“Why?” Lexi demanded.
“To draw Christan out, attack while he was still weak,” Marge said as she took the medical supplies to the sink “And considering those facts, perhaps you can understand why the meeting in the rocks today erupted as it did, with all three of you being in close proximity again.”
The woman was removing two white mugs from a cupboard and filling them with steaming peppermint tea. She pointed out how Christan was not over the effects of the Void. Lexi looked up and said very deliberately that she didn’t give a damn about how brutal the Void was, she would not forgive Christan even when Marge asked if she would. No one had been reasonable, other than Robbie. But Marge was looking uncomfortable as she returned to the table, and Lexi had to ask.
“There’s more to this, isn’t there?”
“I’m ashamed to admit it, but yes.” Marge handed Lexi a mug of tea and sipped at her own. “Arsen knew about you six months ago. He asked if I would move to Rock Cove after your grandmother died.”
Lexi left the tea untouched. “You were spying for him?”
“I know you don’t believe me, but I was your friend first. I became your therapist because I wanted to help you. Our friendship was genuine, at least on my end, and I don’t want that to change.”
“You’ll understand if I don’t feel the same.”
“We all regret what happened today. But three girls are dead in what is considered an act of war. There wasn’t time to tell you gently.”
Lexi looked toward the kitchen window. The night was black beyond the glass. “How did they die?”
“Arsen didn’t share the details, only that immortals have an utter lack of conscience for their actions. Kace is an Enforcer, pledged to the Calata member known as Six. If Kace was operating under orders, then you were very lucky in those rocks today.”
“He knew Robbie was there, didn’t he?”
“He knew someone was there, and he didn’t want to take the chance it was Arsen. And especially not Christan.”
“Would Robbie have been able to kill him?”
“No. Not in his current state. I’ve weakened him through my vanity.” There were more victims than Lexi realized. Marge sipped her tea. After a moment, Lexi reached for her own mug. In the kitchen, a clock ticked away the seconds in soft reproof.
“How long have you and Robbie been together?”
“In this lifetime, it’s been five years. In other lifetimes, we weren’t as lucky.”
“Did he leave you?”
“Often. I accept that it wasn’t his choice.”
“None of them had a choice, is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Christan was obligated more than the others because of who he is—Three’s Enforcer. All the members on the Calata demanded his presence, and they weren’t friendly about it. He was required to leave often and he would be gone longer.”
Something hard and heavy was unfurling and Lexi remembered it. Felt hands that knew what they were doing. Saw him with blood all over his body. She reached for the tea knowing that her hand was unsteady and it wasn’t due to exhaustion.
“I’d rather talk about Arsen.”
Marge sighed. “Arsen is Christan’s second.”
“Which means?”
“They’re more than friends, they’re like brothers. And Arsen assumes an Christan's responsibilities in his absence—Arsen is powerful enough to be an enforcer if he wanted the job, but he doesn’t. Once Arsen picked up on your bond energy, he kept dropping in to Rock Cove. Warriors can sense who a girl’s mate is, and Arsen is particularly good at it. When he told Christan about you, well, Christan came to see for himself.”
“The disastrous meeting in my office.”
“Yes.”
Lexi chewed on her lower lip. “I’m not clear on this sensing aspect.”
“Each female has an extension of her warrior’s energy. It’s an essence—I’ve described it as a silver thread, leading the warrior to his mate when she enters a new lifetime. With billions of people in the world today, this is the primary way they have of identifying us, since we don’t always look the same in each reincarnation.”
“What other ways do they have?”
“The color of our eyes stays the same, and the first letter of our name. I’ve always had a name starting with M. Your eternal name starts with G.” Gabrielle. Galaxy. What other names were there?
“You said I was bound to an Agreement.”
“You are, and whether Christan bound you to that Agreement without telling you, or you did it knowingly, there wasn’t time for debate. The warriors had to swear allegiance to a Calata that was on the verge of killing their mates.” Marge paused. “They gave up a vital part of themselves so that we would be safe.”
“And in return we have to deal with them in every lifetime?”
Lexi couldn’t help the bitterness. Her emotions were in shreds. Raw and aching. She wanted to be anywhere but here because he was here. Marge was watching, and Lexi saw the sympathy in the woman’s eyes.
“Don’t blame this on the Agreement,” Marge said. “You have the choice before every lifetime whether or not to back. The Agreement doesn’t force you, it simply provides the energy signal so he can find you. In return, he agreed to do whatever the Calata asked him to do, whenever they asked, and for as long as they asked.”
Lexi lifted the mug of tea, held it in both hands with her elbows on the table. She watched the steam curling upward and wanted to argue but stopped herself. “Then fine, I chose to come back and I’m stuck in an agreement and he’s found me. I’m alive and well and he can move on and leave me alone.”
The statement sounded both sad and defensive, which it was, and Marge responded gently.
“It’s not that simple. Immortals form bonds that are symbiotic relationships. It’s a physical link, a mental connection and an emotional source of energy that makes both of you whole. He needs that from you, and you need it from him.”
“I don’t need anything from him.”
“Lexi,” Marge said, “you’re dealing with a connection that was created eons ago, by magic lost from the world.”
“Connections can be broken, Marge.”
“Yes, they can. But even in those cases where the relationship has shattered, both the warrior and the lover will feel the loss of the connection, both physical and emotional.”
Lexi breathed in deeply, trying to ease the tightness in her throat. “What else should I know?”
“This is magic considered so dangerous the alchemists said they’d destroyed it. More than likely, they hid it from the world. But in theory, a mate bond can be transformed into the contract called the blood bond. The warrior grows more powerful and the lover becomes immortal like her warrior. No one knows if that will happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because the relationships haven’t always turned out as expected. And even if they had, no one has trusted the Calata enough to do it. The blood bond could kill the human lover as punishment for desiring the immortality that started it all.”
“Then you never really know if you love each other, or if you suffer from an unfulfilled immortal need.”
“Love is always an act of faith.” Marge paused, and then said, “There’s one way the original bond can be irrevocably broken.”
Lexi tried to sip the tea, found it difficult to swallow. The energy inside her head felt primitive. Animalistic. Dangerously wild and twisting.
“Don’t tell me, Marge.
“You said you hated him. He said it was easy to do.”
“No.” Lexi was suddenly afraid. “I don’t want to know.”
“You already do.” Marge set her mug down hard on the table and shoved it aside. “You wanted to know what happened in those rocks today? Christan happened. There’s a one word that can kill him. That is how you irrevocably break the bond, Lexi, by killing him, and he gave that one word to you. What I want to know now is whether you intend to use that knowledge or not.”