22. Chapter Twenty
CHAPTER TWENTY
MAE
I can’t tell how much time has passed since the pack member got injected with wolfsbane. Hours? Minutes?
Rogues have been coming and going, some slapping me and some punching him. I always see them laugh as they beat us, somehow finding enjoyment out of the pain they are inflicting. I tried to crawl to see what’s around us a little bit earlier, but the pack member shook his head vigorously, so I sat down.
I feel horrible that I can’t do anything. I want to try and help get us out of here, but I’m finding it impossible to gather any useful information. I feel pretty helpless being untrained and kind of being responsible for not only myself but for this other pack member. Every time I consider saving myself, I keep worrying about what will happen to the pack member if I do get away. Would he be hurt to the brink of death? Would they kill him right off the bat?
There’s no way I’m going to allow that to happen. He doesn’t deserve to die.
I look back at the pack member’s hands. They look sore from how they are positioned. They’re just barely touching his head, but he can move them a little.
His fingers move a bit, and I look at them intently. He has tried to communicate with me before, but I didn’t understand anything.
He points his finger at his head before moving it back and forth. What’s he trying to say? He continues to point at his head, and then moves his finger back and forth. Nothing’s making sense.
I look into his eyes and point at my head. He nods and smiles. So, he wants to say head. I shake my finger back and forth above my head, not understanding what he’s trying to get at.
He shakes his head, and his eyes move down some before looking back at my hand and moving down. I slowly move my hand down to my chest area and look at his hands. He’s making the motion of ‘do it again’ so I do
I point to my head before moving my hand and moving my finger back and forth. He nods his head and smiles again. What does he mean? Head together? That doesn’t make any sense at all.
I look at the dirt and write ‘head together’, and he shakes his head. Okay, that’s obviously wrong. Looking at his fingers again, the man moves his head and points to the side several times.
Mind together? I write on the ground.
He holds up one finger and nods his head before holding up two and shaking his head. Okay, so the first word was right, and the second one was wrong.
I clench my jaw, and I think about what word he’s trying to depict with the second motion. It doesn’t make sense at all.
I look at his fingers again, and he holds up two fingers, and then makes a talking motion with his hand. My eyes widen as it dawns on me.
Mind link? I write.
He nods his head and points at me. My mouth hangs open as I realize what he’s saying. I can mind link people. They didn’t inject me with wolfsbane, which means I’m free to mind link.
I quickly wipe away the words and nod my head. Okay, I can do this. I’ve mind linked Michael plenty of times before with no problem. Why would I have a problem now? I get worried because every single time I have mind linked Michael, we were near each other in the pack grounds, but this time, I have no idea how far apart we are. Will it work the same?
I have no clue, but it’s worth a try. Maybe we can get out of here if it works.
I close my eyes and take several deep breaths. I won’t be able to do anything if I’m panicking. After a few seconds, I open my eyes and try to think about mind linking Michael.
But as I try to mind link him, I get nothing in return. Is it going through? Am I doing it right?
I start to get frustrated with myself. Why can’t I do this? It should come naturally for me. I did this all the time with my parents and now with Michael. Why is it so hard now? Did the rogues inject me with wolfsbane when I passed out? Is it still in my system?
Looking over at the pack member, he gives me an encouraging smile. I need to try again. He’s depending on me to mind link Michael and communicate with him. They need to find us because I have no clue what the rogues have in store for us.
Are they going to kill us soon? Are they going to torture us first? Or are they planning on keeping us alive for years, torturing us, and moving us from place to place so the pack can’t find us?
There are so many possibilities, and I don’t want any of them to be true. I want Michael and the pack to find us, and fast. I want to spend the rest of my life with him, growing old together.
Taking another deep breath, I clear my mind and try again.
“ Michael?” I mind link him.
I wait a couple of seconds, hoping and praying he’ll answer me. Right as I’m about to try again, he speaks.
“ Mae? Is that you?”
“Michael!”
Tears pool in my eyes, and I blink several times, trying to get them to go away. I don’t need any attention on me. What if a rogue walks by and wonders why I’m crying? What if they inject me with wolfsbane and I can’t tell Michael where we are?
“ Mae. Are you all right? Is Peter all right?”
So that’s his name.
“ We’re both all right. He’s gotten injected with wolfsbane, but I haven’t. Please, find us. They’re hurting us.”
“Where are you in their camp? Our scouts haven’t been able to find you.”
They sent scouts?
“ I don’t know. There are tents surrounding us, and that’s all I know.”
I’m frustrated with myself. I don’t know anything else but the very basics.
“ Peter is tied up, but I’m not. I’m scared to move and look around. Rogues walk by us all the time”.
“I don’t want you to move around. You stay right where you are.”
I let out the breath I was holding. I don’t know what I would do if he asked me to go look around. Probably tell him no because I don’t want to get hurt.
“ Let me see through your eyes.”
“How?”
I’ve never heard of mates being able to look through the other person's eyes.
“ Everything’s going to be all right. I just need to see so I can try and figure out where you are on the map we’ve made. If I can see what you’re seeing, then when I come for you, I can find you fast.”
I nod my head. Like Michael can see me nod my head, I chuckle to myself.
“ Mae?”
“Okay. But how do I do it? I’ve never done this before. I don’t know anything.”
My parents never talked about this. Maybe they didn’t know they could do it.
“ You’re okay. You just let me do the work. Close your eyes and feel the bond between us. When I tell you to open your eyes, open them, and I’ll be able to see.”
“O-okay.”
“Just so you know, you’ll be able to see what’s right in front of me. I don’t want you to be shocked when you see Xavier, Rylee, and some of the pack warriors.”
I stay silent and try to wrap my mind around everything that’s about to happen. It’s a lot to take in in such a short amount of time.
“ Are you ready? Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, just overwhelmed, tired, and in pain.”
“I’m sorry. After this, I hope to get to you soon.”
“I’m ready.”
I take a deep breath in and close my eyes, focusing on the bond between us. It’s like I’m reaching out to it, grasping on and holding it tight.
“ Open.”
Opening my eyes, the first thing I see is Xavier standing, looking directly at me, or well, Michael’s body. It really startles me. I want to yell, but I keep quiet. Is it the same with our voices? Would he make a noise if I wanted him to?
I don’t want to find out. I have no desire to find out in this situation. What if it isn’t true, and I make a weird noise, catching one of the rogue’s attention?
I take several deep breaths and try to stay as calm as possible. It’s so weird to see out of his eyes, to see everyone around him.
“ You’re okay. Just a couple more seconds,” he mind links me.
Before I know it, it’s over, and I can see right in front of me. It’s amazing that we can do that, but also a little freaky. Can everyone do it or is it just us? It has to be everyone because we aren’t a special pair.
“ I know where you are. We’re going to get to you. Just hold on for a little longer.”
“I love you,” I whisper through the mind link.
I had to say it in case something happens and I never see him again. I need him to know that I love him.
“ I love you, too. Just hold on for me.”