Page 60

He might think Black could still turn himself into a dragon.

He might still think I could teleport to other worlds.

Thinking about that, I tried to feel my seer’s sight.

Even with what the recorded Brick just said, I knew he was right, and we had to try it anyway. I thought it might as well be me who tried it first. I didn’t have access to the teleportation thing, but I tried to use my regular seer’s sight. I tried to reach Yarli in New Mexico first, maybe in the hopes of tipping her off to where we were.

Immediately, pain ripped through me.

I couldn’t make a sound. I could scarcely let out a taut gasp.

The pain positively blinded me.

It wasn’t like separation pain. It was like nothing I’d ever felt. It felt like being electrocuted. Or maybe burned with a hot, electric iron. I couldn’t make it stop. I couldn’t lessen it in any way. Instead of winding down, the pain only continued to worsen at first, ratcheting higher for seconds after I’d stopped trying to use my light. Even after I snapped back, withdrawing myaleimicompletely into my body, the pain only grew worse.

It whited out my vision.

It forced me to gasp, panting out breaths.

Honestly, I really thought it would kill me.

“MIRI!” Black gripped my arms, pulling me to him. “GODS, MIRI! WHAT’S WRONG! TELL ME WHAT TO DO! TELL ME WHAT TO DO, HONEY!”

I felt his helplessness that he couldn’t do anything to stop the pain.

I fought to answer him, but I couldn’t.

I felt like I would die.

Gaos.If I died, Black would die.

I whimpered, panicking.

I felt all over my throat, my neck.

I looked frantically for a collar, an implant, but there was nothing there.

“I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY DISCOMFORT YOU MIGHT BE EXPERIENCING, TRYING TO GET OUT OF HERE––”

Below me, Black groaned.

His hands went to his own neck, and I realized he’d just tried the same thing as me.

The voice continued pleasantly.

“––BUT I DID TRY TO WARN YOU.”

I heard a gasp from Dalejem, right before he fell to one knee. Like me, his hands went to his neck, feeling around his throat for a collar, some explanation for the pain.

Nick panicked, getting down on the floor with him.

He wrapped his arms around his mate, squeezing him to his chest.

I heard Jax gasp next, right before he rolled to his back, groaning. Kiko climbed up on top of him, staring down at his face in alarm.

“Jax?” She shook him, her voice panicked. “JAX! WHAT’S WRONG?”

I was slowly coming back, but my head still throbbed.