Page 33 of Infernal Bonds

“Leaving it at that feels foolish. I want to give you enough information so that you can navigate this world and be prepared for what it has to offer.”

“I’d like to learn more.” I placed my glass on the table. “I think it’s stupid to just drag me into this world and expect me to know what to do. I wouldn’t even believe I wasn’t human if I hadn’t seen my own wounds heal.”

Rinlora’s brows rose. “You were injured?”

“Cut myself shaving once and again at dinner.” I shrugged. “No biggie.”

They shared a look.

“What?”

“She healed herself and Ash in Cholian,” Amra said to Rinlora, not answering me. “It wasn’t all my magic.”

“Is it the tether?”

“Likely.”

“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” I hated when people talked about me right in front of me, as if I weren’t in the room with them.

“Your infernal blood isn’t capable of healing you, Raelynn,” Amra said, turning in her seat toward me.

“But the guys…”

“Are part of the royal family. Their magic makes it possible. I suspect bonding with one or all of them will allow you to share a piece of their magic and benefit from it.”

“It isn’t a standard Nyrith trait,” Rinlora said.

Any wounds I’d suffered prior to bonding with Ash had healed at a normal rate, so it made sense. Still, I wouldn’t risk putting myself in serious danger to see if I could heal from something worse than a nick with a razor.

“It still doesn’t explain your ability to heal yourself and Ash in Cholian, but perhaps your extraordinary connection facilitated it without bonding.”

It didn’t explain the rest of the magic, but a lot about this world made little sense to me, so maybe it did?

“I guess there’s at least one perk to bonding with royalty.”

Rinlora’s lips rolled in to suppress a laugh while Amra smiled, making my shoulders relax.

It felt good to meet other infernals that didn’t want to kill me. Both women seemed warmer and more open than they were around the other council members.

They spent the next half hour catching me up on the council’s structure and history. I learned how each of the guys’ families had held their seats for generations and how the council favored tradition over filling empty thrones. It explained why they hadn’t replaced Ash’s parents, but not the other two I saw during our meeting.

“What about the other two thrones?”

“Cornaith’s family ordered them left vacant,” Amra said, turning the thin bracelet on her wrist.

My brows knotted. “Why?”

“The monarch who held one of those seats died protecting Cornaith twenty years ago. He didn’t have a partner or an heir, so the thrones remain empty as a memorial.”

The guys never talked about another royal family. I wondered if Ezra knew someone from that family had protected his father. He’d have been six years old. Or maybe it was a touchy subject.

“Niemna is vast,” Amra said, catching me staring at the large map hanging on the wall behind Rinlora. “While we Shyrlivi remain within the walls of Elyrdin, there are accounts of greater infernals inhabiting the lands beyond Feranzis and Moicae.”

“How big is Elyrdin?”

Rinlora turned to look at the map. “About the size of the country you came here from. Maybe a little smaller.”

I’d pictured Elyrdin as similar to my home state, not an entire country. Even Ash said Elyrdin was about the size of a small state back home. Apparently, his idea of a small state and mine were very different. Though he hadn’t been to Earth before I summoned him, so I couldn’t judge him.