I could do this. I was almost there.
Using my forearms, I dragged my body forward, ignoring the burn on my arms as they scraped across the floor. Blood dripped down in front of me. I reached up and touched my face.
A nosebleed. Great.
A noise behind me had me turning my head around. Declan pushed his way into the room only to be slammed back out by an invisible force.
For a moment, Inarus’ focus was off me and I was able to gain another foot.
“Do that again,” I shouted and wiped the blood from my nose with the back of my hand.
Without any hesitation, Declan pushed his way back into the room only to be thrown back out but it earned me another foot.
I was right beside the bed now. I just needed to pull myself up.
“Again!”
I didn’t watch this time. Declan growled low and guttural behind me and as soon as the pressure ebbed, I pulled myself up and grabbed Inarus’ cool, stubble roughened cheeks between the palms of my hands, leaving streaks of blood across his skin.
I screamed into his unconscious face, “Let me in!”
Everything froze.
It was so sudden I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was as if I were in the middle of a tornado. An invisible breeze swirled around the room, but where I sat beside Inarus on his bed, things were absolutely calm. A force field surrounded us. It shimmered and whirled and looked a lot like staring into water.
I could see Declan and Dia in the doorway but they were out of focus. It was the strangest thing.
There was a mental knock on my mind. It felt like a request for telepathic contact but it had a “taste.” Something familiar but also unknown. I knew it was Inarus. Who else could it be? But still, I hesitated.
The knock sounded again.
I let instinct take over and opened my mind to form a connection.
“Aria—”
Relief flooded through me.
“Inarus? Hey! You’re okay. You’re safe.”
Emotions flooded through my mind. Uncertainty. Fear.
My heart ached for what he must be going through.
“Do you remember what happened?”
A mental shake of his head.
“I remember Viola … pain … and then nothing.”
I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
“You were hurt. You’re safe now, in the Compound.”
There was a mental pause.
“Inarus?”
“My sister?”
“Also here. Safe. Worried about you. You won't let any of the healers near you.”
The tension in the room eased and my blurred surroundings slowly came back into focus.
“Why can't I wake up?”
“You were hurt. It was bad. Really bad. Frankie and Annabeth put you into an induced coma to give your body time to heal.”
“How long?”
“Almost three weeks.”
There was a shudder. “I need to wake up. Get Dia.”
I turned and located her in the crowded doorway. Frankie, Annabeth, Declan, Dia, Robert, and Brock all peered into the room with varying expressions but Dia’s was the easiest to decipher.
Trepidation.
"He needs you."
She didn't need to be told twice. She pushed past the others and took her place on the other side of Inarus’ prone body before resting a hand on his forearm.
“She's here.”
He mentally nodded. I didn't know how I knew that, but I felt the movement almost as though I'd seen it.
“Tell her to wake me up.”
I did as he'd asked, but as expected, she couldn't help. Today wasn't our day.
"As long as I have this on," she lifted her hand to show the spelled cuff, "I can't do anything with my telekinesis. I can't help him." Frustration bracketed her mouth. “He needs time to heal. He’ll wake up. He just needs more time.”
I didn’t know who she was trying to convince. Me or herself.
Either way, I told Inarus what she’d said and he didn’t take it well.
The room started doing that hazy tornado thing again and I was forced to cling to the bed or risk being thrown off.
Dia had to do the same. She gripped the headboard with all of her strength, her knuckles going bone white.
"You're going to have to do it,” she shouted.
Wind whipped my face. “What?”
“Tell him you’ll do it. Tell him you’ll pull him out.”
I had no idea what she was talking about but the storm inside the room was getting worse and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on, so I slammed my mind against his and mentally screamed that I would pull him out if he would just calm the fuck down!
And he did.
I released a breath and told him to hold on one minute. And then I whirled on Dia because I had no clue what she was asking me to do. I only knew I would promise Inarus the sun right now if it would calm him down so he could heal properly and not kill himself or anyone else.
"Me?"
"Of course you. Do you see another psyker in the room?"
"We can call—"
She shook her head before I could finish. “Inarus isn’t going to let anyone else into his mind. Pulling him into consciousness is an intimate act and it requires trust. He would kill Jason before he let him that close. The only other psyker who may have had a chance getting through was Aiden and well…” she trailed off.
Right.
Aiden was dead.
Great. This was just freaking great.
Exhaustion, both physical and mental, tried to drag me down.
“What do I need to do?" I asked, because really, what choice did I have?
She looked over her shoulder and nodded her head toward Declan. "You need to make him leave. This won't work with him here."
Declan folded his arms over his chest and assumed a 'try and make me' stance.
I
