Page 109 of Crossed Fates

No, Mak. He’s alive. And he pumped you full of silver.

Silver?The word came out a little clearer.Something… there’s… Alaric… something… dots?

What about dots, sweetheart?

Connection. Link. Hmm.She sounded high.Trials. Trials coming.

Makayla, you’re not making sense.

Burns,she whispered back, a palpable shudder traversing our bond.Everything burns.

I know, baby,I said, sensing her agony.Push the pain to me, and take what you need to revive your strength.

That’s not… that’s not possible.

It is, Makayla,I insisted.I’m already pushing energy to you. Don’t you feel it?

She fell silent again. Then she started mumbling aboutdotsagain.Puzzle pieces. Piece together. Dots. Trials. Friend. Lake. Titanium. Knew me. Knew… about my ring. Ready for me. Grabbed me.

Alaric!

Her shout splintered across my mind, only for me to realize it wasn’t her but my father.

Flashbangs erupted around us.

Followed by an electric wave of current that temporarily blinded me.

And in the next moment, we were surrounded.

Shit!It was an ambush. A trap. And from the looks of it, we were severely outnumbered.

Alaric

Two alphas.

One beta.

Four enforcers.

And the director of E.V.I.E.

I quickly analyzed our situation, calculating our next move. We were surrounded by at least twelve assailants. That was an estimate based on the trajectory and number of flashbangs erupting around us. I couldn’t actually see or hear a damn thing.

Another blast went off to my right, making my ears ring.

I flinched.

Better than gunfire, but still painful as fuck to a shifter’s senses.

They’re trying to distract us,I realized as another set went off shortly after the first.Or incapacitate us. Assailants didn’t use flashbangs for any other purpose. If these assholes wanted us dead, they would have started with guns.

Alaric?Makayla whispered, her voice dreamy and fading in my mind.

Damn it.Her soft tones were accompanied by a hum of burning life, her inner flame near its end. I growled, the dual hit of the attack and her hanging on by a thread setting me distinctly on edge.

Take what you need,I commanded, shoving vitality to her through the little pinpoint in our connection.Take it, Makayla.

I needed her to focus on using our link for recovery so I could properly concentrate on my situation.