Page 56 of Cage Me

In fact, I’m tempted to take a nap right here within the cocoon of the earth, blanketed by the sun’s rays.

Not just yet, the voice I know belongs to my wolf says. We have work to do.

Hmmm. I want to say more. At least I think I should, but I’m just so tired.

You’re not tired, she says. You’re in a state of rest, thanks to Natalia’s spell that has allowed me to form a deeper consciousness within your mind.

Alright. I stretch the word out with a yawn.

Spencer! she snaps with a sharp growl that almost feels as though she’s slapped me. Wake up.

I shake my head. At least that’s what I visualize doing as I sink further into the comforts of the earth around me.

If you keep doing that, you’re never going to see Drake again.

This time, her words send a panic through me that clears some of the fog from my mind. What do you mean?

You’re technically dying right now, she says so casually that I expect her to laugh, but the weaker I become, the more I don’t think that’s too far from the truth.

What did Natalia do to me? I try to scramble for the surface, to escape the darkness I so easily succumbed to, but the harder I fight against the weight pressing back, the farther away I feel from my mate.

She doesn’t understand everything there is to know about us, my wolf says sourly. Her intentions were sincere, but there is more at play than even she realizes. Because of that, you weren’t properly prepared. Though, this really is the only way. It would have happened eventually. I only didn’t fight back because I still have an anchor to our reality with Drake’s wolf. He’s the only reason we’re not dead already.

Well, isn’t that just awesome and a fact that makes me want to murder that fucking witch. Her and her theories.

Natalia isn’t to blame, my wolf corrects. She must have assumed that you and I are more bonded, but your need for concealing yourself all these years has put a wall between us. It’s time to shatter that barrier.

Another yawn rolls through me. But I’m so weak.

I just need you to stay awake and to remember where we belong, she says confidently. Picture Drake, your mother, and your little brother. Remember how much they need you to stay awake.

Not that I’m afraid of a little pain, but is this going to hurt? The way she’s talking, I feel as though I should be bracing myself for something I’m not prepared for.

Her energy drapes over me, relieving me of any uncertainty. There shouldn’t be any pain. You just need to keep your awareness intact.

I feel confident I can do that, but then another yawn escapes me, and I tell her to hurry up. I don’t know how long I can ignore the inviting nature, waiting for me to join its warmth. Not that I hear any other voices, but whatever waits for me, whatever is calling me farther into the earth… There are promises of peace, and I can’t remember a moment in my life where that’s truly something I’ve ever had for longer than brief flickers.

This doesn’t mean you can’t still have peace, my wolf reminds me, her presence growing stronger. When I break this wall down, you’re going to be consumed by my energy. That should be enough to jolt you back to the surface. Just be ready.

I have no clue what wall she keeps talking about. I’ve never sensed a separation between us, but I take her word for it. The faces of my mate and my family rotate through my mind while I ignore the echoes of harshness around me.

The first time I saw Drake and all the pain I sensed in his eyes that had me running away. The day Peter was born and how complete my heart finally felt, but also how terrified I was of the world he was being brought into. The warmth of my mother’s smile as she cared for my broken wrist when I was only nine.

Each memory that flashes through my thoughts grows stronger, more powerful, reminding me of the love I have waiting for me if only I can just hang in there long enough for my wolf to?—

A shock zaps my chest, and my eyes fly open, only it’s not Drake’s face that I see, it’s my wolf’s. She’s standing over me in all her glory, not a single part of her being held back.

Her brilliant white coat is glowing with the force of a thousand suns behind her. It should be blinding, but I’m like a moth to a flame, unable to stop myself from reaching for her.

Wolf. The reverence she exudes fills my entire being with pounding energy. She is light, she is strength, she is…pure.

No, we are.

Images flash through my mind that I shouldn’t have knowledge of. People I’ve never met and then my mother. They’re strangers, but they feel like family just as my wolf is to me.

I’m inches from grasping her fur, the need to touch her overwhelming, when her paw lifts up and slams onto my stomach. My body folds in half, and I suck in dry air, coughing until I’m choking from the amount of power consuming me.

Fight, Spencer, she reminds me. Never stop fighting.

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