Page 91 of These Fractured Bonds

“What about my dad? Do I have one?”

“Yes.”

“Is my family okay?”

Erick’s shoulders slumped, and he shoved his curly blond hair away from his forehead. “Last I heard, yes, but you should talk to Augrys if you want to know more. He’s your best bet for the latest information. My connection to the human world has been severed since I’ve returned to Izmari.”

He paused before continuing. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget you don’t have all your memories, because you act almost like the Yareli I knew, but I realize now that you were more than my coworker, and I can’t speak to what you’re missing. What I can offer… is attempting an intense mending session. It might let you remember more of your family. It’s harder on your mind and requires more recovery time, but we can squeeze it in.”

Yareli cleared her throat, her guilt for her outburst ballooning at his offer, before she responded. “Sure, thanks.”

“We can do it after the next challenge. You’ll have three days to recover before the last event.” He wore a small smile, the kind that held doubt in the eyes, and she almost apologized.

Another knock sounded at the door, and Leo’s head popped in.

“Everything okay here? I heard shouting.”

“Everything’s okay,” Yareli responded, feeling self-conscious about having an unintended audience for her outburst.

“I was bringing you some breakfast. Should I come back later?”

“No, I mean, yes. Erick’s done here, but I wanted to take a bath.” She was acutely aware of her disheveled appearance—torn clothes, tousled hair, and dried blood all over her.

“You got it,” Leo said, turning to Erick. “I’ll walk with you.”

Erick gave her another hesitant smile. “The day after tomorrow.”

“It’s a promise,” she replied.

She waited until Erick closed the door behind him before scrambling to the adjacent bathroom. A square bronze tub sat waiting for her. A steady stream of water poured into it from a bronze tube that erupted from the floor like a small geyser. Water cascaded over its edge like a waterfall, flowing into the floor below and disappearing into the ground. Neatly folded black towels lay on a short bronze table next to the tub.

She scanned the bathroom, suspicious that her accommodations were so nice, but she found nothing out of the ordinary. Stripping away the ruined uniform, she lowered herself into the steaming water. Despite the hot soak, she couldn’t relax, so she bathed quickly and changed into a set of clothes she had brought—a T-shirt and string-tied pants.

She absentmindedly rubbed her throbbing temple. Her anger had been swift, seemingly out of nowhere.

No. That wasn’t right. Her frustration had been there all along, simmering in a cauldron until it boiled over.

She exited the bathroom, and Leo returned.

“Let’s brighten things up in here,” he said, striding to the windows and shoving the curtains aside.

Sunlight streamed in; the harsh brightness hurt her eyes, and she squinted. The sun was high in the sky. She hadn’t noticed time passing with the blackout curtains. Light transformed the room, opening it up like a blossoming flower, and she dropped her head onto her chest, suppressing a groan.

Erick was right. Allyah had taste, and she hated that, too.

The onyx-black floor was paired with light-gray rugs and furniture with bright rustic orange as an accent. Sleek, modern pieces, like something she’d see in a designer magazine, furnished the room. There was even a table for two on the other side of the room, past the sofa, where Leo walked to. She made her way over, angry that she enjoyed the floor’s smoothness.

“Thanks for the food,” she said, sitting down in the chair.

Goddammit, it’s cushioned.She sighed; it was hard to remember her dislike of Allyah when there was enough to admire about her that shook the foundation of Yareli’s anger. She stabbed a vegetable. Her dislike would be renewed once she spoke to her.

“Hey,” Leo said. “How are you feeling?”

At his question, her mood did a one-eighty. She beamed, riding the high of her success. “Like I won the lottery.”

He cocked his head. “Won what?”

She frowned, thinking before saying, “It’s a gambling thing in the human world. You buy a ticket and hope your number is pulled.”