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
my vision darken, reality slipping away like sand
focus, colors sharpening and sounds returning.
shaking me gently but insistently. I blink, trying to orient myself. We're still in the truck. Marcus is at
mirror.
croak. Swallowing hard, I try again.
trying to pull it right out of my chest. And that string, that connection to
Yanking At
thrumming in my veins
a frown. "Your face went white as a sheet and your
I? The memory of those endless seconds without air sends a shiver down my spine. "I think
mine in the mirror.
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
Vanessa asks, before shaking her head. "Stupid question. How would
many questions, and so
Marcus's
Magic books that try to yank your soul out of
point, but something in me rebels against the idea. "No, it wasn't malicious. Just desperate." I pause, surprised by my own certainty. How can I be so sure about the
tugs again, and I swear it's a friendly
getting hurt.
my body is vibrating from the
"We should wait until we're somewhere safe before I try contacting the book again. Too many weird things keep happening to
have a sense of self-preservation
I desperately
Lucas sends a pang
brow. "No, nothing yet. Vester should be able to reach me by now. It's strange." "How
passed. The
24
Ava Yanking At
slipping away into that strange, mental-magical
"I felt a pack presence once," he admits. "But it was brief. Flectr
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