Page 57 of Coerced

“Well, I could call in a few reinforcements that I trust.”

I shrugged, not really caring one way or another. I wasn’t full of myself, but I knew what I could handle.

“Don’t forget,” he said. “Youcan’t contact the Sanctuary. Communicate only with me for now.”

“Fair enough. But if they manage to free Amanda, take her to Chessie Catt. I have a feeling she’ll need that kind of help when she wakes up.”

“You’re sure Catt is safe?” Clem squinted up at me.

“Without a doubt.”

“Okay, everyone.” Gemma and Travis walked over to us. “We’re ready.”

15. Don’t Let Go

Kerry

“You know what to do?” Clem seemed more hopeful than I woulda been in his shoes.

Gemma looked up at the old warden with something like fear. Frowning, I reached down and took her hand in mine, and she turned those worried eyes toward me.

“Whatever you have planned, I won’t let anything hurt you.” I rubbed my thumb over her knuckles. “I’ll keep you safe.”

I didn’t like seeing her upset and I would’ve done nearly anything to smooth out that line between her eyebrows.

“It’s not me I’m worried about.” She shook her head.

“There is a twenty-seven percent chance this won’t work at all,” Travis explained, “and a slightly larger one she won’t survive either way.”

“We don’t have to do this.” She looked at Clem again. “We can find another way.”

“Is she to endure this way until the Rapture, alone in the dark collecting dust?” The old man smiled a little. “No, it’s time to end this, one way or the other.”

“Okay, here’s the biggest stumbling block.” Travis crossed his arms over his chest. “Gemma and I figure we’ll need more power than the two of us can generate. We have some options, though. One, we can siphon power from Tara, Maddy, and John.”

“What does that look like?” Maddy asked.

Travis explained stealing power from another neph would cripple the donor. The body would be under enormous strain, pressured like a deep-sea diver without a suit. Bones might break - or worse. Gemma might not be able to heal everything at once, depending on how much damage was done. And it might take days before the power recharged.

“What’s the second option?” Tara’s eyes were wide in her pale face.

“Use me,” I said.

“Yeah.” Travis nodded. “Use Kerry. He can supply all the power we’ll need. He doesn’t get drained and his pain threshold is higher than anyone else’s.”

“I don’t like this,” John said. “That’s too much on you, Kerry.”

“No. Better one down than three. And there’s no need for all of you to suffer when I can take it. This makes the most sense, although I’m sure Gemma tried to talk Travis out of it.”

Travis smirked and Gemma scowled. I knew her so well.

“I don’t want to hurt you any more than he wanted to hurt Maddy,” she said in a soft voice.

“It’s only pain. It doesn’t matter.” I made a fist with my free hand and thumped my chest twice. “Besides, it won’t hurt as much as it did to have a demon sucked out of my soul.”

“You’ll have to hold Travis’ hand.”

“Whoa. Wait.” My stomach clenched. “What?”

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