Page 96 of Witch Unbound
He bruised me with his kisses, and ravenous heat flared between us again. I stopped thinking and abandoned myself to sensation.
I wasn’t sure when we fell asleep, but I awoke with a strange awareness pricking my scalp. Jasper lay with his back to me, playing little spoon. I lay still, listening to the sounds of the night, trying to figure out what had woken me.
“Not enough…still not enough.”
“Jasper?” I leaned over him to look at his face, but his eyes were closed and his breathing even. He was fast asleep.
Asleep…Even though he didn’t need it…
Unease squirmed in my belly and I reached out to the guys for reassurance via our mate bond to find…nothing. What the fuck? Where were the threads?
I sat up in panic, heart racing as I searched to find them. There they were, wispy and ethereal and almost gone.
Oh, shit!
* * *
I enteredAnna’s office to find Sloane sitting in the chair opposite the elder witch. I’d called The Elite and demanded she get Anna out of bed because this was urgent. My pulse was still pounding with fear, because even though the mate bonds were back, they’d faded to almost nothing a little while ago.
This was bad.
“Sit, Cora,” Anna said. “Now tell me what happened.”
I was too agitated to sit so I settled for pacing. “The mate bonds almost misted to nothing. They ghosted. They’re back now but weaker than before. We need to do something.”
Anna peered at me over the tips of her steepled fingers. “Sloane told me you shifted into some kind of creature? That could have drained you.”
I hadn’t even thought of that. The beast inside me affected my powers by muting them, and Ihadbeen super drained afterwards. Could it be that shifting affected the mating bonds and I didn’t notice until I tried to tap into them?
I sagged in relief, latching on to the explanation. “I think you might be right.”
“Of course I’m right. Now go get some rest.” She smiled and lines of exhaustion fanned out from her eyes. “I’m sure you could do with a little more sleep after the events in Faerie.”
“We still haven’t heard back from Bramble.”
She nodded. “Yes, I’m aware. Bador has been informed of Lauris’s kidnapping, but there is nothing we can do until Bramble returns with news. Rest, and prepare to take action. If there are revenants to destroy, you’ll need to be recharged.”
Iwastired even though I’d slept some. “You’re right. I just…I panicked.” I puffed out my cheeks. “I guess this change is going to take some adjusting to.”
She smiled again, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “For all of us.”
Sloane ushered me out of Anna’s office and into the corridor beyond where she tugged me into a tight hug.
I hugged her back, resting my head on her shoulder and closing my eyes for a beat.
“Cora?” Sloane’s breath whispered across my cheek.
“Hmmm.”
“Hey, come on. Let’s get you back to the cabin.”
I allowed her to put her arm around me and lead me away from the office. We got to the stairs and a figure materialized right in front of us.
“Meredith, you can’t sneak up on people like that,” Sloane snapped. “Fucksake, what are you doing?”
But Meredith’s attention was on me. “She’s a liar.”
“What?” I was a liar?
