Page 83 of Remington’s Mate

Once she got a big enough space, he crawled up to help her.

It was slow, hot, dusty work. And Jaeda was getting the sinking feeling they were wasting their time. But they had to try.

It seemed like forever, but they pressed forward, her in the lead. Every now and then Colt would pull her out so she could cough the dust out of her lungs.

The last time, as she crawled back in, she heard faint noises. Not the creaking of rubble shifting and settling, but sharp, repeated sounds.

Someone digging?

“Remy!” she yelled as loud as she could. “Remy! We’re here!”

She waited, not making a sound. Was that a faint shout in the distance?

Behand her, Colt said, “Is someone there?”

“I think so.” She slid backwards. “I can’t tell who, though.”

A voice came into her head, and yet somehow also from behind her. It is your mate.

Colt jumped, like he’d heard it too. Slowly, the two of them turned to look.

Standing in the middle of the room was a boy, about twelve or thirteen. He looked vaguely familiar to Jaeda, like she’d seen him somewhere recently.

He was also translucent, like a ghost.

Shit, I’m hallucinating.

No, you’re not, he said. I’m in the spirit world. Your mate is on the other side of this blockage. He says to tell you he is coming, but it will take time because he is alone.

Okay then. A ghost messenger.

Can you tell him there are three of us? And Fernandez is hurt. The boy looked at the unconscious man on the ground.

All right.

Colt added, And also that the ceiling is buckling? So we need to make this snappy.

The boy vanished.

Colt turned to Jaeda. “Who the fuck was that?”

Realization hit her. “It’s Remy’s dragon boy, from the spirit world. He must have attached himself to Remy somehow, and he’s been watching him. That’s why he looked familiar to me. I don’t know him, but my blob-animal does.”

Colt shook his head. “This is fucked up. I just hoped he does what we said.”

“Me too.”

They both climbed up and worked at extending their tunnel. The sounds of Remy digging got louder and closer, but the sounds of the ceiling above them buckling got louder too.

“We’re taking away too much support,” Colt said. “This is going to be close.”

It seemed like an eternity later, but it was maybe only ten minutes when they finally broke through and Jaeda saw Remy’s dirty, sweaty, gorgeous face through the small hole they’d made.

They grabbed hands instinctively, and Jaeda felt strength seeping into her. “You found us.”

“You doubted it?”

“Never.”