Page 46 of The Erion Triad

Chapter Eighteen

Lucie

She landed with a jolt. That was her first thought. Her second was that she was so heavy, her eyelids felt as though they had little weights attached to the ends. It took a few moments of concentration to batter them open, and when she did, she found herself prone on a bed. She clasped the Erion crystal in both hands to her chest and it glowed so bright that the room was washed with swirling blues and greens.

Being so close to the crystal, it was as though she looked into the eddying clouds of another galaxy within its structure. Tiny golden lights flickered with magentas that were interspersed with the bright blue-greens she knew as Erion.

She struggled onto her elbow. Her body was stiff, her muscles feeling as though she hadn’t moved in a month. Her gaze landed on several prone figures on the floor. Kira. The kings, and Madlyn, her mate’s mother.

She recognized the healer, Erix, crumpled in a heap on the floor. There were a couple of extra people dressed as nurses and two soldiers by the door. Closest to her was Kyel, Zaen, and Juliran.

“No!” She struggled to move her feet over the side of the bed, her legs feeling like heavy weights. How long had she been here for?

Before she could stand, the door burst open and Tann, the massive Captain of the Guard, bolted inside. His keen gaze took in the scene before he saw her awake and sitting on the bed. “Lucie!”

She waved him off when he started towards her. “Don’t worry about me. Help me with everyone. Please.”

Tann dashed over to where her mates lay on the floor. Kyel stirred, groaned and sat up, putting a hand to his forehead.

“Kyel!” She launched off the bed and into his arms.

He tightened them around her, burying his head in her hair.“Mate. You brought us back.”

“Yes, of course I brought you back. There was no way I was going to leave you in the middle of wherever we were,” she said.

Zaen staggered to her side. He collected her in his arms and kissed her like he was dying. His real lips against hers were just as intense as the kisses they’d shared in her mind.

“Zaen. Oh, my God. I can’t… can’t believe it.”

“Nothing would make me lose you. Nothing ever,” Zaen rasped.

“Lucie!” Juliran lifted her out of Zaen’s arms and hugged her to his broad chest as though she weighed no more than paper. He caught her lips in his and kissed her, stirring the passion as high as they’d just experienced.

“Mate. Lucie. Thank the gods you’re safe.”

She ran her hands through his hair and kissed him.

She broke their kiss and peered up at him. “Hang on. How can you kiss and talk to me at the same time?” Her stomach sank and a heavy weight filled her chest. “We didn’t make it back, did we? We’re still trapped… there.”

Wherever the helltherewas. If she didn’t know where it was, how the hell was she meant to work out how to get free? They could be trapped forever. And if reality looked like real life, then how was she ever going to know what was real and what wasn’t?

“Lucie. Stop thinking so fast. You’re giving me a headache.” Kyel came to his feet and winced.

“You…you’re talking in my head as well!”

Her gut wrenched. This wasn’t good. Not good at all.

“This is the best news we can ever get.” Juliran spoke. Lucie watched his mouth move this time.

“I don’t think not being able to tell reality from a hallucination is good at all.” Her gaze bounced between her mates, looking to see if they understood her. What she didn’t expect was their sparkling eyes and wide smiles. “Am I missing something?”

“You can hear us in your head because we are fully bonded. We are mate-synced,” Zaen said.

“We are linked,” Juliran said.

“Body. Soul. Mind.” Zaen tapped his temple.

“I think… I think…” This was a lot to take in. Nobody had told her about the mind meld!

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