Here's the reality of the situation, Paul, Skyler said. I might get killed. If I don't find him, Dimitri will die. He doesn't have much time left. Even if the Carpathians had launched a rescue mission to find him, they won't get there in time. They don't know about the silver hooks.
Unexpectedly her stomach lurched again. They put hooks in his body and strung him up in the trees like a piece of meat. She couldn't help the tears or the horror so stark in her voice. She didn't bother to try.
Paul tightened his arms around her, nudging her shoulder with his chin. We'll find him, little sister, and when we do, we'll get him out of there.
The wind tore the tears from her face. She shrank down into the warmth of the fur, so grateful to have two friends who loved her enough to risk everything for her lifemate. Behind her, she could feel Paul begin to shiver.
Maybe we should find a place for Josef to set down and get you some warmer clothes.
Not yet. He's still flying strong and we're covering kilometers fast. When he tires, I'll get warmer clothes. Go to sleep. Talking this way probably isn't the best thing for you.
She hadn't thought of that. She was so used to communicating telepathically she hadn't considered that it took psychic energy to do so even so close to the one she was speaking with.
She didn't answer him. She was tired. Paul would never let her fall. She closed her eyes and willed herself to fall asleep.
Skyler, what are you doing? I can feel you close to me.
The pain in Dimitri's voice tore at her. At least she was on the right track if he could feel her close. The forest was very dark, the trees large and ancient. She could almost hear them whispering to one another.
Skyler followed the psychic footprints directly back to her lifemate. Again, the path was stretched thin and ice-cold, but it wasn't long. Triumph swept through her. She wouldn't have to hold a bridge over a horrendous distance in order to heal him.
You are supposed to be healing.
The pain took her breath as she connected fully with him. She had thought herself prepared—after all, she knew what to expect—but there was no real way to remember the agonizing pain so clearly until one touched on it. She let it burn through her in an effort to acclimatize herself to it.
Josef was totally exhausted. They had made it to the forest in one evening of flight, but it had seriously depleted his energy. Paul had given him a tremendous amount of blood, which in turn had weakened him. She would have to be careful and not take this healing session as far as she had the last one, but she could not be so close to Dimitri and not try to get the worst of those silver threads away from his heart. She'd slept most of the way and felt more energized just because Dimitri was somewhere in the vicinity.
I'll be more careful this time, Dimitri, she promised. I have to do this. You know I have no choice.