Page 55 of Bones

Relief.

And a touch of grief.

It filled her chest. Wafted from her.

And that wasn’t the only thing I picked up.

“Whose are you?” My low voice may have sounded calm, bordering on bored, but a rarely felt emotion rocketed through me. It stole my breath, filling my chest with something far more vital than oxygen.

Hope.

I worked to extinguish the fuse that powered it, not allowing myself to believe it.

How long had I searched? How long had I waited? How long since I’d given up?

How long had it been since I could feel the connection to my siblings?

Not since the night we were cursed.

But there it was. Their presence surrounded her and tugged at my memories like a scent I vaguely remembered.

“What?” The mystery woman’s gaze lowered to the axe I still held before her body shifted subtly. It wasn’t defensive. It wasn’t offensive. It was somewhere in between, like she was ready to be attacked or do the attacking, whichever the situation called for.

Surprising.

Smart.

I dropped the axe to the ground, letting it land with a carelessthudso she wouldn’t flee before giving me answers. The lack of screaming terror showed she had at least a passing knowledge of the magicks at play, but I still chose my words carefully. “Your mate.”

“Oh.” She smiled at just the mention. “Lennon.”

Lenuson.

“Who are—” she started.

“Did you do this or him?”

“This?”

I gestured around. “Who got you here?”

“Oh. Right. I, uh, walked from over there,” she tried, gesturing to the depth of the woods, “but you must not have heard me coming. See?—”

“Who teleported you here?” I knew I was being rude, but I also didn’t give a damn. There was no time for pleasantries, and I didn’t need or want explanations. If she wasn’t the one responsible for her surprise appearance, her disappearance could come just as suddenly. I could lose the first lead I’d had since waking up cursed. And since she was human, I was willing to bet it was someone else’s magicks in play—meaning time was damn sure of the essence before whoever decided to whisk her back away.

It was a bet I would’ve instantly lost when she answered, “I did. You know about teleportation?”

“Were you just with your mate?” I asked instead of answering.

“Yes, but?—”

“Can you take us both back there?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I still do better with my camera, but I can try.”

I had no clue what the hell that meant, and I wasn’t wasting time asking. “Do it.” I found enough manners to tack on, “Please.”

She didn’t look exactly thrilled to do it, and I hated to have anyone but Aurora’s hand on me, but she took my arm and closed her eyes.

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