Chapter 83

　　The Binding

　　A whistle soaked in the stench of sulfur swirled in the foyer as the black ball of mist spread out like tiny fingers in every direction. When it faded away, the only thing that remained was Teddy with Tessa tucked tight against him. “I got you. We made it.”

　　The feverish hands tugged at his chest when they balled his shirt into them. A shrill whimper built at the back of Tessa’s throat as her fat bottom lip quivered. “They killed them.”

　　When his eyelids shut, all he found was his father’s red eye sockets staring back at him. ‘Do what we practiced.’

　　A long breath rushed through his lips as he pushed away his carefree childhood and let Jasper’s essence consume him. And when his black lashes floated upward, his knees bent to look in his sister’s face. “Go grab our bags and meet me right here. Go on; be quick.”

　　When her little feet beat against the stairs, Teddy’s fingers dug into his neck, and his gaze swiveled to the glass-paned swinging door of the kitchen.