Page 69 of True Sacrifice
“It’s better than anything else we’ve got,” Justice shrugged.
I hurried to Mor’s room. Hell had replaced the door and left it unlocked this time. Right by the side of the bed was her little end table. On it was her phone, the journal, and a few of those romance books she likes to read. There were a few more of them stacked neatly on the lower shelf as well. I grabbed the journal and headed back to the war room as quickly as possible.
The sooner we found Sheila, the sooner we would find Mor. I set the book on the table and opened it. A lot of it was ramblings, and words circled a lot.
Concert. Fire. Vendors. Snacks. Water. Where did the vampire blood come from?
I quickly slid the book in Justice’s direction. He was the one that liked to read, and his mind was just as fucked up as all those random words.
He took it and scrutinized it. Flipping the pages back and forth as he continued reading further. I had only looked at the very first page. Justice got up, taking the journal with him into the pack cave.
I looked over to Jax who was still sitting with his head in his hands, back to staring at the table. “How do you do it?” my voice stuck for a moment. “How do you go so long without being around her? It feels like I’m torn open, bleeding out, and the pain just never goes away.”
“All I ever knew was pain. For a long time. It’s all I’ll ever get to know,” he muttered.
Somehow, in that moment, we shared a genuine sense of understanding. Losing her wouldn’t be something any of us would recover from. I had always heard about the withering and how it caused some mates to go entirely nuts when they lost a mate. The sickness spread deeply and quick, effecting both the mind and the body.
None of us would survive losing her, and I think little of the realm would survive it either. I had to figure out something to do while Justice poured over that book before I lit realms on fire in search of her.
I had never envied the other boys’ mental powers until this moment. I wouldn’t even be able to tell if she was nearby. I was all raw power, and she left me here with nothing to fight.
Where the fuck is Sheila?
CHAPTER29
MORRIGAN
Iheard the door to my cell open, but after who knows how many days he has kept me here, I was too weak to move. They hadn’t given me a single drop of blood since I helped myself to Jace’s. Guess I hadn’t made too much of an impression on him, given he hadn’t been back to see me since. I didn’t get my fucking bed or blanket, either. Oh, and the lights, well, they have stayed off since I last saw him as well. Which I soon realized wasn’t terrible, as I had excellent night vision. But right now, I was too weak to get out of the fetal position I had adopted in the bed.
“All dried out now, love?”
I groaned, recognizing who had finally graced me with his presence. Well, I was not fucking happy with him. He could talk to my ass because I was not about to turn around.
“I’ve brought you a present. Now come and be civilized and sit up so I can give it to you.” That fucking voice again, digging inside me, making me want to do as he said.
“No.” My voice came out raspy and dry.
“No?” I could practically hear his fucking smile.
I felt cold, hard metal against my throat, his cool breath against the back of my ear. His weight made the mattress dip. Shivers raced across my skin, but I refused to turn my head and acknowledge him.
“You will take what I give you,” he whispered lowly in my ear.
I heard a sound like a lock clicking into place and felt the cool metal encompass my neck. I reached up quickly and found a sort of collar attached to my neck. There was even a ring in the front which you could connect a lead to. Fuck that.
I whipped my head backwards with all the strength I could muster, connecting with something. Strong arms wrapped around me, pushing me flat on the bed. He gripped my wrists in his hands as he sat on top of me. Well, at least I’ve been in this position before. I used all the strength I had remaining to tip us off the bed. Or at least, that’s what I attempted to do, but found myself grossly underpowered.
He looked at me with a wicked grin.
“You look like a proper pet now, love.” He released his hold on my hands and grabbed the loop on my collar. “Should I add rhinestones to it? Make it say Demon Bitch?”
“Fuck you,” I spat. I grabbed his arms, but I couldn’t get them to budge.
“Maybe,” he said, like he was contemplating it. “Your power is certainly seductive.”
He pulled me by the collar, forcing me to sit up as he moved off me. He gave me just enough leeway to sit on my knees, but not a fraction more.
“This collar blocks your bonds with your mates. They could stand in the same room as you and feel as if you are in a separate realm from them. It also blocks your sire’s bond with me. No way around that one, I’m afraid. We came up with them to counteract the withering, but unfortunately, they had no effect.”
