“Are we tracing or taking a doorway?” Lucy asked as she linked her arm through mine.
“Tracing,” I said. “Faster and less mess left behind for someone to accidentally stumble across.”
The four of us linked arms. Even though the bond with my half-Walker girls was strong, ancient and tangible, this was the core group of my family. The four of us were a team and had been through so much together. I was more than lucky to have so many loved ones.
Time to keep them all alive.
I decided to trace us into the hall of Compound 23. I hoped this was a safe starting off point. Of course, in the city I had called home for most of my life, nothing was as safe as it seemed.
Chapter 5
Another shuddering retch shook me. I was curved over on myself, palms pressed against the brick wall as I fought to keep my stomach from exiting my body. Through my mouth. Ugh, vomiting was so not attractive.
“It’s okay, baby.” Brace rubbed my back in soothing circles. “Your body will adjust in a minute. This is simply your mind reacting to the loss of power.”
I wasn’t the only one. Lucy was curled up in a tiny ball next to me, her wings wrapped almost protectively around her. Colton crouched behind both of us, growling as his eyes darted around to make sure no one snuck up on us. Although, the majority of his focus remained on his mate. He too used a free hand to rub her back.
My stomach lurched again, and another heave shook my chest. I had not felt this terrible in years. I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt this terrible. Walker genetics meant that growing up I was rarely sick. Lucy was the same. Although, she was affected by the common cold and she was a big baby about it too.
Of course, nothing had been as debilitating as when I broke the bond with Brace. This loss was nothing in comparison, which was why I was a little pissed off that I couldn’t woman the hell up and deal. I heaved again, but the force was less this time. Another few moments passed, and then I could straighten myself. I left my hands resting against the roughened brick, but the sickness was passing. Nausea abating. Although, the sensation of something cloying pressing into my energy well had not gone anywhere.
Thank the gods I had expected this to happen, otherwise I’d be freaking out thinking something was really wrong with me. Instead it was just the anomaly of Earth and its energy dead zone.
I sucked in deeply. The acrid stench and taste to the air in New York was not helping my nausea. It was so much more pronounced now that I’d grown used to the cleaner air of First World and Abernath. But still, there was something about being back here, something about this city which still felt like home. Memories of my life here were as strong as ever: running the streets, gangers, Olden, Compound 23. They spun in a kaleidoscope of images. And most importantly – Lucy. She was the best thing from my life on Earth. Her and Quarn. The first male to truly change my life. My guardian.
“Well, that sucked.” Lucy was off the ground now and her wings were gone. She must have returned them to the little pockets which sat just beneath her skin. “And I see the city still smells like old ass. Good to know nothing’s changed since we left. ”
I wondered what year it was; because of the energy dead zone, Earth’s timeline seemed to move differently to the rest of the worlds. It was warm and humid right now, felt like storm season. But I had no idea of the date. Two years could have passed on Earth while we were dealing with the Seventine. Two years, wow, that was a lot of time to an Earthling. Time meant something here. Years aged and matured humans.
For the first time I was starting to understand that I wasn’t an Earthling, to actually feel the differences between humans and me. I had done and seen too much to ever go back to the na?ve girl who used to run the streets to escape life.
The four of us moved out of the front entrance of Compound 23. I hadn’t had much of a chance to check out our old home, what with trying not to lose the contents of my gut, but the unused, abandoned feel within these walls was very prominent now. Strangely, I could no longer sense the negative energy which had always assaulted me in these halls. Probably the doorway, which the lalunas had permanently set up for many years, was now gone.
“How are you going to find her, Abbs?” Lucy kept her voice low as we shoved open the heavy front door and stepped outside. My pixie friend hadn’t been on Dronish, so she had never seen the way I connected to all of my girls and was able to follow the energy tether to Sapha.
I quickly explained it to them.
“I’m just hoping it’ll work,” I said, finishing up as we left the front gated area.
The dead grass was long against our legs, but that was soon replaced by the concrete jungle outside the compound.
“My energy is definitely muted here. I’ll know as soon as I connect to the others. If I’m not strong enough, I might have to bring the girls here.”