Page 94 of Forged Bonds

“If we were going to go all in on this strategy, I’d have to do more than selectively remove memories,” I said. “I’ll have to implant memories, too.”

“Implant memories?” Emmett asked. “I know I’m not a magic guy, but even I know that’s one of the hardest skills to master. I’ve heard it can backfire on you if you don’t know what you’re doing. People have gone insane. It’s banned by the AEA.”

“The AEA is offering hundreds of thousands of dollars for our capture, so I don’t think I care about what’s banned by them anymore.”

“You could hurt yourself.”

Em’s worry pulsed through our bond, and my mark throbbed with the need to soothe his worries. I wouldn’t be able to. Not completely, because this was the only viable plan we’d come up with so far, no matter how half-baked it was.

“I won’t hurt myself. I’m strong enough to avoid the negative side effects, even if I fail at the spell itself.”

His hazel gaze flicked toward Nolan and Oswald before he looked at me pleadingly. “I can’t lose you too.”

My heart rate sped up and I tried not to get ahead of myself and read too far into those words. “You won’t. Promise. Since you claimed me, I’ve been getting stronger every day. My magic stores have yet to stop improving.”

“All that means is you aren’t back at full strength yet,” he countered.

I wasn’t sure how to counter that, because he was correct. After so long without all my magic, I wasn’t sure what full strength even felt like. My parents had always told me I was an exceptionally powerful witch, but I hadn’t been since the year after I revealed as an Omega.

“We can’t afford to wait,” I said softly, reaching out to stroke a strand of hair back from his forehead. He leaned his head into the touch. “Besides, I think my strength is tied to my mates now. The longer Shan and Caspian are locked up, the weaker they’ll become. I bet that will begin to drain me after a few days.”

He let out a distressed little sound. How was I supposed to comfort him? I wasn’t good at this. Emotions. I’d shoved mine down after my initial breakdown and was fiercely trying to keep them suppressed so I could keep myself moving forward.

What I could offer was a solution, something to soothe his worries. Was there one? Coming up with a different plan could be a solution, but nothing was coming to mind. Maybe something that made us more confident about the current plan.

“I have someone who can give me some insight,” I said, glancing over to Nolan and Oswald. “Do you think Joanne would help?”

Nolan went a bit pink in the cheeks and Oswald shuddered. “I don’t know what that woman is,” Ozzy said, “but she knew something was wrong with me from the second she saw me. She’s made a ton of cryptic comments over the years when you weren’t around. If anyone can tell you whether or not you’re going to die trying this memory manipulation, it’s her.”

“More information will always help. We can go see her later. I don’t want to venture out of here quite yet because I just finished putting up all those wards. I’m going to nap and recover.”

Emmett wasn’t convinced, but he’d never met Joanne. When I made to lie down on the couch, he tried to get up but I kept my hands planted on his thighs and held him down. “Stay. I need a pillow.”

There were decorative pillows on every couch, but he didn’t comment. He placed his hand on my head and began to pet my hair. It smoothed the chaotic tresses and soothed my mind, but not quite enough for me to fall asleep.

I stayed awake, staring at the opposite couch where Nolan sat next to Ozzy, an arm possessively draped over his much wider shoulders. They murmured to each other, telling stories about their respective time spent in Zemterra. I didn’t hear every word, but strained to listen in on as much as I could. Their lived experiences could help us with our plan to save Shan and Cas. This could be important.

“Go to sleep, honey,”Emmett whispered into my mind.

Turning my head, I looked up at him instead. His fingers drifted from my hair to run along my jawline, getting familiar with the lines of my face.

“I don’t know if I can,”I admitted.

Nolan and Ozzy showed no signs of hearing our conversation, but they might. These new pack connections were unpredictable, and Em wasn’t used to having to shield his thoughts from others. In any case, talking internally gave us the illusion of privacy.

“You need to, or you’ll be too weak to protect yourself, let alone save them,”Em said.

Tell that to the guilt swirling in my mind. On an emotional level, I thought I should stay awake, looking for them and suffering until I got them back. On an intellectual level, I knew that would only make things harder.

“Having you sleeping will help me, not just you. I’m worried about you.”

Emmett’s words were the perfect guilt trip to have me turning to face away from Nolan and Ozzy, my nose pressing against his torso. His fingers stroked my head as I pushed the anxiety down, feeling my body grow heavier. I slowly drifted to sleep, holding onto my faint connection with my stolen bondmates for dear life.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Shan

Caspian wasn’t going to be able to hold on for much longer.

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