The Blood-Book III

Chapter 33: Blood, Dirt, and Tears

Pain.

I had felt it all night like I was rocking back and forth in ocean waves. A full throb, a jab, a twist of my heart, a sharp zing that felt like a hot knife–pain.

He was in more than just pain, he was floating in a sea of torment and there was nothing I could do.

I opened my eyes and looked up to see Andrea. My eyes that didn't get a wink of sleep. Andrea blinked her eyes open, eyes that didn't sleep either as a series of tears fell down her cheek.

I sucked in a breath as she took my hand in hers. "Please don't do that. If you do that, then I will too, and we can't do that. We can't right now."

"I told him I loved him first for the first time the night before last," she murmured, her voice slightly cracking.

All night we had been searching for them; four alphas gone into thin air, a destroyed pack house, three alphas now labeled as traitors, many injured including Barrett, and an aftermath that I wasn't ready for.

The pain of it was excruciating.

Besides worrying, searching, and trying to hold it together–I felt it. I felt him all night. I felt his pain all night.

They were torturing them.

I thought I almost lost him at one point; the pain was so excruciating and I almost couldn't breathe. But then the bond was back. It was like they would beat them down, heal them, then beat them down again.

They knew we could feel it. I talked with Talia, Ajax's mate, early in the morning, she was coming down to meet with us so we could try to clean up this mess–so we could find them.

I would kill Aurelia. I would kill her and I prayed that my father was there when she crossed so he could send her to a place where darkness flourish–where her soul would be slowly eaten away like mine had felt all night.

"Char?" Lucas called out. He walked into his room at Levi's where we had stayed, mostly because I couldn't go home. I couldn't go home if he wasn't there; his scent in itself would torture me and I didn't need anything else pulling at the strings of my resolve that was barely there.

"Ya?" I answered, my voice hoarse.

I felt him sit on the edge of the bed and pull the comforter back. His silver eyes were red and tired; his beast weary, full of worry while he continued to pace back and forth behind Lucas' eyes. He smiled tiredly at Andrea then looked at me. "Can you feel him?"

"Yes," I said before swallowing hard. "It hurts Lucas. They're hurting them–they haven't stopped–" I stopped as the tears pooled.

Lucas sighed and pushed my hair back then looked at Andrea. "Can you?"

She nodded. "I heard him murmur my name, but it's like Charlotte said–all pain."

"We need to go. Talia will be here soon."

"Are you ok?" I asked.

Lucas shook his head. "They just took them. He was there and then he wasn't."

"I know," I replied. "I'm sorry Lucas."

Andrea pushed herself out of bed as Caden and Dominic stopped at the door. Caden opened his arms to her. "Come here Big A."

She sighed and walked into a hug. "Thank you."

"Let's get some food in you then get moving. We'll have blood for this, I swear that to you."

"I know we will," she answered before Caden put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her out towards the kitchen.