Page 279 of Awakened

It’s freezing down here, and after an hour of tossing and turning, I pulled Caelan’s hoodie back on, grumbling the whole time.

I tug at the hem of it now, wishing it still smelled like him. My eyes are heavy, and my head still aches. I know it’ll only get worse if I don’t get some sleep soon, but I can’t.

I can feel Branwen behind me. Can sense her presence, even thirty feet away. Despite being jealous, I am glad she’s getting more than the few hours of sleep I managed. The guilt I feel for dragging her down here is eating me alive.

My eyes drift across the water, pulled toward the platform. I don’t fight it, letting my gaze settle on the pillar. I can feel its presence, too. Whatever’s inside. It tugs at me, demanding my attention.

The eye I saw in my dreams is the only clue I have about what’s inside, and “it has at least one eye” doesn’t narrow it down at all.

That moment is still so clear in my mind. The bright, blinding blue of the iris, landing right on me. Like it knew I was there.

I’d swear it was looking straight into the depths of my soul.

Whatever it is, it’s not evil. I know that for sure. I also know, even though I have no way to prove it, that it’s trapped. It wants out. It wants to be free.

It’s a feeling I know all too well. The idea of being imprisoned for so long with no hope of rescue has tears gathering along my lashes.

Before we leave, I have to free it. Some part of me has known that from the moment I stepped into the cave up above.

I push myself to my feet, trying to ignore the cold pain in my joints. The stone floor is set with large, smooth slabs that start in the center and spiral out toward the entrance.

Who laid them? What was this space used for originally? A bathing chamber? A swimming pool?

I hear a throat clear behind me and jump in shock. Spinning around, I find Branwen a few feet away, braiding her hair with nimble fingers. She flips her braid over her shoulder and crosses her arms, looking like a disappointed kindergarten teacher.

“Did you get any sleep at all?”

“A few hours,” I tell her truthfully. Her eyes land on something over my shoulder and her lips turn down at the corners.

“Whatever’s in there, I swear to the Fates, I can feel it,” she murmurs. “It’s not bad energy, but it’s heavy.”

“It wants out. It’s trapped—sleeping—and on some level it’s aware, but mostly—” My mouth snaps shut so fast my teeth click together. I feel my face heat, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

Gods, she’s going to think I’ve lost the plot.

“I told you we need to wake it up,” my friend replies calmly. When my startled gaze shoots to her, she gives me a wry smile and rolls her eyes.

“No need to censor yourself. My whole family would have been burned at the stake a few hundred years ago. I know what it’s like to have to watch what you say because the world is full of people who refuse to acknowledge what they don’t understand.”

Feeling my body physically relax, I return her smile with one of my own. She’s right, of course. I should have thought about that. If anyone would understand, it would be Branwen. Caelan and Soren would believe me, but believing is different than understanding.

“So, priorities are as follows. Number One: Food. Number Two: Free whatever’s in that ice prison. Three: Get the heck out of here.” She ticks each point off on her fingers. “Food is still a work in progress. So is our escape plan. So let’s talk about number two—freeing the prisoner. You need to wake it up.”

She says that last sentence so confidently that I almost ask her if she knows something I don’t.

“And how do you suggest I do that?” I ask, trying not to let my irritation bleed into my tone. It’s hard, though. Especially when the word how is quickly turning into my least favorite word in existence.

How do I control my powers? How do I make fire? How do I feed us? How do I get us out of here? How can I discover what I am and what’s happening to me? How is it that I’m somehow the only person in the history of the world with multiple Mates from different Species? How do I wake up what’s in that pillar of ice?

Branwen’s head tilts to the side, considering. “We’ll know when the time is right.”

“Did you See something?”

Oh gods, please, please let her have Seen something. I need to know I’m going to get us out of here. I can’t fail her. Can’t fail whoever’s in that pillar. Can’t fail my Mates.

She smiles, eyes bright. “I Saw you. You were climbing out of the ground, covered in dirt, eyes blazing. I was there too. The forest was alive with anticipation, and the air was buzzing, like it was charged with electricity.”

I swear to the Fates, my knees actually get weak.