Neither (The Noctalis Chronicles 3)

“What do you know about binds?” I say, throwing caution to the wind.

“Enough not to make them,” Rasha says.

“Do you know how to break them?”

“The only way is to get rid of one of the noctali who made the bond.”

“There is no other way?” There has got to be another way. I can tell Rasha and Kamir are having a silent conversation in their heads.

“If the bond is between parent and child, the parent can retract the bind.” No shit. No one ever said that before. I want to smack Peter on the arm. How could he not know that?

“They can?” It's the first time I've ever heard shock in Peter's voice.

“They can. They just choose not to.”

Well, duh. I look at Peter and I can tell we're both thinking the same thing. That there is no way that Di is ever going to remove the bind. Not unless they make a better one, but that would just be two steps backward, and also pointless. So we're back to square one. Still, it is good to know.

“Do you mind if we explore this town? We have not traveled in many years, and it is nice to have a break. This is a lovely place.” So now they want to hang out before they help us? It's true; you can't get anything for free. I hope they don't want to massacre the entire town. That would be too steep a price to pay.

“Go ahead,” I say. “Just, um, be careful who you, you know.” I can't say be careful who you feed on.

“We fed before we left. Kamir and I only need to feed once a month, and only from willing donors.” Well, doesn't that sound lovely?

“Willing donors?” Tex finally squeaks.

“Yes,” Rasha says, looking at her. “We support the village, and in turn they give us blood. It is only a very little, and they take turns. We reward them for their sacrifice. They have something we need, and we have something they need.” Still seems kind of icky, but if it works, then who was I to judge?

“Sounds like a win-win,” Tex says. Seems she's out from under the spell Rasha and Kamir initially had on her.

Rasha smiles at Tex as if she doesn't know what to make of her.

“It works for us, does it not, my love?”

“Yes, it does. We will not harm anyone in your town. You have my word.”

“Thank you,” I say. At least I didn't have to worry about a bunch of noctali loose in Sussex. That would have been one more thing to worry about on top of an already teetering pile of worries.

“So that's it? You came all the way from India for nothing?” Tex says.

If I could have stomped on Tex's foot I would have, but she moves out of my way. I squeeze her hand as hard as I can and wait for the hammer to fall. They've got to have some kind of threshold.

I resist the urge to dive behind Peter. Really, they can't touch us, but that doesn't make me feel any better. I wait for the shit-storm to start.

“You should change her soon, Viktor. She would make a wonderful noctalis,” Rasha says, smiling. I wait for the 'but.' “So impatient, you humans. Did you not think that we might want to visit first?”

“Yeah, I'm not buying that. You came for a reason,” Tex says, pulling her hand out of my grasp and crossing her arms. Dear God, we've created a monster.

“You are smart, young one,” Rasha says, pointing at Tex. Nothing seems to faze her. Unlike Di who would go ballistic at the drop of a hat. Well, Di is a special case. Insane and special.

Rasha looks at Kamir and they have another silent chat.

So there is more to the story. I look at Tex, and she has a satisfied smirk on her face. 'Told you so,' she mouths at me. I want to punch her now.

“My brother was Di's father,” Kamir says.

Ten

Peter

Tex and Ava gasp, and Ava's shock runs though me, causing my shock to intensify.

“We were not sure if we should tell you or not, since we have little knowledge that would help you,” Kamir says, stepping forward. He is a noctalis of few words.

“He was my younger brother, and he was first turned by the one who turned me. I never knew his name or why he changed us. It was a very long time ago, you see.”

He continues with his story, telling us that he was twenty-four and his brother only sixteen when they were changed. His brother took to the change more readily than he did and had no qualms about killing for sport. As soon as he found out about the binds, he used them to his advantage. He even stole a princess and made her a slave to his whims.

“We never got along, my brother and I, but I ignored his behavior until I met Rasha. We tried to stop him, but it was his own greed that brought him down. He made a binding promise that backfired. One day he was there, and the next he wasn't. Many of his children died, but a few found us. We adopted them and helped them, but it was no use. The binds he made destroyed all but two of them. Our daughters, Helena and Di.”

“Helena?” Ava says. I glance at her. I have never heard of Helena.

“Yes, Di has a sister.”

“Shut the front door,” Texas says.

Rasha giggles. “That is not an expression I am familiar with. Is it new?”

“Uh, yeah. I guess,” Texas says, taken aback.

“Di has a sister? As in present tense?” Ava says.

“Yes. Would you like to meet her?” I have not smelled her, so she must be farther away. Or else she is very good at hiding her scent.

“Depends on if she's like Di or not,” Ava mutters.

“They have a complicated history,” Rasha says, whistling like a bird. A whistle sounds back and moments later a girl steps from the woods. Her hair is long, past her waist, and very light. She walks at human speed, and a smile spreads on her face as if it is natural for her.

“Hello, I'm Helena.” She stands beside Rasha, her hands tucked behind her back. She is the same height as Ava, but more delicate. Her skin is crystal clear, and it is easy to see her veins.

“This is Peter and Viktor and their Claimed, Ava and Tex.” Rasha nods to each of us. I bow my head, as does Viktor.

“You all look like I'm going to bite you,” Helena says, laughing.

Rasha smiles at her. I can see she is a favorite. Helena could not have been very old when she changed, perhaps fifteen or sixteen. She speaks the modern language with an ease that makes me wish I could be the same.

“You can all stop worrying,” she says, putting her hands up. “I come in peace.”

Ava and Texas laugh, albeit nervously. The tension from Ava slams into me, and I try to pump some calm toward her.

“Live long and prosper,” Texas says, splitting her fingers in a strange hand gesture I do not understand. Helena duplicates it and smiles. She has dimples in both cheeks. I glance at Ava to see her reaction. From our connection, I am now getting confusion and uncertainty. Her face tells me the same thing.