Unshift 261
Unshift 261
261 Ava: Yanking At Her
It's almost like a presence saying hello.
Thinking of that little string, I tug back. Twice.
An answering jerk. One. Two. Three
The words I just spoke drift into my head: It's like the book is alive.
it crazy to talk into this void in my head, in the general direction I hope the book is in?
Sure. But at least no one can see or hear me doing it.
Hello? I call out, trying to
there?
Use the same mental channel I use to speak with Selene. Are you
Another tug on that string.
I really, really need you to come to where I am. It's safer here. Or something. How do you explain. to a book that the world has gone to shit and you want to keep it from being used to create further catastrophe?
Please.
Being polite never hurts.
This time, that string-y feeling yanks, and it feels like my heart is constricted, interfering in its ability to beat.
I can't breathe. Pain explodes in my chest, radiating outward like a supernova. My lungs burn, desperate for air that won't come. The world around me blurs, sounds fading into a high-pitched buzz that fills my
cars.
passes. An eternity compressed into a
vision darken, reality slipping
into focus, colors sharpening and sounds returning. I gasp, drawing in a ragged breath that feels
my shoulder, shaking me gently but insistently. I blink, trying to orient myself. We're still in the truck. Marcus is at the wheel, his knuckles white as he grips
mirror.
croak.
was trying to pull it right out of my chest. And that string, that connection to
Yanking At
thrumming in
"Your face went white as a sheet and your groaned like you were dying. I'm
without air sends a shiver down my spine. "I think
mine in the mirror. "What
mind overflowing. "I'm not sure. I was reaching out to it, trying to call it to me like Magister Orion said. And then..." I trail off, unsure how to describe the sensation. "It was like it grabbed hold of me. I feel like I was somewhere else
shaking her head. "Stupid question.
and so few
Marcus's
to be careful with this. Magic books that try to
desperate." I pause, surprised by my own certainty. How can I be so sure
inside of me tugs again,
squeezing gently. "Either way, we can't risk you getting hurt. Maybe we
arms, trying to soothe the strange thrumming in my veins. It's like my body is vibrating from the inside out, a
wait until we're somewhere safe before I try contacting the book again. Too many
I have a sense
I desperately
thought of Lucas sends a pang
should be able to reach me by now. It's strange." "How long has it been since you could sense him?" Surprised, I peer out
minutes had passed. The realization is chilling.
24
Yanking At
slipping away into that
once," he admits. "But it
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