“She told me she can’t do that. If she were lying, she would have used it sooner.”
“Well, apparently she can now. She’s scared, freaked out. We can only hope she’s home.”
Home would make the distance within the connection make sense. We’re days away from Alberta, which means so much can change between now and then, and nothing less than her coming home with me is acceptable.
“Do you think it’s the black magick?” Holly stands, brushing her hands along ripped, faded jeans. “Maybe she’s developing new abilities. If only she took us with her.”
Carina left because she was frightened and pressured, not because she wanted to leave us behind. She wouldn’t do that to us, and my growl signals my displeasure with Holly, only broken by a crack nearby that puts all three of us on alert.
Holly hovers closest to Conan’s body while Xander remains beside me, tense, as a fourth person steps from the trees, swatting at bugs.
“You guys have no idea how long it’s taken me to find you. To finish your thought, she’s home, yes, and while she didn’t take you with her, she sent me.” Jasper straightens his shirt, flicking off a leaf. I’ve never been more thrilled to see the male I once despised simply for his proximity to Carina.
“Is she okay?”
His brow lifts as he takes in my nudity. “You guys are naked, but alright. Okay is a relative term. She’s scared, but alive, if that’s what you’re asking. She sent me to bring you guys back.”
She cares.It’s enough. It tells me what I need to know.
Jasper scans us, reaching Conan’s body with a low gasp.
“She didn’t tell you?”
“Took off before she could. I take it this is who…her black magick?” He crouches beside Conan and hovers a palm down the length of his body as a faint white light emits. It dries the blood from the wound, and another pass of his hand forms a black cloth draped over him.
Another few seconds pass before he coughs and looks away from Conan. If I didn’t know better, I’d believe true disappointment fills his gaze as it lifts to me. “I’ll hold onto him, you three grab onto my arm. Let’s get you guys home.”
Like before, the ground is replaced with the familiar worn-down grass outside our camp, the Manitoba trees with Albertanones, and the heavy air with the freshness of familiarity and home.
“Holly, go find Conan’s father. He should have a moment alone before the rest learn what’s happened. Xander, take care of the pack.” I turn to Jasper, reaching for him again. “Take me to her.”
He shrugs me off. “That’s not a good idea.”
“I wasn’t asking.”
“Fine, but find clothes first. I’m over you walking around naked.”
Entering the camp will lead to questions I won’t have the patience to answer, so Xander goes and quickly returns with a pair of jeans I slip into.
“No promises,” Jasper mutters as I’m doing up the button. His hand grasps my arm, and the forest disappears for a smaller patch behind Carina’s house. “This is the edge of the barrier on this side and the closest you’ll be able to go.”
Considering I’ve been inside before, we both know that’s false. “I said take metoher.”
“No matter what happened today, no matter that you saved her or you claim she’s your mate, she’s my cousin.I don’t give a fuck if, in your world, mate trumps cousin. In this territory, my word trumps yours. You will wait, and if she wishes to see you, she’ll come to you.”
My jaws snap as I picture ripping his head off for the way he’s not only keeping me from her but disrespecting my position in her life. Yet that shred of human logic remains, aware he’s only doing what Carina needs and deserves. Deep down, the respect I have for him has me straightening and backing away.
After ten minutes of his absence, I pace.
After thirty, I stalk every window in the house visible from here.
After an hour, I sit and wait for as long as it’ll take.
Two hours after Jasper disappeared,steps finally approach—gentler ones that walk alongside the cord connecting her and me. They’re tentative but willing, which is everything.
She appears in sweats, an oversized hoodie, and sneakers. Her arms are crossed tightly over her chest, and her chin is low—like she’s trying to hide from me, which is something I won’t stand for.
“Carina.” Breathed by the dying flame of hope that manages to remain lit—for now.
