faster than I did. Why he became a junkie in the end.”
“Vivi, it wasn’t your fault. He made that choice.”
When she glances at me again, her eyes brim with unshed tears. “I don’t think so. The bond settled only moments before we crossed the veil. And my mother had already used her magic to banish us. There was no time for him to make the decision, and honestly, I don’t think he’d have crossed with me if it hadn’t been already too late.”
“What do you think finally broke the bond in the end?”
“I think the memory spell did. But I don’t know if the bond is severed or simply buried. It’s possible that it will come back with all its horrible symptoms if he remembers who he is.”
“Shit. That’s not good at all. So maybe it’s best if he doesn’t recover his memories.”
“No. I can’t allow him to keep living as he is now, a shell of the male he used to be. He was the most courageous, beautiful, and kind person I’ve ever met. His mind was the sharpest in the entire kingdom. And look at him now. He’s a junkie, a liar, and a thief.”
I understand Vivienne’s determination to restore Rikkon’s memory. I would do the same if I were her.
“All right. Then you have to help me find another away to break the bond, for my sake and your brother’s.”
16
Saxon
When I return to my apartment in a sour mood thanks to unfulfilled mating pains, another unpleasant surprise is waiting for me. All the living room stuff is packed up and there are several strangers moving around and dismantling furniture.
“What the hell is going on?” I ask to no one in particular.
Ronan walks out of his room, carrying a huge box in his hands. “You didn’t get my message? We’re moving to a bigger apartment.”
“Why? I like this one.”
“Because we’re getting new roommates.”
I arch my eyebrows. “Who?”
“Vaughn and Rikkon.”
“What? Are you serious? I didn’t realize there was an apartment with five bedrooms at the institute.”
“Not five, four. Lucca moved in with Vivienne.”
“Whoa. That’s huge. And where is Manu going to live now?”
“She got an apartment for herself,” Ronan replies with a note of criticism.
“How did she manage that?”
He shrugs. “You know how. By acting like she always does, with tantrums and threats.”
“She probably wants privacy now that her familiar is back in the picture,” I say jokingly, forgetting for a moment how weird Ronan gets every time Karl is mentioned.
His response is a grumble, and he walks away before I can say anything else. I think the next nine months are going to be very interesting—that is, if we all survive the drama. Yeah, I’m more concerned about the inner circle’s integrity than the conflict outside the institute’s walls. I’m not an idiot. I know Tatiana will retaliate after Lucca killed her son, but if our small group is not tight, if we’re unstable, we’ll crumble at the slightest pressure.
I head for my room, pissed that I didn’t find out about the move sooner. I didn’t bring a lot of my stuff here, but I don’t want strangers going through my personal belongings. I’m glad to see no one touched anything in my room. Ronan must have warned the human helpers to stay clear of my stuff. He knows me too well.
With supernatural speed, it takes me five minutes to pack up my shit, and another five to bring everything to our new digs, and only because I had no fucking clue where I was going.
It turns out, our new apartment is much closer to Lucca and Vivienne’s love nest, and only two doors down from Aurora’s apartment. But the closer proximity doesn’t make things easier for me. On the contrary, I can sense the exact moment she walks by our front door, and the awareness doesn’t decrease with the distance. My yearning seems to double, and it gets so bad that I begin to shake like a fucking palm tree getting slammed by an incoming hurricane.
Ronan is busy getting the TV system set up and doesn’t witness me grab the kitchen counter and rip a piece of the marble. Damn it. I totally forgot to get a new potion from Aurora. I got too distracted by her.
“Um, hello?” a male says as he pushes the front door open.
I turn around, ready to bite the newcomer’s head off, when I see Rikkon, Vivienne’s brother, standing there like a fucking lost kid in a park. He looks better than