Page 33 of Lies That Bleed
I met Elaine’s gaze and she nodded as if saying to go along with the story.
“Yep. All better now though!” Which was weird. My entire body had been burned, my back clawed up, and now I looked like I didn’t even have a scratch on me.
There was a knock at the door.
“That will be Tetra,” Elaine told me. “I called her and told her you were… feeling better. Come on, girls. Let’s finish your studies for the day.”
They groaned but trailedafter Elaine.
I answered the door timidly, unsure what to expect.
Tetra flew into me, pulling me in for a bone-crushing hug. “Holy stars, Ash,” she sobbed into my ear as her wolf creature walked a circle around us, rubbing up affectionately against my leg. “I saw you… dead,” she whimpered.
I squeezed her back, so damn glad she was alive, and then she pulled away from me, wiping at her eyes.
“I… was reborn?” I felt weird using the word, but I couldn’t think of another one.
She peered behind me, as if looking for my father. They didn’t like each other very much. “Let’s walk the garden?” she said.
I nodded and followed her out. She leaned on her cane as her creature, Ariyel, trotted beside her.
“You bonded a wolf, Tetra! Is your mom proud?”
She grinned. “Very. But mostly just glad I’m alive.”
We walked through the rose garden and to the bench we usually hung out at. My best friend sat down and faced me.
“Tell me everything. Because the last thing I saw, Kohen had you limp in his arms, half covered in burns, and he was screaming for a medic, with adragonflying above him. Aisling, what in the hell happened out there?”
I took a deep breath and told her everything, holding nothing back. I told her how Kohen had snuck out to hunt for Talanagi and how I’d followed andthen gotten into a fight with one myself. I told her about the bond, dying, and then floating in the blackness. Then how I had to fight the fire beast and woke up in a body bag.
“Holy crap, you’re immortal,” she whisper-screamed, looking over her shoulder as if one of our gardeners would kill her for saying such a thing.
I swallowed hard. “I don’t know about that.”
She peered at the sky. “Where is your creature?”
I followed her gaze, sighing. “I don’t know.” I felt her, barely, just sort of an awareness in my mind with no clear picture.
The first week after bonding, you never left your creature’s side. It was the most important time to cement that bond.
“You’re sure you bonded?” she asked.
“Yes!” I said defensively. “Maybe she’s being reborn too. I don’t know.” I tapped my chest. “But I… feel her. We’re definitely bonded.”
I had half a mind to go back to The Wilds right now and look for her. Was she stuck in Luska? If Kohen’s creature made it out, why not her?
Tetra nodded. “She’ll show up. I heard that Talanagi are standoffish. Even Kohen’s dragon isn’t with him right now.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been hanging out with Kohen?”
She snort-laughed. “Not like that. We got our itinerary today. Boot camp starts tomorrow. I saw him.”
My head reeled back. “Boot camp? We bond with our creatures and they give us a few days before—” my face fell. “How long was I gone?”
Tetra shifted in her seat. “Three days.”
I stood, unable to sit with news like that. “Three days!” Holy crap. What if the coroner had incinerated me!
