The Legendborn Cycle, #3
Oathbound
by Tracy Deonn
Contents
Chapter 33
Overview
Bree's confrontation with the masked thief turns into a disorienting reunion: the thief clearly knows Bree, while Bree cannot remember the thief but feels a powerful physical and emotional recognition. Their escape is interrupted by Mikael's security, forcing the thief to improvise a cover that reframes them as careless lovers rather than infiltrators.
The chapter shifts the auction mission from stealth to deception, raising new questions about Bree's missing memories and the thief's true connection to Bree. The thief's assumed identity as Benedict Pierce—and the sudden claim that Bree is the thief's fiancée—creates a risky new lie Bree must navigate under Bianca's scrutiny.
Summary
Bree lies pinned beneath the masked blond thief after their fight, and the thief recognizes Bree with shock and reverence. Bree asks who the thief is, revealing that Bree does not remember the thief, though Bree senses that Bree's body and heart know the thief even if Bree's mind does not.
When the elevator sounds down the hall, the thief shifts quickly into escape mode. The thief helps Bree up, grabs Bree's abandoned heels, notices Bree's aether-rooted cameras, and asks Bree to undo the magic before anyone can connect the theft and blackout to Bree's power.
The thief deliberately leads Bree toward the first floor instead of back to the ballroom, explaining that getting caught somewhere else will be better. To create a cover story, the thief musses the thief's hair, throws Bree's shoes aside, apologizes, and kisses Bree just as the elevator opens.
The kiss overwhelms Bree with intense recognition and comfort despite Bree not knowing the thief's identity. Bianca, Mikael's security captain, finds them with two warlocks and interrupts, reading the scene as a sexual encounter rather than a theft attempt, though Bianca remains suspicious.
Bianca demands their invitation, and Bree realizes Bree left Bree's invite with Zoe in the ballroom. The thief produces an invitation identifying the thief as Benedict Pierce, heir to Pierce Resorts, and when Bianca questions Bree's identity as Iris Bauer, Benedict covers for Bree by claiming that Iris is Benedict's fiancée.
Who Appears
- BreeNarrator; recognizes emotional familiarity with the thief despite not remembering the thief.
- Benedict PierceMasked blond thief; knows Bree, stages a kiss, and claims Bree is Benedict's fiancée.
- BiancaMikael's security captain; catches Bree and Benedict in the elevator and checks their invitation.
- LawsonWarlock with Bianca; uses pact magic Sight to verify Benedict's invitation seal.
- MikaelAuction host whose dull aether sense makes Bree's lingering power less immediately detectable.
- ZoeBree's ally at the auction; still has the invitation Bree needs.