Chapter 223: Grace
My teeth chattered violently as I wrapped the blanket tighter around me. My whole body was shaking with exhaustion, but there were still 6 more people I needed to heal before I could be done. They needed me to do this. They needed to be able to stand a chance once we got out there to escape. I wouldn’t be able to protect anyone out there. I was already at my limits, but I could do this. We were on a time crunch. Time had no meaning here, but if we missed our opportunity, there was no telling if we would get another. At least not any time soon, and that would lead Rhys right into a trap. I couldn’t do that to him. No. Failure was not an option.
“Grace?” Caleb whispered.
He had hardly taken his eyes off of me since I returned from the Land of the Gods. He had taken a beating that was meant for me. I hadn’t even asked him. He was right, that was a terrible move on my part. I had just been so wrapped up in my plan I forgot to even ask him if he would be willing until he reminded me. I had wanted to take it when I returned, but he had kept the attention off of me. I just started trying to take away his pain, and then when they left, I started to heal him. He was first because he saved me in ways that he didn’t even understand yet.
Since I had wrapped up his healing, I had moved on to Leon, and then one by one everyone else who was in this godforsaken place.
“Grace, maybe you should stop for a while...” Caleb requested quietly, and through the dark I could see Leon nod his head in agreement on the other side of the hall.
“I can’t.” I told them.
I might not be able to physically see who I was healing, but I could tell it was a young girl who needed it more than I did. I remembered being young and trapped here. It never got easier. The only difference was this time I knew I didn’t deserve to be here. I knew my worth was more than my past, more than my fear. I was a me that past me could have never dreamed of, but I was proof that you could make it out of here. Sure, I was still working on things, and I’m sure that there will always be things that will haunt me, but I was lucky. Rhys would be there, every step of the way, and for that I was grateful.
A bead of sweat dripped down my face as I leaned against the cell bars connecting Caleb and I. Goddess, this was hard, and it was only step one of the plan.
“Grace, stop.” Caleb commanded in an Alpha voice I didn’t even know he had.
I whimpered, but didn’t stop. Lycans didn’t have to listen to Werewolves. At least, that’s what the voice in my head told me. But that didn’t mean that an Alpha command didn’t still effect me.
“Grace...” He growled.
“We are on a time crunch.” I snapped at him, but it didn’t have nearly as much of a bite as I wanted it to.
“All the more reason to stop.” Leon encouraged from across the way. “You need to be at full strength for this to work, and you’re two minutes away from passing out.”
“I’m not stopping till everyone has a chance to survive.” I argued back, using it to fuel my powers.
“You can’t save everyone.” Caleb said gently. “You have to save yourself. The only thing Rhys cares about is you. You have to come back to him, Grace. He won’t make it if you don’t.”
He was trying to guilt me, and I would be lying if I said that I was immune to it. I was most definitely not immune to it. A large part of me, the part that was two minutes away from passing out wanted to stop. Wanted to self-preserve. But the other part of me said if I didn’t help them, I didn’t deserve to make it out either.
“I just want everyone to have a fighting chance.” I whispered.
“We aren’t asking you to stop forever, just take a little break, replenish your strength.” Leon tried gently, he was always a little softer than Caleb, and it was really clear to me that he was a girl dad. And not in the way that my dad was a girl dad but like in a good way.
“We don’t have time for that.” I argued, but black spots filled my vision, and I knew I didn’t have much time left as I moved onto the next person.
“It’s our plan,” Caleb answered. “Rhys is smart enough to engage or delay if we’re a little off. We’ll make adjustments, but right now, you need to rest.”
I nodded, finally relenting. I had barely even started on the person I had been working on as I pulled back my energies. I was hanging onto consciousness by a thread as the dizziness hit in full force.
“Grace?” Leon called out worriedly.
“I-” But whatever I was going to say died on my lips. My head fell back hard against the bar, hard, but I couldn’t even lift it. That felt like too much work. Fuck. This was not good.
I couldn’t open my eyes, but I heard shuffling next to me, and when someone touched me, I knew it was Caleb... He gently shifted me the best he could so that I was laying down, my head supported by something I couldn’t see. But I was grateful for him as I let the darkness take me under. If we were lucky, this would be the last time I ever slept in this cruel and unforgiving place. If we were lucky, the next time we slept, I would be in Rhys’ arms, and that was enough let me finally let go, and let the darkness pull me under.