Oath Bound
Page 91

Another shrug. “He’s just really careful. It’s his life’s work, and a lot of people would get hurt—or killed—if the wrong people find out.”
People, like the Towers.
“Kenni and I didn’t know about it until our bindings were broken. He couldn’t tell us, because we’d have had to report it.”
I was still mulling that over when she sat up straight and her face receded into the shadows. “I think I know why you can’t stop me from traveling into the closet,” she said, and girl-chat time was obviously over.
“Why?”
“Because you don’t give a shit whether or not I can travel into the closet. When you stopped us earlier, it was because you really didn’t want us to go without you. Right?”
I nodded. I could see where this was headed. “So, I’m only going to be able to stop people from using Skills I really don’t want them to use?”
“At first? Yes. But you’ll get the hang of it with practice, and for now, the good news is that if someone’s Skill threatens you or someone you want to protect, I’m guessing you really won’t want him to use it. Right?”
“I guess.”
“Let’s test the theory.” She stood and grabbed my hand, then leaned forward to kick the bedroom door closed, cutting off most of the light from the hall. Which left us standing in almost total darkness, thanks to the thick drapes. “I’m guessing the place you want least in the world to be right now is...your parents’ den.”
My hand clenched around hers and my heart tried to claw its way up my throat.
“That’s where it happened, isn’t it? That’s where you saw him on top of your sister? Where you heard her screaming? Where you realized what he would do when he was done with her? Right?”
“Kris told you?” My voice sounded hollow. Dead.
Kori shook her head, but I didn’t so much see that as feel it—movement in the dark. “I read the police report.”
Then she knew the rest of it.
“It’s none of your business,” I whispered, but when I tried to pull my hand from hers, she only tightened her grip.
“I know. I’m sorry for what happened to your family, and for invading your privacy. But if I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t know where they lived, and I wouldn’t be able to take you there now. He’s not there anymore, Sera. I can take you back there, and he won’t be there.”
“No.” I tried to pull my hand from hers again, but she wouldn’t let go.
“Good. Stop me if you can. This will be a good test. But if you can’t block me, just remember that he won’t be there when we get there. No one will be there. You can go back there this one time and put the whole thing behind you.”
But that wasn’t true. I couldn’t go back there. And even if I could stand to be in that room again, being there wouldn’t fix anything. Not as long as he still had a pulse.
“I’ll be right there with you. No matter what happens, this is a step in the right direction.” She tried to pull me forward, but I wouldn’t move. I couldn’t. So she pulled harder, and I stumbled after her. One step. Two. Three, and we crashed into Gran’s dresser.
“Shit!” Kori dropped my hand to clutch—whatever had banged the dresser.
The bedroom door flew open behind us, and I whirled around an instant before the overhead light blinded me. “What’s wrong?” Ian demanded as Kris pushed past him into the room.
“She did it.” Kori was smiling—beaming—like she was proud of me, or maybe proud of herself, but all I could hear was what she’d said before. In the dark.
I can take you there.
All I could see was the tall man with the curly hair. Blood leaking from my sister’s stomach to pool on the floor. The tall man’s creepy grin as he lurched after me and grabbed my shoulder, his knife already dripping...
“Kori tried...” I said, but I couldn’t finish it. “She tried to...” My arm took over when my tongue failed for a second time. My fist crashed into her jaw and Kori stumbled backward into the dresser.
“You ungrateful little bitch!” She bounced back faster than I could believe, brow furrowed in anger, both fists clenched and ready to swing. “I was trying to help you!”
My heart thumped painfully and my fists rose—I was too busy being scared of the tall man to be scared of her.
Kris jumped between us. Ian pulled Kori back with one arm wrapped around her waist.
“What happened?” Kris’s gaze bounced from me to his sister.
“I’m fine. Let me go,” she said, and Ian let her go, but stayed close. “I was trying to help her. I did help her. She blocked me.”
They both turned to me for my version. “That crazy bitch tried to shadow-walk me into my parents’ house. Where they all died.” Where I’d lost everything.
“Kori!” Kris looked furious.
“I wasn’t really going to do it.” She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in exasperation. “You know I can’t go that far in one shot.”
She couldn’t?
“I was just going walk her into the hall closet, but she had to think I was taking her somewhere she didn’t want to go, or she couldn’t block me.” She turned to Ian. “It’s just like what you did for Kenley to help her break my binding. She had to really want it. Same principal, right?”