Inner Demons (Book Eight of the Silver Society)

Chapter Twenty-Five

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Tommi was half-asleep when her mirror spoke to her. "Hey! Get up," her own voice said sharply.

"Tommi?" She asked her reflection.

"Who else would it be?" Mirror Tommi replied, rolling her eyes.

"Right. Sorry. Um... Is there something I can do for you?"

"Your Jesse's in trouble."

"How do you know?"

"Because my Jesse connected to him just long enough to realize what was going on."

"So fill me in. What happened?"

"His father escaped from jail, joined the freaking devil worshippers, and kidnapped him."

"Okay... I already knew part of that, but... Did you say that he kidnapped Jesse?"

"Don't make me repeat myself. You're wasting time! You can track him, Tommi."

"I can?"

"Yes. The bond we share with Jesse works both ways."

Tommi paused. "How do I make it work?"

"Just think about Jesse. Keep that distractible brain of ours focused entirely on him. In a minute or two, you should feel his energy calling to you. Follow it until you find him."

"And then what?"

"Protect him, Tommi. Protect him with everything you have. Our Jesses are connected. If yours dies, mine will, too. So don't screw this up!"

"No pressure."

"Listen to me. I know it scares you, but you need to go Full Tommi to save him."

"What, exactly, does that mean?"

"Embracing your warlock side."

"I prefer to call myself a witch."

"Title aside, the dark power inside of us is the only way to save Jesse. You can't keep holding back."

"How am I supposed to unleash a power I have never really tried to use? I mean, the last time I went Full Tommi was with you by my side to guide me, and the time before that, I accidentally killed my parents. I don't think I can be trusted with this power."

"We were a toddler when we did that. It wasn't our fault."

"What if I hurt someone?"

"As long as it's not Jesse, who cares?"

"I care. I'm not evil."

"Then don't be evil. You need to trust yourself. Now quit wasting time and go find Jesse."

Tommi realized that her Mirror self was right. Jesse might be running out of time. She closed her eyes and pictured Jesse in her mind. His angsty face lit up with a smile as she made him laugh. Making him smile even when he was determined to be upset always made her heart feel lighter. His eyes always sparkled a bit when he smiled, even if the sadness never fully left them. She pictured his wolf letting her snuggle him. She pictured him pulling her into his arms and making her feel safe even when they were still in danger. She pictured him sleeping beside her when he was too broken to sleep alone.

Finally, she saw him in a room, surrounded by weapons that were trimmed with silver. He was alone and unconscious. It didn't look like any of the weapons had been used yet, but the threat to his safety was clear. Tommi could feel him, and somehow, she knew exactly where to go.