Chapter 42 Leverage
INDIE
Zade paced in front of the fireplace in the sitting room, his hands flexing at his sides. His black claws extended slightly, then they retracted again. His violet eyes were distant, fixed on nothing, but I could feel the storm rolling inside him through the bond. Fear, rage, and helplessness were tangled together so tightly I couldn't tell where one ended and the next began.
I sat on the edge of the couch, my hoodie sleeves pulled over my hands. The venom mark on my arm throbbed steadily now, not as viciously as before. But it was a constant reminder that time was slipping away.
"Zade," I said softly.
He didn't stop pacing.
I tried again. "Come sit with me. Please."
He paused. For a long second he just stood there, his shoulders rigid. Then he let out a heavy, exhausted sigh and walked over.
He dropped onto the couch beside me, close enough that our thighs pressed together. He took my hand immediately, lacing our fingers, his thumb brushing over my knuckles like he needed the contact to stay grounded.
His palm was clammy.
"I'm worried," he said. "Varak might have mind-controlled Enid. If he did... he'll kill her himself. He'll use her as a sacrifice to break the leash faster. And if he does that—"
He didn't finish.
If Varak killed Enid, the leash would snap. He'd be free. And the venom countdown would accelerate, maybe even finish us both before we could blink.
I squeezed his hand.
"I don't think so," I whispered. "Varak can't harm Enid himself. That's why he needs me to do it. If he could just snap her neck, he would've done it years ago. The leash is real—killing her with his own hands would break it too fast, maybe even destroy whatever hold he has left. He wants me to pull the trigger. He wants me to be the one who frees him."
Zade's gaze darted to mine, searching.
"You really believe that?"
I nodded slowly. "I think Enid took Leon. Or... Leon took Enid. Either way, she's not dead yet. She's leverage. For both of us."
Before he could answer, his phone buzzed on the coffee table. An unknown number was calling.
We stared at it silently.
The screen lit up, vibrating again.
Zade's jaw tightened. He reached for it, his thumb hovering over the answer button. Our eyes met in silent agreement.
He set it on speaker and accepted the call.
For a moment there was only static. Then, I heard a low, pained moan.
Leon.
His breathing came in harsh, wet rasps. He let out a choked groan, followed by the unmistakable sound of chains rattling.
My stomach dropped.
"Leon?" I whispered, leaning closer to the phone.
A soft laugh answered. It was Enid.
"Hello, little Flamekeeper," she purred, her voice hoarse but smug. "Did you miss me?"
Zade's claws extended with a soft sound.
"Where is he?" he asked, his voice deadly calm.
Enid ignored him.
"I drank his blood," she said with a dreamy slur. "Just a little. Enough to heal my tongue. It was... exquisite. I can speak again. I can scream again. And now I have him." The sound of fabric rustling floated over, then Leon's muffled whimper. "Your other mate. The pretty hybrid. He's so very breakable when he's chained."
I whimpered. The bond with Leon shrieked in my chest, frantic.
Enid laughed softly.
"I know what he is to you both," she continued. "Your mate. Your little golden toy. So listen carefully."
Her voice dropped, turning sweet and vicious.
"I have Leon. And I will torture him slowly—day by day, piece by piece—unless you do exactly what I want."
Zade's hand tightened around mine until it hurt.
"What do you want?" he asked, his voice flat.
"I want Indie to come to me. Alone. Tonight. No tricks. She brings herself to the old mill by the river—the one your father used to use for... private meetings." There was a pause. "If she comes, I'll let Leon go. If she doesn't... I start carving. Slowly. I'll send you pieces. Maybe a finger. Maybe an eye. Maybe something more... intimate."
My stomach heaved.
Zade's claws dug into the couch arm, shredding leather.
"If you touch him," he said softly, "I'll make you wish you never slipped out of your cell."
Enid laughed again.
"You won't get the chance. Because if Indie isn't here by midnight... Leon dies. And the venom in her arm finishes its journey. Tick-tock, Alpha."
The line went dead, and silence crashed down.
I stared at the phone like it might bite me. Zade's breathing was ragged. He looked at me.
And for the first time since I'd known him, he looked... lost.
"Indie," he whispered.
I shook my head, tears slipping down my cheeks.
"I have to go," I said, voice breaking. "I have to."
He grabbed my face with both hands, his thumbs brushing my cheeks.
"No," he said fiercely. "You're not going anywhere near her."
"But Leon—"
"We'll get him back," he snarled. "We'll find another way. I'm not letting you walk into a trap. Not when Varak wants exactly that."
I stared at him, my tears streaming.
"And if we don't?" I whispered. "If midnight comes and Leon's gone? If the venom reaches my heart? What then, Zade?"
His hands shook against my face.
"I don't know," he admitted, his voice raw. "But I'm not losing you to her. Or to him."
I pressed my forehead to his.
"We're running out of time," I whispered.
He closed his eyes.
"I know."
And in the silence that followed, I felt the venom sting harder, creeping closer to my heart.
...
The kitchen smelled like maple syrup and fresh coffee, the kind of warm, ordinary morning scent that felt almost cruel after everything. Sunlight poured through the big windows, catching on the little glass of orange juice in front of Lila and turning it into a tiny glowing sun. She sat on the tall stool, her legs swinging, both hands wrapped around a fluffy pancake she was slowly tearing into pieces.
I sat beside her, forcing myself to eat a few bites of scrambled eggs even though my stomach was knotted tight. The venom mark on my arm was hidden under the long sleeve of Zade's hoodie, but I could still feel it.
Lila looked up at me suddenly, syrup shining on her chin.
"Mommy?"
I smiled, wiping her cheek with my thumb. "Yeah, baby?"
"Where's Daddy?"
The fork froze halfway to my mouth.
I set it down slowly. "What... what did you say?"
Lila tilted her head, curls bouncing. "Daddy. Where is he?"
I swallowed hard. My voice came out thin. "Are you... talking about Zade?"
She nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"He has pretty eyes," she said matter-of-factly. "Like purple stars. And he promised he'd come to my tea party with you and Mr. Wolf. He said he wouldn't miss it."
My throat tightened.
I stared at her, taking in the way her little face lit up when she talked about him and the way she said "Daddy".
I forced out a smile, even though it hurt.
"He's... busy with work right now, sweetheart. Alpha stuff. Important pack things."
Lila's face fell. Her bottom lip pushed out in the tiniest pout.
"But he promised."
"I know," I whispered. "He'll come. I promise. He just... he has to finish some things first."
She poked at her pancake, suddenly less interested.
"Will we never go back home?" she asked in a low voice.
Home.
The word felt like a ghost. The old house with West. The life I'd lived before the bond sickness, before the temple, before Zade carried us both out of that nightmare.
I looked at her—at my little girl with syrup on her chin and hope in her eyes—and felt something crack inside my chest.
I reached over and tucked a curl behind her ear.
"We're home now," I said softly. "Right here. With each other. And with Zade. That's our home, okay? Wherever we are together."
Lila looked up at me, searching my face like she was trying to decide if I was telling the truth.
Then she nodded slowly.
"Okay, Mommy."
She went back to tearing her pancake apart, but the pout lingered.
I stared at my plate, my appetite gone.
The venom mark gave a sudden, vicious pulse as if Varak was reminding me how little time I had left.
I pressed my palm over it under the sleeve, hiding the black cracks from Lila.
I couldn't let her see.
I couldn't let her know that Mommy might not be here for the tea party. Or any tea party after that.
I forced myself to smile again, leaning over to kiss the top of her head.
"Finish your pancake, baby. We'll have that tea party soon. With Daddy. I promise."
Maris swept into the kitchen right then, her eyes wide.
“Indie, the Alpha is back! He brought Enid and the vampire with him!” She said, and my eyes bulged in their sockets.
“W-what?”