Things That Should Stay Buried - Casey L. Bond Page 0,42
when we were safe inside.
“I don’t want his mark tattooed on me.”
“It can be very small. But the blood of each Zodia calls to the others, and since they already know he pledged to a human, they can scent it on you. They’ll be able to find you quickly. If we’re caught unawares and you’re too far from us, they could kill you before we could reach you.” Kes’s silver-blue eyes drilled into mine, pleading with me to see reason.
“I mean, how much time would a mark actually buy me when I’m plastered to Aries’s side?” I argued weakly. How much time would I have regardless? Gemini’s impromptu appearance was the first since Taurus showed up to claim me, and I was absolutely sure it wouldn’t be the last. This was only the beginning, the equivalent of the alert text message that went out just before things went bad.
“Every second matters now, Larken. Every single second could mean the difference in whether you live or die,” he argued, aggravation lacing his voice. “So, yes, Mom would hate this tattoo. Mom would hate any tattoo. And yes, you might hate it. It might not be the mark you want on your body or you may never want one, but right now, it’s the small things that could amount to us being able to save you. So I think you should stop freaking out and take the mark already.”
It was such a trivial thing, a little tattoo, but it seemed a lot bigger to me for some reason. I knew it was a big deal when Aries cut his skin and let his blood pool in his palm, and then applied the marks to my face. I could see the tension, the reverence, and feel the hesitation in his movements as he fought with himself over whether to actually go through with it and honor the promise to his friend.
That was a big deal to Aries, just as this was a big deal to me. Because this was forever. Or at least for as long as I continued to live and breathe. I didn’t even want to think about how short a time that might be.
“I get that it’s not ideal. None of this is. This isn’t the life I hoped you’d live,” he said, quieter. “But protecting it has become my goal in this lifetime, and I won’t let you down. Just help me… make this easier, not harder.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. There was another reason I didn’t want to take a permanent mark. If I chose, I could still wash Aries’s blood away. Making a permanent mark took that choice away. Until the mark pierced my skin, I could make another choice. One I might need to save my brother. Or my parents. One I wanted to have in my back pocket. Because if all the Zodia attacked and the people I loved were threatened, I could remove the blood and go to Taurus. I could end the fight and save them by giving myself over.
“Forty-eight hours,” Kes said suddenly, calming himself.
I ticked my head back. “What does that mean? Forty-eight hours.”
“If you refuse the permanent mark, you won’t live forty-eight hours. And there will be nothing I can do about it.”
“Why would you say something like that?” He was being cruel. “You’re my brother. You might have been created by Aries and be loyal to your maker, but you chose me as your sister, Kes. You asked me for peace, a truce. You should have a little loyalty to me, too.”
He raked his hands through his hair. “My opinion that you should take the mark has nothing to do with Aries and everything to do with you, and with my loyalty to you. You are my sister. We chose one another when we didn’t have to. We are family. I love you and don’t want to watch you die. You are caught between Aries and eleven celestial beasts who would gladly watch you bleed out. Aries and I are the only ones who want to protect you. Even from your own stubbornness.”
I had no words.
He scrubbed hands over his face. “Please. It’s an edge. An advantage we need. If those bloody slashes aren’t on your face and your mark is small and hidden away, you might be able to hide amongst the other human females for a time. It will give you a fighting chance. Or a chance to run. Or for Aries to