Page 118 of Never Kiss a Fae
Gorgeous, my brain supplied.But only on the outside.
“I want you to repeat what you just did, but locate Exos,” he said, tucking his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. “Tell me where he is.”
“Did you mishear the part where I told you the connection is broken?” I asked, irritated beyond belief by this male’s arrogance and lack of regard. Okay, yes, crying all evening had been a poor use of time, but IfeltExos’s spirit disappear. It had destroyed me. What the fuck did he expect me to do? Run around looking for an enigma?
God, I hate this,I thought, suddenly exhausted.Where are you, Exos?
“Try” was all Cyrus said.
Try,I repeated sarcastically.Yeah, fine. I’lltry.
I shut my eyes for show, then focused on the part of me tied to Titus. His warmth flowed back, caressing me with his energy and love and basking me in the familiarity of his fire. My lips almost curled, the relief he provided palpable.
But I needed to prod a little deeper, search for the distorted link that left an anchor of pain in my heart.
Exos, I whispered, my relief dissipating into agony. The jagged edges of our connection cut deep, the pain spiking inside me and shredding my spirit into two halves.
Tears gathered in my eyes, threatening to fall as I tugged on the snapped tether binding our spirits. Only, the rope didn’t slacken the way I expected it to, didn’t reveal the frayed end I’d anticipated.
No, it held.
My lips curled down, confused.
What was it holding on to?
I followed the thin line with my mind, creeping across the dark chasm of my soul, to the obsidian that lay beyond, unmoving.
Unconscious, my mind supplied.Exos is unconscious.
What was it Cyrus had said? His brother was taking a nap?
Well, not exactly.
“It’s like he’s locked in a coma,” I whispered. “Unmoving. Unthinking. Asleep, but not by choice.” I poked a little harder, trying to nudge him to alertness, but his spirit remained curled into a ball, soundless and alone.
“Can you see anything around him?” Cyrus’s deep voice penetrated my thoughts, an unwelcome twinge that caused me to grimace.
I really dislike your brother, I told Exos.
No reply.
Sighing, I glanced around the depths of our connection, searching for any kind of clue as to where he was resting. “It’s too dark,” I said, shaking my head. “Like he’s underground.”
“Good. Can you smell anything? Hear anything?” Cyrus had lowered his voice into a soothing tone, one he probably thought helped, but only served to irritate me more. Introducing my fist to his face would be a remarkable experience and far more fulfilling than the slap against his cheek.
Regardless, he was right.
Exos is alive.
And knowing that settled my soul.
I sighed, content with his known existence while also worried about where he might be.
Damp.
Dark.
Dungeon.
