Chapter 0177
**Josie’s POV **
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I wake up alone, which is odd and not something that happens often. My stomach rumbles with hunger and my bladder screams for release. I get up with a groan, I wouldn’t have minded a few extra hours of sleep. My legs are still a little unsteady after last night’s antics with Deacon. He’d really gone to town to make sure I was fully satisfied. I had lost count of how many orgasms he’d given me and how many different positions he’d had me in. It had been a perfect night with him and had ended with him telling me he loved me. I smile at the memory as I head to the bathroom. I’m in desperate need of a shower so I spend a good 30 minutes washing after using the facilities and cleaning my teeth. By the time I’m done, I feel much better, my body no longer aches and I feel clean once again.
I go
in search of my bonds with a smile on my face, I feel lighter today, like today is going to be a good day and we finally get some good news. That is until I walk into the kitchen and see the worried faces of Axel and Luke. How had they hidden their emotions from me? I check my connection to all my bonds and find each one of them feel dulled. I can still sense them all but not their emotions. Either something is wrong with our bond or they have all learnt how to shield themselves, and are all blocking me, which would be highly suspicious.
“What’s going on?” I demand, eyeing them both suspiciously.
“You should eat first,” Luke smiles but I can see how forced the smile is.
“I don’t want to eat until you tell me what is happening. Where is Deacon?”
“Josic, sit down,” Axel says softly, moving towards me with a hand outstretched. I shake my head and step back,
out of his reach.
“Deacon has gone home,” Luke sighs.
“Excuse me?” I ask because surely I heard him wrong and he didn’t just say Deacon has gone home.
“He is in the void, trying to get back to our home realm,” Axel says softly.
My heart feels as though it jumps into my throat, restricting my airway. Deacon left me! He said he wouldn’t leave me, even if it meant he had to stay here with me forever, and he’s just fucking left me! I’m angry, hurt, scared and heartbroken. Why would he do this?
“Why?” is all I manage to choke out.
“Because he’s going to get the portals open so we can all go home,” Luke offers.
“What happened to it being too dangerous?” I demand.
“It’s not exactly safe here anymore, Josie. Do you really want to bring a child into this world right now when he might be targeted just because of what he is? Do you want us all to have to stay hidden in this cottage forever? What kind of life can we give him here?” he reasons. His emotions slip through his shield and I feel his fear. He’s genuinely scared for our future and I can’t blame him. Each day that passes seems to get worse and our future becomes more bleak.
“I’m not saying we didn’t need to do something, I know how dire the situation is, but why the secrecy? Why didn’t we all sit down and talk about this like the team we are supposed to be?”
“We didn’t want to worry you. The stress is not good for you or Little Bean,” Axel tries.
“Well congratulations, because now I’m even more stressed!” I shout, hitting my limit with them. Why do they
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Chapter 0177
think I need to be protected from everything? I clench my fists so hard that my fingernails dig painfully into my palm.
“Calm…”
“Don’t you fucking dare tell me to calm down,” I snap, cutting Luke off. “Didn’t they teach you in your bond care classes that telling a highly stressed, emotional, pregnant woman to calm down has the opposite effect?”
“No,” he whispers, his gaze lowering to the ground and I feel a twinge of guilt. Shouting at my bonds is not helping the situation, so with that in mind, I blow out a long breath. I need to think logically about this,
“How long has he been gone?” I ask, keeping my tone calmand my breathing steady. Panicking is not going to help either, especially if Deacon is fighting for his life and gets distracted by my fear.
“6 hours,” Axel says nervously.
“Crap. I assume Theo and Mason are in on this plan as they have shut themselves off to me too,” I raise a brow.
“Yes, they’re waiting for him and will update us as soon as he arrives,” Luke nods.
“IF he arrives,” I correct. “How do I shut down our connection? The last thing I want to do is distract him in the void,”
“Don’t shut it down. He needs to feel you. He needs the reminder of what he is fighting for. It’s the only reason I made it out. I felt your fear and desperation and I knew you needed me out of there and safe before you’d feel better. You’re his biggest motivation, Josie, use it. Let him know how much you need him,” Luke urges. I think his words over and he’s right. If he doesn’t feel me and how much I need him, how much I love him, then he may forget what he’s fighting for.
“Okay,” I nod. I sit at the kitchen table and close my eyes, concentrating on my connection to Deacon. It’s faint but it is there. I expect to feel it blink in and out as he teleports but it doesn’t, and that’s bad. He’s giving up. I suck in a pained breath as I feel how desolate he is. The void has sucked all the hope from him. “Deacon,” I call to him but there’s not even a flicker of a response. I try over and over again, fear building with every passing second. Until I admit to myself what I know I’m feeling from him. Death. Deacon doesn’t have a shield up to block me, he is fading away and these idiots were too busy locking their emotions away from me that they didn’t notice.
“Luke, take me in there. Now!” I demand, jumping to my feet.
“Josie, no, we can’t. We would never find him,” Luke shakes his head.
“You either take me in or I’ll go in alone. We both know I can do it,” I shout. I won’t take no for an answer on this.
“Just give him some time, he will get out,” he pleads.
“Drop your shield and feel him, he is fucking dying!” I scream, and my body trembles with fear and rage. “She’s right, Luke, we are losing him,” Axel agrees, “Take me in,” he jumps to his feet and grips Luke’s arm.
“Fuck. Okay. I’ll go, you two stay here,” Luke finally agrees.
“No, we are a team and from now on we do this as one. Don’t you see? We are stronger together, this is how it’s supposed to be, Luke, and if one of us falls then we all fall, I tell him and I know my words are the truth. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.
Chapter 0178
