“Can’t you fix it? Reinstate the bonds like Reggie said you did the first time?” Levi asks quietly.
Nate takes a deep breath, shaking his head. “I was able to do that at the time because each of you had died. Your soul’s connection to your body was already pliable, and it was just a matter of moving that connection to the mark. When that happened, Fate became your anchor.”
“There’s got to be a way to fix this,” Thad mumbles.
“There is,” Nate answers grimly.
“How?” I ask, knowing I’m not going to like the answer. My eyes land on Fate. I can’t lose her. I won’t. I will do whatever it takes to keep her with me.
“We kill you. Again,” Nate says matter-of-factly, and the entire room explodes into chaos.
“Abso-fucking-lutely not!” Fate shouts. “Are you out of your goddamn mind?”
“Just hear me out,” Nate says, holding his hand up in a silent plea for patience.
She looks around the room, her eyes meeting each of ours as she points her finger, adding a jab for emphasis. “Don’t you even think about it. You hear me?” Then she turns her glare on Nate. “And no. I absolutely will not hear anymore about any plan that involves these guys dying. Nope. No. Hell no! Not going to happen.”
“Fate…” I start, but when she whips her head in my direction and her eyes narrow, I shut my mouth. Waiting for her to calm down is a much better idea.
“Look, it wouldn’t even hurt...much.” Nate says that last word under his breath, but she still hears it.
He must have very little experience dealing with an upset woman because he should know that women hear everything. That’s not really even much of an exaggeration. Women hear better than men because they listen with both hemispheres of their brain and pick up more complex tonality and nuances compared to their male counterparts. Best practice? We should really just try to keep our mouths shut in order to avoid the inevitable fall out from anything that leaves our lips.
“Much?” Fate’s voice rises in pitch. “Please tell me you have some other idea because...I just...can’t.”
The last word comes out a bit choked, and I scoot over, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into me. Her sweet smell overtakes my senses as I bury my face in her hair, holding her tight. When she doesn’t pull away this time, I relax, letting her very essence swallow me up. This woman is my world, and the last thing I want to do is let someone intentionally kill me, but if the alternative is leaving her forever, I’ll do it. I’d do it all for her.
“There’s gotta be another way,” Levi says softly, eyeing Fate like he’s ready to come over and steal her from my arms.
I’d just like to see him try. The intense wave of fierceness that fires up inside me is surprising but welcome. It’s like I’m finally coming into my own, and it’s only taken Fate and a hundred years to get here. I release the breath I wasn’t even aware I’d been holding and mentally shake my head at myself.
“Nate,” Cole starts, pausing to glance in our direction. “How would that work?”
“Cole!” Fate growls.
“Love, you know we wouldn’t even consider this if there was any other option, but the alternative is far worse. I’ll do whatever it takes. I promised you that I’m not leaving your fucking side, and I meant it.”
“I think you need to explain this to us,” Knox says, sitting forward and placing his elbows on his knees.
“It’s pretty simple really. Using my power, I let it flood your body, metaphorically bleeding the life out. Once you’ve taken your last breath, I pull out your soul and re-anchor it to Fate’s.”
“What are the risks?” I ask, knowing it can’t be that easy. Nothing ever is.
“Well, there’s the possibility that the bond won’t take, though the likelihood of that occurring is slim.” He looks at me, the blackness overtaking his eyes again. “The biggest potential risk comes from the potion he used that caused the initial problem. We have to wait out the potion, giving it time to wear off. We need to make sure enough of it is out of her system to avoid it purging the new bond, but we can’t wait so long that we risk the original tether snapping completely.”
“Mack,” Fate whispers, gripping the front of my shirt. I’m not entirely sure she even realizes she’s doing it. “Please.”
Her big gray eyes are begging me to say no. To stop this plan before it goes any further, but I’m not sure I can. I wrap my hand around hers, trying to reassure her, but she can see by the expression on my face that I’m willing to give it a shot if it means we avoid getting ripped from her side.
She sits up, turning toward the twins on the opposite side of the sofa. “Thad? Levi?”
The twins look at each other. It’s obvious they’re having an entire silent conversation that ends with them nodding in unison.
Thad begins, not a hint of humor or teasing in his tone, “Woman, we promised to always be here for you.”
Levi picks up where his brother left off. “And if that means we have to die to keep that promise, then so be it.”
A single tear rolls down her cheek as she looks to Knox. She doesn’t even get a word out before he’s speaking.
“Little ghost, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life. Wouldn’t you take desperate measures if the roles were reversed?”
She swallows, tear after tear trailing down her cheeks. My thumb catches a few as it brushes across her pale skin. It kills me to see her so upset, but Knox is right. She wouldn’t hesitate if she was in our shoes. It would already be done, with barely a second thought.
She turns toward Nate, her voice pleading. “You’re sure there’s no other way?”
He silently regards her, his fingers drumming along the back of the sofa as he clears his throat. “I was...recently made aware of a startling piece of information. It is, as yet, unconfirmed, but if it’s found to be accurate, it could provide us with an alternative.”
Fate opens her mouth, but before she can speak, Nate cuts her off. “Fate, I’m not sure we can risk the time needed to verify the information before finding the person in question. It’s going to be cutting it extremely close. Too close.”
Cole, who’s been watching the entire exchange, asks, “Can you tell us more about this discovery and how it might help us?”
Nate brings his hands up, rubbing them down his face. “What I’m about to tell you must not be repeated outside these walls.”
We all nod in agreement.
He takes a deep breath, releasing it in a rush. “I have a daughter, but I have never met her. Didn’t know she existed. I’ve attempted to find her but have had little luck. If what I’m told is true, then not only does she have half of my power, but she carries with her a ring that could very well help solve your soul problem.”
“Let me guess, a ring with a glowing red ruby?” Cole asks.
“Yes. How did you know?”
“We’ve seen them around,” Knox replies.
“Wait, that’s another possible option, right?” Fate asks, her voice full of hope and desperation. “We can just ask Karma for one of the rings and…”