Chapter 20
Elias
The thread between us stretched taut and screaming, a silver line pulled so thin with tension it felt ready to snap.
I stood on Judy's porch, my hand raised to knock, Talin's misery on the other side of the door pulsing within me, adding to my own. The same desperate ache that'd been eating me alive since she walked out of my room.
I'd spent hours cleaning my room, then I'd moved on to the rest of the house.
Scrubbing bathrooms that didn't need cleaning, reorganizing bookshelves that were already perfect, rearranging furniture in the common areas of the house.
Wrestling with my pride while the woman I loved suffered on the other side of the city when she should've been resting and preparing herself for what she had to do tonight.
Stupid. We were both so bloody stupid.
Maybe me more so than her.
I knocked.
The door opened immediately. Angel stood there, her bright red hair making her pale face look drawn. Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned against the doorframe as she eyed me up and down. "You're late," she finally said.
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"My cousin looks like she's been crying all night."
I didn't say anything. There was nothing I could say to defend myself.
She studied me a moment longer with those sharp hazel eyes, then stepped aside. "Living room. Everyone's waiting."
Taking a deep breath, I followed Angel down the hall, my hands flexing at my sides. Every instinct screamed at me to find Talin, pull her into my arms and apologize over and over until she forgave me for being a fucking bastard.
But I wasn't sure how this reunion was gonna go. I'd ordered her to leave. I'd let my fear and anger speak louder than my love. And I wouldn't blame her at all if she wanted to punish me a bit for my temper, because I deserved it.
The living room was crowded. Killian stood near the window with Lizzy pressed against his side.
Jamal leaned against the mantle, his dark eyes tracking my entrance before darting to Angel, who walked right behind me.
Brogan and Esme occupied the loveseat, their hands intertwined.
And Dae-Jung hovered near Alice, who sat in an armchair looking pale and exhausted.
And poor Kenya, she sat perched on the edge of the couch, her hands trembling in her lap. She looked so much worse than she had last night. Gaunt. Hollow-eyed. Her smooth, dark skin ashen as she barely held herself together. This had to work tonight, or we were gonna lose her. And soon.
And there, in the far corner near Judy's massive oak bookshelf, stood Talin.
She didn't look at me. Her gaze was fixed on something across the room, her jaw tight, her shoulders rigid. But through the bond, I felt everything. The misery. The longing. The fear that I'd never forgive her for what she'd said.
Gods, I was a fool.
"Elias." Judy's voice cut through the tension. She stood in the center of the room, her blue eyes sharp. "Good. We can begin."
I never took my eyes from Talin as she glanced in my direction. Our eyes met for a fraction of a second before she looked away.
The thread between us pulsed. I couldn't see it. But I felt it. Like an extra heartbeat in the center of my chest.
"Okay, let's go over this one last time," Judy said.
"Four binding points. Four teams. You strike simultaneously on my signal.
" She gestured to the map spread across her coffee table, marked with four glowing sigils.
"Angel and Jamal, you have St. Louis Cemetery Number One.
The binding point is in the center mausoleum, the one with the iron gate. "
Angel nodded, her face grim. Jamal's hand found hers.
"Alice and Dae-Jung take City Park. The binding point is at the heart of the oak grove, beneath the oldest tree." Judy's gaze lingered on Alice. "You'll feel the djinn magic more there. Don't let it overwhelm you."
Ah, that's why Judy had changed their locations. Alice was the strongest witch besides herself.
"I won't." Alice's voice was steady, but her hands twisted together in her lap.
Dae shifted closer to her, silently promising to keep her safe.
"Lizzy and Killian have the French Quarter riverfront.
The binding point is in the old warehouse on Decatur, the one that's been abandoned since Katrina.
" Judy's expression softened slightly when she looked at the niece she'd only just recently gotten back.
"Be careful. That location is the most exposed. "
Killian's arm tightened around Lizzy. "Nothing will happen to her."
"Brogan and Esme." Judy turned to them. "The Ninth Ward warehouse. That binding point is in the basement, surrounded by water damage and structural instability. Watch your footing."
Brogan inclined his head. "We'll handle it."
"Which leaves Elias and Talin here." Judy's gaze moved between us, and I had a feeling she could see way more than either of us wanted her to.
I wondered if Talin had talked to her before I'd arrived.
I hoped so. There were still bad feelings there that needed to be cleared up before they festered and rotted into something that couldn't be repaired.
"Talin will thread-walk into Marcus's pocket dimension from my living room.
I'll set up the ritual circle." Judy's voice dropped.
"It'll be more complex than anything we've attempted.
Talin will need every ounce of power she can channel, and Elias—" She looked at me.
"You'll need to keep her tethered to this world no matter what Marcus throws at her. "
"I will," I promised her, my eyes on Talin.
This time, she wouldn't look at me.
"Kenya will also stay here," Judy continued. "Her bond to Alex might help pull him back once Talin reaches him."
Kenya nodded, tucking her shaking hands between her thighs. "Whatever it takes."
"Good." Judy straightened. "Once the binding points are disrupted, you'll have maybe ten minutes—maybe less—before the pocket dimension either stabilizes or collapses entirely. Talin must find Alex and get out before that happens."
"And if she doesn't?" Lizzy's voice was quiet but steady.
Judy's expression went carefully blank. "Then we'll lose them both."
"We won't let that happen." Killian broke the sudden silence. "Everyone knows their roles. We have thirty minutes before the moon is at its highest point."
The room erupted into motion. Couples moved toward each other, exchanging quiet words. Judy disappeared down the hall, presumably to gather materials for the ritual circle.
I stayed where I was, my gaze locked on Talin, who also stayed where she was.
Kenya walked slowly after Judy and the others began to file out. Within minutes, only Talin and I remained in the living room, the silence between us so loud it made my ears ring.
"Talin—"
"Don't." She held up a hand, still not looking at me. "Not now."
"We need to talk about what happened."
"After." Her voice was strained. "After this is over, we can talk."
"I think we should talk now." I took a step toward her.
She shook her head, finally meeting my eyes. The pain in hers nearly destroyed me. "Not now. I need to focus, Elias."
"At least allow me to apologize for being a horrific bastard."
She wrapped her arms around herself, the defensive gesture hitting me right in the gut. "Please, Elias. I can't…I can't do this right now. I can't fall apart before I've even started. So please, just... let it wait."
Every instinct I had screamed against it. I couldn't leave things broken between us when she was about to walk into hell itself. But I ground my teeth together and kept my mouth shut.
"All right." I moved back to my corner. "After."
"After," she echoed, relief and pain warring in her expression.
Judy returned carrying an armload of candles, chalk, and what looked like bones. "Make yourselves useful," she said, nodding toward the furniture. "Everything needs to be pushed against the walls."
We worked in silence. Talin took one end of the couch, I took the other. We moved Judy's coffee table, her armchairs, her ottoman. The whole time, we avoided each other's eyes, avoided touching, avoided everything except the work.
The thread between us screamed in agony.
Kenya came in from the hallway, her cell phone in her hand. "They're all in position," she said quietly. "Judy, they're ready when you are."
"Good." Reaching a hand toward me, Judy knelt in the center of the now-empty floor with my assistance and began drawing.
Circles within circles, runes and sigils I didn't recognize, lines of power that glowed faintly as her chalk touched wood.
"Kenya, place the candles there, there, there, and there.
" She pointed to each spot. "Talin, I need three drops of your blood at each cardinal point. "
Talin moved to comply, producing a small knife from her pocket. I watched her prick her finger, watched crimson drops fall onto Judy's chalk lines. Each one made the symbols flare brighter.
Gods. Even those tiny drops made my fangs ached and the back of my throat burn.
"Elias." Judy didn't look up from her work. "You'll sit here." She indicated a spot at the circle's northern point. "Talin sits across from you there. Kenya will be at the eastern point. I'll be at the west."
I took my position, sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor. Talin took hers, our eyes meeting across three feet of ritual space that might as well have been miles. "How am I supposed to keep her grounded if I can't touch her?"
Judy ignored my question—and my scowl—and continued drawing, her movements precise and practiced as she told us what each symbol meant.
The circle grew more complex with each passing minute.
Layers of protection, channels for power, anchoring points that would keep Talin's consciousness tethered to this world while she walked between dimensions…
the circle grew and grew until it covered most of the floor.