Bloodmarked

Sel and William are Oath-bound to protect Bree’s life, and they can’t do it while looking for Nick. Bree doesn’t realize the effect her near-death had on her friends.

Over the phone, Gill tells them to take weapons, pack black clothes, and get cash from the safehouse basement while she gets pictures for new identification cards. After gearing up, Bree tries to tease William about his Onceborn-boyfriend Dylan liking him in black, but Willian says he broke up with him when Arthur Called.

Bree thinks Sel will leave alone to find Nick and fulfill his Kingsmage Oaths. When she asks Sel, he describes how invasive it is to be blood-bound to protect someone at the expense of himself. He chooses to profess his dedication to Bree instead, leading to another moment of romantic tension between them.

Bree shares the paper Samira gave her, which leads to Clayton, Georgia—a three-hour drive away. Halfway there, they stop to get gas and use the bathroom. William uses the bathroom first; when Alice and Bree go, the white men behind the counter say it’s out of order. Bree and Alice know they’re being racially profiled. Sel enters, saying they should go; outside, he reveals he smelled a gun behind the counter.