Page 67 of Three Ring Heat: Part One
I have to keep everyone else safe…
But before I became a murderer, I had to exhaust all my resources. And as insane as giving Night my mark sounded, if only for a couple of days, it was my best shot. My only shot.
I took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry about this,” I groaned. One of his arms slipped free, and I barely dodged the fist he swung at me.
Before he could swing again, I dove toward his shoulder with my teeth bared. Instinctively, I bit down, and blood exploded in my mouth as I broke the skin. Night howled and thrashed against me, but I kept my teeth buried in his shoulder until I felt the bond snap into place.
The second I felt the faint connection, Night’s aura slammed into me, consuming my mind. It was wild, chaotic, and uncontrolled, threatening to explode out in every direction. Pain and darkness seeped down to my bones, bleeding into every corner of my mind, leaving me breathless.
The rogue energy was more intense and untamed than I imagined, all-consuming. How had he battled this feeling so long without succumbing? It was crushing and, for several harrowing seconds, we fought for dominance in the bond.
Night’s rogue power against my will to save him.
I bit down harder, more blood trickling into my mouth, willing him to submit. I sent all the power I could muster down the bond, growling through my frustration until I felt a shift in his energy.
The darkness waned.
The chaotic energy settled.
Night’s movements slowed, his feral noises quieted, and he finally lay still.
Shaking, I pulled back to see the damage. A perfect outline of my teeth was imprinted in his pale skin, red and angry. It shone in the light trickling in from outside, the bond magic pulsing through it, and I could feel him faintly through the connection. Glimpses into his dark mind, the downward pull of his exhaustion. I felt it all, though not as strong as I would from a true mate bond.
I met his gaze as he gasped for air, studying the red that was slowly fading from his eyes. He was coming back from the edge; I could see it and feel it through the weak connection between us.
My shoulders drooped with relief, and I climbed off him to give him space.
“You’re okay,” I assured him as he tentatively reached for my bite mark. “Everything is fine. Can you move?”
He hesitated, like he was waiting for his brain to re-sync with his limbs, before nodding.
“I had to… uh… bite you,” I said awkwardly, even though I was pretty sure he’d figured it out. “I wasn’t sure what else to do.”
A beat passed, and then he signed a feeble, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I mumbled as the adrenaline that fueled my actions began to wane. I sat back against the wall of the trailer, trying to catch my breath. I could hardly believe what just happened.
Night had almost gone completely rogue, and I managed to bring him back.
Holy. Shit.
It was so much to wrap my head around, but I couldn’t focus with his unfamiliar energy bouncing around inside my mind. Thank fuck it was only temporary, but it would take a bit to get used to Night’s thoughts clashing with my own.
The important thing was that, for now, he was safe and sane.
He wasn’t rogue, and the circus was intact.
It was all I could ask for in the moment, but I knew it wasn’t the end of his rogue spells. They would come back, more than likely with a vengeance, if we didn’t figure out something soon. Whether we sought professional help or found him an omega to bond, we had to do something.
There were only so many times Night could come back from the brink.
And this was a close call.
“Come on, I’ll help you up,” I assured him, pulling myself to my feet and offering him a hand. “Do you want me to stay for a bit before I leave?”
Part of me was worried about what he might do when I left, but I also wanted to make sure the bond stuck. This was new for everyone, so I didn’t want to take any chances. Not until we were certain that he wouldn’t backslide and end up in another rogue haze.
