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“I guess we’ll never know.”
I bite back another scream as the second one falls.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me. Are you a masochist?” Rainey links an arm around my waist and lifts me, but Tarnley pulls me from her arms as my arm burns with agony.
“Drop. The. Link,” he orders as he cradles me against his chest.
“Get farther into the house, and I will,” I seethe through pain-induced nausea. Number three breaks, the pain radiating through me.
Tarnley gasps. “I felt that.”
“It was a bad one,” I reply as I suck in a pained breath. “I’m not surprised you felt it through the bond.”
He grips Rainey’s arm and lifts her then blurs down the hall. The moment we burst in, I sever the link. Relief is instant but short-lived when I get a look at everyone’s panicked gazes.
Elijah rushes across the hall toward Rainey, scooping her up and kissing her like they’re the last two on earth. I shift my gaze to everyone else, looking to get a final tally and make sure no one is forgotten.
My gaze travels over Winnie, Ivan, Deissy, Felix, Drex, who is holding a pale-faced Magnolia, Delaney, Cole, Fearghas, Eira, Paloma, Harrie, and Ridley.
“What’s next?” Deissy questions.
“We’re going on a little trip.” I move past them, reaching the panel in four long strides. “I want to see why the hell this didn’t open for you first.” I’m just pressing a button to release the panel when the wards fall.
Energy slams into me, shoving me forward. My chin hits the wall, sending fresh pain that’s all my own radiating through my jaw.
“Bronywyn!” Tarnley blurs toward me. “What the hell happened? I thought you broke the link!”
“I did,” I tell him as I sway on my feet.
“They broke through the wards,” Delaney tells him. “They’re coming inside!”
Tarnley grabs my hand to press it against the panel. It slides open, revealing my safe house living room, and we rush inside. Tarnley holds me against his side as we wait for everyone to get in.
“I need to check the panel. See why Magnolia couldn’t open it.”
“We don’t have time,” Tarnley tells me as he slams the door closed and clicks the lock. “Close it. Now.”
Pissed that I won’t have my answer, I focus all my energy on severing the connection. The magic is thick, the spell having been in place for decades.
“Any time now,”Rainey mutters.
“I’m trying,” I tell her as I open my eyes and glare at the metal door that should be wooden. Delaney grabs my hand, offering me a small nod just before her power joins my own. Together, we bring a magical blade down onto the tie and sever it. The doorway ripples, and when it clears, my house and my old life are gone.
I collapse against Tarnley’s hard chest as his arms come around me, and we sink to the floor, completely spent. Every single one of us stumbles to the nearest flat surface and sits. “Everyone okay?”
“Yes,” Delaney replies.
Cracking one eye open, I let my gaze travel around the room at all of the exhausted faces. The only ones left standing are Winnie and Ivan.
“Let’s gather drinks for everyone,” Winnie tells my butler. He bows his head softly, and together, they head for the kitchen.
“Magnolia, are you feeling better?” I ask. With the wards collapsed, the strain should be gone, but hearing her say it will alleviate that stress.
“Getting there,” voice weak, I can barely hear it over the pounding of my own heart. “I tried to open it, I swear. Just like you showed me.”
“I believe you.” The fact that she couldn’t is troublesome, though, because unless someone had direct access to my house, there is no way they could have broken her connection without breaking mine. A ward would have severed both, but since my blood cannot be removed from the system as I created it, it remained. That is proof alone that someone stole the slide with her blood on it, rendering her useless when it came to an escape.
The only question is: Who?
