Page 46 of Lies That Bind
Right. I’d almost forgotten the convulsions and the small herbal chews she took to stave it off.
“Of course,” I told her. “Can you wait until the weekend? I’ll say you’re visiting family.”
She nodded.
I looked at Meera. “Can you get enough to last a long time?”
Meera, so small and delicate and clearly brilliant, nodded her head. “I’ll make a year’s worth in this batch.”
Good. I wanted to avoid Anika having any more episodes.
I tucked into my nachos and listened to a hilarious story Tetra was telling about how she’d tricked Valor into thinking blue corn was poison when she was small. Then I felt Liana stir in my mind.
I stiffened.
‘I’m reborn. Coming home,’ Liana sent, and I sagged with relief. Kohen met my gaze and smiled. Onyx must have told him.
‘I was worried sick about you!’ I told her.‘Did you get revenge for your mate?’
Even though Onyx already said they had, I wanted to hear it from her.
‘Yes.’I could hear the grin in her voice. But there was something else. Something she was hiding.
‘What aren’t you telling me?’ I asked.
“So I was thinking, tomorrow after training—” Anika began, and I stood, fake yawning.
“Sorry, I’m beat. I’m gonna head out,” I told everyone.
They wished me goodbye, and I knew Kohen wanted to talk with me more about Liana, but he didn’t. It would look like we were a couple. I’d convinced Elaine and Caruso to let me ditch a security detail while on base. I was a weapon myself, being able to explode into fire, and they agreed.
‘I saw some things while I was here. Things that have me worried about the future of Amersea at the hands of this new leader,’Liana said.
I sucked in a breath, making it to the door and then out of the mess hall.‘Maxim?’
‘Yes. He’s… Aisling. He…’She was struggling to put it into words.
‘What is it?’I was fully freaked out now. If it worried her, it should definitely worry me.
‘He has two bondeds. Two creatures.’
I stopped walking and cocked my head to the side. What did she just say?‘That’s not possible,’I said, but as I did, I wondered… maybe it was. Had anyone ever tried?
‘That’s not the worst part, Aisling. He’s… evil.’
Evil?
‘What do you mean?’Liana and I had different cultures and upbringings. Evil to her might be something different to me.
I felt her struggle to explain.‘Your father, his energy was… off-putting to me. I never liked him…’The confession didn’t shock me, which made me feel weird. Had I always known she didn’t like him? Yes, I think I did. Deep down.
She’d once told me she was an amazing judge of character, and for her not to like my father should be offensive, but I guess I understood. He was prickly and often unkind.
‘Maxim is nothing like that, Aisling. His energy… when I look at him, bile rises in my throat. He’s… I’m trying to think of the word in my language and translate it. He’s the lack of light.’
Lack of light. Darkness? That caused chills to race up my arms.
‘He asked me to marry him,’I blurted out.
