Almost there. Just a little further.
The threads suddenly snapped into focus, and for one perfect moment, I saw it. The stone chamber. I smelled damp earth and human sweat. Alex was bound in the center, red threads of Marcus's magic wrapped around him like a cocoon, and I suddenly knew where he was...
A place between worlds. A dimension built from magic so old I couldn't even comprehend it.
A pocket realm.
Marcus's realm.
Triumph surged through me for exactly two seconds before the vision shattered.
The backlash hit me like a physical blow. I was thrown backward on the bed, threads exploding in all directions, magic lashing out wildly. My nose started bleeding. My hands shook so badly I could barely wipe the blood away.
And underneath it all, the silver thread that connected me to Elias pulled tight. Demanding. Insistent.
Calling me back to him.
NO.
I forced myself to stand even though my legs felt like water. To breathe through the nausea churning in my gut. I found Alex. I had his location. Sort of. That's what mattered. Not the pain. Not the way my power was still crackling unstably under my skin. Not the way every cell in my body was screaming at me to go find Elias.
I stumbled to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, washing away the blood. My reflection in the mirror looked like death. Hollow-eyed and ghostly-pale, with dark shadows carved beneath my eyes as though someone'd been slowly excavating me from the inside out. My hair was a wild mess, little wisps floating with residual static from the power surge. Another drop of blood escaped my nostril, a stark red contrast against my ashen skin.
I gripped the edge of the sink and closed my eyes as I tried to steady my breathing. The silver thread tugged at my chest again, harder this time, and I had to lock my knees to keep from following it.
I didn't need him. I found Alex on my own. I could handle this on my own.
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.
Because the truth was, without Elias, my power was out of control. Without his steadying presence, I was tearing myself apart trying to use abilities I barely understood. I followed the threads without knowing what I was doing, and it cost me. I felt it in the tremors that wouldn't stop, in the way my magic kept sparking erratically, in the headache that was still building behind my eyes like a storm.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I ignored it. It buzzed again. And again.
Finally, I grabbed it.
Six missed texts from Kenya. My stomach dropped.
Talin, please tell me you're okay. Elias just barged into my room looking like he's seen a ghost. What happened?
I stared at the message. What was I supposed to say? That I let her coven-mate bite me during a makeout session? That I was now apparently fated to a vampire who ran away the second he realized what I was to him?
That I was falling apart without him near me and I hated myself for it?
I typed out a response.
I'm fine. Just need some space.
The lie was automatic. Easy. I'd been telling versions of it my whole life.
Kenya responded immediately.
Are you sure? I can come over. We can talk.
I almost laughed. Talk about what? About how I was defective? About how the universe had decided to play a cruel joke by giving me a mate who was everything I'd ever wanted and nothing I could keep?
Not now. Working on finding Alex
.
