Mythical Link ▸ Link Neal {Book One}

129

He sighed, preparing himself for the beginning of this conversation. He didn't want to sound like a huge jerk, but he knew that's how he sounded. People were just going to have to deal with it though. He had a family and friends to protect, and a missing wife that he needed to find. He was going to do whatever it took to find her.

"Terra, I'm really sorry about your sister. You know I am. I even insisted on Link and I being the ones to tell you about her rather than the police," Rhett had her full attention now as he spoke, and a spike of satisfaction brimmed his inner being. However, she was feeling the thunderstorm brewing in her stomach. "What you did back there to Link... That was damn near lethal. I don't know if you realized this or not, but when you scratched him, the werewolf toxin entered his bloodstream. Instead of turning into a werewolf, it nearly killed him," Rhett's tone was brooding and almost unforgiving, and Link wanted to protest.

Terra swallowed, the muscles in her jaw seizing and almost disabling her to do so.

Chase could sense the tension budding off of her and he slipped his hand into hers, not even thinking twice about it. Link caught the motion and smirked, Chase lowering his eyes while feeling the apples of his cheeks ripple with fire. Terra squeezed his hand. She wiped at her nose as Link spoke this time.

"They did this electrotherapy thing on me and electrocuted the ever loving crap out of me. That's what killed me," he cut in, and Rhett shot him a sideways glance. Terra's bottom lip quivered. Not only did she feel trodden down like a horse bucked her off and kicked her because her sister was murdered, but she felt the same way for nearly killing Link. She didn't do any of it on purpose, and she wished she knew how to control it. Link shuffled his feet as he walked, sensing that she was about to break down again.

"I know you're really upset about this, but try to imagine how I feel at this very moment," Rhett said, and he felt the heat rising in his neck as all eyes were on him. "I try to comfort a friend who just lost a family member, and she tries to hurt my best friend nearly killing him twice. Meanwhile he's got this savage werewolf wound on his leg that's nasty and infectious, and we come to find out that that's the reason why he's dying. That's when we find out that he's not even human. Then Jessie," Rhett trailed off, his eyes looking distant.

Chase arched an eyebrow.

"Jessie's missing now and I don't know where she is. I don't even have an idea."

Chase stopped walking abruptly and so did everyone else.

"Oh my god Rhett... I had no idea," he said, and Rhett turned his head away. A tear trailed down Terra's cheek and Chase turned around to look at her face, wiping it away with his thumb.

"I'll find her. But in the meantime, we need to learn everything we can about our enemy so we can take him down. That includes protecting her so he doesn't get any stronger, and teaching her how to get control so she doesn't try to kill anyone else," Rhett said as he pointed at Terra, as though he was reluctant to even do so. Link's jaw tightened, but deep down in his gut he knew that Rhett had a point.

"Terra sweetheart, I personally forgive you but I have to agree with Rhett. You need to learn control so you don't accidentally kill somebody and have to live with that regret."

Terra simply nodded her head, wiping another tear away with the sleeve of her cardigan. Link nearly crapped himself as he watched Rhett pull Terra in for a hug, smothering her face to his belly. She cried even harder as Link smoothed her hair, cooing. All of the regret and anguish flooded her face now, and Chase couldn't control the water that filled his eyes.

"It's gonna be okay, Terra. I'm gonna teach you everything you need to know," Rhett consoled as if she were his own daughter and this brought a tear to Link's eye. Terra had wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed as tight as she could, as if her life depended on it. She trusted Rhett and Link with everything she had in her, and she was willing to do whatever it took to learn the control so she wouldn't hurt them ever again. Terra sniffled and pulled away from him to look up at his face, and they were able to lock eyes.