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“Don’t touch me,” I warned him, taking a step away. I wasn’t in any hurry to feel the intense burning again.
“We can try touching him,” Estella suggested, wringing her hands together.
I’d bet money that she was feeling the exact same way I was about the Between. Probably stronger since she’d been there longer than I had. It wasn’t a bad place. It was the thought that, while we were there, we were neither dead nor living that made me wary.
Now would have been a good time for the Moon Spirit to show up and tell us exactly what we needed to do.
I waited for a beat, crossing my fingers and praying that the Moon Spirit would hear my pleas and take pity on me. Instead, the sound of a wolf chuckling resounded in my thoughts. ‘You have everything you need. Trust yourself.
Did I? All I had was a malfunctioning arm, my mate who was seconds away from locking me away, a second in command who seemed to be thinking the same thing as my mate, and Estella.
My arm ramped up in the tingling sensation, making the rest of me vibrate.
There’s my sign.
Estella’s suggestion about touching Ledger was as good of an idea as any to try when we didn’t know what the hell we were doing. Winging it sounded good in theory, but not knowing anything else was just icing on the cake.
I took a breath in through my nose then exhaled out of my mouth. If there was a chance to save Ledger, I had to try at the very least. He didn’t deserve any of this. I’d never been his biggest fan, but he was pack and part of my mate’s family. I had to do this.
I stepped toward him, convinced that he would come to his senses at any moment and greet me with a sneer. He didn’t react, but from the corner of my eye, I caught movement.
“Rylan,” I said, warning clear in my tone.
He literally had access to my thoughts. He knew everything that I’d been thinking, and I could feel his reluctant agreement. His instincts were yelling at him to protect me, even from a pack member. This wasn’t ideal, but it needed to be done. So, he could either get on board or keep quiet.
Lifting my left hand, I readied myself to place my palm on Ledger’s head. Estella grabbed my other hand, her touch making my markings ripple, just like the pool had done when we shifted positions.
The closer I got to Ledger, the more intense the vibrating became. I closed my eyes, then with deliberate slowness, placed my hand on his head.
Nothing happened.
I closed my eyes tighter, expecting to feel some sort of zing or spark. Something to let me know that this craziness had worked. I waited a full minute, getting more frustrated with every second that passed. I huffed, annoyed that it wasn’t working and ready to try something else.
But when I opened my eyes, I was met with darkness. I blinked, which told me that my eyes were indeed open. Everything was utter blackness.
Did it work?
It must have. I couldn’t feel anything here. Even my bonds were quiet, like I’d flipped a switch and made everything pause. I wasn’t in a pool, so I knew this wasn’t the Between, but what else could it be?
A sinister chuckle echoed around the space, causing goosebumps to erupt on my skin. My wolf pushed forward, lending me her sight and strength. I stood frozen in place for what felt like an eternity while my heartbeat thundered in my ears. I exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself before I tried to find Estella.
Suddenly, light pulsed from my arm, giving me a quick glimpse at where I was. It appeared to be a tunnel made out of stone. The light receded, turning everything black once more.
I shook my arm, hoping that it would somehow get the light to come back on. Nothing happened. My frustration grew by the second.
My wolf scented the air. ‘This doesn’t smell like a cave.’
I fought the urge to slap my forehead. We were in Ledger’s head, so naturally the tunnel wouldn’t smell like a normal one. I couldn’t explore this place without light, so I lifted my arm and turned my thoughts to the Moon Spirit. We had a connection, and I was ninety-five percent sure that if I reached for it my arm would respond.
The markings flickered. I concentrated, filling my mind with thoughts of the Moon Spirit. I imagined it lending me its light so I could see the space around me. Slowly, my arm began to glow. After several minutes of concentration, it held a solid silvery-white light. I could see the tunnel again but there was no sign of Estella.
With deliberate steps, I walked closer to the tunnel wall. I studied its surface, confirming that it was made of stone. I looked around, finding a dead end behind me while the passage continued forward for several feet. The light from my arm could only reach a certain distance before darkness started again.
There was one way for me to continue. I took a step forward, sucking in a breath when my arm tingled pleasantly. Taking a step back, it stopped.
All right, so my markings were like a compass.
I walked forward, letting the light illuminate the space before continuing. Progress was slow, but after a few minutes of walking and nothing jumping out, my confidence grew.
