He’s not happy.
Good.
“She needs your help,” I plead, at the exact same time as Elodie speaks too.
“He needs your help.” Her voice is a lot calmer than mine.
I shake my head, needing them to see what she’s not seeing. “Tell her to end me.” Every word is a bite, a plea, a breath of desperation, but as Rion inches further into the room, Thorne a step behind him, they both look at me like I’m a fool.
A hand brushes down my arm and I whimper. The desire to sink into her softness is entirely overshadowed by the rippling pain inside of me that continues to spread. “Kael, I sent the SOS fromyourcell. They came toyouraid,” she explains, making my breath lodge in my throat as I tip my gaze to the floor once again.
“Well, it’s not working,” I grunt, defeat getting the better of me.
“What are we helping with exactly?” Thorne asks, his voice calm like Elodie’s but laced with ice, confirming that even though they’ve shown up here for me, they’re still raging mad.
I don’t blame them. I would be the same if it were the other way around.
Elodie clears her throat. “He says Jude is in his head. That his actions aren’t always his own.”
I feel like I’m having an out of body experience right now, staring at myself through their eyes. I hate it.
“And you believe him?” Rion grunts, his tone incredulous as he gives me a pointed look.
“I don’t think I would have had I not seen it for myself,” Elodie explains, and my grip tightens around her arm. I knowI’m leaving bruises. I can’t help it. “Look,” she adds, tossing my cell phone through the air, and Rion catches it with precision.
“Please,” I whisper, the burning sensation creeping down my spine. I don’t have much time left.
“It’s okay, Kael. Just a little longer,” she encourages, but I shake my head.
She must sense my desperation because her hand lifts to my cheek, cupping my face, and I instinctively lean into the touch. In my heart, it only makes the matter worse.
“These are messages from Jude,” Rion states, and Elodie hums in agreement.
“The one written in a different language. That’s what we need to focus on. When I asked him to read it, he became a little more… unhinged,” she states, and I scoff. Unhinged is one word to describe it, but it’s not the one I would have gone for.
“Holy shit,” Thorne breathes, making my muscles tighten as Rion clears his throat.
“What does this mean?” the wolf asks, and Elodie tightens with a hint of frustration.
“Can we get to that part once he’s not affected anymore?” Her voice turns a little terse and it makes my dick stiffen beneath my pants.
Fuck.
Now is not the time.
“Good idea,” Rion mutters, followed in quick succession by the sound of heavy footsteps heading our way.
The air moves around me and I brace for impact, but Elodie’s voice rings shrill through the air. “Don’t you dare hurt him!”
Rion appears to our left, arms raised in surrender as he blinks between the two of us, unsure of what to do.
“I’m fine. Do whatever it takes. Just make it fucking stop,” I beg.
My friend looks at me with uncertainty, but before he can make a decision, hands clamp down on my shoulders and the room goes dark.
Black smoke billows in every direction, swirling around me as Thorne’s whispered voice swarms my senses. “Solvor vincula aliena. Reddo voluntatem tuam. Recedat imperium iniustum. Sis liber, et tibi redeas.” My heartbeat quickens, my breath strangled in my throat. “Solvor vincula aliena. Reddo voluntatem tuam. Recedat imperium iniustum. Sis liber, et tibi redeas.” The burning sensation eases, a chill running down my spine in its wake. “Solvor vincula aliena. Reddo voluntatem tuam. Recedat imperium iniustum. Sis liber, et tibi redeas.”
My fingers fall slack, releasing Elodie as my legs give out beneath me, and I fall to my knees.
