My mind was struggling to catch up. “I nearly died?” The words felt foreign in my mouth, like they didn’t belong to me.
Sean and Jackson exchanged a glance, the worry etched deep in their expressions. “You don’t remember the hypothermia?” Sean asked, his voice gentle but carrying an edge of seriousness.
The memories hit me like a sudden wave, crashing over me with a cold, sharp clarity. The freezing air, the numbness creeping through my body, the overwhelming fear. My heart kicked up its pace, pounding against my ribs.
“Caden!” I gasped, instant terror surging through me. “Where’s Caden?”
“Emma, calm down,” Sean urged, stepping closer, his tone low and soothing, though I could see the alarm tightening his features. “We’ll tell ye everything ye want to know, but ye still need to pace yerself.”
Without thinking, I threw off the blankets and scrambled to get out of bed, my movements frantic and uncoordinated.
“Whoa, where do ye think yer gong?” Sean’s question snapped through the haze, as he reached for me, holding me back.
“Where is Caden?” I demanded harshly, but my hands shook as I tried to steady myself, and the room started to spin.
Sean’s expression darkened, rubbing at the back of his neck. “He’s not back yet.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut.
“What do you mean he’s not back yet? What are you saying? You left him in that mountain?” I roared, still dizzy as hell and trying not to fall on my ass as I did.
Sean rolled his eyes, though the stiffness in his posture was undeniable. “Dial down the dramatics, will ye? And sit yer ass down, or I’ll make ye.”
I clenched my jaw, then sat on the edge of my bed, waiting for him to continue.
“We split up. Caden traveled human-style with the Amplifier so I could portal back and get ye to a Healer.”
Sean’s words didn’t soothe the anxiety churning inside me. Instead, I looked over at Jackson, searching for confirmation, needing reassurance, but his solemn nod and the grave look on his face only made the knot in my core tighten.
I let out a shaky breath, trying to process, but my mind was racing, spinning with a hundred different worst-case scenarios. “When will he be home?”
Sean and Jackson exchanged another glance, the kind that made my stomach drop.Something’s wrong.
“Okay, spit it out. What’s going on?”
Jackson moved a little closer to me, his expression strained, his voice heavy with concern. “We haven’t heard from him yet,” he admitted.
The ground beneath me seemed to tilt. “Since when?” I asked, struggling to keep my impatience and rising panic under control.
Sean cleared his throat, a flicker of unease passing through his features, and for a moment, I saw his usual bravado crack. “Since I dropped him off at the nearest airport.”
“Which was when?” I hissed, while my hands were visibly shaking now.
Sean hesitated, just for a split second, but it was enough for me to know something was very wrong. “Two days ago,” he finally admitted, the words barely audible over the pounding in my ears.
Two days? I went still for a moment, the words ringing in my head, and then, without warning, the terror and fury that had been simmering inside me exploded.
I wentfucking feral.
“Two days?” I thundered as I jumped off the bed. “You’ve gone two whole days without hearing from him?” My chest heaved, every breath like fire in my lungs, rage and hysteria flooding through me in equal measure.
Sean took a step back, his face hardening defensively. “Emma, please don’t freak out?—”
“Freak out?” I was already halfway through the room, my hands clenched into fists. “He could be hurt! He could be—” The words stuck in my throat, too terrifying to say out loud.
Jackson moved toward me, hands raised, trying to calm me down. “Emma, please?—”
“Don’t,” I snapped, stepping back from both of them. “We need to find him. Now.” I was shaking, my heart racing, but the dread was too much to contain, too overwhelming to think straight. I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit here while Caden was out there, alone.
