CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR:~Drake: I rolled my eyes, “And how is this time supposed to be any different than the nonsense you were having me do outside earlier?” “Like I said, that wasn’t real,” he grunted, pulling something out from a chest that must have been way at the bottom. Everything clattered loudly as he removed it. “Aha!” he exclaimed, holding up a big golden… arm band? It looked like part of a knight’s old armor. Like it was made for someone’s forearm. He walked over to the table beside where he told me to sit, and laid everything out. It looked like nonsense. ‘Looks like a crazy pirate’s treasure,’ Dane said in a wry tone. ‘And where have you been?’ I asked him right away as I watched Alec sort his crazy collection of random shiny objects. ‘I needed a break,’ he said simply. ‘From?’ I asked. He didn’t reply. Again. My skin was itching to get to Avery but I had no real way of finding her. I looked back up at this crazed vampire and squinted my eyes trying to figure hi
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE:~Avery: The woman in front of me was her, I knew it in an instant. My gut sank. My heart broke. My spirit dissolved. All of them, Tyler and his older brother, and now her, had reasons to hate me. Reasons to track me down like this, to kill me. I’d have done the same thing if someone had done that to my parents… I had taken away their parents. Come to think of it, I killed mine too. In a way. While I know Tyler could have died without me stopping his dad, that doesn’t change what I did. All of my running over the years. It was for me. Not just because I didn’t want to get caught. Not just because I was a danger to anyone who tried to lock me up. But because I was running from this. From facing the consequences of my actions. I was a murderer. A family destroyer. I felt sick. I leaned on one hand, pressing into the concrete floor, suppressing the urge to vomit. I breathed deeply, something between hyperventilation and dry heaving. After a few moments I looked
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX:~Drake:I stared at the chair in front of me, my palm up and ready for another attempt to reach Avery. Every fiber of my being longed to find her, to free her from the clutches of her own nightmares. Dane paced in my head, adding to my anxiety. The mate bond between us pulsed within me, stronger than ever, but it was a bittersweet sensation. While I could feel her presence more intensely now, I also sensed some immense feeling of turmoil she was enduring.I shot a thought to Dane, ‘We have to find her. We can't let her suffer like this.’Dane paused, and nodded in agreement. ‘We’ll find her. Together, we'll find a way to break through and bring our mate back.’Alec watched my inquisitively for a moment before he gestured to his open palms. Renewed determination filled me as I placed my hand in his again, ready to venture once more into the Waking. In a moment darkness enveloped us, and my senses sharpened, attuned to every subtle sound and movement. Like the first t
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN:~Avery:I opened my eyes, my body aching and my spirit broken. Depression gripped me tightly, suffocating any remnants of hope. Nightmares swirled in my mind, replaying the deaths I had caused, tormenting me relentlessly. I struggled to stay awake, but sleep seduced me once more. I’d had depressive episodes before, but this was something else. I was sucked back in to repeat the same cycle over and over.Something pulled me out early this time.As my eyes adjusted to the dim light surrounding me, I noticed a vaguely familiar figure poking me with a long stick. Recognition dawned upon me—it was Tyler, my former foster brother. He was as thin and dead-eyed as he had been as a kid. I tried to find my voice, to apologize, to say anything, but before the words could escape my lips, Tyler's older brother stormed into the room.His face bore a smug satisfaction, reveling in the knowledge he had acquired. "Well, I have to admit I’m surprised he was here bothering with you,
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT: ~Drake: I slumped in the chair, frustration etched on my face. "Damn it, I need to find Avery," I muttered, my voice tinged with desperation. I glanced at Alec, pleading for answers. "I can't let her suffer like this, Alec. We have to find a way." Alec's gaze turned thoughtful, his brow furrowing in deep thought. "I hear you, pup. Let's give it another shot. You’re her mate. There’s got to be a different way to reach her, to take over what she’s seeing - so she sees you. I’m not sure if she’ll still be there now but it’s worth a shot." I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, focusing on Avery's presence in my mind as Alec took us back in. We walked the same way, through the darkness and gray, to the place we found her last time. This time when w
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: ~Avery: The guards of the mysterious man began to rub blankets and jackets all over me, as if they were trying to collect my scent. Their rough handling made my skin crawl, and I shivered under their cold gazes. They yanked on my arm, and one held me in place as the other pulled out a knife. “Hssss!” I sounded as they cut along my arm. “What the h**l?!” They didn’t say a word as they held me in place. A tube came out, and it looked like they were collecting my blood. I fought and tried pulling away from the one holding me in place but he didn’t budge. I felt pathetically weak. The second one who was collecting the blood then grabbed a jacket into the woun
CHAPTER FIFTY:~Drake:I couldn't ignore the pull any longer—I had to find Avery. Leaving Alec and some others I went back to my room, one of the many guestrooms Alec had in this opulent boarding house of his on this land. I sat down in a chair beside the bed, determined to reach Avery. If Alec didn’t want to help right now, then screw him.Ignoring Alec's warning about doing this alone, I delved into the dream state, determined to reach her on my own. The darkness enveloped me like a suffocating shroud, and I searched frantically for any sign of her presence. The pull of our mate bond was strong, leading me deeper into the abyss, but the darkness was disorienting. Panic and pain flooded my senses, I knew they belonged to Avery, but I couldn't discern the direction they were coming from."Avery!" I called out, my voice echoing in the void. "Where are you?"‘You idiot. You egotistical idiot,’ Dane grumbled. ‘Now we’re lost. Avery needs us and we’re lost. And stuck.’‘Stuck?’ I asked hi
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE:~Avery:My heart pounded in my chest as I carefully executed my escape plan. I had to seize this opportunity, no matter the risks. Gripping the frayed rope tightly in my hands, I waited until the guards' footsteps faded into the distance before making my move. I’d been stuck in limbo for what felt like an eternity when I had rounded the corner to see a group of three guards talking by the door I’d planned to use. By sheer luck they didn’t turn my way and only veered off in different directions after deliberating for way too long.Silently, I tiptoed to the door, praying it wouldn't creak or give me away. With bated breath, I turned the handle and slipped out into the dimly lit hallway. The adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me alert as I navigated the unfamiliar corridors. What even is this place? Seemed to me an eclectic designer pieced it together from leftover materials from a million different types of buildings. I had assumed there would be maybe one mor