My face was hot with emotion—sadness and angry determination lit me up from the inside out. Colin staked the creature down, and I sucked in a gulp of cold air. My entire team was still looking at me.
It was time to come clean. Jones, Holt, and Evans had the Ghost down on their end. It gave a weak cry, but I could tell it was near its limit. I couldn't keep up with the complicated conversations; it was time to abandon the pretense. I shook my head, frustrated.
"I'm sorry," I told them. "I'm not insane." Hiding my conversation with Kane had put my team at risk. They deserved to know the truth about why their captain had a divided focus.
"You can tell us," Jessie said, her eyes sparking with concern. The twins had never looked older or wiser. For a moment, I had the urge to lunge across the beast and drag them into a hug.
"I didn't tell you about this, but I've been hearing the voice of an old ally who might be stuck in the Pocket Space," I blurted out, knowing that I needed to make this fast. "I know it sounds insane, but he's a vampire. We have some kind of psychic connection thanks to the weirdness of the Leftovers, I think."
Jones let out a scoff. "You have to be kidding."
"I'm not," I fired back severely. "Remember what happened the last time you didn't believe me? I almost died. The Immortal Plane is strange, and the Leftovers are even worse. Trust me, I'm not making this up. I told Lyra's team. They're trying to find him in the Pocket Space. He's a close friend from our time fighting to stop the universe from collapsing." You're welcome, Jones. You punk.
"Kane?" Colin guessed. His initial confusion gave way to a more relaxed air. "Oh, I believe you. There's no way anyone would imagine Kane in their brain." He dropped his voice. "Not with that attitude."
"So, you've got a secret vampire friend in your head and you didn't tell us?" Jordan asked, laughing as he helped Holt secure his net around the Ghost. It looked like it was giving up the fight, but I was watching it out of the corner of my eye.
"Lame, Captain," Jessie added. "You have to tell us if you get cool superpowers. It's not nice if you don't."
Holt let out an impressed whistle. "I guess stranger things have happened."
"The monster," Evans pressed, sounding slightly high-strung. She was still trying to hold it down. "Let’s focus."
I was trying to pay attention, but my chest was flooding with relief. My team believed me? Well, minus Jones, but he was an ass. The Ghost was secure enough for the moment.
"Lyra's group might not find him, though," Colin said worriedly. "They're looking for Black Rock survivors for the Bureau, right?"
My stomach knotted with worry. "Yes, that's true…"
"I can see why you're worked up, now," Holt said. "I'd be suffering, too, if I knew an ally was in trouble somewhere. Is he hurt?"
"I think so," I said, and tried to calm my breathing. I hadn't noticed how charged up I was. "He's fading… There are times when he passes out for a long time."
"Why don’t you attempt to rescue him?" Evans asked. Her bluntness surprised me, but her look was one of common compassion, like Holt’s. Even Jones was mollified by the idea of a hurt teammate lost somewhere. "You said he's hurt."
"I can't leave you guys," I said. Didn't they realize what a huge show of disobedience that would be for the Bureau? "Hindley would tear me a new one."
"But it sounds like your friend might not have much time," Jessie piped up, crossing her arms. "Can you just leave someone to die in that situation? Sure, he's tough—he's a vampire—but he's obviously struggling."
Colin cleared his throat. "If there was a civilian in trouble, it would be our job to rescue them. You can tell that to Hindley."
Jordan crouched down to get a better look at the Ghost while I attempted to process my team's sudden cheerleading and support. I’d truly believed they would think I was insane, but I hadn’t accounted for the fact that this was a squad dedicated to fighting monsters.
"What if you rode this thing?" Jordan asked, pointing to the creature's back. "Looks big enough to carry you."
I let out a mocking laugh. "Are you insane? That thing wants to eat me and take me somewhere."
"Take you to the Pocket Space, and maybe to where your friend is," Jessie pointed out, her voice rising with excitement. "The creature is going after interplanar connections, according to that researcher. It could take you close to Kane’s location!”
Yes, in the best-case scenario, but what if Joseph had misunderstood what it wanted? It could drop me off in an even worse location, and I would be stranded and alone. Like Kane.
Kane. Come on. Answer me. He had gone completely silent. My worry swallowed me up like a wave in the ocean. What if I was too late? The idea of being unable to rescue Kane was unbearable now. He was my friend. He was… He meant a lot to me.
"If you manage to control the Ghost, that's technically our end goal," Holt said. He ran his eyes over the creature, which was breathing slow and steady beneath our bindings. "We can get you on top of it. If you're willing to do it, the monster looks tired enough to not put up much of a fight."
Kane. Talk to me. "If I can get him to answer me," I said cautiously. "He’s gone silent."
"So cool," Jordan muttered.
"I'm here," Kane said weakly. "Stop making such a big deal. I'll be fine."
Shut your mouth. I'm coming to rescue you. Tell me where you are.
"I don't need help. I just need to sleep."
I gritted my teeth angrily. Don't tell me that.
