Page 70 of Blood Bound
I fight back tears of frustration. “Leave Darick out of this. Whatever sick game you’re playing, I want no part of it.”
“Oh, but you’re already a part of it, Rowan,” Heath says, his voice eerily calm. “You have been since the moment you were born.”
I shake my head, refusing to let his words get to me. “I don’t care what you think you know or what you’re planning. I won’t help you, Heath. Not now, not ever.”
Something in my tone must have gotten through to him because his expression changes yet again. “Rowan, please. Try to understand. We were friends once. Don’t you remember all the good times we shared?”
“Good times? You’ve got to be joking!” I want to laugh out loud. For most of my life, I was invisible to Heath Moonshadow. And then I got a glimmer of power, and he sat up and took notice. Now I know why.
“Our families have been connected forever, Rowan – your grandmother and my mother. We practically grew up together.”
It’s an exaggeration, but for a moment, I see a flicker of the old Heath in his eyes. But then I remember where I am, what he’s done. “Friends don’t kidnap each other, Heath. They don’t betray their entire community.”
As Heath opens his mouth to respond, I feel a sudden warmth in my mind. Something…familiar. It’s faint, but it gives me strength. I stand up straighter, meeting Heath’s gaze with renewed defiance.
“Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work,” I say, my voice steady. “You can’t force me to cooperate.”
Heath’s features harden again. “We’ll see about that,” he says, turning to leave.
As the cell door closes behind him, I feel the warmth in my mind growing stronger. And then, faintly, as if from a great distance, I hear a voice.
“Rowan,” Darick’s voice whispers in my mind. My senses tingle. Every nerve ending within me feels like it just lit up.
“Darick!” I whisper aloud, then snap my mouth shut, glancing at the cameras trained on the room.
I close my eyes, focusing on that presence in my mind. It’s like a homing signal in the darkness, guiding me back to something familiar, something to run to.
“Darick?” I think, projecting the thought as strongly as I can.
His voice comes through clearer now. “Rowan! Thank God. Are…alright? Where…?”
His words are disjointed, but it’s him. Relief washes over me, so intense it almost brings tears to my eyes. “I’m okay, but I don’t know where I am. Some kind of cell. Darick, it’s Heath. He’s involved in this somehow.”
The connection flickers, like a bad phone signal. I strain to hear Darick’s response, catching only portions. “…with…grandmother…find you…”
“What? Darick, I can barely hear you,” I think frantically. I want to cling to his presence like a life raft.
His voice comes through stronger for a moment. “I’m coming for you, Rowan. I promise.”
The intensity of his words, the emotion behind them, hits me like a physical force. For a moment, I forget about Heath’s betrayal, about the cell, about everything except this connection between Darick and me.
“Darick, I—” I start to think, but the connection wavers again.
I try to tell him more about Heath, about the prophecy he mentioned, but I’m not sure how much is getting through. The wards around this place seem to be interfering with our bond.
“…losing you…” Darick’s voice fades in and out. “Stay strong…find…”
And then, like a candle being snuffed out, the connection is gone. I’m left alone in the darkness of my cell, but the warmth of Darick’s presence lingers in my mind.
It’s never occurred to me until now how accustomed to his presence I’ve become. Even when I’ve blocked him out, I’ve felt him there like a constant companion. And now that’s been snatched away, I…miss him. It’s like a part of me has been lost.
Stop moping, Rowan! This is a good sign.
I open my eyes, a new determination flooding through me. They’re looking for me. Darick and Gran are working together to find me. I’m not alone in this.
I take a deep breath, steadying myself, then survey my cell, searching for anything I might have missed before. The damp stone walls seem to mock me, but I refuse to let despair take hold again.
There has to be something here…