Page 3 of Hart's Redemption

“Does it put his life in more danger?” I’d‌ try anything that didn't outright kill him.

“Not his life so much as his mind. Yours as well.”

I straightened and looked at her directly. “What are you talking about?”

She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders as if bracing for the worst. “I’m talking about enlisting the services of a mindwalker.”

“You think one could really help? That they could bring him back?” My voice grew thick with desperate hope.

“It’s possible.”

I had no reservations. Whatever the risk to myself, it would be worth it if there was even a chance of giving Josh back his life. “I’ll do it.”

“First, you need to understand that this is not a guarantee.”

“I don’t care.”

“You should. The mindwalker won’t be the one going into Detective Hart’s mind. You will.”

That brought me up short. “What?”

She took a deep breath and started again. “The mindwalker would facilitate putting your consciousness into Detective Hart’s. Your connection to him–your bond–should provide you with some degree of safety. However, it would be up to you to find him and convince him to return.”

Josh’s words from my dream came back to me.

Come find me.

I opened my mouth yet again to insist on going forward, and she held up a hand. “There are certain risks involved in this endeavor. The mind is a tricky place, a labyrinth that is constantly shifting. There is a real possibility that you could loseyourselfin that labyrinth. If that happens, not even the mindwalker can bring you back intact. In an average state of calm, the journey can be treacherous.” The rest of her statement hung unsaid. Josh was about as far away from an average state of calm as one could get.

I swallowed hard. “Anything else?”

Her lips pressed into a line, and her brows creased. “You still might not find him.”

My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. I returned my gaze to the large room-turned-enclosure, now substantially more lit than when I’d arrived. The large black wolf paced restlessly inthe confined space. Everything ‌I was seeing was wrong. Josh didn’t belong in a cage, no matter how fine it was. He deserved to be free, to run beneath the moonlight, to come home.

To be with me.

“How soon can the mindwalker get here?”

Chapter 2

Elijah

Ipluckedattheexcessivearray of wires. “Is all of this really necessary?”

“They’re to monitor your vitals.” Dr. Lyons adjusted the reader and looked back at me. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

My gaze traveled to where Josh was sleeping fitfully, not five meters away. “I’m sure.”

Dr. Lyons shook her head and then gestured for the mindwalker to step forward. He was an interesting individual, with his dual braids clinging to his scalp and pulled around to rest on his shoulders. The beads intertwined in his reddish-brown hair reminded me of the ones that my mother had worn,suggesting he also hailed from the redwood area. One thing was ‌certain, Kotori Haan wasnota Lycan.

He placed a warm hand on my shoulder, and a stillness settled over me. “Easy, brother, you will see your mate again.”

I took a shaky breath and relaxed into the bed they’d wheeled in for me. “Okay.”

Kotori’s smile touched his eyes as he moved one hand over my heart and the other to my temple. “Be warned, wolf-soul, I have ventured into the mind of your mate. There is much darkness there. The way will not be easy. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” The word came out more of a croak, but it didn’t change my resolve.