AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ryland shakes his head. “I have no idea. Mark said they found him, and it’s bad. That was it. I told him we’d be right there. So, we’ll find out in a minute.” None of us bother to shift, because while this is urgent, it’s not an emergency.
The training center seems deserted, and I realize that Mark must have sent the kids away when they brought Vincent in. We enter the building, and the smell of death surrounds us. It takes everything in me not to start gagging. The air tastes the way it smells, blood, charred flesh, and something I can’t quite place.
No one says a word as we walk over to where they have him laid on a table. Shock rips through me at what I see when I’m close enough.
I’m not even sure how they know it’s Vincent. This creature is mangled beyond repair. With our increased healing, this shouldn’t be possible. The man in front of us is broken, with bones jutting out of his flesh. He’s been set on fire, more than once from the look of it. And large chunks of skin, muscle, and tendon are missing from different places along his body.
JAMES
I don’t know how to do this. Can I let myself stay here? Can I allow Garnet to depend on me when I know I’m only going to fail her again? It’s not fair to anyone involved, but I can’t turn away from her again. Now that our connection is back, I can feel how badly I’ve hurt her, and I never want to do that again.
I take another step toward her, noticing that she’s not reaching for me. The bond between us confuses me. I don’t know how to interpret her emotions, especially when I’m certain I can feel the other guys as well. It’s hard enough to deal with my own feelings and thoughts, much less four other people’s. Does she regret bringing me back here with her?
What I regret is nearly losing you in the first place. I hear her voice in my head, and it startles me. I know it’s part of the magic that connects us, but it still catches me off guard, even more than her emotions seeping into me.
“Are you reading my mind?” I ask, feeling bothered by the intrusion. I know it’s ridiculous to get upset about it, but I can’t stop myself. The only reason I agreed to come back here was that Dec refuses to turn me until after Garnet deals with Amber.
“I’m sorry, you were projecting. I’ll try not to comment if I hear anything else,” she offers, taking a step backward.
Disappointment and hurt assault me through the bond, along with frustration and anger. I know the latter are the other guys’ reactions to Garnet’s emotions. I hate hurting her, but I can’t deal with other people in my head right now. Learning that part of this happened because of Amber’s influence is hard enough. I don’t want to start doing things because it’s what someone else wants.
“Look, Garnet, I’m sorry. I’m feeling overwhelmed and frustrated about everything. I don’t want to put you in danger, and I feel like that’s all I’m doing here. I can’t take the idea that you could lose this battle with Amber, and it would be my fault,” I admit. I want to reach for her again, but I know she’s not ready. I don’t think that I’m ready. Knowing doesn’t make it less painful, though.
“I understand. And I promise, we won’t push you for anything you’re not ready for or don’t want. But you will not be the reason if I fail here. That will be all my fault. I need you by my side. All four of you make me stronger. You give me a reason to fight,” she insists. Part of me understands her point and wants to do whatever I can to help her. The rest of me still feels the aftermath of whatever spell that Amber used to push me toward leaving.
I know that she just preyed on my insecurities, but that doesn’t make it easier to accept.
GARNET
James’ rejection stings. So much so that I can’t keep my hurt and disappointment from flowing along the bond. He’s not shielding his emotions from us, or his thoughts. I promised not to use that against him, so I won’t. I know I’m not the only one who feels the other’s responses to my emotions. I can see it on James’ face.
I understand fear. I’m terrified that I’m going to fuck all of this up and leave them alone. Since James nearly broke our mate bond, I know that the pain of me dying would drive them all mad. I can’t let that happen.
“I can’t make you help me fight Amber, any more than I can make you love me. Those have to be your choices. No one can make those for you. What I will say is that I hope you decide to be part of this family again. I hope you want to help; that you want to love me. We were brought together for a reason. Just think about it. I’ll leave you be for now,” I say, turning and walking out the bedroom door.
For a moment, I think he might follow me. Then I hear the bathroom door slam and the shower kick on. So much for that. I’d hoped that my little speech would be encouraging and inspiring. It doesn’t look like it helped much at all. Instead of cementing our bond back in place, we’re spending time in separate rooms, frustrated, hurt, and angry.
I can’t take these walls right now, so I step outside. I want to scream, but I know people will be scared if I do. Of course, if I make a sound-proof bubble, I can scream as much as I want. I step out into the clearing next to the cabin and focus. I must clear my mind for this to work. Once I’ve calmed my mind, I set to making the clear bubble around myself that will allow me to scream to my heart’s content without startling anyone.
I wonder for a moment if the bubble will interfere with the mate bond, but I shove that thought away. I need this more than I need to be concerned about a hiccup in our bond. With the bubble set in place, I take a deep breath, then let out a blood curdling scream.
I scream and yell, letting myself vent my frustration in this safe space, until I’m spent. Dropping to the ground, I sit cross-legged and start to meditate, not letting the bubble fall. I need a few minutes to recharge after expending that much energy and magic. But I don’t feel like moving, so this is the next best thing.
I close my eyes and clear my mind again, this time focusing on my breathing. I have no idea how long I sat like that, with my eyes closed, just breathing in and out. I feel calmer than I have in a long time. A gasp from outside the bubble and my concentration fails. I open my eyes to see James standing in front of me, staring.
“What?” I ask, looking around as the bubble disintegrates.
“You were surrounded by different colored lights. Fire, water, earth, and air were circling around you, and I wasn’t sure if you were alive or not. What was that?” he asks in awe.
“I needed a quiet place to think,” I say, not wanting to admit that I’d needed to scream for a bit. If he doesn’t know, then he doesn’t need to right now.
“I’ve never seen you do that kind of magic before.” The statement isn’t accusatory, but more curious.
“I’ve never tried it before. It was easier than I expected. As long as I stay focused, my magic is pretty easy to reach and use. I’m hoping that it stays that way when I go to fight Amber,” I admit, then instantly wish I hadn’t.
I don’t want to feed his insecurities or make him think that he’s the reason I could fail at this. It’s not on him. This is my fight; it’s my war. I have to win. I can’t let Amber defeat me. And I can’t admit how scared I really am. To anyone. I keep that particular emotion locked down so that none of my mates can feel it.
I can’t afford for any of them to realize that I might not be ready for what’s coming. We have less than a week to get ready. It’s not enough time, no matter how powerful I am. I’m facing the fact that I’m going to have to kill my aunt before she can kill me.
