KDBookOnline
Share Us
He smashed his bloody lips together.
“Withholding any more lies?” she begged to know.
“I’m. Sorry.” The words came out in pieces, as if he himself was broken.
“Do you even know why you’re apologizing?”
“For not realizing sooner that I can trust you. It may not be a good excuse, but sharing anything, with anyone, is not something I do.”
Thessa crooked a brow. “I’ve learned that.”
“I promise I’ll earn your trust back. The half-truths end now.”
Why he wanted credit for telling partial truths was beyond her realm of understanding. “Yourliescould’ve killed me. I thought I was dead.”
“Trust me, I’m reminded of that every time you breathe.”He leaned closer but she drew back. “I should’ve warned you about Echidna.”
“Echidna?”
“The serpent.” He eyed her punctured thigh for clarification.
The oversized fabric she wore hung in layers like a slitted tent, exposing her leg to him.His fingers trembled toward the wound, but she pulled her leg away, embracing the throb it cost her.
Soren clenched his fists into the bed linens.
“So it’s true then,” she said. “If you knewit was back there, why ever tell me that cave was safe?”
“Itissafe,” he sighed. “I never thought you’d go back that far. Echidna only leaves her nest when the tide comes in fully. There’s a lot more I need to tell you—should have told you.”
Crossing her arms, she exclaimed, “Oh, this ought to be good.”
“Echidna is the same serpent from the experiment.”
Thessa’s head tilted. “Why am I not surprised?”
He continued, “We’re bonded, so as long as I live, she continues to live … past her lifespan. With that, she continues to grow … and mate.”
Her head was spinning. “There were hundreds of thousands of eggs in there, Soren. Certainly they’re bound to hatch and come slithering out of that serpentine tunnel at some point. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
The male who rarely slouched hung his shoulders heavy. “She said the same thing.”
Rubbing her temples didn’t subside her confusion. “Who?”
“Echidna. We can communicate with each other—through our bond. If I told her about you, none of this would’ve happened.”
Told her?Soren had to be delirious.
“I’m not ill. The bond works similarly to the way I can hear your thoughts right now.”
Her eyes bulged.
He waved his arms in innocence. “Please don’t get mad. It’s just that you’ve had so much of my blood. It’ll wear off after the feedings stop.”
Thessa stitched her brows together.How?She didn’t bother speaking if she didn’t have to.
“The bond was unexpected, but something to do with the Manifestation Spell during the experiment. For completion it required Echidna’s blood, saliva, and venom. Right now, you’ve got a lot of all three.”
Explain why I’m feeding like a leech.