Chương 96: 096

Time stilled, his hand firm on my shoulder as he finished adjusting the bandages. Too late, I realized… he was still touching me. Still listening. Heat crawled up the back of my neck. Sorry, just… ignore me. I'd wanted to talk to him in private again, but not to shove his past grief in his face! Thankfully, his hand moved again, smoothing the bandages with a quiet hum. What did you wish to discuss? The out was obvious and I took it immediately. There's been this weird ache in my chest since yesterday.

Is that normal for beastkin? A thought struck, sharp and horrifying. Please tell me I'm not about to hit some kind of mating season. I would bury myself alive before dealing with that surrounded by people I barely knew. Time tilted his head, eyes going distant as he considered it. Not necessarily, though such things do exist. His hand pressed briefly to my forehead. You are not feverish, so that is not the case. Relief hit hard enough to make my shoulders sag. Small mercies. Then what is it? I pressed.

It feels like a weight in my chest. And it keeps… pulling me toward Dura. It's driving me insane. Understanding flashed across his face, followed by amusement. Did you so quickly forget our discussion of soulbonds? And just like that, I wanted to smack myself. Heat flared again as I looked away with a huff. I've had a lot going on, I muttered. It slipped my mind. Not to mention, it hadn't felt like just a pull. Time shrugged. I had no reason to ask a beastkin what their soulbond felt like.

I gave you the general understanding. This… may simply be another manifestation. Or something unique to you, given your origin. Regardless, the conclusion remains the same. You are soulbound to Dura. He raised an eyebrow. Does that bother you? This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Honestly? I was still trying to process the fact I'd been here less than a week and somehow ended up with two soulbonds. His brow climbed higher. Two? … Fuck.

Dread crashed over me, cold and suffocating. I scrambled to think of anything else, anything but the mark. Which, of course, meant he caught it. His eyes flicked to my shoulder, still wrapped, confusion shifting into realization mid-sentence.

"You have a bond with Karma." Not a question, and delivered with all the emotional weight of wet cardboard. I instinctively leaned away, panic spiking hard enough to send my thoughts spiraling. A headache bloomed behind my eyes. On one hand, he didn't know it was him. That was good. On the other… How the hell was he going to react to me being bound to his wife? He'd just admitted he hated not having a mark for her, and now here I was with one.

Time must've caught the panic bleeding off me, because he leaned back slightly, voice steady.

"Breathe, Nikolas. This is hardly the end of the world." A breathless laugh tore out of me before I could stop it.

"And you're okay with this?" Remembering the others weren't far, I dropped my voice to a harsh whisper.

"I'm bound to your wife." The words kept coming, pushed out by a mix of dread and relief.

"Most men wouldn't take that well. Hell, most back on Earth would be kicking my ass to the planet's core for it." Time scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Karma did mention you had a poor selection of men in your world for role models. It would seem she was not exaggerating." He smoothed his expression, gaze steady and calm in a way I wish I was.

"Nikolas, there is nothing for me to be angry with you over. Your bond with Karma is parental, as many are. When she wakes, she will be delighted to learn of it." I searched his face, looking for anything, any hint of irritation, resentment, or hidden anger. Nothing. After a long, strained moment, I nodded.

"Okay… that's good. Really good. I'm glad you're not planning to turn me into dust." He gave me a flat look.

"If I intended to do that, I would have done so after our first meeting. You cursed me quite thoroughly, if you recall. You have survived this long, you will continue to do so." That… was fair. The panic ebbed, my heartbeat finally slowing to something manageable.

"Still," I muttered, "you have to admit, even here, some people wouldn't handle this well." A faint smile tugged at his lips, amusement returning.

"Trouble seems to follow you wherever you go. As Karma is intent on keeping you, I will simply have to adapt." He snorted softly.

"Though I do wonder, how does one man find so much chaos without even trying?" I shrugged.

"I've asked myself that more times than I can count. I've always had a talent for landing in the worst possible situations. Apparently, dying didn't fix that." The memory of the basement flickered, sharp and unwelcome. I shoved it down. Time's expression tightened, just slightly.

"With any luck," he said, glancing back the way we'd come, "we can begin correcting that." Then, with a quiet snort, he added.

"Starting now."

"I'm willing to try," I said, tugging my shirt back into place.

"Not exactly optimistic, though." I gathered the dirty bandages in one hand and offered him the other.

"I have a feeling this won't be the last time I stumble into something awful." He took it, pulling himself upright with an easy motion.

"Then we will plan around your misfortune," he said simply.

"For now, we should return. We have time to search for the tomes, and I intend to use it." I bit back a groan.

"Lead the way." Please let there be food first…