28. Flint

28

FLINT

It has been too long since I picked Violet up from the floor, where she collapsed and placed her on the bed. She mumbles and moves erratically, but we can't wake her from whatever thrall Nathaniel has placed her under from afar. How has he even done that? The temperature drops with each agitated step, frost creeping along the edges of the furniture from Caine and a light snow falling from the ceiling from me. I throw a blanket over Violet, mesmerised by the snowflakes resting on her vibrant hair.

"No," she mutters, and we freeze.

But nothing happens.

"This is bullshit," Caine growls, slamming another book shut. His usually icy composure is cracking, frustration evident in every line of his body. "How can we just sit here while that bastard has her trapped in her own fucking mind?"

Thorne doesn't look up from his research, but I can see the tension in his shoulders. "We don't have a choice. Any attempt to forcibly wake her could cause irreparable damage."

I stop pacing, turning to face them. "There has to be something we can do. Some way to reach her. We need to get Blackthorne here. He's a vampire at his core. He has to know something we can do."

"He's busy dealing with the murder, remember?" Thorne says. "Besides, I doubt he can do anything. This is a sire bond thing. The only thing we can do is break it, but without her time of turning, we can't do that without her awake and giving us the facts."

"We need her time of turning?" I ask in dismay. "Fucking hell. Does she even know that?"

He shrugs, as lost as I am.

"Short of diving into her mind ourselves, I don't see how we can bring her back until he releases her," Thorne replies, finally looking up. His eyes are filled with anger and helplessness that I'm sure is mirrored in mine.

"So, this side of never," Caine growls, magick flashing on his fists, sparking off the silver eagle head and zinging all over the room.

I ignore him and focus on Thorne. "Wait, can we do that? Go into her mind?"

Thorne hesitates. "It's possible. I'm already linked to her on a soul deep level."

I glare at him with utter hatred for one fleeting moment before it vanishes. It's not that I'm jealous, I'm just frustrated that he isn't doing anything when he could potentially be saving her.

"Don't give me that look, you fuckhead," he growls. "It is what it is."

"I know!" I yell. "So do something!"

He rises and faces off with me, ready to lash out with his magick when Caine intervenes.

"Enough playing at being idiots," he says, his tone leaving no room for doubt about what he will do to us if we don't. "I have a plan. Back to your corners."

Still simmering with frustration, I sit on the bed next to Violet while Thorne plants his arse on the chair again.

"Do tell," I spit out.

"We can use Thorne to get into Violet's mind because he has that dream walking thing down, but it requires him not falling asleep but falling into more of an induced coma."

"Meaning?" Thorne asks, turning his fierce gaze from me to Caine.

"Meaning, I can place you in a state of hypothermia that will knock you unconscious. Unless you prefer Flint beat you to near death?"

"Fuck you," I growl, but it's not the worst idea I've heard today. I realise I'm being a dick, and I need to tone it down, but I'm scared for Violet and what Nathaniel is doing to her in her mind.

"No," she mumbles again in that same flat tone, and we turn to look at her.

But again, nothing happens .

I frown at her. "Is she in some sort of loop?"

"Possibly," Thorne says. "Nathaniel will be doing whatever he can to break her. Although the word ‘no' implies she is fighting back somehow? Maybe?" He shakes his head as he tries to make sense of it.

"So, is that what could trigger the loop?"

"Yeah, it's breaking Nathaniel's hold on her?—"

"Violet!" I say loudly, cutting Thorne off. "Violet, baby girl. Fight him with everything you've got. We are here, and we are coming for you. Just hang on, okay? You've got this."

"Temporarily," Thorne finishes his sentence.

"Good enough for now. Get to coma-ing," I snarl, rising and going to Thorne to drag him up, shoving him towards Violet.

"Oh, you need to back the fuck up, Dragon," he growls, shadows coalescing around his fist.

"If this weren't so urgent, I would put you both on ice. Literally," Caine drawls, getting bored with this as he stands up. "Thorne. Get on the bed."

"You're pretty sure this is going to work," he complains as he lies down next to Violet.

"It will. You were in her dream before when Nathaniel was there. You said it yourself that he took her away from here. So go back in there now and help her fight him off, also, I'm sorry for being a jerk. I'm worried." I shoot him an apologetic look.

"Noted," he snaps, but doesn't accept it. He closes his eyes and steadies out his breathing, forcing himself into a meditative state .

I exchange a glance with Caine. He nods and steps up, placing his hand on Thorne's forehead. "It's going to hurt. Like icy water has replaced your bones," he murmurs.

"Just do it," he grits out.

Caine nods grimly and closes his eyes, concentrating. A faint blue glow exudes from his hand as he channels his ice magick into Thorne's body. Almost immediately, Thorne's breathing becomes laboured, and his body shivers violently.

"Fuck," he grits out through chattering teeth. His skin takes on a bluish tinge as his core temperature rapidly drops.

I watch anxiously, torn between wanting this to work and fearing we're making a terrible mistake. But we're out of options. We have to try something to reach Violet.

After several tense minutes, Thorne's shivering slows, and his breathing evens out. His eyes move rapidly behind closed lids, indicating he's entered a dream state. Caine removes his hand and steps back.

"Did it work?" I ask quietly.

Caine nods. "He's in. Now we wait."

I turn my attention back to Violet, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face. Her skin is cooler to the touch than normal, which worries me. "Come on, baby girl," I murmur. "Fight him. We're coming for you. Thorne is trying to reach you. Look for him. Help him find you. "

Violet's brow furrows and she lets out a soft whimper, followed by the same flat, "No."

I watch Violet's face intently, searching for any sign that she's heard me or that Thorne has reached her. But her expression remains troubled, her body tense.

"How long do you think this will take?" I ask Caine, not taking my eyes off Violet.

"I don't know. Time works differently in dreams. It could be minutes for us, but hours for them."

I nod grimly, settling in for what could be a long wait. The room is eerily quiet now; the only sounds are Violet and Thorne's soft breathing.

Suddenly, Violet's body jerks violently, her back arching off the bed. A strangled cry escapes her lips, a sound of genuine pain and fear.

"Violet!" I exclaim, reaching for her instinctively. But Caine grabs my wrist, stopping me.

"Don't," he warns. "We can't risk interfering. Whatever's happening, Thorne is in there with her now. We have to trust him."

I clench my fists in frustration, hating feeling so helpless. Snow starts falling more heavily from the ceiling as my emotions spiral.

"Fight him, baby girl," I murmur, willing her to hear me somehow. "You're stronger than he is. Don't let him win."

Violet's body twitches and jerks, her face contorting in pain. Soft whimpers escape her lips, interspersed with mumbled words I can't quite make out. My heart aches seeing her like this, knowing she's trapped in some nightmare created by Nathaniel.

"Come on, Thorne," I mutter. "Find her. Get her out of there."

Caine paces restlessly, leaving footprints in the stuck snow I've created.

Suddenly, Violet's eyes fly open, but they're unfocused and unseeing. "No!" she screams, the sound raw and desperate. "I won't submit! You can't make me!"

I lunge forward instinctively, but Caine holds me back again. "Wait," he says firmly. "We don't know what's happening. Interfering could make things worse."

I growl in frustration but force myself to stay still. Violet's eyes close again, her body going limp. For a moment, everything is still.

But then it strikes me, this was different.

"She's fighting him!"

"Keep going, snowdrop. You can do this," Caine mutters, going to her, staring down at her but not touching. "Find Thorne, let him help you."

Violet settles back down again. I feel sick with worry. There is nothing we can do now but wait.