I held up a hand to halt him.
“What is an Abernath and a Doreen? And don’t even think about hesitating. When I ask a question about my life, I deserve to know the truth.”
I’d had enough of being the last to know. That ended today.
“They’re two of the Walker clans. You’re a Doreen – red marks. I’m an Abernath; we have black.”
“Like Talina?” I questioned.
He nodded once. His eyes locked on mine as he continued to hold me close. There wasn’t one inch of space between us. And, despite my anger, and the pain of the burns scattering my skin, I couldn’t find the strength to pull away.
Brace examined me closely. “I heard you – you were with me for a moment – in my mind. I felt you calling for me, and a doorway appeared. I didn’t think twice, I just stepped through.”
“Impossible!” The angry word echoed around us but with the acoustics here I couldn’t tell where the blond Walker was. “How did you find her? I have this realm barred to all doorways.”
My kidnapper strode out of a crevice to stand before us. Damn freak must just hang around in the caves.
Brace lowered me to the ground, but my legs refused to bear my weight and crumpled. Without a pause, he simply shifted his stance and brought me back up into his arms.
“Sorry, I think my arms and legs are asleep from being tied for so long.” I had tingles through them now, but they felt like they weighed a ton.
“Don’t apologize, Red. I can hold you up and rip his head off. No problem.” His smile was confident.
I resisted the urge to touch his perfect white teeth. At least one thing was explained: his unnatural looks: he was Walker.
The ground began to shake beneath our feet. I turned my anxiety toward Brace. He smiled. A large crevice began to divide the space between us and the Doreen Walker.
Could Josian ex-communicate Walkers? Because this psycho needed to go.
“Your pathetic little power show does nothing but tire you,” the Doreen said. “I have claimed the baby Walker. Leave now and I will forgive your intrusion.”
I expected Brace to lose it then. Instead he threw back his head and laughed. With a twinkle in his eyes, the stormy black faded slightly, not quite back to his beautiful brown, but closer.
“How can you have spent any time with Red and not know that she’s owned by no one? I only wish she knew how to use her powers. She’d have ended your sorry ass.”
My lips turned up in a half-smile as I lay my head against his shoulder. Hearing him swear was a novelty; he usually didn’t use much slang. Only what he’d picked up from me and Lucy.
Exhaustion was getting the better of me. I started to miss bits and pieces of their words. Whatever lightning thing he’d zapped me with earlier had really knocked me around.
“You cannot escape. Why would you start a clan war over a halfling?” The Doreen’s words were interrupted by a bolt of energy smacking him straight in the face.
He was knocked backwards, off the island and into the endless abyss below.
“Shi – did you just kill him?” I struggled to sit up.
“Come on, Red. He’s a Walker. That wouldn’t have even scared him. I’m just looking to buy us some time until I figure out how to get out of here.”
Okay, I felt a bit stupid, but it wasn’t my fault I continued to forget that they weren’t human. I wasn’t raised to believe in Walkers.
As Brace strode us closer to the edge of the deep gulley, I could see his mind working away, trying to figure out how to save me.
Since I wasn’t the type of person that generally waited for a knight to rescue me, I decided to see if I could access a doorway. Brace had said I’d brought him to me, so maybe I could send us home. I gathered some energy. It responded far quicker than the last time. My power was growing.
Picturing my bedroom back home, I was about to draw from my sticky taffy energy and create a doorway when I noticed something. Around the image of my room were these long, dangling and glittering threads, a bit like strings that anchored it to ... something. I hadn’t noticed them before, but maybe I just hadn’t been paying attention. Without much hesitation, with instinct guiding me, I latched on to one of the tethers and yanked hard.
“What the hell, Red? – ”
My eyes were still closed, but they flew open at his exclamation. I was in his arms, but we were no longer on the island of crazy. Instead we were standing on my bed, in my room, on First World. In the exact spot the cord I pulled had been attached. Brace and I stared at each other for a moment. My eyes were so wide with shock I was sure they were about to fall out of my head.
“Did you just trac –?” His words were cut off as my bedroom door slammed open.
“Baby girl.” Josian’s words were strangled as he wrestled me from Brace and engulfed me in a bone-crushing hug.