Chapter 20 #2
Kenya lit the last candle, then sank into her spot with a grateful sigh. "I really hope this works."
Judy stood, surveying her work. The circle pulsed with power, intricate and beautiful and terrifying in its complexity.
"This is it," she said quietly. "Once we begin, there's no stopping.
The binding points will be disrupted simultaneously, and Talin will have minutes to find Alex and pull him back. "
"Marcus will try to interfere," I told her, hating how strained my voice sounded. "That doesn't give her much time."
"Of course he will." Judy's blue eyes were hard. "But that's why you're here. We're counting on you to keep our girl safe and bring her home to us."
My eyes met Talin's. "We've always been touching before," I said.
"Always. I need to be touching her." I honestly didn't know if that was true, but I'd feel a hell of a lot better if I could feel her hands in mine at the very least. Maybe it was only an illusion that made me think I could physically pull her back if I needed to.
And maybe I was a fucking idiot to think I could just yank her mind from another dimension by touching some part of her body. But this just didn't feel right to me.
"You can't follow her this time, Elias. You're good where you are." Judy pulled out her phone. "I'm sending the signal. Everyone will strike in three minutes."
Judy picked up a bowl that looked like it was filled with salt and very carefully, without touching any of the chalk markings, poured it around the edge of the circle .
I still didn't like this, but there wasn't much I could do. "You okay?" I asked Kenya.
She nodded, her breathing quick and shallow, but there was nothing I could say or do to make her feel better about all of this either.
Talin sat across from me, her green eyes haunted as she finally—finally!—focused on me.
"After this is over," I said quietly, "we'll have all the time in the world. You and me."
Her green eyes grew shiny with tears. "I'm sorry, Elias. For what I said. For—"
"After," I interrupted gently. "Remember? Fight now. Apologize later."
A ghost of a smile touched her lips. "Yeah. Later."
"One minute," Judy said sharply.
Our eyes held.
Judy took her place at the western point, completing the compass. "Hands on the floor," she instructed. "Palms flat. Let the circle protect your power."
We obeyed. The moment my hands touched wood, I felt the pull of the ritual, drawing energy from each of us. It was kind of creepy, but no creepier than Talin taking me along on her threadwalks.
"Here we go," Judy said. She began to chant words I didn't understand, her voice growing louder and stronger with every repetition.
Kenya's eyes slid closed, her lips moving silently. Calling to her mate through the bond that connected them.
Talin's breathing slowed, deepened. I watched her slip into that in-between state, her consciousness already reaching for the threads only she could see this time.
The circle pulsed brighter.
"Ten seconds," Judy said between chants. "Nine. Eight."
I closed my eyes, reaching for Talin through our bond.
At first I couldn't find her, like there was some kind of block between us, and my pulse began to race wildly. But then…there! There she was. My breathing calmed as her warm presence flowed over my body and she opened to me.
"Three. Two."
I opened my eyes. And watched.
Talin's eyes opened, but they weren't seeing this room anymore. Silver light poured from them—the threads visible even to me now—a massive web of connections spreading out from this circle to encompass the entire city.
"One. Now!"
The world exploded into light.
As four binding points shattered simultaneously across New Orleans, I felt each one shake the protective circle we were in.
And through it all, Talin's consciousness launched itself into the space between dimensions, following Alex's electric blue thread into Marcus's pocket realm.
She gasped, her body going rigid.
Reaching out with every electric pulse in my body, I mentally grabbed our thread—the silver line connecting us—and held on for dear life.
The circle flared so bright I had to close my eyes against it. And when I opened them, Talin was gone.
Physically fucking gone.
"Talin!" I tried to move toward the spot where I'd last seen her, but Judy threw her hand out.
"Don't break the circle," she shouted. "Pull her back through the bond, not physically. Use your connection!"
Right. It was hard, but I stopped fighting, and instead poured everything I had into our thread. Into the mate bond that tied us together.
Come back to me, I sent down the bond. I've got you. I won't let you go.
"What's she doing?" Judy demanded.
"I don't know," I seethed. "I can't see her!"
"You need to find her, Elias!"
"I can't fucking see her!"
The house shook.
Kenya screamed, doubling over in pain. "Alex!"
"Talin, get Alex and get out," I ordered, putting every ounce of command I had into my voice. "Now."
Her voice came to me in echoes, and I didn't know if everyone could hear her or if it was just in my head.
I can't reach him. Elias, we have to stop the ritual or—
Another tremor. Stronger this time. Plaster dust rained from the ceiling.
Oh gods…
"Talin?!"
She spoke so softly I could barely hear her.
He's using me. He's been using me all this time.
I told Judy what she'd said. "What the fuck does that mean?"
"He's trying to merge our dimensions," Judy said in awe. "Of course. That's how he's going to do it."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I practically roared, but Judy just started chanting louder.
"She needs to sever his connection," I said through gritted teeth. "Can't she just cut the thread anchoring him to that dimension?"
Yessss… Talin's voice was only a whisper of sound now as it ricocheted around my head.
"No!" Judy shouted. Her face went pale. "Damn it! I don't know. I don't know." Then she shook her head. "No. She's still in there. She'll be trapped with Alex."
"No." The word came out flat. Final. There was no way in hell that was happening. "Not acceptable. There has to be another way."
There isn't. Talin's voice was barely a whisper, but I heard her clear enough. Through the bond. Through the air. Through every particle of space between us. Alex can escape. I have him. I'll send him out first. You can all escape.
"And you?" I already knew the answer, but I needed to hear her say it.
Elias...
"Then you're not fucking doing it, Talin."
I felt more than heard her sigh. It's the only way to save everyone else.
"I don't care about everyone else." The words ripped from somewhere deep and primal. "I care about you."
Elias… I'm sorry…I love you…
"No." I held our thread so tight it started to burn through my fist. "You don't get to sacrifice yourself. Not for Alex, not for this city, not for anyone. Do you understand me? I just found you. I'm not losing you before we've even had a chance."
"What is she saying?" Kenya asked, and I told her.
The house shook again. Harder this time. Something crashed in another room.
Judy was mumbling to herself. "Something's not right. Something's missing…there has to be another anchor point," Judy said, her mind clearly racing. "Something else holding the dimension stable. If we can find it—"
There is. Talin's voice went hollow. Me. I'm the second anchor.
"What?"
When I threadwalked into Marcus's realm, when I connected to it directly... She paused.
"Talin?"
She didn't answer.
Talin!! This time the scream was in my head.
He bound part of my power there, she continued like nothing had happened. Used it to stabilize the dimension. He wanted me to come. I've never been the solution. I was always part of his trap. That's why it's so easy for me to find it now.
Her raw, unfiltered anguish wrapped around my guts, tightening with every breath until I could feel it tearing my insides apart. I felt wetness on my cheeks and burning my eyes, but I couldn't lift my hands from the floor.
"Come back," I told her. "Right now. I don't care if the fucking dimensions collapse or expand or turn themselves inside out. You have to come back."
If I do that, everyone dies. He'll kill everyone we love. Everyone in this city. Maybe everyone in the world.
"I. Don't. Care." Each word came out separate and brutal. "Let it all fucking burn. I'm not losing you."
You have to.
"Like hell."
Elias… I'm already lost…
"NO!" The shout echoed through the house. Through the bond. Through every thread connected to this moment. "You don't get to make this choice alone. YOU. ARE. MINE. So if you stay in that dimension, then I'm coming with you."
You can't—
"Watch me." I started to rise, to break Judy's circle and follow Talin into whatever hell she'd walked into.
"Elias, stop!" Judy's power slammed into me, forcing me back down. "You break this circle and she dies for sure. You're her anchor. Without you, she has no way back at all."
"Then tell me how to fucking save her." I rounded on the High Priestess, my fangs fully extended, my control shredding. "Tell me how to pull her out of Marcus's trap without letting everyone die."
"I don't know." Judy looked lost. "I don't know."
The house shook again.
And through the bond, I felt Marcus's laughter, cold and triumphant, as he watched his trap finally spring closed.