Felipe winced in time with the tether’s pull. “What about that thing you do where you slow my heart when I’m upset? Tether her and do it.”
“What if it kills her?”
“She’s dying anyway, Oliver.”
I don’t want to let you go, Oliver’s mind whispered, but Felipe knew. The fear was always there. Shutting his eyes, Oliver drew in a long, slow breath and let down his walls. The tether lurched forward, dragging him with it. It collided with Amelia’s soul so hard it yanked Oliver’s heart out of rhythm. Gripping the edge of the table, Oliver slowed his thoughts and body as her soul bucked against the intrusion of his powers until it finally caught, drawing tight as a bowstring.
Oliver let the tether run between his fingers, thinning enough that it could follow her spirit’s pull without snapping. He had gone fishing once as a child, and this give and take reminded him of how it felt to hold the line as the fish struggled to escape the hook. If he wasn’t careful, she could run away with his life or Felipe’s or the tether might irreparably break. On the other end of the tether, her heart thundered wildly.Trust me, he whispered, though she had no reason to listen. A wave of anxiety passed through Felipe’s side of the tether, sending her skittering away. Oliver shook his head, every time he got close either he or Felipe scared her off.
“Knock me out,” Felipe whispered hoarsely, his face ashen with strain.
“What?”
“It’s too much for you. Put me to sleep first. Slow my heart as much as you can. Then, treat her.”
“Felipe, what if I—”
Cupping Oliver’s face, Felipe kissed him and held his grey gaze. “I trust you with my life.”
Oliver nodded and drew in a long, slow breath as Felipe lay on the floor out of sight. He could do this.
“Papa, what’s going on?” Teresa asked warily.
“It’ll be okay. Stay over there, and no matter what, listen to Oliver.”
Amelia’s heart sputtered futilely again, but Oliver relaxed his grip on her tether as he reached for Felipe. This time his powers slid smoothly to the other man’s heart, coaxing it to slow with a gentle hand. It synced with Oliver for a moment before slipping to a pace Oliver only knew in his sleep. Then, it fell lower, to a pace the living rarely went for long. Oliver listened until he heard the faint thump of Felipe’s heart again before turning his attention to Amelia. Reaching for his powers, he didn’t call to the dead as he usually would; he called to the girl who had lost her father too soon, to the girl who had lost the only life she had ever known to a tyrant, to a girl who could never be that child again. The soul on the other end of the tether paused long enough for Oliver to coax her heart slower. He had expected the tether to sever or grow weaker, but it remained lodged in his breast.
Anxiety crept into Oliver’s chest, but he forced it back. Focusing on her heart, he could hear that while it was slower, the beats were still wrong, like a song missing notes. One of the shocks must have made the nerve misfire. He couldn’t fix that, unless—
Turning to Mrs. Bellamy, Oliver asked, “Do you have the same power as your brother?”
“Yes, though I’m not nearly as strong.”
That could work to their advantage. “This will sound counter-intuitive, but when I tell you to, I need you to give your daughter one concentrated shock. Your brother knocked her heart out of rhythm, and I need you to put it back.”
“But I don’t want to hurt her.”
Oliver stared at her but bit back the retort. “She’ll die if you don’t. Do the right thing for once.” Teresa’s gaze trailed between where Felipe lay and the nearly dead girl. Through the deluge, Oliver thought he heard the rumble of steamers. He was running out of time. “Teresa, please go find your father’s gun and your knife.”
“Is he—?”Dead?
“No, he’ll be all right,” Oliver replied with a tight smile and hoped he wasn’t lying. Turning back to Amelia, Oliver arranged her mother’s hands over her breast. He coaxed the girl’s heart slower again and listened. He felt out the rhythm, holding the tether loosely until he caught it between squeezes. “Now!”
Amelia jerked beneath him as Mrs. Bellamy’s fingers flashed, but before Oliver could feel for her heart again, the tether snapped. Pain flooded his chest, sucking the air from his lungs as he reeled back at the sudden loss. Teresa’s hands closed around his arm to steady him.Felipe. He needed to get to Felipe. Falling to his knees, Oliver scrambled over to where Felipe lay. His handsome face was far too lax, and that moment five months ago when Oliver stumbled into Felipe’s apartment came flooding back. Oliver stared at him, willing his lover’s chest to rise and fall. Closing his eyes, he reached for his heart and felt the next distant beat before it came. A tremulous, relieved breath escaped Oliver’s lips as he urged Felipe’s heart to run to meet him. Tears gathered in Oliver’s eyes with each second he waited, but when Felipe’s eyes fluttered open, Oliver threw his arms around him and nearly collapsed with relief.
Felipe held him tight until Oliver sat back. “How is she?”
“Alive,” he whispered. “She still has a long recovery ahead of her.”
“I knew you could do it,” Felipe replied with a smile. His eyes lingered where his tether sat under Oliver’s heart. “Are you all right?”
His chest ached above his heart, but Felipe was alive. “I’ll be fine.”
Felipe gave him a concerned look, and let Oliver help him to his feet. Head Inspector Williams’s voice carried on the wind as he barked orders, but when Oliver turned, he found Teresa watching them, her features tinged with trepidation. She searched Felipe’s form for any sign of injury or distress but stayed rooted where she stood, still clutching their weapons.
“What just happened? Dr. Barlow said he’s a necromancer, and you said he’s been helping you since you got hurt. And then, he... and you... I don’t understand,” she said softly with a shake of her head.
Wrapping an arm around her, Felipe kissed her temple. Panic welled in Oliver’s breast, but that slide of comfort snuffed it out as Felipe met his gaze over his daughter’s shoulder. “Tomorrow, I promise I’ll tell you everything.”
