Page 133 of The Bound Blood
His jaw tightens, and I know I hit a nerve. “That’s not what I meant.”
“But it’s what you said.”
He exhales slowly. “Lindsay, you’re new to this world. To your magic. There are things you don’t fully understand yet. Things you need to be protected from.”
Ah. There it is. The careful tone, measured patience, theI know betterwrapped up as concern. It pisses me off, honestly. After everything, it feels like he doesn’t trust me to be strong enough.
I cross my arms over my chest, a futile attempt at protecting my heart. “Did you know it would call to me?”
Another pause. Shorter this time. “I knew it was like the book. That you touching it wasn’t smart, until you were ready.”
Something hot flares in my chest. “So youdidknow,” I say. “You knew it could react to me, and you didn’t think to mention you had something like that? I thought we were a team.”
His jaw tightens. “I was trying to keep you safe.”
“No,” I say immediately. “You were deciding what I was allowed to know.”
He stiffens. “We can talk about this, calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down. There’s a difference, Kael,” I continue, my voice steady but with an edge now. “And you don’t get to pretend there isn’t. You don’t get to watch me—track me—then act like I’m unreasonable for being upset about it.”
“I never?—”
“You withheld information,” I snap. “Important information. Information that directly involvesme.And you did it because you thought you knew better.”
Something dangerous flickers behind his eyes, and I suck in a breath. “I was protecting you.”
“From what?” I demand, my voice rising slightly. “From making my own choices?”
Silence slams down between us. My hands curl into fists at my sides.
“You don’t get to touch my life, my magic, my autonomy, and then hide behind good intentions,” I say. “That isn’t protection. That’s control dressed up as concern.”
His mouth opens and then closes.
“Kael,” I say quietly now, and that somehow makes it all feel worse, “a lie by omission is still a lie. And right now, you don’t get credit for meaning well.”
Silence stretches between us, and it makes me feel heavy. After last night, this morning is the last thing I expected to wake up to.
“I need some air,” I add. “Some space from this. From you.”
“Fine,” he says after a beat. Then firmer, he adds, “Leave the artifact, though, you’re not safe with it.”
My fingers curl into my pocket. I shake my head. “No.”
“Lindsay,” he says my name almost like a plea, shadows shifting toward me.
I jerk back, out of their reach. “Don’t.”
He stills. I spin for the door again, before he can move again.
He doesn’t stop me, and somehow that hurts worse than if he had. My heart feels heavy in my chest. I just need to get away—from all of it.
The school. The magical disaster my life has become. These stupid bonds I never asked for, the ones that make me feel like I’m losing my grip on what’s real.
For the first time since coming here, I wish for the crappy life I used to have.
Sure, it was complete trash. I wanted out of that town so badly that when this place landed in front of me, I didn’t even question it. How insane is that? I just put my head in the sand and pretended I was some kind of female Harry Potter—special, chosen, destined for something bigger.
