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CASSIAN
“Emily!”
What remained of the cottage was engulfed in flames, and I prayed to the gods, the divine, or whatever higher force there was that Emily was not in that cottage.
“Emily,” we called out repeatedly, hoping that just once, we’d hear her call our names back.
Ember sat on the ground and closed her eyes, probably using her psychic ability to channel Emily’s location. Was it possible? Hell, if I knew. All I could do was hope it worked.
Griffin and I separated, searching around opposite sides of the cottage, coming as close to the fire as we could without getting burned. We circled around, shrugging as we met back at the front.
“Can you feel her bond?” he asked, eyes pleading with me to say yes.
But all I could do was shake my head, because the connection I felt was faint, and I couldn’t tell if that was because she was weak or far away.
“I think she’s alive, somewhere close by,” he said, jerking his head in every direction, squinting into the forest. “I can barely feel her bond, but it’s there.”
“She isn’t dead,” Ember said, startling me as she appeared behind my back. “I didn’t see her in the void.”
Griffin cocked his head to the side, his eyes searching mine for any explanation of the void. I was just as clueless, so I asked, “What’s the void?”
Her eyebrows creased and she sighed, almost hesitant to explain it. “I call it the void, but it’s basically a spiritual plane in which I can speak to the dead. Maybe it’s limbo or an afterlife, I don’t know. But when I meditate, I can reach out to those souls. Emily wasn’t there, which leads me to believe she’s still alive.”
“So, if she isn’t in the fire, then where is she?” Griffin asked, stepping closer to the trees.
I absently followed him, too consumed with Ember’s talk of the void. Was that where I was when I was knocked out? I’d have to ask her more about the void, but later. Finding Emily was my top priority.
Griffin stopped at the tree line, shielding his eyes from the growing sun as he looked around. “It’s like I can feel her close to me, but I don’t see her.”
“I know what you mean,” I answered. Our bond tugged at me, like an itch I couldn’t scratch. She was close, I could feel it. Her presence was much stronger than before. But where the hell was she? “She must be here somewhere.”
“What if we—Ah! Holy shit!” Griffin screamed and jumped up. His legs were swept out from under him, and he hit the ground.
I jerked around, growling at the expected threat—but nothing was there!
“Look!” Ember shouted, pointing to a vine wrapped around Griffin’s leg. She followed it to the woods, where we heard a low groan.
Underneath a pile of brush and tree limbs was a chunk of blonde hair poking out. I rushed forward, my heart hammering through my chest like the beating of a war drum. Relief flooded me but was tainted by a dread of anticipation.
What if she was hurt?
What if she didn’t make it through?
I peeled away the layers of twigs and vines, leaves and limbs, unveiling her bits at a time, like a puzzle slowly being revealed. Once we got enough weight from the brush off Emily to lift her out, we slowly pulled her up from the dirt—Griffin on one side and me on the other. Ember helped pull up her legs until she was able to stand, but barely.
She couldn’t walk, so I told Griffin to let go, hoisted her limp body into my arms, and carried her to the truck. Griffin opened the back seat and climbed inside, helping me to slide Emily into the back seat. Her head rested on his lap, his fingers brushing the hair from her face, sweeping off the dirt from her cheek and shoulders.
I should’ve felt jealous—and hell, a part of me did—but more so, I felt relief. My wolf was pleased that Emily would be in safe hands while I drove to the nearest motel. Sure, it may be Griffin’s hands, which drove me crazy on the inside, but I knew that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her, so I allowed myself to focus on driving while replaying the morning’s events in my head.
When we pulled up to the motel, I got us a single room with two double beds. The front counter employee stared at us with skepticism as we carried a nearly unconscious girl to the room, but Griffin shrugged and said she drank too much. The woman nodded, as if she’d seen it plenty of times. And considering this was a cheap motel on the side of the road, I’m sure she had.
I laid Emily on the bed, and she slowly raised her head, propping herself up on her elbows, wincing from the movement. The bed dipped down beside her as Ember wrapped her arm around Emily, who rested her head on Ember’s lap.
“I know you’re exhausted and wounded,” Ember said, brushing her fingers through the tangles in Emily’s hair, picking out pieces of twigs and leaves. “But do you think you can tell us what happened?”
I sat on the bed opposite them while Griffin stood at the foot of her bed as Emily explained what had happened.
“She said we could go away to her grandmother’s cottage, and have a girl’s night. Said she’d text Ember on the road so she could meet up with us in the morning.”
