“I’d love to, but I need to check in on everyone else. I really must find this girl. I fear she may be a great danger to all of us. Unbridled power.”
“Fortunately for us, she doesn’t seem to know how to use it.”
“Yes. How fortunate.”
“Let me walk you out.”
“Thank you. That would be lovely.”
My fists clench into balls, then release as I move around the desk.
Go to Everlee now,I command. “Right this way.”
“You have a lovely home. Shame, I’ve only been able to see parts of it.”
“Would you care for a tour?” If she’s testing me, she will not win. I may not be older than her, but I’m definitely wiser. She was trapped in some totem for hundreds of years and when she was found and freed, she unleased hell on all of those around her and hid her totem, so no one could ever find it and put her back in.
“Thank you for the offer. Perhaps next time I come over.”
“Just let us know before you show up so we can have it in tip-top shape.”
“No,” she laughs, her grimy like fingers brushing against my arm. “Where’s the fun in that? I want to see how you all really live. No filters.”
How is she? How’s Everlee?
Silence.
JAX - FEELING... THINGS
Assoonastheclick of the front door opens, I run over to the bookshelf, toss the book on the floor, and press the button. I take the first three steps, then jump down the center of the spiral staircase and land with a hard thud on the floor. My heart is pounding out of my chest. I can hear soft gasps of air and know what I’m about to walk into, but just hope I’m not too late.
Goddamn it, Everlee!
Rage sears through me like hot lava.
Ignoring the crash of supplies as I push the door open, I run into the middle of the floor and see Emmett huddled inside the locked cage. Everlee is slumped on the outside, against the wall, weak with her wrist on the floor.
“What the fuck happened?” I growl out, racing over to her.
Her eyes are open, but she’s weak. In that space between life and death.
“I said what the fuck happened?”
“She… she… wanted to help me.” Emmett wipes her blood from his lips.
“You almost killed her!”
Everlee slowly puts her hand on mine. “He stopped. He did good.”
“Fuck that.”
Emmett flinches out of the corner of my eye, but I don’t feel guilty. Maybe I would if she wasn’t laying pale in my arms right now.
“Get over here!” I bark at Emmett. “Give her your blood. Heal her!” I nearly cry out.
Emmett looks up at me, startled, bites his wrist, then crawl-slides over the floor and sticks his wrist through the bars of the cage.
“I’m fine,” she whispers.
