I was up shit creek.
It had been three days since I woke from our escape and in those times, it was me, myself, and I. A.k.a. no Immortal. I hadn’t tried to use any powers, just because I didn’t know if I was ready to admit we were sans Immortal powers. I didn’t want Wren to use that as an excuse to make us leave completely to find Roane. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Lucas. I did. Badly. It was Kates. No matter how she betrayed us¸ I could still hear her screams. They’d been bloodcurdling and I knew they’d haunt my nightmares. I needed to know what happened. If Lucan forced her to betray us or if she did the backstabbing all of her own free will.
Either way—I needed to know, and we weren’t going anywhere till I did.
Gavin lifted up the tarp and peered inside. When he saw that I wasn’t lying in bed, his eyes warmed and he came in, carrying some logs in his hands. “You’re sitting up.”
I nodded. “I am. I was considering doing some yoga planks even.”
He stared at me and cocked his head to the side. A beat passed, then he nodded. “You’re teasing me.” He grinned.
“Yes, Gavin.” I wish I hadn’t been. “I was joking. No. Sitting up is the best I can do right now.”
“That’s good.” He put the logs in the corner before placing the last one in the fire pit. “Your body needs to rest as long as possible.”
“Wren doesn’t think so.”
Gavin was somber. “Yeah.” He sighed. “She fears the Mori will find us, and we can’t def
end ourselves properly against them.”
Which was true, and I could be putting them in even more danger. I needed to tell Gavin, at least one person about my problem, but I didn’t know how he’d react. As he turned and left again, I knew I needed to figure out what was going on with me. At least, to know my limitations, if I had any powers or if it was just my empathic self, like the old days.
I closed my eyes and tried to sense—well, anything.
I needed to know that the thread was still in me and that I hadn’t let everyone down, but as I tried to feel outside of myself . . . I was picking up Gavin’s restlessness. He was anxious, wary, and fearful. There was a small amount of concern emanating from him. I knew it was about me, and I tried to pick up his thoughts.
There was . . . nothing.
I couldn’t hear his thoughts, and holy crappola . . . that sucked.
Okay. Power from The Immortal was gone. What else was gone, and I kept sensing farther out until I hit Gregory. He was farther away like he was on point, and as I slipped inside of him, I felt . . . nothing. I was met with a cement-like wall. He was feeling stuff. I could pick it up, but it was slight like the tiniest of ripples on a smooth surface. That was when I realized that he was just waiting.
I pulled away from him, searching for the other two, but I couldn’t find them.
Without realizing it, I was up and moving out of the cave. I lifted up the tarp and stepped outside. I could feel Gavin’s surprise, but he didn’t say anything. I kept going, past where I felt Gregory standing, guarding. I wasn’t really seeing as I walked forward. I was fully focused on my empathic abilities. I trusted that extra sense to help guide me, and I was moving beyond the camp. I kept going until I felt a cold breeze against my face and heard the sounds of water rushing past me.
I was by a river, but there was still no Wren or Tracey. Gregory and Gavin were trailing behind me, but both kept quiet. They were letting me do my thing. It was later. I wasn’t sure how far I walked, perhaps half a mile when I picked up the first traces of anger.
Wren.
I thought that immediately, but no—I was wrong. It was Tracey. Talia’s daughter flashed in my mind, and two things happened at once. An overwhelming surge of relief crashed down on me. My knees buckled from how strong it was, but I caught myself. I needed to know what else I could still do. Tracey was thinking about her niece, then I felt how torn she was. She wanted to leave . . . and I heard her thought, “I should leave tonight. Davy is too spent. It’s not fair for the human child. She shouldn’t tax herself—” Her thought abruptly stopped, and I cried out.
Was it me? Had that brief power left me again? But no, I grew aware of another vampire. This one had even more rage, mixed with love, yearning, and misery that had me blinking back tears.
This was Wren.
The two began to converse, but when it turned personal, I left. Wren knew Tracey was planning to leave. She didn’t want her to go. That was the last I heard before I returned back to myself and looked around for the first time.
I turned around. Gavin and Gregory were standing with their backs to each other. Both had a hand on the swords they wore, ready to pull them out for a fight if necessary. They had been guarding me.
“I’m sorry,” I said to both.
Gavin’s hand fell from his sword. He shook his head. “Don’t be. It was good to see you out and about again. I was starting to worry.”
I nodded to him. “I know you were.”
He laughed.