I wanted to fight back, to do something, anything, to resist the crushing pressure, but even lifting my arm felt impossible. The chain linking me to North pulsed with pain, her suffering bleeding into mine until it was hard to tell where hers ended and mine began. Primus was still groaning beside me, barely holding on under the weight.
Fine. I grit my teeth and steadied myself.
'Let's see how much more I can take.'
I reached out and grabbed the chain attached to Steve too. It coiled around my arm instantly, biting into my skin. Pain stabbed deep, three times worse than before. I coughed, feeling something hot rise in my throat.
My body trembled as three chains linked from my soul to theirs. I could feel all of them, North's fear, Steve's strain, even Primus's faint heartbeat.
And beneath all of it, something else.
I shut my eyes, trying to push past the pain.
