Chương 86: 086

Dura jumped slightly at my sudden outburst, then blinked at me in confusion.

"Yeah?" she said slowly.

"You didn't know?" Adrenaline surged through me, my heart lurching like I'd missed a step on a staircase and was suddenly tumbling down it.

"No." I shook my head quickly.

"I try not to look at my back if I can help it." And I definitely hadn't had anything like that back on Earth. Dura's expression softened immediately. Her hand hovered just behind my back, close enough that I could feel the warmth of it, though she stopped short of touching.

"Fair enough," she said gently.

"Still… I'm surprised your parents never mentioned it." A hysterical laugh escaped before I could stop it.

"Oh, trust me," I said bitterly.

"If my bitch of a birth giver knew I had something like that, she would've used it against me in a heartbeat." A mark supposedly linking me to my soulbond? She would've had a field day. She'd already weaponized everything else, my weight, my mannerisms, my face, my intelligence. Anything she could twist into something ugly. If she'd had something like this… You think there's someone out there for you? Someone special? They'll take one look at that face and run screaming. My stomach twisted.

For the sake of my younger self, it was probably a good thing soulbonds didn't exist on Earth. Dura's lips pressed into a thin line. I could practically see the questions lining up behind her eyes. To her credit, she swallowed them and reached out for my hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Add her to the list," she said darkly.

"Right next to the rest of the people I'm putting on a spear for you." Her palm settled against my back then, warm and steady. The simple weight of it helped anchor me through the spiral threatening to drag me under. I leaned into the touch and pulled in a slow breath. When the world spun less and I could think in a straight line, I straightened.

"Okay, that's a…surprise, but not a bad thing." There was someone out there who I was 'bound' to, but that didn't really mean anything. Not if I didn't want it to. Dura nodded slowly, raising an eyebrow at my panic.

"Usually people see soulbonds as gifts. Any…particular reason you look ready to throw up?" I dragged a hand through my hair, choosing each word carefully.

"Where I'm from, soulbonds weren't a known thing. Heck, I only found out about them while traveling with Thomas." Her brows shot to her hair and I hurried onward.

"Beastfolk don't have physical signs, just a pull. Is it that surprising that a secluded tribe wouldn't know about this stuff if no one told them? Pulls can be brushed off as being uncommonly attached to someone, after all. It doesn't seem out of the ordinary." Her surprise faded into a quiet musing.

"I guess you've got a point. Soulbonds are just so…integral to nearly every culture on Nexus that I never considered anyone could not know. Guess your panic makes sense now." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Another bullet dodged without having to lie. Patting myself on the back, I went on.

"I didn't think I'd have one, so finding out I do is… a lot." Looking away, I grimaced.

"You've seen my luck first hand. I wouldn't put it past the universe to saddle me with an abusive bitch or someone psychotic." No, that actually sounded about right for my life… Understanding clicked and Dura resumed rubbing my back.

"Oh! You don't have to worry about that. Soulbonds don't work like that." I frowned, tipping my head for her to go on. She did without hesitation.

"There's never been a soulbond between an abuser and an innocent. Not in document history, anyway. Abusers are soulbound to others like them. Or other evil pricks." The relief that hit me was so potent I had to lean back into her hand or risk sliding sideways into the river.

"Thank fuck." My luck at least couldn't fuck me on this front. Whoever that mark linked me to, it wouldn't be another layer of hell. I'd take whatever blessings I could get. She smiled, bracing me easily, the steady circles a comfort as the tension knotting my shoulders unwound.

"I can describe it if you want?" Oh, yeah… Actually knowing what it looked like could be useful. I twisted slightly, trying to use the water as a mirror. No luck. All I could see were scars. Which meant the only people who could describe it were her… Or Time. The mental image was immediate and deeply uncomfortable. Hey, I know you're older than literally everything in existence, but could you tell me what my soulmark looks like? Thanks. Yeah. That conversation would go great.

"I'd appreciate it," I said instead. Dura nodded and leaned in, shifting just enough to get a better look. Her hand finally settled fully against my back as she studied the mark.

"Hmm." She hummed thoughtfully.

"Looks like an hourglass surrounded by sand," she said after a moment.

"Definitely unique. Most marks represent the bonded person somehow. I've seen weapons, flowers, tools… stuff tied to professions or personalities. Never seen an hourglass before." Her voice continued, but it faded into the background, drowned under the high ringing filling my ears. The same sickening sensation of missing a step returned, my stomach plunging as realization hit like a falling stone. I was wrong. My luck absolutely could fuck me. An hourglass. Surrounded by sand.

There was only one person that could represent, one being whose entire existence revolved around that symbol. My throat went dry and the world tilted on its side. Time. I was bound to Time.

"Hey… you alright?" Dura's hand moved in slow circles across my back, concern sharpening her voice.

"You just dropped like five shades of color." A shaky laugh slipped out before I could stop it.

"Nope," I said faintly, shaking my head.

"In fact, I might throw up." Given the way my stomach was twisting, it wasn't an exaggeration. Her concern deepened immediately. She shifted to face me more fully, eyes searching my expression.

"That seems… extreme," she said carefully.

"You know who the mark belongs to?"

"Yeah." My voice came out dull.

"Good news though. The bond definitely isn't romantic." Given her interest so far, that would've put me in an interesting dilemma. Knowing who the mark actually belonged to though, I almost wished the thing was romantic. I could just ignore it then, choose Dura and call it a day. If I ever met my bonded, they might be disappointed but oh well. I wasn't about to throw whatever the hell Dura and I had out for a stranger. But the mark was tied to Time. There was no avoiding this. No putting it off.

Thanks to Karma, we were stuck with each other this… This complicated things. Dura didn't respond, giving me time and space to decide what I wanted to say. I appreciated it more than I had words for. Part of me wanted to stop there, to shove the truth into a locked box somewhere in my head and pretend it didn't exist. The other part desperately wanted someone else to know. Someone who might actually understand the catastrophe this was shaping up to be. And if there was anyone I trusted with it right now…

It was Dura.