Tethered (The Wicked West #2)

Chapter One

Flashes of light. Yelling. I hear my name spoken, first as a plea and then as a bargain, but my mouth refuses to reply.

Hands push on my chest. I want to scream that it hurts, that I can feel my bones cracking from the force, but I can’t make my body respond.

Lips move over mine, forcing air into my lungs as the heavens open and rain pelts down over me.

The darkness pulls me under again, and I let it, drifting away into the nothing for what feels like an eternity.

Voices drag me back to the surface. I try to ignore them, happy to stay here where it’s safe. But like a person who won’t go away, they don’t relent, working my last nerve. When I open my eyes, I wince at the light, closing them again immediately.

“Calliope?”

I turn my head toward the voice, startling when I feel a hand on my cheek. I crack my eyes open once more, and there he is. Austin fucking Dyer. My angel of death.

“Why won’t you just let me die?” I croak, the incessant beeping speeding up.

He looks like I’ve wounded him, but I don’t care. “Please listen to me,” he says softly.

I shake my head. “Fuck you. Just go. Go!” I scream.

“Opie?”

I turn at the sound of Riggs’s voice, and relief washes over me. I don’t realize I’m reaching for him until he’s beside me, his arms cradling me gently as I sob into his shoulder.

“Make him leave. Please make him leave.”

“You heard her. I think it’s time for you to go.” Only that’s not Riggs; that’s Shepard. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, but holy fuck, that hurts.

“Careful. You have a few cracked ribs. You’ll need to take it easy for a while,” Riggs murmurs.

I hear shuffling. Austin is leaving, thank god.

“How long was I out?”

“Three long fucking weeks. I swear to god, you pull something like this again, I’ll spank your ass until it blisters. You scared the shit out of me.” I hear the break in his voice and tighten my grip.

“I’m sorry.”

“What the fuck happened, Calliope? That fucker wouldn’t tell us anything other than the fact you collapsed.”

“That’s what I want to know,” Shepard grunts.

Riggs pulls back so Shepard can move in. He rests his forehead against mine and breathes me in. He doesn’t say anything for a minute, just drawing comfort from me being alive. The questions will come, questions I don’t know how to answer.

“When can I go home?”

“You were in a coma, Poppy. They only weaned you off the breathing tube two days ago.”

“I’m okay now.”

“You were bleeding from your fucking ears and eyes. Don’t tell me you’re okay. I—”

I reach up and cup his jaw. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

He pulls away, and I see a shutter fall over his eyes. “I have to get back. I’ll come see you later.”

“Okay.” My voice comes out small, prompting Riggs to move in closer.

“I just…I can’t keep losing people, Calliope. I’m sorry,” Shepard says gently. He’s trying not to hurt my feelings, but it’s far too late for that. I don’t let it show, though.

I blank my face and offer him a polite smile. “It’s fine. Goodbye, Sheriff.”

He grimaces but tips his hat and leaves.

I look up at Riggs, knowing the devastation is showing on my face. “I’ll understand if you want to leave too. This wasn’t what you signed up for.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he answers. I’m too scared to hope that’s the truth, so I just nod. “I’m going to get the doctor so we can see what he says about you going home. Will you be okay for a minute?”

“Is Austin gone?”

“I’ll make sure he is.”

“Then I’ll be okay.”

He bends down and presses a soft kiss to my lips before pulling back. “I won’t be long.”

I nod and watch him leave before lifting my hands.

I pull on my power, but there’s nothing there.

I can’t feel it at all. I try again, but when I feel the telltale trickle on my top lip, I stop.

I swipe my nose and find a little blood.

I clean it away in case the doctor uses it to make me stay.

Once I’m done, I stare up at the ceiling, feeling like my chest is caving in.

Not because of my tender ribs, but because of what’s missing.

My powers are gone. I can’t even feel a flicker of it. I’m hollow inside, and I hate it. When it first manifested, I was terrified. I thought I was a freak and worried I’d end up in a lab somewhere being experimented on.

As my power grew, so too did my control over it.

I couldn’t test my limits in prison, as I was worried someone would realize what I could do.

But it brought me comfort knowing that if I were ever in a dangerous situation, I’d be able to save myself.

I’d never be that scared kid again. And yet here I am, in another hospital bed, because of that fucking man.

My anger is still there, like a fire that’s been stoked, the embers burning hot and ready to flame at any moment.

The fact that Austin is immune to my gift is terrifying.

The confidence I’d grown into has shattered, leaving me feeling weak and defeated, and I fucking hate it.

I want to scream and rage at the world for the unfairness of it all.

Every time I think I’m moving on, something comes along and throws a leash around my neck, yanking me back.

I close my eyes. Tears drip down my cheeks, and I wonder if it’s time for me to cut and run.

I’d asked if Austin or Andy were still in town, and Jen had done some digging.

She told me they hadn’t moved far, just a few towns over, when Crowhurst began its downward spiral.

It was enough to convince me I wouldn’t ever see them again, not with how much of a hermit I am.

What a fucking idiot I was. Though in my defense, I didn’t expect the man from my nightmares to sneak onto my property like a thief in the night.

I lie there feeling sorry for myself, but at least I manage to get my tears under control. By the time Riggs comes back with the doctor, I’m mostly back to normal, or as normal as someone can be after everything that’s happened.

The doctor doesn’t dig too deeply. I’m not sure if he’s overworked or holds the same disdain toward me as everyone else.

Either way, he tells me that I need to spend the night, but barring any complications, I can go home tomorrow.

It’s the best I’m going to get, so I agree to take things easy and to report back if I have any issues.

Once he leaves, I feel my shoulders slump, and my polite smile slip from my face.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay,” Riggs reassures me.

“Yeah? Because right now, I’m not feeling it.”

“Fuck it.” He toes off his boots and climbs on the bed beside me, tugging me into his arms. I breathe him in, his comforting essence relaxing me. “Everything will work itself out. Brace yourself, though; I’m expecting Jen to turn up any minute, visiting hours be damned.”

I look up at him. “You called her?”

“I promised her I would. It was the only way to get her to leave you. Her husband forced her to go on that trip, telling her how pissed you’d be to wake up and find out she skipped it so that she could watch you sleep.”

I chuckle. “Sneaky. I like it, and he’s not wrong. Thank you for keeping her in the loop. I know it sounds odd, what with her being my lawyer and all, but she’s the closest thing I have to family.”

“Doesn’t sound odd at all. Some people are born into amazing families, and some have to forge their own. You and Jen fall into the latter. I think she looks at you like the daughter she never had. It’s easy to see how much she loves you.”

“She’s been a godsend. I don’t know what I would have done without her all these years.

In the beginning, I thought she was just doing her job.

Then I realized she did actually care for me.

It was surprising but welcome. When I found out she was working for free for over a decade?

Yeah. I think it’s pretty damn obvious that she cares about me. ”

“Good. You deserve someone like that in your corner.”

“Thank you.” I snuggle into him.

“I’m sorry about Shepard. I expected more from him. It sucks when people let you down.”

“I know,” I whisper. “Truth is, I’m not really that surprised. I’ve had one foot out the door since he showed his interest. I knew if push came to shove, he’d walk away. And I was right, and that sucks too. For once, I wanted to be wrong,” I admit.

He cups my jaw, tipping my head back up. “He’ll come around. And if he doesn’t, then it’s his fucking loss. You’re amazing.”

“I don’t understand how you see me so differently.”

“Maybe it’s because I understand a little of what you went through, the prison part at least. I know how isolating and lonely it can be.

And that’s if you’re lucky, because, let’s face it, nobody wants to be the center of attention in those places.

Coming out and having to readjust to life outside the walls, learning how to make your own decisions again, yet having no trust in your choices?

Yeah, it’s a head-fuck. All you want is a chance to make shit right, but of course, most people don’t want to give you a chance.

I understand why so many people end up right back where they started. ”

“I was lucky to have something to come out to. A lot of people don’t.

I don’t think people realize how much can change, how much life goes on for those out here living it.

Inside, the world stands still. Sure, we age, but everything else is in limbo.

And then one day, you’re picked up and tossed back into the real world and just expected to adapt. ”