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The demon didn’t seem to be weakening, but my arms ached and the tie to Dastien was on fire. It was too much power for the little thread. I was going to burn it to ashes if I pulled much harder.
The pack bonds weren’t doing much better. They were glowing, but I could feel them weakening. It was only a matter of time and I wasn’t getting any closer to breaking free from the demon’s hold.
Which meant I was losing and I was out of ideas. I was out of time. The splinters in the table dug into my fingertips and it moaned. The whole thing was about to shatter. There was going to be nothing left to hold on to.
I gathered all the power the pack had sent me. It was time to use it. The demon might’ve been strong, but he’d made one mistake. He’d told me that there was a tie between us, and if there was a tie, then all I had to do was break it.
“Find the tie. Break it. Kill it dead. Find the tie. Break it. Kill it dead. Find the tie…” I said it over and over until I was hoarse and out of breath. The pack’s powers were waning and I hadn’t found it.
Why hadn’t I found it?
“Because it’s a part of you. You’ll never be rid of our tie, Teresa.” He drew out my name, spending to much time on the s. I never knew the sound of my own name could terr
ify me so much, but as he spoke I realized a few things.
He was right.
This was hopeless.
And by using the pack’s power, I was going to drag them down with me.
A sob finally broke free. I’d fought so hard for so long and I’d been happy. It’d been an insane few months, but with Dastien, I’d found true happiness. Never in a million years would I have thought that I’d find happiness and a home in a school for werewolves, but I had. I’d found friends. Power. And love. So much love. I thought I could hold on to that forever. But I couldn’t.
My heart felt like it’d been turned to stone and then pulverized until all that was left were tiny grains of sand slipping out of me.
I didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want to die. I wanted a lifetime with Dastien. That house on our land. Travel and adventure and dancing and laughing and everything else that came our way.
Please, God. If you can hear me, help. I said a prayer, but there was no answer.
Only the demon’s taunting laugh.
I started to let go, giving the pack back what was theirs, but a wave of reassurance crashed through the bond. Not just the bond to Dastien, but to the pack. More power surged through.
Stop! I yelled through the lines of the pack bonds. I wasn’t sure if they’d hear me, but I had to try. I can’t beat him. I don’t want to drain you, too. I rested my head on the table. I love you, I sent through my bond to Dastien. I started to relax my grip.
No!
I raised my head. Dastien? I clamped down on the table. The splinters cut into my hands, but I wasn’t letting go. Not now.
Claudia is working on something to help.
A seed of hope sprouted. If Claudia was helping, then I had a shot. I grabbed what the pack was offering. The power grew, and I realized it was more than just my pack now.
The table groaned. It was going to shatter any second. Tell her to hurry! I can’t hold on much longer!
Then it was like there was too much of everything. Too much air. Too much pressure. Hot liquid dripped down my face. The copper scent of blood filled the air, with undertones of pine and something so familiar I—
Dastien’s blood.
On the count of three, let go of the table. Crash into the demon. Dastien’s voice echoed in my head. I didn’t know how he knew what was happening here, but I wasn’t going to think about it too hard.
But his plan was crazy. No! I can’t let go. There’s a vortex around him. If I touch him, I’m worse than dead. They had to have another plan. One that didn’t involve me going to Hell and having the demon use my magic.
Trust us. Claudia says you need to touch him to break his hold on you. But it has to be timed.
Timed? I wasn’t sure what he meant, but it didn’t matter. No. There has to be another way. If you’re wrong—
He was quiet, and I could almost hear him thinking again. Claudia says she’s not wrong. You’re my other half and I wouldn’t tell you to do something unless I knew it would work. Please, trust me. When I say, let go.
