Page 57 of Incoronate
“Can you disrupt the connection again?” asked Dominic from across the room. “Perhaps use it as a way to break the anointment?”
Anita’s eyes were fixed on something outside the window as she mulled it over. “Not exactly,” she said finally. “But I have a few theories I’m working through.”
Dominic arched a brow at her. “Care to share?”
“No.” The word came out flat and final. “The less you know about the specifics, the better. If the Horsemen get inside her head again, anything you know becomes a liability. It would only give them more weapons to use against us all.”
Frustration coiled in my chest. “So what am I supposed to do? Just sit here and wait for them to drag me back under?”
“You prepare,” answered Anita simply.
“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?”
“By strengthening the anchoring bond with your tethers.” Her gaze moved between Trace and Dominic. “The deeper your link to them runs, the harder it will be for the Horsemen to pull you away. It won’t break the anointment, but it might give you enough resistance to fight back when the time comes.”
The implication descended over the room like a chill. Strengthen the bond. Lean into it. Open myself up to the two of them in a way I hadn’t fully done yet, because I’d been too busy trying to hold the line between them, too afraid of what choosing both of them all the way would mean for any of us.
It looked like the line wasn’t going to be a choice anymore.
Still, it didn’t feel like enough.
“There has to be something else we can do,” I said, my voice climbing despite my best efforts. “Some way to protect the baby while we figure this out. We can’t just sit here and hope I don’t get hijacked again.” I searched her face for any flicker of give. “You have to leave town. Take Nikki and the baby far away from here. Somewhere the Horsemen can’t track him.”
Anita’s expression hardened. “Unfortunately, that’s no longer an option.”
“Why not?” demanded Trace.
“Because the Order has sealed the town.” Her voice was clipped. “They’ve warded every supernatural entry and exit point. No one with magic in their blood is getting in or out of Hollow Hills. Not without their say-so.”
“They warded the entire town?” I whispered, my mind reeling. “Since when?”
“Since they realized you weren’t going to fall in line.” Anita’s eyes held mine. “They've cast a containment barrier across Hollow Hills and are slowly tightening it around us. You’re trapped here. We all are.”
My mouth went dry. “So Nikki’s still here too?”
Anita didn’t confirm or deny it, knowing it wasn’t safe to give me any information about her whereabouts. “We’ve taken every precaution we can to ensure her safety and the safety of the baby. That’s all you need to know.”
“That’s not going to be enough,” I rasped, feeling my fear working its way up the back of my throat. “That won’t stop them if they come for her.” If I come for her, I wanted to add, but I couldn’t even get the words out.
“Right now, it’s all we have,” she answered coldly.
“How long do we have before the Horsemen regroup and come for her again?” asked Dominic, his silhouette outlined by the firelight behind him.
Anita’s expression pinched. “I don’t know. It could be hours. Maybe longer if we’re lucky.”
My head spun as though the ceiling were getting ready to crash down on me. Hours. As in I might not even make it through tomorrow without the Horsemen prying me open and walking in like they owned the place. I pushed the thought down before it could spiral and root.
“If it’s any consolation,” continued Anita, “your tethers have the capacity to pull you back from the edge. That’s whatthe anchoring is for. It can run as deep as you let it. All you have to do is accept them in fully.”
“And if I don’t know how to do that?” I asked, panicked. “If it’s not enough to stop them from taking me?”
“Then we shall see each other again,” answered Anita quietly. “Only this time, it will be on opposite sides.”
“If it comes to that—” I stopped, forcing the words past the knot in my throat. “If I find where you’re hiding Nikki, if the Horsemen use me to get to the baby—” My voice cracked and tripped all over itself. “I want your word that you’ll do what needs to be done. That you’ll stop me before I can hurt him.”
“Jemma—” started Trace, his voice strained.
“With pleasure,” cut in Anita coolly.
