Ten minutes later, I’d laid out everything we knew so far, everything we’d tried, every dead end we’d hit.
She was quiet for a minute, and I looked around her apartment. At the sagging couch, musty shag carpet, the cracked plaster walls. The plate of food—crackers, cheese, and cookies—she’d brought for us, but that she hadn’t touched. I wasn’t sure what had happened since I last saw her, but I told myself that when this was all done, I’d check on her. Once I was in a place to help her, I’d do something for her.
Samantha cleared her throat, and I focused on her.
Her eyes appeared glassy. Like she was seeing through me.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Last time, it was easy to see the bond between you and Tessa. It was the brightest, biggest one. And every time you talked to her through it, there was this loud buzzing. It was so annoying. I couldn’t have ignored that bond if I wanted to.”
I swallowed down the feeling of loss because it wasn’t helpful right now. This was the most we’d heard about my mate bond from anyone.
Samantha’s gaze went glassy again for a second and then cleared as she met my gaze. “I don’t know if it was because you were right there next to her or if it’s something else. Right now, I see all kinds of ties around you, and none of them are brighter than the rest. At least not bright like before. I’m not sure I would notice which was which or if there was one missing anymore because there are so many.” She brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. “I don’t usually do magic here, but this…this isn’t magic, and honestly, I’m wiped out. I don’t want to go anywhere. So, we’ll do this here. I don’t know that I can…”
She was quiet again, and I wanted to shake her. To tell her to hurry up. To tell me something. But Michael gripped my knee to the point of pain.
I met his gaze with a growl backed with a silent command to back off that was strong enough to scare any other werewolf, but Michael was Michael. He didn’t even flinch.
“Your control is slipping again.” He said the words softly, calmly. A plain statement of fact.
Damn it. “You’re right.” I let out a slow breath. “You’re right. I’ll try harder.”
I’d yelled at Samantha, and now I was losing my temper with Michael. He hadn’t left my side through all of this, and she was going to help, and this was how I was repaying them?
“It’s okay,” Samantha said, and when I turned to her, she didn’t flinch. “I’m scared for her, and I only met her that one time. We’ve messaged and kept in touch, but I’m not close to her. No one is but you. You’re allowed to be scared.”
I usually didn’t spill my guts, but I had no pride left. Nothing left but begging for help. “I’m terrified. I can’t sleep. I’m forcing myself to eat. But I don’t know if she’s okay. I don’t know anything except that she’s alive—because I’m alive—which means I have some time, but I don’t know how much. I need to find her before…” I couldn’t say the rest. I couldn’t think the rest.
She bit her lip as she stared at me again, and I forced myself to wait. I wasn’t a patient man. I never was. If I’d been even the least bit patient, I never would have bitten Tessa like I did.
And if I was being honest with myself, I never thought I deserved her. I never forgave myself for taking away her choice, and a part of me thought that this—her being taken from me—was my punishment.
“Okay. I’m going to touch your bonds and try and see if I can find your mate bond. It might be weird.”
Weird was one word for it. “I remember from last time.”
“Right. So, maybe don’t growl at me. Or at least don’t bite me, okay? I’ve got enough problems to worry about without being all furry and shit.”
I laughed. It was a strained sound, but it was there. “I won’t bite you. Please. Just help me.”
“It was a joke. I’m a—I can’t be anything except what I am. If that makes sense. Even if you bit me. It wouldn’t change what I was.”
That was something at least.
“This is probably a terrible idea.” She stood.
And with her movement, my hope strengthened again.
It seemed stupid to keep hoping and getting disappointed over and over. But I couldn’t help it. I had to believe Samantha could do something. If she couldn’t be changed by my bite, then that meant her magic was different than any other magic.
“Are you fey?”
Samantha stared at me like I was nuts. “No. Not even a little bit fey. I’m something else.” She waved for me to follow her. “Come on. Lie down on the floor.”
I lay down in front of the coffee table. There were a couple of feet of empty floor on every side of me.
She knelt to my right and held her hands an inch above my body. “Just stay still.” She ran her hands up and down my body, and then I felt a tug. It wasn’t painful exactly, but extremely uncomfortable.