Page 171 of Vengeance of the Gods

It was Death’s claws, dragging from the depths of his own mind. Bridger nearly broke his neck tripping out of bed to extinguish the small fire glowing in the corner of the room.

Panting, Bridger stomped the fire out. When it was nothing but smoke, turned around, expecting to see Vega staring at him…

But she wasn’t. Her body convulsed instead.

She was stuck inside herself again, but this time she wasn’t screaming out for help down their bond.

“It’s me. You’re okay.” Bridger slid a shield over his skin, not wanting to get electrocuted again.

“You’re okay,” he repeated as the light clicked on and Vega came to.

She sank into his chest, her body limp as she concentrated on her breathing.

Bridger wrapped her up in his arms, pulling her into his lap seconds before the door shuddered under Khort’s terror.

“What’s happening, Dimico?” he yelled.

Bridger allowed his power to unlock the door, and Khort and Arlet clamored in, freshly woken from sleep.

Arlet stared blankly. Khort looked around the room, noting the still smoking spot in the corner.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Nightmare,” Vega said through chattering teeth.

Calling it a nightmare didn’t feel right. Nightmare wasn’t big enough, scary enough. What Vega was experiencing inside her head with the gods she would deliver to the underworld, was something Bridger knew most couldn’t handle.

Fuck. Fuck! FUCK!

On the inside, Bridger was flipping tables and shredding Vincere to the ground, but on the outside, he barely blinked, keeping Vega against his chest until she signaled to let go.

She clung to him like her life depended on it.

His best friend was dead, and the girl he loved was on her way to losing control—on her way to becoming something none of them would recognize again.

But this time it would be so much fucking worse.

“I-I ne-nee—” Vega stuttered.

“Get out,” he told the others, scooping Vega up as he stood..

“What’s happening to her, Bridger?” Khort reached for Bridger’s shoulder, but he never made contact.

With nothing but the power of his shields, Bridger shoved Khort across the room and pinned him to the wall. “I said get out of my room.” He hurried to the bathroom and reached into the shower to turn the hot water on, but then looked over his shoulder. “Later.”

He slammed the bathroom door in their faces.

Fully clothed, he stepped Vega into the shower.

Somehow, they continued to end up in the shower together… It was mainly used by Bridger as a well-known tactic to calm her down—or bring her back to reality when she needed it.

“Bri-dg-g-er.” She shivered against his chest. “I-I’m f-f-fi-ine.”

“No, you’re freezing.” He held her under the water, desperate to warm her up.

“So h-hot inside.”

The fire.