Chapter 35 #3
“I never avoided our relationship because I wanted to. I did it because I needed to avoid the partnership bond…” Then he told me about the agreement, the demands, the years away, and I found myself caught in the middle of an explanation I already knew, already understood, but not from his perspective.
Serguei had explained this. I knew I should have interrupted him and told him I already knew, but I wanted to hear his words and what he would tell me.
I needed to know if there was something more, so I just paid even closer attention to the details.
Throughout the entire confession, Zion seemed rigid and anxious.
His breathing was quick, even though he was clearly trying to control it so he could continue.
“When I brought you here, things were… difficult.
Much more than they are now. I tried everything to get you accepted in Interion, but I only succeeded with Serguei's help, the king's most valuable pillar.”
He stopped and shook his head.
“The king didn't want to accept you into the nation, and knowing about the bond, he was even willing to disown me so you wouldn't stay here.
However, Serguei has influence over Elitium.
So in the end, I had to make a blood agreement with Serguei.
If he interceded and convinced the king to let you stay, we would make a magical agreement—one I can never break while it's in effect.”
Zion's eyes looked sad, and his gaze held so much bitterness I could feel it in my chest.
“In exchange, he asked me not to seal the partnership. He made me promise to stay away for at least five years and to let you recover from your traumas. I also couldn't tell you until you found out on your own. He asked me not to lock in the bond, not until…”
His words grew quieter and quieter until his voice faded away, as if he didn't know how to say it—and I knew why.
“Until I was trained enough, physically and psychologically. Until I wasn't a weak point in your lives,” I finished for him.
If he said those words, it would be like he was forcing me to train and do my best. Zion must have been afraid I'd interpret it as blackmail to make me work harder.
After a few seconds, the information settled in my chest, and a massive ache took root there. Serguei hadn't asked him to keep his distance—he'd demanded it and kept forcing Zion to stay away. I wondered if this explained some of the anger Zion felt toward his father.
“How do you know?” His eyes went wide and glassy.
Only then did I realize what I'd done. I'd completely forgotten I wasn't supposed to know this and had given myself away.
I swallowed hard. Okay, this was my cue to speak.
Maybe being in a restaurant would help. Maybe he'd think that shouting or exploding with rage in public would be rude, and that would keep him in check.
“Um... maybe I have something to tell you, too.”
“Maybe...” he said, his eyes assessing me with sharp interest. I looked away, picking up the corner of the linen napkin and fidgeting with it.
“Yesterday, when you left, Kiara went crazy at the front door and I ran out to help her. Something seemed wrong and she knew it,” I began, stumbling over my words, as if rushing through it naturally would make it easier.
“And then I heard...” I stopped myself. This was starting to sound like a jumbled mess of random information.
I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, which seemed clouded—like a churning ocean in the middle of a storm.
“Serguei showed up at the door after you left.”
“What?” he asked, incredulous. His thoughts seemed to jump from one place to another, as if he were running through the possibilities, until he whispered, “The protection barrier...”
I didn’t know how to tell him everything without making Serguei seem like a villain. Because he really had seemed like one at that moment. But if I didn’t tell Zion, he’d be furious with me.
“He implied he would torture Kiara mentally if I didn’t open the door and let him in.
” Zion rubbed his hands over his face, looking disgusted and tired.
I didn’t wait for his next reaction, just continued: “He wanted to know about the sonar. Said he couldn’t just take the information—that I had to give it to him.
So he threatened me. That part was fine, but then he threatened Kiara.
Zion, I couldn’t let him torture Kiara.”
He laughed, but it was a disbelieving laugh.
“‘That part was fine’?” His eyes locked on me, unyielding. The laughter was gone and his expression was serious again. Actually, furious would be more accurate. “‘That part was fine,’ Kyller?”
I stayed silent, just watching as he stared back at me. He rolled his eyes, looking even more furious and increasingly tired. Zion, who had leaned over the table during his last outburst, sat back in his chair with a huff.
“What? You told him everything the sonar said?”
“Yes.” I paused, thinking about how to say this without him exploding into a million pieces of rage. “He gave me some things in return.”
“What things?” he asked, jaw clenched.