I did my best to explain. I don't understand. How could it disappear like that?
"Sounds like it did you a favor," he pointed out edgily, then let out a sigh of relief. "I was worried for a second there." His confession made me smirk. Being able to talk to him again was a wonderful surprise, and I could hardly believe it was happening.
You might be right about it needing to be visible to attack. I could only strike its claw when I could see it. I'll have to remember that… I let out an incredulous laugh. I can't believe we're talking like this. Did you think you were going insane? I know I did.
Kane let out a short, deep chuckle. It made me miss him even more. "I did question my sanity… but even I couldn't make up your attitude." He paused for a moment. "How long have you been able to hear me?"
I cleared my throat, feeling suddenly awkward as I thought about all the deep insights to Kane's psyche that I had been privy to. Well, honestly, I've been listening for a while. I thought I was losing my mind, or that maybe it was a part of my brain that wanted you to be alive and found. It usually comes and goes, but you were especially strong today.
"Well, lucky for both of us, then," he said. "I wouldn't have wanted you to fight that monster alone. It sounded like it dragged you away from your team. Who are you with?"
I let out an exhausted sigh. God, there was a lot to catch up on, wasn't there? I'm a captain now, in the Bureau’s special monster hunting department. I lead a team. It's interesting, to say the least. A hard lump of torn emotion, between sadness and happiness at hearing his voice but being unable to see him, settled in my throat. Kane, where are you? It feels like you've been confused.
"That's one way of putting it," he said dryly. "Honestly, I have no idea. I woke up and realized I was trapped in a strange place. It's not the Mortal Plane, but it's not the Immortal Plane, either."
Lyra and Dorian are looking for you. She formed a private company with Bryce. Vampire-human relations are a bit tense right now in the Mortal Plane, but Dorian’s with them. Their goal is to find the other missing survivors from the meld. I'll have to contact them to let them know I have a lead… I haven't told anyone about hearing your voice. The memory of the strange rush of heat came back to me. It was odd. I’d felt more alive than I had in ages. Maybe it was simply from talking to Kane as if he were right beside me. We can try to find you. Can you describe where you are?
I pulled myself up into the clearing. Wrecked trees from the monster's pursuit led me to the trail we’d originally come through, and a thin streak of my blood decorated the way back through the forest.
"I don’t feel great. A wave just hit me. There’s something wrong—" Kane's voice abruptly dimmed, like he was on a cell phone and passing through a tunnel. I paused. My head was sore, and my body was bruised. In my tightly laced boots, I was sure I’d rolled my ankle forcibly thanks to smacking it against a tree.
Kane? Are you there?
Silence followed, but it was quickly dashed by the sound of footsteps.
"Roxy!" someone shouted. I looked up to see Jessie and Jordan pushing through a shrub. Their faces lit up when they saw me. Holt followed with a rifle in his hand.
"You're alive," Jessie cheered happily. “See, I told you, Jordan. That thing spit her out.”
The Hellraisers made their way into the clearing. Jones hung back with a guarded expression, but Holt gave him a stern look. Colin eyed the area and noted the cuts on my face. He looked behind me at the visible wreckage of the trees that the creature had smashed.
"What happened to the monster?" Colin asked. "It was so fast I could barely see it in my scope.”
"It's fine. I never wanted anyone to shoot," I reminded him, and focused on Jones, who was far too composed for my liking. He should have been groveling, or at least looking nervous. "I fought the monster off, thankfully. Next time, when I give an order not to shoot, you don't shoot. Maybe three days of scrubbing barracks floors and toilets in your downtime will help you remember that."
Jones’s embarrassed scowl was nearly enough to distract me from the fact that Kane was no longer chiming in. My shoulders slumped with the realization that, at some point, I’d lost my connection to him entirely. Kane was gone. Again.
19
Dorian
No matter what anyone said about vampires, we truly did want to help people, even if they had a mix of light and dark. I preferred to help humans when I could. And yet, I sincerely wished I’d found some kind of excuse to leave Jennifer back at the abandoned town.
“I mean, it’s just like, so weird that you said nobody knows much about the meld,” Jennifer said with an exasperated sigh. She’d peppered us with questions since we left the town, about the meld, the Leftovers, and more. Cam had been polite enough to respond at first, but he grew quieter with every passing moment.
“Highly classified government information is usually not well known,” I replied dryly. How did these bumbling idiots survive out here for months? I was surprised they’d made it through the last hour, even with me and Cam as companions.
"Oh, that's a great shot," Jennifer cooed as Johnny pointed his camera. While their backs were turned, I stared at Cam in disbelief. They were taking a video of a crazy-looking mushroom with leaf-like projections coming off the cap.
Cam cleared his throat. "So, how long did you guys say you were out here?"
Jennifer tossed her hair. Her perfume
