It was almost like I was in a nex line. My surroundings blurred past me at incredible speed. I would have thrown up if there was anything in my stomach. Seconds later and the speed stopped. Arms released me. The moment the support was gone, I started to tip over, too weak to stand. There was a yelp and two hands caught my arm. "Whoa! Are you okay?"

   "Where . . . who are . . ?" I muttered, trying to see. My vision was too dark.

   "Shit. You're way too pale. Hold on, I'm lowering you to sit down. Okay?" The grip on my arm allowed me to slowly sit down. Grass folded under my pants. "There. Deeper breaths. There you go."

   The deeper breaths allowed some of the darkness around my vision to fade. It was still nearly impossible to see, but it was better. I squinted through the moonlight at a figure. "Who . .  who are--?" I coughed again.

   "I'm Zain. You're safe, okay? You're Roxie Reilly, right? You've got to be." The woman studied my face carefully. She crouched in front of me. Ash-blonde hair was tied back and exposed her pointed ears. "What's happened to you?" Her tone was worried but gentle. Her pale windbreaker crinkled as she examined my face.

   I grunted. "Dani Darhk."

   "I figured that much," she said. "Considering that there was a call sent out to all Enforcers to be watching for you. But what's wrong with you? You can't even stand."

   "I . . . don't know. I'm tired..."

   Zain grimaced, hand pressing against my head to look at my face. "You look as if you haven't eaten. How long has it been since you've food?"

   "No . . . idea."

   "Okay, well, that's an easy fix." Her body disappeared. Wind blasted against my face. I blinked out the dust and suddenly she was back. She unwrapped a burrito and tore off the foil. "This is the closest thing I've got. Eat up. I'll be back with some water." The burrito had just landed in my lap before she vanished again.

   I didn't even bother to wonder. Instead, I managed to take a bite of the burrito. It tasted like ash. Though Zain was right. My stomach was roiling. I felt sick eating, but that meant I really needed it.

   A water bottle appeared in my lap as she returned. She twisted off the cap. "Better?"

   "I think so," I said after taking some water. I hadn't realized how dry my throat was. My voice returned a little. Not much, but some. "How are you . . . disappearing?"

   "Oh." Zain sat down. "I'm just quick. That's how I got you out of that street. I've been patrolling that block for a few days. Picked you up and . . ." She brushed her hand past her other quickly. "Zoom." 

   I wiped my mouth and blew out a breath. "T-Thank you, I guess." My voice was scratchy. Even though I hadn't been able to scream when trapped in the gap, my throat was still damaged as if I had been screaming for ages.

   "I need to . . . find someone. C-Can you help me?"

   "Absolutely. Who are you looking for?"

   "T-Tate Leon. Shapeshifter. Black hair. H-He should be with two . . . two demons and an elf . . . and a mage and a sh-shifter. He's i-in danger."

   Zain grimaced. "I don't know who that is. Do you know where he could be?"

   "Uh..." I thought about it. "If he's not in C-Carson City, Nevada, then . . ." He and the team would have followed the nex line to where I chased after Dani. Karen would have been able to follow my tracks. But I had no idea where that was. "Ph-Philadelphia. He m-might be there."

   "Okay. I'll check. It'll take me about five minutes." Zain stood up. "Stay here. Eat that burrito and drink all that water. I'll be back." Dust exploded as she took off. I let my head fall, tired, but did as told. There was nothing else for me to do. I could barely walk. Couldn't travel, couldn't fight. I had to hope Zain could somehow find Tate before Karrae did.

   Anxiety made it hard to eat, especially since my stomach didn't want to hold anything down. It took the whole ten minutes to eat it before Zain returned. She skidded to a stop. "I might have found him. Is he a tall guy? Tanned skin? And is he an Enforcer trainee? The guy I saw had a tag."

   Relief hit me hard enough that I slumped slightly. He's alive. "Yes. T-That's him."

   "Great. I'll take you there. He's in Philadelphia." Zain gently grabbed my arm. She helped me up. "I'm going to run us there. Hold your breath, okay?" I sucked in a deep breath. The world around us blurred away. Wind smacked my face harshly. It took hardly thirty seconds before Zain skidded to a stop. 

   There were shouts. Tate's was the loudest. "Roxie!" I still couldn't see properly, so I was forced to rely on my other senses. His warm hand caught my free arm. Zain grimaced as Tate examined my face, his fingers brushing my bloodied lips. "Oh, Roxie, what happened?" 

   I groaned and allowed my knees to buckle. Tate yelped and his arm went around my waist. He took all of my weight. Zain released my arm carefully. I lifted my head even as it lolled to the side. The rest of them stood there: Karen, Jennifer, Gene, Erlan, and Caze. They were in some sort of hotel room, crowded inside. Jennifer and Caze had been sitting on the couch and shot to their feet. Gene was leaning against the wall. Karen had been pacing. Erlan was beside the window, as if he had been looking outside.

   "Who are you?" asked Jennifer, wary.

   "I'm Zain," she replied. "Another Enforcer, not unlike yourself." She fisted her hand over her heart. 

   Tate shifted his grip so that I was more comfortable. I mumbled under my breath. My face buried into his chest and my eyes closed. A headache throbbed between my eyes. 

   "How did you find Roxie?" said Erlan. His eyes were narrowed.

   "I just got lucky," said Zain honestly. "I was in the area when she busted out of some building in New York."

   "New York!" exclaimed Karen loudly. I winced at the throbbing in my head. "We thought -- damn it! We had a radius but New York was at the edge of it. We thought Dani was in Philadelphia."

   I hadn't even known where I was. Though it made some sense. I'd gotten a glimpse of tall buildings before Zain had zipped me away.

   "What happened?" Caze asked, concerned.

   Zain grimaced. "I don't know."

   Tate's hand held my cheek, softly. It was like he was scared it would hurt. "Roxie?"

   I closed my eyes tightly. "I . . . I'm still figuring that out." That was a lie. I just didn't want to talk about it yet.

   Zain arched an eyebrow skeptically.

   Tate ignored her. He obviously knew I was lying. He knew how to tell, but he didn't say anything. "Okay. You need to rest. We can do that. Right?" He looked up. No one argued. His other arm went under my legs. I didn't even bother being angry that I'd just been swept off my feet. 

   My hand fisted in his shirt. I was so relieved. He was okay. For a scary moment, I'd thought Karrae would kill him. Dani had been so sure that she could take his life. Tate was all I really had left besides my dad. Alexie was gone. Simone was gone. Tate and I hadn't known each other long, but I didn't care. He'd saved my life and I'd saved his. That formed a kind of relationship that could never be replicated.

   Tate had left the room. I felt him walk a short distance before he swiped a card. A lock beeped and he opened the door. Colder air washed over my skin. I shivered. Tate shut the door before walking over to a bed. Carefully, as if he were worried that I could crack like glass, he set me down.

   I didn't let go of his shirt. It was like an anchor. It reminded me that I was out. I'd escaped Dani and Tate was alive. Dani had failed. Tate hesitated, his hand brushing mine. "What's wrong?"

   "I was worried," I muttered. "Dani . . . she send someone to kill you. I knew you could be dead. I didn't know if you were alive."

   He was silent for a moment. His fingers continued to soothe the back of my hand. "Well, I'm here. I'm okay. See?" His nails lightly scraped my skin. 

   I grunted. Tate blew out a breath and pulled me in for a hug. His chin pressed against my head. I didn't try to escape. His breath tousled my hair. "I didn't know if you were alive, either."

   "L-Like I'd let her kill me."

   "She got closer than you know," whispered Tate. His hand grasped my left one. When he brought it up, I froze.

   My whole arm was covered in the mark. To the ends of my fingertips to under my sleeve. The skin was so dark that not even the darkest paint could compare. My skin was no where to be seen. The mark was roughly five times the size. Dani had drained way more of my ability than I'd thought.

   I swallowed thickly. "S-Shit."

   Tate lifted his head back up to meet my eyes. His were dark with worry. "You need to sleep. You're safe here. Dani has no idea where we are. No one can find you. Alright?"

   Normally, I'd resist the attention, but I was too tired to care. Instead, I nodded. "Okay." Tate bobbed his head and released my waist. He helped me get my shoes off. As I leaned back to find the pillow, he walked towards the window. I was already falling asleep as I heard him turn up the heater.

Update 3/3.