Page 37 of These Fractured Bonds

But he was already gone.

She pressed her lips together, her spirits dampened. The lackluster reunion with August rubbed her the wrong way. A strong presence appeared beside her, the familiar heat belonging to Leo.

She cleared her throat. “You two seemed friendly.”

“We grew up together.”

“But aren’t you from different courts?”

“Fae don’t reproduce as quickly as humans, and our long lives mean we have a longer childhood than humans. I was fifty years old when August was born. Given our elevated status, we often played together during parties, and we studied at the same school for a period of time.”

Their long-time friendship surprised her. She asked, “If you knew him, why didn’t you say so when I told you I was looking for him?”

He stiffened, and his face went blank. “I couldn’t be sure you were speaking about him. It’s a popular name.”

“Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Are you accusing me of lying to you?” His voice had gone taut.

She met his eyes, surprised at the tempest she found in them. “No. I simply want to know the truth.”

“Here’s the truth. I didn’t know.” He stormed off.

Yareli gaped. His uncharacteristic behavior confirmed that something had transpired between August and Leo during their silent conversation. She ambled to her bedroom, exhaustion dragging her feet. Her spirits burned into ashes.

Leo’s behavior cut deeply. Until now, he had never directed any ire toward her. Her gut told her he knew something, had known she had meant his friend, August. The question was why he hadn’t told her. They were all hiding something, and August was at the center. As she settled back into bed, she wondered, not for the first time, how she had been ensnared in Fae affairs, because despite reuniting with August, unease refused to release her from its grip. As her eyelids drooped and her heart rate slowed, a voice whispered in her ears.

Home may not be the answer you seek.

But no one was in the room with her.

Chapter 15

Thefollowingmorningarrivedwith haste. The moment she had laid her head down, she had fallen fast asleep despite having spent most of the day dozing. In what felt like the blink of an eye, Bri was knocking on her door, waking her. She had Erick, who carried a breakfast tray, in tow.

“Morning,” Erick chirped, sitting in her armchair.

Yareli glared at him. “You told me August and I were friends! He flees from me every chance he gets.”

Erick snorted. “Yeah, well, you know how emotionally available men can be.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Look at it this way.” He set the tray on her lap. “You’ll have three whole days and two nights with him withoutanydistractions. Corner him.”

It was Bri’s turn to snort. “And do what? Beg him to answer her? No, Reli must wrangle it out of him. I’ll pack some rope for you.”

“What will she need rope for? All she needs to do is take—” Erick pressed his lips together. When Yareli pushed him to finish his sentence, he shook his head, saying, “I almost said too much. You can’t demand all the answers. Remember, your memories must heal and come back to you like a slow-moving creek. A fast-moving current will drown you.”

She grabbed her fork and stabbed a sausage. “Didn’t you promise we would start treatment today?”

“August had different plans.”

When she opened her mouth to protest, he shook his head. “We will get started when you return.”

Bri chimed in. “Besides, you don’t want Erick meddling in your brain, considering what you’re doing today.”

“Shh!” Erick wagged his finger. “You can’t scare her yet, or she won’t finish her breakfast!”