Page 48 of Demon Heart: The Complete Series

I broke apart again, leaving the field behind. Rushing, spinning, returning to the metal corridor and wailing alarms of the palace dungeons, my guts lurching from the sudden shift from there to here.

“What the fuck?” I gasped, nausea crashing into me.

My head spinning in a rush of blood, I listed to the side, reaching out to the wall for support.

“What the fuck?” I said again, grasping for an answer.

I could barely stand, grateful for the solidity of the metal propping me up.

Was I back to my regular time again? Had I been dreaming?

“Xavier?”

The corridor was empty.

“What’s going on?” I begged the air to give me some details.

I slid to the floor, too dizzy for my legs to support me.

“Xavier?”

Once again, I came apart, appearing in that field, splayed in the grass facing the blue stars.

“Roman?” Xavier’s voice! Thank God!

Nope. Whatever was going on had other ideas, exploding me into a million pieces for the fourth time. When I arrived in the corridor with cold metal against my spine, I rolled over and spewed my guts up, the dizziness beyond bearable.

I screamed, my throat on fire, ready for the fifth wave.

It didn’t come.

I waited and waited, every ounce of energy leeched from my body, but it didn’t come. I caught every breath, stayed as still as possible. Any tiny movement sent my senses into a sickening spin.

Chest. Heart. Something in my heart…

Something to do with time.

“I have to move,” I rasped. “I have to move.”

It must have been an hour before I got to my feet, dragging myself up the metal stairs from where the queen shot me.

Where was she? What now?

“Xavier…” I breathed.

Upon reaching the top of the stairwell, I collapsed into darkness.