But it was too late.
Louis's hand scraped across the shield and the power reacted with so much force that it blasted him back in a loud crack, sending him flying miles behind us. Tee cursed loudly, taking off in a surge of magic to follow her mate.
"Is he going to be okay?" Justice asked, panicked. By instinct she knew not to remove her hands, even though she wanted to follow Louis. Grace did as well, her healer side surging to life.
Right now, no one could break the eight.
"Tee will get him back, and she can heal," Tyson reminded them, strain in his broken voice. "None of us can move."
My eyes met his across the line of our family, and I saw weariness there, resignation. He knew what he had to do, but it was not going to end well.
This could destroy our quad bond,he said to me through our mental link.If we had more time together, it would have worked, but … as always, we were thrown in the deep end.
The mate bonds?I shot back.
They should be safe. They're on a level beyond what any of us can touch. But the brother bond … I may fry it.
It hurt more than I expected to think of losing my brothers in that way.It's the only way?
A second hesitation.To force the bond to evolve to what we need, I will have to step up to the next level. We’re basically going up against the most powerful ley line in the worlds, and I expect it will fry the bond.
Justice lifted her head and stared between Tyson and me, like she'd heard our words.
And if we don't step it up?I asked.
The ley line will probably kill us.
I tried to lift my hand from the shield, being the type of fey who needed to test and understand the situation—even while trusting my brothers implicitly.
I couldn't lift my hand.
Tyson was right. There was no other choice. Step up or die.
It's only one part of our bond,Braxton cut in suddenly, and I realized that they must have been able to hear as well.You don’t have to hide shit from me.We’re all in this together.
Maximus’s chest rumbled as he vamped out a little more.No matter what happens, nothing ever breaks us. Even before the quad bond formed, we were closer than any pack. We've learned to roll with the punches, and … speaking of, I really need to punch a fucking dragon, so let's do this.
With our support, Tyson found his peace with what he had to do. Closing his eyes, the power raged into a new inferno.
A small gasp captured my attention. "You okay, Ruby?" I asked, not pushing to listen in to her through our bond. She had a light block up, no doubt to stop all the varied thoughts.
"Feels like I'm connecting to the jewels," she said in a huff. "I'm being torn in two."
"Me too," Grace said sounding pained. "What should we do?"
"Embrace them. Your gems!"
This came from Louis, sounding worse for wear but alive from where he stood a few yards away.
Justice's eyes locked on to mine, and in those wide jewel-like depths, I saw the fear and worry there. "I got you," I told her, determined that no matter what, those words would be the truth. "Shine bright, Princess."
Just like Tyson, she found her peace with the decision that was made for her. Light exploded out of her hands, brilliantly red, just like her gem, and the flash of glitter told me the diamond princess was working too.
"Hold on to your fucking hats," Tyson shouted, and I braced myself, drawing deeper on the elements that grounded me, my feet strong and firm, my determination unparalleled.
A dragon roared, flames sweeping along the barrier just as it exploded, blasting all of us back. My energy crackled and fizzled, and as Tyson predicted, I couldn't feel my brothers as we flew through the air.
Thank fuck I still felt Justice, in that corner of my mind that she occupied.
