didn’t work.

So it was just me, alone—again—and crying into my blanket that smelled like a fire pit.

The front door opened, and I jumped to my feet, wiping my eyes and turning off the television.

“Hey guys. Took ya long enough.”

“I heard Lion King 2 .” Aaron smiled as he helped Kimberly with her coat, then frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just listening to the beautiful song and lyrics and seeing Kiara be brought into the world.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Good. We can tell you all about it.” Kim sounded tired, and her hair was unusually frizzy.

“I’m surprised you both came back in one piece.”

Dude totally had a basement where he did freaky shit. No doubt about that. I tossed the throw pillows to the floor, and Kimberly and Aaron went to join me on the couch.

“Ah.” A sudden wave of pain sliced through me. It was quick at first, then it grew.

Aaron grabbed his chest too. “What the hell is that?”

That was usually the end of it, but this time, the pain grew. I gripped the edge of the couch as the pain slammed into me again and again. It was like a wave pushing and pulling me under.

One look at each other told me we knew the answer to that question.

Which brother was it? It had to be both. There was no way one of them could produce that much anguish at once. Gripping my stomach, I hunched over with a groan. I wished for the time when I felt only Aaron’s emotions and it was only nausea. It was better than feeling like I was put in a vat of hot oil.

“What can I do?” Kimberly looked between us frantically.

“Uh,” I spoke through gritted teeth, “sedate me maybe.”

I fell back into the couch, and Kimberly rubbed my back, and her heartbeat thrummed loudly in my ears. A nice distraction. Aaron braved through the pain with his head in hands.

Then it stopped, but I felt like I had a weighted vest strapped to my chest that was on fire. Somehow still tolerable.

I melted into the couch. “Uh, thank god.”

“Something happened,” Aaron said while Kimberly helped him to the couch.

“They need us. We have to go to them now.”

“We can’t go yet, Pres. We need time,” Aaron said. “We have to have a plan.”

“Well, the plan is taking too long already. It’s obvious something terrible is happening to them.”

“Don’t you think I know that? I feel it too. But this isn’t something we can rush.”

“How is it rushing? It’s been like a whole month. We’re past Christmas.”

I couldn’t sit anymore. My body needed to move. I had to go and save them.

“I know.”

“If you know, then let’s go. We know where they are now.”

Aaron shook his head with a sigh. “It’s not that simple. If we lose here, it’s game over. There’s no reload screen. We don’t get more lives. Us losing means them taking us all.”

“And killing me,” Kimberly added.

I groaned. It made sense, but that didn’t mean it was right. In front of the warmth of the fireplace, I rubbed at the tenderness of my chest. My brothers were out there hurt. I couldn’t imagine the things happening to them. Would The Family torture them? Were they even being nice to them?

Heat resided beneath the ache. Like someone lit a match in my chest. I didn’t know how, but I knew it was Zach. I just did. Somewhere, someone had pissed him off, and I held onto it.

The fire cracked in front of me, matching the simmering heat in my chest, and I blocked out the conversation happening between Kimberly and Aaron. My brother was angry. Maybe I should be angry too .