‘We’re a few hours out. I’ll let you knowwhen we’re there.’
I had barely finished sending that whenhe groaned.‘Be safe, Anya. Your life should be put before mine.’
I growled. He was the second person totell me that and I didn’t like it.
“Hello, Earth to Anya.” Jaxon was wavinga hand in front of my face. He was holding a cup of hot coffee out to me and Isnatched it from him and took a long drink, not caring that it mildly scalded mythroat.
“I was talking with Dad. They’re readyfor us,” I told my twin.
We had made our way to the kitchen and Isaw Cee Cee pulling fresh blueberry muffins out of the oven.
Gavin was sipping his coffee morosely,looking out the window at the waking light.
“You didn’t have to make us breakfast. That’svery kind of you,” I told her.
Cee Cee beamed at me. “It’s no trouble. Ionly need about four hours of sleep anyway. Cooking keeps my mind busy.” Hmm …the four hours of sleep must be a high-priestess thing. I smiled, reaching fora muffin, when Gavin made a strangled noise and dropped his coffee. The cup hitthe hardwood floors and shattered, pooling the dark liquid everywhere.
“Gavin!” I was two steps toward him whenhe clutched his head.
“He’s coming.” Gavin growled. Irecognized the sound of his wolf underlying the tones.
“Who?” Avery asked, making her way toGavin as well. Her medical training was no doubt kicking in trying to figureout what was going on.
But it was Cee Cee who answered.“Mukesh.” She snarled and the lights flickered.
No way. In three quick strides, I was atGavin’s side, reaching out for him when he put his hands out. “Don’t touch me!”
Oh. Hell. No.This locking me out shit was going tostop right now.
Avery and I shared a look and in that moment,I knew my best friend had my back.
With no words spoken between us, I simplynodded my head and that’s when Avery and I lunged for Gavin. She grabbed hishands, pulling them down, and I reached up to place my hands around his head.The moment my skin touched his, a searing pain shot up through my arms and in betweenmy eyes. A dark feeling came over me, like someone had died and I was suckedinto a deep depression. Sadness and desperation settled over me like a thick,wet blanket. I could feel the Skin Walker lurking just beyond the thin veilthat made up Gavin and my matebond. Mukesh was using my mate.
“We need to kick him out,” Avery saidthrough clenched teeth. She must have felt it, too. She was Gavin’s pack mate andin this close proximity, who wouldn’t be able to feel such evil.
“Gladly!” I growled.
Gavin was silent now, only letting out amild whimper. In my mind I was seeing things, visions of trees, a front gate …oh, shit. He was outside right now. I was seeing through the Skin Walker’seyes!
“Use your matebond. I’ll use the packbonds. On three,” Avery said between labored breaths. Hah. My freaking matebondwas broken but I knew what she meant. Searching deep inside of myself, I lookedfor that glowing silver cord that attached my soul to his. It could only bedamaged or broken in death and we weren’t dead yet.
‘Let me in!’I roared so loud inside my head that Imade myself flinch.
The thin wispy cord pulsed then and burstopen. Gavin’s emotions flooded me so quickly I had to hold my breath. The SkinWalker had been tormenting him nightly. Replaying my death over and over inGavin’s head while he slept. Showing him horrific, awful things that hadn’thappened. Telling him that he was his kin and that one day Gavin would becomethe next Skin Walker.
No! Fury rolled through me in waves. Nowonder my mate had been acting weird. He was being psychologically tortured.
“One. Two.” Avery’s voice pulled me fromthe horrific video montage and back to reality. It was time to evict him, evenif only temporarily. We had to get Gavin out of here. I built up some of mydominant power, my witch powers, and my matebond. I coiled it into a ball thatsat deep in my chest.
“THREE!” she shouted.
When Avery gave the go ahead, I pushed. Ipushed the ball of power so hard into Gavin and he physically stumbled backwarda few feet. Avery wasn’t a dominant, she wasn’t a witch and she wasn’t his matebut she was a pack member. Sharing the same connection with Gavin that we alldid. Through my father.
With a resounding scream, I felt thedarkness, the horrible images, flee my head and then Gavin was back with us.His eyes were clear. He no longer seemed in pain and the presence of Mukeshfelt gone.
“You okay?” I whispered to him as he metmy eyes. His forehead had broken out in sweat and his breath was coming out inshort rasps.
He swallowed hard. “You shouldn’t havedone that. Too dangerous.”
