Page 68 of The Stone Survival
Fuck… “There has to be a way.”
“Killing the voice should free the infernals from their host bodies.”
“But none of the other infernals have mate bonds, do they?”
“No. Those gargoyles were tricked into believing they were consummating.”
There’s something in his voice. A hesitation. “That’s right. They used a chemical to mimic the pheromones of a mate.” For some reason, my stomach quivers when I say this.
“You do not remember.”
Remember… “I was in my sanctuary, and I saw Cameron there. A manifestation. We consummated.”
He’s silent. “Yes. I suppose that is what you would recall.”
There’s more. I know there’s more. I can sense it deep in my gut. Have sensed it ever since I escaped from the faction. But I don’t want to know. I don’t want to?—
The burnt orange ribbons in the orb of power flare as my beast rises…
Anger. Sadness. Guilt…
“What’s happening?”
We did not know. We did not see until it was too late.
No. I don’t want to know.
We are sorry.
The gray blooms bright, and memories flash through my mind. The pressure on my groin. A body moving on top of me. A woman. Not Cameron. Not fucking Cameron!
“NO!”
I’m back in the gray surrounded by the colors of the bond. The energy pulses around me like a protective shield.
“I’m sorry,” Ubron says. “I was powerless to stop them. Each time. It is the same female. She is…evil. I was powerless, and you were powerless.”
I feel sick. I want to vomit, except I can’t because I’m disembodied and trapped. Forever trapped.
Ubron makes a soft sound of empathy, and in that moment, something happens. A new connection is formed, one that feels almost like kinship.
“We will stop them,” Ubron says. “We will make them pay for what they’ve done.”
“Yes, yes, we fucking will.” The panic, the disgust ebbs. “Cameron can’t know. Not yet. Swear to me you won’t tell her.”
“It is not my secret to tell.”
“Good. I’ll tell her. I’ll tell her everything once the bitch who violated me is dead.”
CHAPTER 33
MELANIE
The water in the chasm churns and beats against the cliff walls as if demanding to be set free to rage. Above me, the night sky gleams with the light of a billion stars—pockets of energy so powerful they can be seen from billions upon trillions of miles away.
I have my own battery of energy now. It’s amazing how much power can be siphoned when I’m unrestrained. The huge beasts in the sky are no worse off for it either, and I feel whole for the first time since…well, since I died.
I can see myself. Notthroughmyself but a solid manifestation. I can pick up rocks and hurl them. I can even feel the chill from the rock I’m sitting on.
