Then everything halted.
My heart skipped a beat, and I blinked. Nothing moved. No one breathed, no one twitched. Nothing. I’d frozen time again and I turned toward Jiyama. Her eyes were wide, fearful, but her hands remained at her side.
She wasn’t scared. I wedged myself out of Lucan’s hold and edged closer to her. There was a look in her eyes, deep in them. Confidence. A shiver broke over me and something whispered in the back of my mind that I hadn’t uncovered the tip of the power inside of her. But from what I had seen and felt, it sent chills down my back.
“Uh . . .” Lucan’s finger cracked the air. He was fighting against the time freeze.
I didn’t have much more of it so I whirled around and was in the hallway. Everyone stood in place. I had done that. It hadn’t been contained to only my room. Then, with my heart pounding, a loud rushing sound in my ears, I stopped and tried to concentrate.
I needed to find the rest. Even Kates. The Immortal rattled inside of me. A small burst of air came from me. It formed a tiny cloud and as it started down the hallway, it bounced back to me. Slowly, with my heart pounding and my limbs shaking, I started to follow.
It took me down another hallway, through door after door, until a last one opened. A dark stairway led downstairs and I went down, weak in the knees. These were the moments when I needed Roane to hold my hand. He would know where to go, how to do it, and I would never feel my fear.
I felt it now. It railed inside of me. And that was when I realized I had merged with The Immortal, but it was only a tiny bit. She was angry and hissing inside of me. She was screaming for me to hurry, but I didn’t. I inched downwards, step after step, and prayed the time freeze wouldn’t loosen.
It wasn’t far after that until the small cloud darted around another corner. There they were.
Gavin and Gregory were held on one side while Tracey and Wren were across from them. They seemed so tired. My heart pounded even more and I hurried past them. Nothing. There were more cages, but none with Kates. Where was Kates? And why did I care? But something told me it wasn’t right. She should’ve—he had her blood on him. Every day, he came to me with her blood on him. I shuddered as I remembered the look of twisted delight in his eyes. What was he doing with her?
Oh goddess. What do I do?
I ran back to them and tried to open the door. Nothing. It didn’t even jar against my force and I closed my eyes in defeat. My blood was pumping furiously through me and I sagged against the cage. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do anything.
“I can.”
I steeled myself and shook my head. There had to be another way.
“I can free them. You know this.”
I whimpered to myself, “No. There has to be another way. Not like this—”
“Let me, Davy!” The Immortal screamed and lunged herself at me. I gasped and my arms flew out. She was battling for control again, and she was winning.
“No!”
“Yes!” She lunged again. And again. Each time she drove farther into me.
As I readied myself for another launch, I already knew the battle was done. So I turned my head in slow motion and looked at Gavin. Worry lines circled his eyes. His shoulders had drooped, maybe in frustration? His own surrender? I swallowed a painful knot in my throat. I hadn’t considered what torture they had done to them. Then there was a bleak emotion in me. Did I want to know? Would that give The Immortal more power over me? The angrier I got, the weaker in my compassion I became, the stronger she grew. She was taking over.
“Now!”
And it was done. Everything shot through me at once. Visions blasted in my head. Lucan had cracked another finger through the time freeze. Jiyama was freed, but she watched him in a calm curiosity. I felt Gavin’s fury and his determination. Gregory was worried for his friend, who sat in front of him. Wren was anguished. I felt her fear for Roane, her loyalty to him, and the love for the blonde vampiress beside her. And Tracey—she shifted inside of herself and met my gaze. She was frozen on the outside, but she was aware in the inside.
She gave me a haunted smile. A tear slipped down. “My niece is here. Leave me.”
I jerked in shock. We were communicating on another level of consciousness. “We can’t leave you behind.”
“I will be fine. Tell Wren that I love her.” She bowed her head to me. “I must stay for my niece. Talia would want me to do this.”
It was done. She had decided. I nodded. “This is why you came to us, isn’t it? To find Talia’s daughter?”
Tracey gave me a sad smile. “It is, but it was healing for me to connect with Wren once more.”
“Once more.”
There it was, the finality. I had no idea what was going to happen in the future, if we would become free or not, but I felt it. Tracey wouldn’t be returning, no matter the outcome. She had another road to follow.
It went without saying. I said it anyway. “Wren loves you.”