“No, it’s all right. Get it out of your system,” I said, relieved to see even the smallest hint of her cheerful self. “Can’t stand the fuckers.”
“Thank you. Your secret is safe with me,” she said and rose to her feet, shaking her hands out as if she was shaking the remnants of her panic away. “I think I can focus now.”
I tilted my head as she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.
25
THALIA
My paws slammed against stone as I raced through the tunnels, Damien trying and failing to keep up.
She was trapped. She wastrapped. I needed to get to her, to run faster.
It had been faint, and we feared she’d been injured, but Damien and I had heard her reach out to us, her voice flitting across our thoughts only moments ago.
A single word.
Help.
Marcus and Alec were at the base of the stairs, searching for a way to get past the rocks barring their entrance. They were both covered in dust and blood, but they didn’t appear to be gravely injured.
“What the hell happened?” I demanded as I shifted back to my immortal form, rushing past them directly to the wall of boulders and rocks blocking the entrance.
“The damned beast tripped a ward.”
“Yressia is still alive?” I muttered under my breath. “Lucia!”
I pressed my ear to the stone, listening for anything.
Silence.
I slammed my fist against the stone, suddenly finding myself facing the rocks that had crushed my dearest friend. No. No, this couldn’t be happening again.
“Lucia!” I screamed and pressed my ear to the stone again.
Muffled voices echoed from the other side.
“Stay back! We’ve brought help!” I called, unable to discern anything they were saying. Was Lucia injured? Her thoughts had sounded weak, shaken, and Damien had feared she might not be able to concentrate on their connection if she was trapped in too tight of a space or injured.
“Step back,” Damien said as he came to a stop beside me, followed closely by a female warrior. “Raina, can you feel them?”
She pressed her hand to the stone and closed her eyes in quiet concentration. “She’s there. One other…”
Only one other? My heart leaped into my throat. Was it Barrett? What had happened to the others?
“All others are dead,” Raina said. “The cavern is unstable; we’ll get one shot to get them out.”
Damien nodded as she stepped to the side and lowered to a knee, pressing both hands to the ground.
“You’ll have seconds,” she said, and Marcus and Alec jumped to their feet, ready to help.
“Just a little bit longer,mea luna!” Damien shouted. “Step back from the entrance!”
Raina nodded her head, and her lids slid closed. Stone groaned, the walls shaking before the boulders shifted, twitched, and then slowly rose. Raina ground her teeth together, her arms trembling as she forced them to move.
“Lucia!” Damien shouted, dropping to the ground to look under the stones as they lifted barely enough for us to get a glimpse of the cavern. They continued to rise slowly—too slowly.
“She’s not gonna be able to hold them!” I yelled as I twisted to try to make out anything in the darkness. I was greeted with the sight of the crushed remains of fallen warriors and the Featherclaw who’d gifted me this scar.
