Christina Garner - Tether

T he end is near...

Ember was only trying to keep a promise when she jumped into the demon world. But instead of saving Cole and his people, she finds herself just as trapped as they are. She lives and learns with the Daemon survivors while the demon threat grows every day .

In the human world, Taren is tormented by guilt and facing new threats. He's desperate to know Ember is alive, but there's no sign of her except in his own vivid dreams .

As they struggle to reconnect, the Gateways around the world weaken, and the demons amass for war. The end is near and Ember must face her greatest fear if she has any hope of saving the world - or herself .

With everything falling apart, her only hope is to find...her Tether .

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T aren

I ts over, I said, holding her to me and breathing in the jasmine scent of her hair. Youre safe .

She stiffened, and I realized I shouldnt have used the word safe. She hated that word. She hadnt felt safe since shed seen her first Dahrak .

Her breath tickled my ear, but I was so lost in her that for a moment her words didnt register .

Please forgive me .

By the time I heard them, she was spinning out of my arms. By the time I reached for her, she was almost a world away .

Ember, no !

She cant do thisits crazy. Its suicide. This time, I had to save her from herself .

I launched myself toward her, reaching .

My body crashed into hers and we tumbled to the stone floor. I hoped that the fall didnt hurt her too much, but I didnt dare let her go. I gripped her to metighter than I ever had beforeand buried my face in her hair .

Well find another way, I said. Its OK. Well find another wayI promise .

I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, and I could tell that she was glad. Glad she was still with me and not down there. And I knew that Id done my duty and saved the world. My world .

T he trouble with dreams? You always wake up .

Kats voice from the other side of the door brought me out of the dream .

Come on, weve got a meeting .

I sat up in my bed and scrubbed my hands through my greasy hair. The hands that just moments ago had reached her in time .

Another knock, more forceful this time. Taren, lets go .

I ignored her and walked into the bathroom. I barely recognized the person in the mirror. Unshaven, unwashed, black circles under eyes I hated looking at .

My life had been about the Institute since birth. Train hard, do what's expected, fulfill your duty, that had become my code. I didn't know much about a lot of things. I didn't give a shit about politics; they were all crooked as far as I was concerned. I thought government should stay out of a lot of things the were intolike whether Kat could get marriedand actually get involved with things they didn't give a crap about, like making sure people had enough food to eat. I never watched the newsthey didnt know anything about the real war being waged .

But I knew a few things. I knew how long I had between being spotted by a demon and being dead. I knew the two soft spots on a Dahraks armor-like flesh, where I could slide a blade and kill ita fold in the neck near its jugular, and near the sternum, angling up, to hit its heart. I knew I was going to die in battle. My father had pretty much retired from being a Guardianexcept for protecting my motherbut I didn't have that luxury, not with the way things were going. He might get to grow old and happy, but I wouldn't. Which is one of the reasons I had to get her backbecause I was living on borrowed time and needed to spend whatever time I had left, with her. The other reason she had to come back was the one I hated. We needed her. The Institute, the Guardians, the Keepers...we could only do so much. If the world were going to survive, she'd be the one to save it. It was my duty to save her because we needed her. But the real reason was because I loved her .

I turned away from my reflectionit was getting harder and harder to look at myself, knowing how deeply Id failed her .

A swish of mouthwash, a change of clothes, and I was out the door, where I found my ex-best friend leaning against the wall .

About time, Kat said and fell in step with me .

She didnt wait until I spoke to begin rambling on about what had happened since yesterdays meeting. She knew I wouldnt speaknot to her. Seven days of silence had passed between uslonger by far than ever before. Seven days since shed tackled me while I was mid-air, just about to touch

But then something she said caught my attention .

What did you say ?

Kat seemed startled by the interruption. Shed been taking my silent treatment in stride, ignoring the fact that I was ignoring her .

Your mother, she said again. She wont be trying to make contact anymore .

My mother had been resealing the Gateway when Ember jumped through it. The shock of it had knocked her unconscious for six hours. She'd awoken determined to reach Ember, but my father wouldn't let her leave the Sanctuary .

"You need to rest," he'd said. "Even if you contacted her, you're not strong enough to open the Gateway ."

"How do you know how strong she is?" I'd said. "All you know is how to tell her what to do ."

My mother had always had a gentle way about her, but ever since she'd been tricked into opening the Gateway in Los Angeles, it was like she didn't trust herself. And my father seemed only too happy to have the final word on everything. It was disgusting. I would never do that to Ember. I wouldn't want her to be a shadow of what she could be .

"I'm her Guardian," my father had said. "And as sorry as I am for what's happened, it's my duty "

"Your duty is to the Institute," I'd practically shouted. "Or have you forgotten that? Do you really think any of us are going to survive if Ember doesn't ?"

His face had darkened, and my mother stepped between us .

"Richard, please, it makes sense to try. Time moves differently between the worlds. She could have been in the demon world a week by now," she'd said. How could I have forgotten about the time difference? How long had it been for Ember? A minute? A month? I had to know she was all right. "If I feel the least bit strange, my mother had continued, I promise I'll tell you, but please don't ask me to leave her there all alone. Let me at least try ."

It infuriated me that she was asking permission, but I bit back angry words .

"An hour," he'd said. "An hour if you're able. After that, you rest ."

My mother had agreed, though she'd eked out another thirty minutes when she thought she'd made contact. She'd said she could feel Ember, but it was like she was sleepingor maybe unconsciousand didn't respond .