Magical Midlife Battle （Leveling Up, #8）(132)

Sitting by Jessie’s side, Indigo had her hands on her charred thigh.

“She means you,” she said matter-of-factly. “You need to connect, or you need to leave.”

“What—” Kingsley stopped when Austin’s eyes drifted open, and the ragged sorrow and desperation in them nearly buckled his knees.

Austin looked at Jessie’s face, more tears dripping down his cheeks.

“Please, baby,” he said, his voice raw. “Please, don’t leave me. Don’t go where I can’t follow.

Please come back to me.” He bent over again, his voice shaking. “Please,” he whispered, over and over. “Please.”

It was Nessa’s turn to open her eyes, her expression and bearing suddenly hostile.

“You will sit and connect, or you will be removed,” she ground out.

Tristan appeared by Kingsley’s side, no one caring even an iota about his alpha status. The gargoyle put a hand on his shoulder.

“Those who were in danger of dying have been seen to,” he told Kingsley softly. “Indigo left Jessie for long enough to heal them. It’s what Jessie would’ve wanted. No one else needs your attention right now. If you want to help, Nessa is orchestrating the crowd’s energy to try to get through to Jessie. Those who are connected to her gargoyle are trying to reach her that way, as well. It would mean a lot to all of us if you stayed, but we know you have duties.”

“Of course I’ll stay,” Kingsley said, not sure what energy thing they were talking about but assuming someone would show him.

The vampire drifted closer, clasping his fingers, his eyes haunted.

“This way, sir.” He directed Kingsley to a group of his pack who’d fought bravely on the front line, banged up but otherwise okay. They nodded to him, their eyes tight. None of them greeted him.

Many of them closed their eyes after he sat down.

“It helps if you close your eyes,” the vampire said, unfortunately sitting beside him. “You’ll feel it quickly if you’re open to it. I always feel it when my shadow is following me. It’s pleasant, and it helps me keep track of her.”

Aurora and Mac found him, both sitting down next to him and thankfully prompting the vampire to scoot away a little. Aurora took his hand as Mimi came over, then Earnessa and his mother. Together they bowed their heads, hand in hand.

THIRTY-SIX

Jessie

THE TUG WAS DISTANT, almost unnoticeable. A feeling, kind of. A plea.

“Please, baby,” I heard amid a strange rushing sound. “Please.”

I struggled to take a deep breath. Decided I didn’t really want to because that hurt too much.

Floating in the blackness was so much nicer. I just had to thoroughly let go.

“Please. ”

It was the tone that stopped me. The despair. The anguish. The voice expressed the sort of emotional pain that I felt physically through every inch of my body.

I took that breath, fire raging through me. Crap, that hurt like the bejesus. I didn’t want any more of that.

But the voice kept begging. Kept pulling at me.

And energy swirled around me, carrying support and well wishes, offering a hand out of the blackness. That was nice. My connections were also lit up, energy flowing from them, filling me with a rushing sound. If only it didn’t hurt so damn much…

I floated for a while longer, that voice still reaching me, the pleas constant. It made my heart hurt.

I sensed great loss in it. Loss I didn’t want. A connection I didn’t want to leave.

Oh man, this was going to suck.

I took another deep breath, and another, trying to ignore the horrible pain that came with it, growing and growing until it was too much for me. I couldn’t handle it.

After a break, I tried again. How the hell could the pain still be growing? This couldn’t be natural.

I pushed to the surface, hating every minute of it.

The rushing sound increased, so loud now, until it popped. Humming caught my ears then, soft and delicate and all around me, sung by many voices. Then that voice, that plea.

Handling the pain for a moment before I took another break, I forced my eyes open.

Austin.

He held a hand I couldn’t feel, bent over me, his tears dropping onto my chest. Sunlight streamed through the blue above me, behind one fluffy cloud. It almost looked like a dragon, that cloud. That was probably a good omen.

I didn’t dare move my head to look around. Didn’t need to anyway. All I wanted to look at was

that face, so handsome. Mine. My mate, staying beside me.

I struggled to say his name, but my jaw wouldn’t work. So I garbled instead.

His head snapped up, and I saw clean streaks down his cheeks where the tears had washed away dirt and grime. Hope filled his gaze.

“Oh baby, thank God,” he said, his other hand joining his first, though mine was still numb. “Oh thank God. Hold on, Jess. Please hold on. Indigo can help, okay? Just hang on a little longer and Indigo can help you. Keep fighting, baby. Keep fighting for me.”

“Yes! She’s giving me her lifeline,” another voice said, strangely distorted. “She’s giving me enough to work with. Hang on, Jessie, I got this, okay? I showed up for work today. I got it.”

It was all too confusing. Maybe because it hurt so damn much. I needed a break.

As the darkness welcomed me again, I knew it would be temporary this time. Just a break, and I’d try again.