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.
