An uncomfortable sensation thankfully pulled me from the useless memory. I rubbed at my sternum, wondering if my shadows were throwing a fit at my thoughts. The sensation tugged harder, making me grimace. Suspicious, I lowered my mental barrier to Rune, and her emotions tore into me. Without a thought, I connected with her senses, and the glass in my hand shattered.
Lucille was at the edge of a cliff, fighting—bloody and naked—against Ni. She was a pillar of white flame, consumed by her Glory as she fought off vicious red fire whips. They lashed out, attempting to wrap around her neck but were extinguished on contact.
Get to her!I bellowed at Rune.
She picked up speed. The glowing trees of the Eternal Forest and the dark evergreens of Verdant Forest lined up on either side of her—a runway of shadow and light to the fiery battle at the cliff’s edge.
“Bloodhound?” Lucifer placed a hand on my shoulder.
I ripped myself away from Rune’s senses, and Lucifer came into view in front of me.
“Your daughter is being attacked at Portal Lake,” I snapped, then stormed out. He called after me, but I ignored him. He threw up a wall of ice in my path that I shattered with my shadows.
I had one destination, and nothing was going to stop me.
He wanted me to keep her alive.
This was me keeping her alive.
I luscelered to the nearest roof, manifested my wings, and flew like the Horde of Hell was at my back. Lowering my barriers to the hellion, I let her emotions flow through me, but they were muted. Even her pain, I could barely feel.
I didn’t understand, and my throat tightened.
Did she know about the bond?
Was she blocking me?
I didn’t like not knowing. I didn’t like the nerves that vibrated beneath my skin, insisting I fly faster. I didn’t like that the bond was somehow muted, and I wasn’t controlling it. Even after not wanting it, even after the ways the bond had already pushed me to certain actions, the mere thought of its absence shot a fierce dread into my stomach, forcing my shadows to the surface of my hands. They tightened around my palms, begging me to hurry, my worry eating me alive.
Another sensation ripped at my chest, and I dropped in flight, battling the sudden, unexplainable pain. For a second, I thought I was finally feeling the hellion, but her emotions seemed even more muted.
I put on a burst of speed and reconnected to Rune. She’d reached the line of trees before the large open area leading to the cliff. Growling, she lowered her head and lunged for Ni’s body. A wall of fire burst from the ground, and she slammed her nose into the blistering heat, yelping.
Opening my essence to her, I let her pull from my shadows. She used them to suffocate Ni’s flame enough to breach her wall, only to have a fiery whip come lashing toward her face. Before it landed, a wall of Glory erupted as a shield, stopping Ni’s attack.
And then I felt a sharper pain in my chest, like someone had stabbed me. The hellion’s emotions were nothing but a whisper in my mind.
Look at Lucille!I demanded.
Rune turned her head to the cliff’s edge. Lucille swayed on her feet, dropping to her knees, her eyes fluttering like they couldn’t stay open. She glanced behind her and back to Ni, then down to the ground, frowning at something.
Put Ni down,I ordered Rune, snapping out of our connection just as I cleared the tree line, and Ni slammed a line of fire next to Lucille.
The cliff edge crumbled beneath her, and she plummeted.
My shadows dove for her, racing with a desperation that matched my own. Her unconscious body careened toward the starry black lake, and time seemed to stretch as I watched her fall. My shadows caught her moments before she hit the water, curling around her fragile frame like a protective cloak.
I swept her into my arms, holding her tight to my thundering heart, each beat too fast, too hard.
Her fading warmth intensified the painful tug—and it hit me. This wasn’t the first time I’d felt a pull from the bond. It was just the first time it had brought me pain. I usually kept our bond blocked.
Like when she collapsed after her run and Rune brought her to the infirmary. At the time, I didn’t think anything of the pull. But if I had let my barriers down, I guarantee I would’ve felt a similar agonizing warning.
It was Divine Wasting. She had overused her powers, pushing her body and soul to their limits.
My shadows darted into her nose, frantic to find any way to help as we raced toward Sam. I couldn’t heal, but I could stimulate or suppress parts of her brain. That didn’t mean I could wake her from unconsciousness or ease the agony tearing through my chest.
“You do not get to leave me before I’ve had a chance to know you.” I brushed her wavy hair back with a shaky hand, needing to see her face. “Do you hear me, Hellion? Please, open your eyes.”
