Page 54 of Rising Luna
Something flashed through Silas’s eyes at the mention of Lupe. I planned to question Silas later.
Right now, we needed to get him home.
Chapter Eighteen: Dylan
Something was wrong with Silas.
I couldn't put my finger on what was off about him, but I could feel it. As we walked through the secret passageway, he couldn't stand on his own, so Hunter and Jackson put his arms over his shoulders and helped him out. Because my bond with Silas was incomplete, I couldn't transfer the astral ability to him for assistance. We all seemed to hold our breath as we walked through, waiting for Lupe to show up. When we reached the library, I thought for sure she would pop up out of nowhere, but I was wrong.
We were safe.
Sort of.
"Let's take him to our room. I don't want him separated from us tonight," Hunter told us, and I couldn't argue.
Lupe had already taken Silas the moment he wasn't with us. Anyone harming my friends, especially my mates, must go through the rest of us first. From recent events, I'd say she was afraid to take us three on.
Sera followed us out and kept watch with me as we hurried along to the dorms. I took my chances and sent out a command to any guard nearby to ignore us, hoping my power would wash over them and make them listen. When we approached the building, the guards weren't paying us any attention.
Score one for me, zero for the guards!
That just makes you hotter, sweetheart.Jackson rumbled through my mind.
I didn't respond. Dealing with a hostage situation left us with no time for things like that. That part worried me. Lupe wouldn't have allowed us to take Silas unless this was a trap.
Silas seemed out of it, but kept his head down while Hunter and Jackson carried him up the stairs. Sera almost broke away from us, but I grabbed her hand before she did.
"No. You are coming to our room. They took Silas, and they won't hesitate to take you, too," I told her, yanking on her arm to drag her along to our room.
She sighed, but it felt like more of her agreeing than anything. "You're right."
Once inside our room, Hunter put Silas in the bathroom. He was still out of it, but Hunter had no problem taking a washcloth to wipe him down. I mirrored his actions, investigating if Lupe’s involvement extended past the rough handling.
"Silas? Are you with me?"
He looked at me, his green eyes meeting mine, a moment of unfamiliarity passing between us. My chest tightened at the thought of him forgetting me. I only recently recovered him; Lupe may have harmed him, even if I couldn’t see it just yet. Normally, she drills into the back of the neck, but she didn’t do that to him. Silas shouldn't have any Shadowborn blood to make him a candidate for her evil scheme, but that didn't mean she didn't know other ways by now to turn him against me.
Silas's hands shot out and grabbed my face, causing Hunter to snarl and grab onto his wrists to stop him from doing anything. Silas focused on me, ignoring Hunter entirely. I didn't move. Something transpired down there while he had been held captive; I sought an explanation for her actions toward my mate.
"Dylan?"
It was a relief to see him recognize me again, but it still worried me he had lapsed since we removed him from that dungeon. Hunter let go of him, and I put my hands on his face to help the bond fight through whatever fog it was dealing with.
"What happened down there, Silas? What did she do to you?"
Something else flickered in his gaze. I kept wondering if he was struggling to remember what happened to him or trying to recognize me. Pulling on the bond, I tried to see what was happening to him, but I encountered a wall. Pushing on it did nothing, and even Silas growled a little as I tried. Hunter stood next to Silas, waiting for him to make a wrong move so he could end anything he might do.
"I don't know. Everything is black when I think about it," he explained without looking at me. I detected no lie, so he must be struggling against the same obstacle I faced in the bond. If he couldn't remember anything, that posed more issues.
The wall wouldn't budge in the bond, so I stopped trying. It only worsened Silas’s condition; this was inopportune.
"Well, let's get washed up and into bed." I nodded at Hunter, who helped Silas onto his feet.
There was still something off. Silas's movements were not normal–slower at first and then like he was speeding up. Hunter and I stood at the door and watched him wash off in the shower and pull on clothes Jackson let him borrow. He said nothing else outside of asking for a toothbrush. We all took that as a cue to get ready for bed. I let Sera borrow my clothes and the guys decided they would sleep on the floor and let us girls take the bed.
"That won't be comfortable," I told them, but naturally, Hunter wasn't having it.
"I'll sleep by the door. I'm not letting anyone get into this room," he told me and put a folded up blanket on the floor and laid on it.
