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

44. Forty-Four

Forty-Four

Presley

I held out as long as I could from seeing Kilian again, but since I’d agreed to help, I couldn’t exactly stay away from them.

Anzola had the same creepy vibe Kilian gave off, only slightly less. Her eyes at least reminded me a little of Mom’s. Not like Kilian’s, which seared into my soul and sucked all the life out of the room. He needed contacts or something. Someone had to tell him, and it wouldn’t be me.

They even had a piano no one knew how to play—one of them had to have seen Twilight when decorating that house.

Aaron and Kilian said their pleasantries to the others, then we gathered in the dining room at the grand table that took up almost all the space. The moon joined us through the windows, and I averted my gaze to the little piece of string on my jacket.

“I’m glad you’re all here. We’ve made great progress in our reconnaissance. With the help of drones and a few locals, we were able to come up with a map of the castle grounds as well as get a map of the whole island.”

Kilian nodded to Dom, and he spread out a large piece of paper.

“ This is the island . . .” Aaron said as he gawked.

It was detailed and larger than I’d imagined. When they said island, I thought about something you could easily walk across, but this had a whole town, a harbor by the castle, and a bunch of hills and houses.

I was more interested in the other map. The one that showed the castle. I studied it over and over. The labyrinth and the garden, a cathedral, and a church. It didn’t seem real that my brothers were in that place as their new home, but I had the proof embedded into my memory from the photograph.

“The only unknown is that we do not know what the inside of the castle looks like. There are no known records, only a few vague descriptions and a few pictures from tourism in the area. But we can assume that there are numerous hiding places. That brings me to my next idea that I wanted to present to all of you.”

This should be good. It was likely he wanted us to run into fire or something.

“With Presley’s involvement with the phone, we could create a diversion for them. What we need is for them to let their guard down. Every one of you that they capture will feel like a win to them.”

“You mean use my little brother as bait?” That familiar darkness flickered in Aaron’s eyes, and his nostrils flared.

I was kind of honored Aaron was about to blow a gasket but for me this time.

“She will not hurt him. That much is clear. It will be a temporary distraction, and they are expecting him. They will likely believe it to be a part of their future plan.”

“I’ll do it.” Finally, something I could do that would actually be helpful.

“No.” Aaron shook his head, his shoulders stiffened.

“I’m a grown man. I can choose.”

“I know, I . . .” Then he gave me the puppy-dog look—I changed my mind. It was lethal to everyone, not just women. “Family huddle.”

“We can hear your huddles,” Felix stated as the three of us retreated to the corner of the room, next to a huge monstera I remembered as Will’s.

“This is a bad idea,” Aaron said.

“I told you I wanted to help.”

“I can’t let you go off on your own and be bait.”

“What does Kim think?”

Kimberly’s jaw was set like she was thinking.

“I . . . think no matter what, one of us will have to be the bait and neither of us are going to like it. It could be me.”

“No,” Aaron and I said practically at the same time.

“See? We’re all going to hate it. We just have to . . . trust each other.”

Aaron nodded. “Trust the dream.”

“We did say whatever the cost,” she said.

“Fine.”

“I’ll do it,” I called to the others.

Aaron interjected. “On one condition, I come with him. I’m not leaving my little brother at the mercy of the queen. I don’t care if She won’t hurt him. I have to be there.”

Kilian nodded. “I will see what I can come up with. I’m still finalizing our battle strategy. It appears they’ve made no move to leave the island, and I’ve been trying to figure out why that might be. There’s no doubt they know we’re coming and that we have the dagger.”

“Would they not want to . . . you know, hide Her or something?” I asked.

“I agree. But I think there are a few reasons they might want to stay. Including the solar eclipse. They likely need to stay in the path of totality to get whatever benefit they’re looking to receive. I have intel that they’re planning a party the night before the eclipse, and it’s a public event. I suspect it’s likely to keep us from coming to interrupt the eclipse.”

“Okay, so why don’t Aaron and I go early, like right now? We can get a jump on Operation Convince Our Brothers Not to be in a Cult.” Plus, a party.

“It’s not favorable. Leaving you alone with them for too long with the connection you have to Her blood, you’ll be easily overcome.”

I sighed.

“There is another caveat. I’m thinking it may be best to keep details off our specific battle strategy from the three of you. With the two of you going beforehand and the unknown possibilities of the role Kimberly will play, I think it would be best in the event you get to the island where She searches your memories. They already have many advantages, including the queen’s clairvoyance. She’ll be able to access the most likely future of The Guard, Will, and Thane. Possibly your brothers’. I’ve been trying to find a way to remedy this.”

The three of us grimaced at the thought.

“In order for the decoy to be helpful, I think it would be best to feed you false information . . . which means I would need to erase your memories of this moment and of anything I deem may aid Her. You must decide now if this is something you want to do.”

“Let’s do it,” I said.

“Pres.” Aaron used his scary voice.

“We agreed whatever the cost. If Kilian turns me into a mindless vegetable, then . . . whatever, I guess.”

Felix and Halina snickered in the corner while Dom stayed his casual stoic self.

“Not whatever. This is a big decision,” Kimberly said.

Kilian was a loose cannon. Our permanent wild card. I would never trust him, but I didn’t think it mattered anymore. I was ready to take the risks.

“We are reaching the point of no return. I know I have not made it easy for you to have faith in me, but have faith in the fact that I want this plan to work more than you can comprehend. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for centuries while for you it’s been a short few months. I need all three of you to do this.”

I held my hand over the table to him.

“Ready when you are.”

Kimberly and Aaron shared a look. They had some kind of telepathy too. The lover kind where they communicated with nods and brow movements. After a few moments, they offered their hands too.

A little more than a month away. I could do that. I hoped Zach and Luke knew we hadn’t forgotten them, but more than that . . . I hoped as they walked the castle day in and out, they hadn’t given up yet.