Page 26 of Incoronate
Something wasverywrong.
My mouth opened to say as much—to call out to them—but the moment never came. The whispers hit, and then they were everywhere at once, crashing into me with enough force to empty my lungs completely. Caleb’s voice, Dominic’s response, even the rhythm of my own breathing, all of it swept under and buried beneath the onslaught.
…Sister, hear us…
“No,” I gasped sharply, my hands flying to my temples as though I could physically push their voices out of my head. My fingers dug into my scalp, nails biting into my skin.Please. Not again.
…Time is of the essence…
“Jemma?” Trace was beside me in an instant, his fingers gripping my chin and lifting my face to his.
…The Son of Perdition must be eliminated...
“Stop,” I cried out, the word tearing loose as I curled in on myself, but the voices were relentless, pounding against the inside of my skull with increasing ferocity.
Each word felt like a hammer blow, cracking through my walls and thoughts and defenses,their voices weaving into the gaps until I couldn’t find the seam between what was mine and what was theirs.
…A blight upon this world...
…An abomination that cannot be allowed to exist...
An abomination.
…Find him…
…End him…
End him.
…before it’s too late…
…Fulfill your purpose…
Yes. My purpose.
My body moved before I even made the decision, turning toward the hallway, toward the instinct that had taken hold in my chest and was driving me forward. My feet stumbled over themselves, eager and determined to obey the commands slashing through my veins.
“Shit.” Trace’s arms locked around me from behind, hauling me back against his chest. “It’s happening again.”
The words barely registered. I bucked against him, my whole body straining toward the corridor, the pull in my chest so insistent it drowned out everything else whether I wanted to obey or not.
I needed to go. I needed to find him before it was too late. It was my purpose. The reason I was—
“Angel.” Dominic’s face swam into view, his shadow bowing over me as he cupped my face and pulled my gaze to his. “Look at me, love.Focus on my eyes,” he commanded with his special will-stealing voice.
His compulsion laced through the noise, pressing for purchase. I could feel it reaching for me, the trilling pull of his voice against the roar of theirs. But the Horsemen were louder, and they were everywhere, and there was no room left in my head for anything else.
“It’s not working! Do it again!” snapped Trace as I fought against his hold.
“I can’t compel her unless youhold her still,” snarled Dominic, something unkept bleeding into his tone.
Trace exhaled hard against my hair and hauled me up off the ground entirely, his arms cinching around me until my feet dangled uselessly, every kick finding nothing but air. Dominic’s fingers pressed harder into my jaw, holding my face level with his.
“Focus on my voice.” His eyes bored into mine, and this time the compulsion didn’t ask—it pushed, driving down through the chaos like a nail through wood. “Only my voice. Nothing else exists. Be still, angel. Stop fighting us.”
Something in me cracked open under the pressure of it.
My body jerked in Trace’s hold in short, involuntary spasms, the frenzy dulling at the edges and trapping me in a grinding war between the Horsemen’s calls and Dominic’s compulsion. My arm wrenched free just enough to lash out, more on instinct than anything else, but Dominic caught my wrist mid-motion, his fingers closing around it as his eyes stayed locked on mine.
