Kazh taps her cane twice. “Again.”
I shoot her a glare, which she challenges with an arched eyebrow. I sigh and close my eyes.
It takes me all but a couple of breaths to steady myself and drop back into my body. The red door appears without much effort and I reach for it immediately. I’m driven by force this time around, marching through it with determination to finally fucking nail it.
That is, until I’m met face-to-face with Lorca wearing Daegel’s face again.
I halt, my heart thundering.
Ready to face the inevitable?Lorca purrs.
No, no, no.
I can’t do this.
Fuck.
Keeping Daegel’s gaze, I retreat backwards, craving the safety that’s on the other side of the damn door.
The darkness presses closer. All hair on the back of my neck rises.
But then something changes.
A steady, familiar presence is behind me all of a sudden, and a warm hand lands on the small of my back, rooting me in place.
Jax.
I’m here. His voice is cool and smooth like spring river water.
His steady heartbeat overlaps with mine, and once I shift my attention to it, my pulse steadies, too. And so does my breathing, just like that night when I couldn’t sleep and he guided me through it.
Without a second thought, I lean into the connection we share.
It gives me steady footing. Calmness settles over me, and when I look at Daegel’s face, for the very first time I feel like I can face it.
The grief.
The guilt.
The darkness is still there around us. But it’s not penetrating my skin, the coldness doesn’t reach deep into the marrow of my bones.
It simply slides over and off me, like water off a feather.
Lorca’s presence is strong, and it’s overpowering.
But I’m strong, too. And I can withstand it, face it, without running away.
Time stills, maybe stops completely.
I don’t feel.
I don’t think.
I simply am.
A steady mountain.
When I blink my eyes open, the grounded feeling remains.
