Axl cupped his hands and blew out a water bubble-like substance. I blinked as it expanded, and then he popped his head right into it, waving me over like I should do the same. I didn’t hesitate.
Inside there was no water and we could talk.
My fucking genius.
“Asher definitely killed Sonaris,” Axl said without preamble.
I gasped. “It was the only thing that made sense, but at the same time … fuck.”
Axl shook his head. “We were slower in following. but I can feel the energy trying to explode. Asher’s not strong enough to keep it contained, and the power of a god like Sonaris could, theoretically, end the world.”
Jesus. Fuck. Fuck! This was one of my greatest fears when going up against him.
“Sonaris took most of my power,” I said softly. “I have nothing left…”
That sparked Axl’s attention, and his face did that dreamy half stare that was common when he was contemplating something. “I think I have an idea,” he finally murmured. “But I need you to open a bond with the five of us.” He cleared his throat. “Well, four of us. You clearly have a true mate bond with Asher that has finally reached fruition. We are all bonded to Asher. I think between the six of us … there’s a chance.”
A chance was the best we could hope for. “Am I strong enough to do this? I’m completely tapped out and, fuck, it sounded complicated in class.” I spoke as fast as I could; we were running out of time. If we weren’t Atlantean, the heat of this water would have killed us already. Asher was at blowing point.
“You can do anything. And we will help you.” Before I could protest, Axl broke the bubble, reaching out to take my hand. Jesse moved in to my other side, Calen next to him, and then Rone last. The five of us joined hands, forming a circle. Axl shot energy through my palm, but it didn’t stop there. It ricocheted around through all of our hands, joining us together.
After being so drained, it was like sticking my hand into an electrical socket. My body lit up, sucking down the power, until Axl tugged on my hand and shook his head.
Right. Right. I wasn’t here to drain them. I was here to form a permanent bond with my guys. It wasn’t a completely unheard-of concept for me. We’d studied it in class before, the theoretics of it, and the consequences.
The largest worry was if one of us messed with dark energy. Struck out on a nefarious scheme to take over the world. That supe could utilize the bond for both power and control, and with that in mind, there were very few supes in the world I’d form a bond with.
But these five … they were as close to family as I’d ever had. I trusted them implicitly. We also had no other option if we wanted to save Asher.
Oh, and the entire world. Let’s not forget about it.
Rone, on my other side, squeezed my hand, and I sucked in a deep breath. It might be a blessing that I really had no time to freak out, because I was just going to go for it.
I’d only had one lesson on these connections, but I remembered it clearly. Gathering as much of my energy as I could, basically everything left, I bundled it into the shape of a missile, and with one thought in mind, sent it zooming along the path already created between our hands.
Keeping my mind laser sharp, I didn’t look at Asher, because if I did I’d probably fall apart. The key to success here was keeping control of this energy. I couldn’t falter for a moment. It got harder with each of the guys … some of them were so much stronger than I anticipated—especially Jesse and Rone. My missile wanted to stay with them, basking in their strength.
Axl was the weakest, but that was only compared to the other three. In general, his power was a low, humming buzz that would pack quite a punch if used in the right way.
Team his energy with his brain power, he was super scary.
My spell touched each guy, gathering small parcels of energy as it moved along, forming a circle that contained power from all of us. By the end my limbs were shaking. My chest ached. My hands burned. I wasn’t sure how you knew when it was complete, but instinct urged me to keep holding on.
None of us moved, not even when the water bubbled around us and Asher dropped to his knees, dust from the ocean floor bursting up around him, like he was made of lead and weighed a thousand tons. It was going to be a race against the clock…
Chapter 14
Ididn’t have to worry about knowing the right time to let go. The bond cemented in the same way I figured a volcano would erupt. Hot and destructive.
Our hands fused, making it impossible to separate, and then it clicked into place. I could feel them in my chest, in my energy, just slivers of each guy, but I also knew exactly how to tap into their energy if I wanted to.
Now use your bond to Asher and take the power.
I jerked, my eyes widening as I stared at Axl. He’d literally just spoken in my head.
His presence disappeared the moment our hands weren’t joined, and I sighed in relief. It was one thing to be bonded—I mean I loved them—and it was no hardship to be part of their lives like this.
But to have five dudes in my head at all times…
