“Let her go.”
I stiffened at the unfamiliar voice. But I knew who it was—a Wraith.
They were here.
I had to leave.
I’d prepared for this.
I knew running was not in the cards. I kissed her temple and smoothed her wet hair away from her face.
“The Bond?” I asked Waleron without looking at him.
“I do not feel anything. It’s broken,” he replied.
“Balen?” Danni reached up, palm resting on my cheek.
“Little one.” I took her hand in mine then kissed each finger.
Despite every instinct telling me to never let go, I came to my unsteady feet, Danni still in my arms.
She’d be safe now. She was one of them and the Scars would protect her. I looked at Waleron. “Keep her safe.”
“My word.” Waleron nodded.
I set Danni on her feet, keeping my hand on the small of her back until I was sure she was steady. “You good?”
She nodded.
I stepped away, and that’s when she turned and she saw them.
“No. Balen.” She grabbed my hand, but I unlinked our fingers and stepped away. “No. He saved my life, damn it. He broke your stupid law to save my life.”
There were two Wraiths; one looked the elder—dignified and patient—and the other looked the complete opposite. The older one stepped forward, grabbed my wrists, and locked the gold bands on them. “I’m Tor, the Wraith of Earth and with me is Edan, Wraith of Fire.” The sound of the metal bands clicking closed echoed in the cave. I heard Danni’s sharp inhale and fought every instinct to not fight.
“You’ll be taken to the realm until the Deaconry decides what will become of you. We, the Wraiths of—” Danni’s scream belted into the air. I whirled around just as she fell to her knees, her hands held over her ears.
“No. No. Stop it.” She shook her head back and forth. “Kilter,” she moaned. “I . . . hear him. He is . . .”
I looked at Waleron then ran and kneeled in front of her, my hands on her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“Her telepathy is strong. More so than an ancient’s,” Waleron said. “The Stream of Hell has given her this power. She is a Scar Reflector now.”
“Kilter is thousands of miles away. It’s impossible.”
Waleron raised his brows. “Never impossible.”
“Danni. Look at me.” I waited until her eyes rose to mine. “It’s your ability. You’re not used to it yet. Close your mind to everything except what Kilter is saying. He’s a strong telepath like you. What’s he saying?” Why the hell was Kilter reaching out to all Scars?
Danni raised her head, her eyes wide with horror. “They’re dead. Oh, God. Hannah . . . Hannah and the others are dead.”
“RYKER?”
I looked up at Waleron and shook my head. “They . . . they took him. But the others . . . Sandor, Derek, and . . . Hannah. They . . . they killed them.”
Kilter’s voice drove into my head. “For fuck’s sake, woman, keep it together. I’m going after Ryker. They took him alive. You’re the only one left living who knows where the hideout is—the cave. Go there. In the clearing is a . . .”
“Why—”
“Shut up and fuckin’ listen. I’m tracking them. There’s no time. In the back of the cave, on the floor, there’s a hidden door. Crawl down the ladder and follow the tunnel to the end. The bracelet that Hannah gave you, undo it and the latch is the key for the box at the end of the tunnel.”
Balen stroked my hair. “Kilter, I’m not trained to—”
“I saved your fuckin’ life, woman. You’ll do this trained or not. And if you don’t, once I finish with these bastards I’m coming for you. Open the box, remove the amulet and bring it to me. And get your head on straight because if you screw this up, it will seriously piss me off. Don’t fuckin’ wear it, wrap it in something and get it to me.”
“Why? I don’t understand, why me?”
Kilter remained silent.
“Kilter?”
“Unfortunately for me, you’ve just become the strongest telepath among us. So, I’ll use you in order to contact Ryker.”
“I want to help but—”
“Shut your mouth and speak to me using your mind. It echoes like a bloody cistern when you speak out loud. Now, can you listen to instructions or not?”
“Yeah, but—”
“You’re still talking out loud, so you obviously can’t. Great. Just fuckin’ great. Okay, I’ll make this simple. Do what I tell you, or I’ll kill you. Is that clear enough for you? I’ve called Keir. He’ll meet you at my place.”
“God, you’re an asshole. I’m trying here. It’s not like I’ve grown up speaking telepathy. Balen is being—”
“I don’t give a flying fuck what they’re doing to Balen. Get the fuckin’ amulet.”
It was as if a pillow smothered my head and as soon as Kilter left, the sensation was gone. Hannah was dead. Hannah and Ryker . . . oh, God, Ryker.
I looked at Balen. “They killed her and . . . they killed them, Balen. Kilter has gone to find Ryker and he needs my help.”
“Release him,” Waleron said.
The ground trembled and I grabbed for Balen, my fingers clutching his wet shirt.
Tor said, “Waleron, I warn you, this is past your ability to stop—”