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

56. Fifty-Six

Fifty-Six

Aaron

Kimberly squeezed my hand as I recited play by play back to Kilian. This time we sat in the living room without an audience. Everyone else was too busy preparing for the battle that could begin at any notice. Wait for the lights. A helpful note, but how long could we wait? My brothers needed me.

“Then Presley freaked out and grabbed his chest from the pain of the bond. He said it was so intense, and I felt . . . I felt nothing.”

Kilian stalked toward me. “What does it usually feel like for you?”

“Like pressure. Like my heart is bruised. And it’s gotten worse before to the point I’ve been on my knees. But this time I didn’t feel even an ache. It was like . . . he had all of it or something.”

Kilian nodded and excused himself without another word while Kimberly and I sat alone on the couch hand in hand. The clock on the wall ticked by slowly. Outside the window were blankets of snow cast in shadows from the clouds. The lights. Maybe it was referring to the weather.

All my extra seconds went to figuring out my dream riddle or the cryptic message Cecily had said. I’d entertained it at all because it came from Cecily, and after hearing Kim’s interactions with her during the ritual, I was willing to try to believe her words.

Kilian shot into the living room quickly enough that Kimberly and I flinched. In his hands sat another wooden box, and I knew what was coming because I’d seen it before.

“You kept the vial of the queen’s blood.” The sight of it had nearly brought my brothers to their knees.

“I want to test something.”

It wasn’t a question. He cared very little about my protest as he went to open it.

“Wait!” Kimberly choked out.

I braced for the magnetism of the queen’s blood, but as the box opened and my gaze settled on the black liquid, I felt . . . nothing.

“I don’t feel anything.”

“Nothing at all?” His eyes widened. “Would you taste it?”

“Aaron, no.” Kim grabbed my forearm, her brows knitted with worry.

“It’s okay. It’s just a little. I can handle it.”

I had to try. The look in Kilian’s eyes was beckoning me and told me he was onto something. I hoped it was good.

From the bottle, I drew a singular drop onto my finger. I sniffed the open air, then licked it off. It might as well have been water. There was no reaction from my body at all.

I shook my head. “It doesn’t taste like anything I remember.”

Kilian’s nostrils flared, and he let out a laugh. Crazed and exhilarated.

“What’s so funny?”

“I didn’t think it was true. There was no way to know. No way to test it out.”

“Test what?” Kimberly pulled at my arm, away from Kilian and the blood.

“There was a poem. The story of a man obsessed with a beautiful, mystical woman, but when he gave his heart to another woman, he was able to break the curse and fled with his lover. I believed it to be unrelated, or perhaps I was misinterpreting it.”

“But how? We’ve been together all this time,” I said.

I’d given my heart to Kimberly long ago, and I’d still felt the effects of Akira’s blood.

“Has something changed between you two?” Kilian’s eyes narrowed. “Anything.”

Kimberly and I shared a glance. There was one thing. I wondered if I should say it. Kilian already knew more about me than I cared for him to know, but I guess that was part of the sacrifice.

Kimberly spoke first. “We . . . did share blood recently. That’s new.”

“The mingling of lovers’ blood . . . You created a bond. A bond that is stronger,” Kilian mumbled.

He studied us, probably putting the pieces together in his head. It all sounded far-fetched for me, something out of a story book, but everything in my world was like that.

“So, this means . . . Aaron’s immune to the effects of the queen’s blood,” Kimberly said.

“More than that. He will be immune to Her completely. He’ll likely be able to be around Her with no issues.”

“This is good, right?” I asked.

“This is monumental.” I swear a tear formed in Kilian’s eye. “And it just confirms what I already knew. It’s time.”

He turned to address only me. “This is what I was waiting for. This is how we will save your brothers. She has no power over you anymore. The risk of bringing you to the battlefield has finally been alleviated.”

I looked at Kim, whose eyes widened in relief at the news.

“Then it’s time. We’re going.” It wasn’t really a question.

“A last-minute decision is our best route. We should expel your memory of the knowledge of this before we make way.”

“Wait. No,” I said.

“It will be dangerous for you to both go with that current knowledge.”

“But then you’d have to take our memory of the night that we . . . did share blood, right?” Kimberly gripped my arm.

Kilian nodded.

There was something about that night that I wasn’t willing to forget. We’d had many nights together, but not like that. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. It was more than the sex. I’d never felt so connected to anything, let alone another person. Kimberly shook her head at me, confirming my decision.

“No. I’m sorry, I can’t.”

“We’ve given The Family too much already,” Kimberly said.

“Very well. We will make do.” Kilian was only briefly disappointed before his lips curled upward again.

I squeezed Kimberly’s hand in mine and glanced outside at the shaded area. No lights, but we couldn’t wait anymore. The remnants of my dream played again in my head.

Luke . . . Zach. I’m coming.