Page 25 of The Bound Blood
Tamsin sits up straighter, blinking. “Okay,what? That was almost a full paragraph. Are you dying? Is this, like, your cryptic farewell tour?”
Auron exhales through his nose. “I’m not dying.”
“Shame,” she mutters, “I’d probably like you better as a ghost. You know, someone I’d never have to see again.”
I clear my throat, cutting through the tension before Tamsin can start telling him exactly what kind of ghost Auron would be.
"Why are you really here?" I ask, keeping my voice level. "You said you had information. About Lindsay."
Auron’s gaze flicks to me, cold and unreadable. “The council’s already made their decision. They’re going to bind her magic.”
I freeze. “That’s not— They said it was apossibility. A last resort.”
“It was never a question,” Auron says, like it’s the simplest truth in the world. “They’ve been planning it since the moment she survived the rift opening.”
Tamsin’s mouth opens. Closes. Then, “Okay, no offense, but how doyouknow this? Did your brooding corner come with a crystal ball subscription?”
“I have access,” he says flatly. “More than either of you.”
“That’s not an answer,” I say carefully. “Why would you even care? You’ve never exactly… involved yourself.”
Auron holds my gaze for a long moment, and something flickers there—something almost human. “Maybe I have feelings for her.”
Tamsin chokes on a laugh. “Oh please. You mean for herpower. You probably want to bottle it and bathe in it like some creepy Veil vampire.”
He doesn’t deny it. Which is somehow worse.
The sharp edge of jealousy cuts through me before I can stop it. Auron—tall, terrifying, always five seconds from incinerating someone with a glare—actuallycouldbelong in Lindsay’s world. Bloodborn magic and all.
I’m just the nerd who carries two different kinds of enchanted notebooks, knows all of the protection runes, and recharges in the quiet of my dorm room.
But jealousy isn’t going to save her.
So I shove it down, bury it somewhere deep, and ask the only question that matters. “Do you actually care about protecting her? Or is this just about your own agenda?”
His voice is even. “Does it matter? The Council wants her contained. Erased. I don’t.”
Tamsin narrows her eyes. “You still haven’t told us why.”
“I don’t owe you every truth I carry,” Auron says. “But I owehera chance to fight back.”
“Fine,” I say. “Then let’s talk strategy.”
Tamsin whistles low, dragging a chair toward us. “Look at you, Noles. All serious and alpha-coded. Lindsay would be proud.”
I don’t smile. Because I don’t want her to be proud of me. I just want hersafe.
Tamsin flops into the chair, swinging her legs like this is a casual group project and not alet’s-defy-the-magical-councilmeeting.
“So, o asshole-shaped icy lord, what’s your plan? And why exactly do you need us if you’re so special and powerful at this school?”
Auron’s jaw tightens. “Because I can’t be seen helping her.”
“Uh-huh.” Tamsin taps her temple. “Knew there was a catch.”
I lean forward. “Why not?”
He hesitates. For once, something like discomfort flickers across his expression. “Because of who my father is.”
