Page 96 of Crossed Fates

They drugged me,I realized, a fresh wave of annoyance slapping my senses.Those jackholesdruggedme.Goddamn it!I hadn’t properly evaluated my surroundings, giving them the upper hand.

Aches spasmed through my limbs as my immortality fought the substance inside me.How long have I been out?I asked.

About an hour,Alaric said.

I groaned under my breath. As a shifter, I possessed an accelerated metabolism that burned through alcohol and drugs at a much faster rate than a human. And probably quicker than the shifters in this realm, too. But an hour was still a long time.

Normally, when I allowed myself to be taken, I was awake within twenty to thirty minutes.

So whatever they’d hit me with had been a more impactful dose than my usual.

I frowned. Wouldn’t that make this amount almost lethal for a mortal? Or was this their typical means for subduing a supernatural?

Hmm, but Vex hadn’t hit me with this strong a dose. Perhaps because he hadn’t had enough on hand at the time?

Makayla?Alaric prompted.

Sorry, still trying to wake up,I said, meaning it.Want me to portal back to you?I asked.Or let them take me to their lair?

Portal back,he replied without missing a beat.We have some leads to follow. We can find these assholes via another way that doesn’t require putting you in jeopardy.

I’m never really in jeopardy,I started, my snarky side coming out to play.

Except that snarkiness came to an abrupt halt as I went to stroke my ring.It’s gone, I thought, my eyes flying open as a zing of alarm shot down my spine.Fuck! Fuckity fuck!I tried to pull my hands around to search them, but they were cuffed behind me.

However, a few cursory strokes of my fingers confirmed my greatest fear.

My ring is gone!I shouted in my head, panic rising in my throat.It’s spelled to transition with me, Alaric. Which means they took it.That couldn’t be good. That meant… that implied… that theyknewabout the ring. It also explained my heavy drug dose.

I relayed all that to Alaric, goose bumps riddling my limbs and tightening the skin across my chest.Deep breaths, I coached myself, missing whatever Alaric said back to me. Because I was too busy trying to rein in my mounting panic.I’ve been in worse situations. I can handle this. I’ve got this. I’m okay.

Tell me what you see,Alaric demanded.Tell me what you feel. What’s around you. Focus and help me find you, Makayla.

His words grounded me, gave me something useful to do.

Backup,I thought.I have backup.

You have more than just backup. You have me,he snapped.Now help me find you.The repeated demand helped me steal another deep breath.

Okay, I whispered, allowing him to pull me into a sense of calm that I desperately needed.

Losing my shit helped no one except for my captors.

I wasn’t some damn damsel. I knew how to take charge and fix situations like this. So they had my ring. I’d just find a way to get it back.

Taking a deep breath, I surveyed everything around me.

I’m in a truck bed. It’s rough terrain,I said as another bump rattled me against the metal floor.It’s dark and I’m lying down in the back, so I can’t see much. There are tall trees all around me. Exceptionally green, so there’s a water source.

I paused to engage my other senses.

I can hear the frogs and flipping fish.

I sniffed the air.

It smells mossy. Like a swamp… or wetlands, maybe? There are a lot of songbirds, too, and I think…

I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes to allow my senses to formulate a scene in my mind.