Chapter 149

Nathan POV

“Claire? Can you hear me?”

“Step away from her!” Baldwin shouted. “This has nothing to do with you.”

Ignoring him, I kept my focus on Claire’s face. It was utterly still, not a flicker of emotion or expression.

And yet, I’d felt that moment of connection. And I really had heard her in my mind.

“Answer me, Claire,” I said tenderly, reaching up to brush my hand against her cheek.

“Can you hear me, baby?”

And her voice shouted in my mind, stronger this time.

Yes! I can hear you, I’m here!

I need you to take my hand.

Without hesitating, without questioning, I took her hand in mine.

And felt a surge of power unlike anything I had ever experienced before in my life.

It grew inside me like a sunrise, growing bigger and brighter and hotter until I felt like I might explode.

I thought I might be consumed by it.

“I said, step away!” Baldwin closed the distance between us, trying to grab my shoulder to yank me backwards.

And received an intense shock as a result.

He stepped back, staring at his hand in surprise.

I stared as well.

We’d both seen the arc of electricity leap out from my body and hit his hand.

“What - what are you doing?” he asked, confused.

I shook my head. “I’m not doing anything.”

Glancing down, I couldn’t help but smile.

“But Claire is,” I told him, grinning at him.

It was clear to me now that Baldwin had something to do with Claire’s mysterious coma, and maybe with the health issues Amelia told me she’d been dealing with before this.

I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew who was to blame.

And I knew Claire was about to take care of it.

Feeling that energy inside of me growing, expanding, filling me from toes to fingertips, I closed my eyes and took a step back from myself.

I didn’t know how to explain it, or how I did it, but somehow I just knew.

I took a step back, and felt Claire slip into my mind.

Felt her take control.

And with another smile, I opened my eyes.

I may not have known what to do with all of that power, or how to use it.

But Claire did.

And with the power raging inside of me, she sent a wave of energy blasting out at Baldwin.

It felt like a giant wave had been released from me.

And Baldwin took the full force of the hit, with a cry of pain and surprise.

He stumbled back against the wall, staring at me in shock.

Well done, son! said a new voice in my mind, a man’s voice.

Older.

Familiar.

That’s the spirit! Let’s give this bastard a taste of his own medicine.

I was stunned, and distantly wondered how many shocks I could deal with in one night.

Because I felt another energy reach out, a deep quiet power that joined with and added to the combined energy between me and Claire.

And I realized I knew that voice.

It was the Royal Alpha!

But how…??

I didn’t have more than a brief second to wonder what was happening, however.

Within seconds, Baldwin recovered himself enough to attack again.

He sent another boom of psychic energy flying at me, hitting me like a thousand small sharp knives.

It was like I could see it now, in the air between us, hurtling closer.

And without thinking, I blocked it.

Or rather, Claire did, directing the power inside of me with an ease and grace that left me speechless.

It was incredible. I was in awe of her power and control.

But there wasn’t time to celebrate.

Behind Baldwin’s attack was another one.

And then another one, and then another.

Each one more ruthless and ferocious than the last.

And they were so strong! He was so strong.

How had I not known that Baldwin had the capacity for such violence, and such power?

I had known something was off about the man, but I hadn’t suspected anything like this.

And he was so skilled, clearly far more capable of weaponizing his healing abilities than I ever would have suspected.

Working with Claire, I did my best to counter each attack, but Baldwin seemed to have an endless number of nasty tricks up his sleeve.

Before I could catch my balance from one attack, he would send another racing or sneaking toward me.

It was a lot to deal with.

And though I was doing my best, I realized it was quickly becoming too much.

Even with the Royal Alpha’s added energy, I could sense we were all losing steam.

We were quickly exhausting ourselves just trying to defend ourselves from his attacks.

And we were getting less and less hits of our own around those attacks.

While I knew we could and would keep fighting, but for the first time I realized:

We might all die here tonight.

Claire, the Royal Alpha, me.

Baldwin was almost surely going to kill us all.

And then, out of nowhere, came yet another new voice.

I’m here! I don’t know what’s happening, or how I’m here, but take whatever you need.

We have to stop him!

I heard and felt Claire’s joyful cry of recognition.

It was her friend, Amelia.

Even though she wasn’t here, she had suddenly become connected to all of us through Claire’s outreach of energy.

The wave that I now understood had found me in the palace, calling me here, had also reached out to her.

And with her new strength added to ours, her energy and encouragement, I felt our combined power grow.

Stronger. Brighter. Hotter.

And I reached deep inside of myself, giving Claire everything I had inside of me.

My own strength and energy.

And all of my love.

Knowing my love, more than anything else I had, was truly endless, I gave it to her.

I gave her everything.

Take it, I urged her, handing over complete control of my body, my mind and my heart to her.

Take it all, I said. I love you, Claire.

It could kill me, I understood that. Giving absolutely everything was a dangerous last ditch effort.

But what choice did we have?

What choice did I have, when it came to saving my mate?

So I gave everything I had, adding it into our combined power.

And Claire used it.

With one last push that ripped a scream out of my chest, a force of psychic energy stabbed out at Baldwin, channeling our gathered power into one direct, concentrated blast.

I gave and gave, feeding that power, for what felt like an eternity.

Eventually I felt myself weakening, and slid down to the floor. But even on my knees, I kept holding Claire’s hand.

I kept maintaining that blast of energy.

Because I knew:

If this didn’t work, we were all dead.

But the force made a direct hit. Baldwin took the full blast of our power.

It reverberated through the room, echoing through my body, the moment it made contact.

Baldwin took the hit, and a look of stunned horror froze on his face.

And he dropped to the floor.

Dead.