There was a noticeable pause, then, “There’s nothing here. No hole, no opening, nothing. ”
Okay that was not good. “It’s a trap. ”
“How do you know? ”
“Because I’m staring at mud walls that should only be in Pakistan. ” Fear bubbled up. “I can’t change my surroundings. ”
As connected as we were, I couldn’t miss his rising frustration and anger.
“Wolf says he can’t sense you, so whatever it is, it’s blocking your presence. We need you to find a way out. ”
I tamped down my instinctive snap of sarcasm and tried to hold it together.
“It’s an alley. Forward or backward. Any suggestions on how to choose the best
one? ”
“Flip a coin? ” he growled.
“Not helping. ”
“Sorry, babe. ” His endearment tugged at me, even as his apology came through loud and clear. “Wolf suggests you trust your instincts. According to him, chances are good both are going to be a bitch to get through. Can you keep this
open as you go? ”
Good question, because my head was already starting to pound under the
strain of talking to him telepathically. “Maybe? It’s hard to hold on to you. ”
Something switched in our connection, and a mental weight shifted, as if
Kayden was now holding the link open between us. “Better? ”
“Yeah, not sure what you did, but thanks. ”
Instead of explaining, he said, “I’m going to just tag along. I’ll try to keep quiet, because Wolf and I both think you’re going to need everything you’ve got
to get out of there. If you speak out loud, I should hear you. As soon as Wolfpicks you up again, he’ll be there to help, okay? ”
I nodded. Then realized he couldn’t see me and said, “Got it. ”
Getting to my feet, I flicked the light back on and stood. “Okay,” I kept my
voice low. “Let’s see if this works. You reading me?”
“Five by five.”
My nerves settled at the military version of ‘loud and clear’ in Kayden’s voice. I ran the beam of light both ways and tried to figure out which one didn’t
feel off. Since they were both gaping maws of darkness, I snorted.
I walked forward, counting my steps. At three hundred, I stopped. No change
in temperature, no change in the clinging darkness. There were some rustling noises, but I couldn’t make out what caused them. I retraced my steps back to my original starting point, and then repeated my actions in the opposite
direction.
This time, the temperature dropped, the darkness surged, and the rustling
noises and the static in my head increased with each step. At two hundred, I stopped and bent over, hands on my knees, sucking in air while sweat dotted my
forehead. Okay, this way sucked. It also made my decision easier, even as it scared the crap out of me. “Let’s take choice number two.”
Kayden’s energy spiked with reluctance, but before he could respond, I
explained, “This route is scary as hell, but I think that’s the point of this. If I take the easier one, I think it draws me deeper away. Remember, whoever’s behind this gets off on scaring me. Great way to make sure I don’t poke at what he’s doing.”
“And if you’re wrong? ”
“Then I come back and try again,” I muttered.
“If you can make it back. ”
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.” Hurt and angry, I pulled back.
“Don’t! Look, I’m sorry, okay? I just…” he trailed off, his emotions tangling.
It was hard to hold onto my anger when I could feel his emotions. It also showed me something I wasn’t sure he wanted me to see. Woven in his
