Page 54 of Blood and Fate

Bram glanced at Teague before he turned his attention to her and held it for a moment. “Princess, I could be wrong, but there’s something between you and Kais, isn’t there?”

She swallowed the large lump in her throat. Tears pressed from her eyes as she nodded her head. Why would denying it matter now? What would it help? Conversely, she couldn’t fathom why it would help to admit it.

“I can’t lie, and I can’t deny what’s in front of me.” Bram held her gaze. “Kais, he’s . . . I can’t do anything.”

Breath hissed from her lungs. Teague’s fingers curled into her shirt where they rested on her back. It was the only reaction he showed.

“Nothing can be done?” Was this connection that she had only just found—literally only just admitted to—gone?

Bram’s lips pressed together. “I’m no expert on this thing you share. In fact, I know very little. I only know what Teague has told me and what I know of the legends. No one can be an expert on something so rare. But as I have no other options and at this point, nothing can do him further harm, I’m willing, if you are, to entertain any alternate possibilities that come to mind.”

She shook her head, her mind refusing to form a complete thought out of his words. “I don’t know what you’re saying.”

Bram’s eyes darted once to Teague, once to her, and then rested on Kais’ still form. “Would you be willing to part with a bit of blood, Princess?”

Blood?

“I don’t understand.”

Bram released his hold on the rag at Kais’ head, and it fell away, revealing the wound. Satori’s hand flew to cover her mouth as Bram reached toward her with fingers stained red with Kais’ blood.

“Your hand?”

Teague’s fingers closed tighter around her clothes, revealing to her the level of his distress, before releasing her. She swallowed and stepped forward, holding out her hand. She hadn’t realized she was shaking until she saw her hand extended between the two of them.

Bram took it as he reached into his bag again and drew out a small, shining knife. Gently he took her hand in his, and she held her breath as he placed the blade’s edge on her palm. She winced, gasping at the cold bite of the metal as it cut into her flesh. Immediately blood welled, and she fought the desire to close her hand into a fist.

Now what? Still so gently, Bram pulled her to where Kais lay and turned her hand over, placing her bleeding palm on the wound on Kais’ skull. A shudder worked through her as her wet fingers met Kais’ wet hair. She closed her eyes. She didn’t know what Bram thought would happen but didn’t want to watch when nothing came of his desperate effort.

She felt it before she heard the ragged breath. It was a foggy presence at first, then the connection sharpened to pain, then panic, then fear. Her eyes snapped open just before she heard the intake of breath from Kais.

Behind her, Teague hit his knees, eyes wide.

“It worked.” His words came on what could only be described as a gasp.

“What’s happening?” she asked Bram.

The man had his hands raised, away from Kais, a grin slowly forming on his weathered face. “You did it, Princess. You saved him.”

Kais was not awake, but his presence was back, the warm honey seeping over her once more, warming her chilled soul, the thing which connected them reforming in her chest. She raised her hand slightly to find the large gash closed, blood still matted Kais’ hair and coated her hand, but the injury was nearly gone.

All the breath in her escaped her open mouth in a shaky exhale as she focused her attention on her hand. The cut from Bram’s knife had also closed, leaving no pain behind, just a bit of tenderness.

“How?”

Teague looked up toward Bram as well, waiting for an explanation.

“I didn’t know if it would work,” Bram admitted. “It was the longest chance, but it was all I could do.”

“What? What was it? How did it work?” she asked, still staring in wonder at Kais’ head and her own hand.

“It’s the bond in the blood.” Bram shrugged. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I’d heard of it. My grandfather told a story once of a woman he knew who had been injured, and when her husband, her mate, touched her with his blood, her injury healed. I’ve seen it tried once, but it didn’t work then. I assumed it was because there was no actual bond. They were in love, but there was no blood bond.”

“Blood bond,” she repeated the words.

Before, she could have written her connection with Kais off as odd but not extraordinary. Now, staring at the blood that coated them both but with no injuries in sight, she could no longer deny it.

Teague caught her hand in his. “You saved him.”