The bond between Kellan and I twisted and yanked at my core, demanding I chase after him. A wave of nausea rolled through me when I resisted, making me wonder just how much control our link had over me. Determined not to chase after him like some schoolgirl crush, I snatched a pillow from the headboard and clutched it to my chest, rocking back and forth.

Just breathe, I chanted. I sucked in a soothing gulp of air, trying to calm the sense of panic washing over me. Hell, Kellan hadn't been gone five minutes, and I was already shaking like an addict looking for their next fix. Breathe.

A baby-blue speckled stone on my necklace glowed faintly against my chest, and a soothing warmth radiated through my core, clearing my muddled thoughts. Even though my arms continued to tremor, at least the desperate need to strip naked and throw myself at Kellan subsided.

Wren? Are you there? Jaxon called out in my thoughts.

My stomach plummeted like an elevator with its cables cut. I was barely holding together without facing Jax. I had no idea what to say, where to begin, or if I should say anything at all. My mouth went dry, and two more stones lit up on my necklace. With my emotions soaring, with my luck, I was likely to blow something up.

Are you okay? he called out again. Wren? I know you can hear me.

In the periphery of my core, he tugged at our bond, attempting to access my senses. Given his weak pull on our link, it was clear Jax didn't have control over his powers yet. I closed my eyes and focused all my energy on limiting his access to my thoughts. While I couldn't hold him off forever, I might be able to buy some time before I'd have to explain everything to him. A massive lump of guilt stuck in my throat, and I squeezed my eyes shut. No words I could drum up would give him the answer he'd want to hear.

He tugged on the strand, over and over. If Kellan's done anything to you, I swear I'm going to kill him.

Sweat beaded my brow, and I clenched my jaw, grinding my teeth together. I'm fine.

A thick silence hung in the air.

I don't believe you—something is wrong. Jax yanked harder on the link, making me cough.

If you must know, I've gone to rescue my father, I blurted out through our link, hoping he'd stop his assault.

The tension on the cord slackened. You went without me? Disappointment laced his words, and he paused as if thinking. You didn't go alone, did you?

Guilt flooded my thoughts, and another stone on my necklace lit up. Tapping into the circle was becoming an annoying habit I wished I could break. My grip on space slipped another notch, and if I didn't pull it together, I'd end up leaping to who knows where. I tightened my grip on the pillow. I'm planning on breaking my dad out of a Fire Circle stronghold, of course, I took friends.

And is Kellan one of them? The tension zinged through the line once more.

Even though I knew Jax was locked in a frozen state, I couldn't help imagining him with his arms crossed and his piercing green stare locked on mine. I opened my mouth and closed it again.

Kellan? I thumped my forehead against the pillow, somehow managing to squeak out his name despite my lack of ability to say it verbally.

Yes, Wren—Kellan. The stocky, annoying ass, who's madly in love with you. King of the water freaks, ring a bell?

I picked at an invisible thread on the blanket. I know who—

The connection between Jax and me slammed shut, and a fresh wave of energy surged through me, crumbling my defenses in its wake. By the way my core purred, I knew Kellan was close.

Within seconds, he strolled into the room sporting a pair of navy boxer shorts, pulling a white t-shirt over his wet muscular frame. Even from where I lay huddled on the bed, I could smell his sea breeze scent coaxing me to him. With his back to me, he rummaged through a dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of Water Circle pants, slipping them on before turning to face me. His t-shirt's short sleeve rested midway through my ring, showing off its inky design.

With his lips pursed, he wandered over to the edge of the bed. "So, Jaxon..."

"You heard?" I buried my face in the comforter.

"Of course did. We're one act from being life partners, so our bond's call is kind of hard to ignore." He dragged a hand through his hair.

"Ignore?" I dropped my face to the blanket, let loose a strained bark of laughter, then raised my tremoring hand in his direction. "How exactly do I do that?"

"Have you been laying here shaking the entire time I've been gone?" He let out a ragged breath and interlocked his fingers with mine. "Why didn't you come get me?"

The warmth of his touch washed up my arm and through my core, calming the internal quaking inside of me.

"You're bond blinded," he said softly as if that was supposed to mean something to me.

I lifted my gaze to meet his. "Bond blinded?"

"That's what the healer elders called it." He smoothed out my wrinkled brow with his thumb. "Years ago, a Water Circle woman took a Weaver partner, and the same thing happened to them. They couldn't be more than ten feet apart without him convulsing into a full seizure."

"What?" My heart started to race. I had to still break it off with Jax. How was I supposed to do that following Kellan around like a puppy for the rest of my life?

"Hey..." Kellan knelt and cupped my face in his calloused hands. "First of all, you're not facing Jaxon alone." He tilted his head to the side, showing off the pink scar down the side of his cheek. "Do you hear me? We're in this together. Got it?"

His eyes were a fierce steel-grey, unbending and determined. By the intensity of his stare, I knew he meant it. There'd be a war between the Circles before he'd let me stand alone in the same room as Jaxon. With fire ring wrapped around my ankle, he had every reason not to trust me, but that wasn't why he was objecting. Deep within our connection a primal urge swelled to protect me from danger. And if I had to be honest, when Jax found out about my promise to Kellan... I shuddered and hugged my arms to my chest.

"Second, it's not for the rest of your life, so you can stop panicking." He kissed my nose, lowered his arm, then rested back on his elbows. "The Weaver was fine after they...well..."

A surge of energy flowed through our bond, and even though his hands rested on the bed, my entire body tingled like he'd dusted his fingers over every inch of me. I licked my lips, wanting him more than ever. "Completed their partnership?"

"When you pushed back our bond and started talking to Jaxon, for a moment I thought you..." He kissed my fingertips.

"Changed my mind?" I kicked my shoes off on to the floor and tossed a leg over his waist.

His lips turned up into a half smile, and his chin dipped in agreement.

I pulled the tie from my hair and flipped it over the front of my shoulder. The dark strands of black stood out against the blonde, making me more conscious than ever of how different we really were.

"Hey... I love you—all of you." He pushed up on to his hands until his lips hovered next to my ear. "And you're wrong, as usual." His fingers caressed the knotted ring's waters, making me breathless. "Trust me. We're completely compatible."

In one swipe of his hand, he had me unraveling like a torn sweater. "I'm not chasing after you like one of those girls at school do, trying to get your attention," I blurted.

He chuckled and squeezed my hand. The sunlight filtering through the window caught his eyes, making them sparkle. "You pursue me? That would be a nice change." Kellan tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "Then maybe I wouldn't need to travel the galaxy trying to find you whenever you disappear."

I don't know why, but I'd never thought of him chasing after me. He obviously had. I thought back to the moment I met him at school. He had to be the hottest guy I'd ever met. That was until his handsome features turned cold and his eyes churned storm-cloud grey when I asked if I knew him from somewhere. Knowing what I do now, I'm surprised he held it together at all. If he'd given me a welcome like that after being absent for three years, I would've punched him.

"Come on, enough reminiscing." His lips slowly tugged into a grin.

With the goofy smile he had plastered across his face, I knew he'd seen the memory flash through my mind. My cheeks flushed hot, and I attempted to pull my hand from his grip to punch his arm, but he held firm not relinquishing his hold. "You saw that memory, didn't you?"

Kellan stood, still holding my fingers interlaced with his, tugging for me to follow. "For the record, just how hot am I? You know on a scale of one to ten."

Ugh. I flopped back on to the bed, breaking his grip on my hand. Kill me now.

"I can think of lots of things I'd like to do to you"—he eased on to the bed next to me—"but getting rid of you isn't one of them. If it makes you feel better, I hardly can claim I held it together that day. I got into a fight with Jaxon, punched a locker after our encounter in the Principal's office, and by the time school was done, I caused a torrential downpour.

"That was you!"

He shrugged and scrunched his nose. "Yeah, not one of my proudest moments. But I did get to kiss you. Now come on, we need to get moving before everyone notices we've disappeared." He swatted my rear. "But I think we can spare a couple minutes for you to have a shower." He wafted his hand in front of his nose and chuckled.

"I smell like that wagon, don't I?"

"Big time." He grabbed my hand and hauled me off the bed. "Come on. The shower is this way."

Hey, all! I hope you enjoyed the latest update in Wren's world.  What do you think will happen next? Love to hear all of your amazing thoughts and ideas. Make an author happy and vote while you're at it!

Thanks, all.  ♡

-A