Chapter Thirty-Six
I screamed. The pain was horrible, worse than before. Garrett, who’d just crawled out from under the brush, was at my side, holding me and murmuring comforting words.
“Bridgett, I’ve got you. Try to tell us what direction it’s coming from.” The fae brothers were watching us, their blades drawn and ready for battle. Another burning slash slapped my legs and I moaned, but still managed to cling to Garrett as he helped me stand. I knew it was centered near the clearing so I turned back toward that direction and croaked out, “Go back.”
Garrett was running with me in his arms when another sharp slice made me cry out. Before we reached the clearing I felt a pull from below. “Put me on the ground, Garrett.” He did as I asked and I opened my mind to Jackie. I had to choke out a sob as yet another lacerating blow whipped across my back. This had to be the tenth one. How was she surviving this?
Somehow I knew she was right here, under my hands and knees as I crouched in the dirt and decaying leaves, frustrated because I couldn’t help her. I waited for another blow but there was nothing. “I think she’s unconscious now.”
The brothers ran off to try to find an entrance of some kind to this underground prison, but came back ten minutes later looking glum.
“We’ll have to wait until she recovers enough to feel us here.” Liam was pacing. “There’s a strong block in place, but I can bring her out if she’s alert enough to feel my attempt to reach her. I can’t reach her if she’s unconscious.” Samson was running around in circles, barking excitedly. I started to tremble, a delayed reaction to the pain and the stress. Garrett sat and pulled me into his lap and rubbed my back, trying to comfort me once more.
“Thank you, Bridgett. Thank you.” A pink tear fell on my sleeve as he held me against him.
“It was all my fault.”
“It’s Kennet…not you.”
We waited. My pain dissolved and we waited some more, all of us reaching down mentally to try to connect to her. But the block was too strong, even for Aedus. I’d moved away from Garrett, giving him some space. The waiting was so hard for him.
“Bridgett, do you feel strong enough to shift?”
“Yes, sure.”
“Then shift now. When we get her back, Kennet will follow and I want you out of the way.” I was going to argue, but seeing the determined look on his face gave up and I started to strip. When I’d shifted, I stretched out next to Samson and we sniffed each other’s noses. I was grateful he wasn’t into butts—at least not cheetah butts.
I sensed a shift in the energy and we turned toward Garrett.