Serix felt Cassie make the connection. The communication was no longer one sided. Considering her situation, it was actually quite impressive that she managed to connect with him so quickly. He grinned. Maybe he had underestimated her. Maybe being half human wouldn’t hold her back from unlocking her Lunairan abilities.

But as soon as the link had been formed, it faded out again. He felt her squeeze his hands: their signal that she was blacking out. Suddenly worried, he broke off his connection and opened his eyes. Cassie looked pale and weak. The effort had taken more energy out of her than he thought it would. He just hoped it didn’t do any serious damage.

“Cassie,” Serix’s voice was laced with concern. He brought a hand to her chin and tilted her head up to examine her eyes. “Are you okay?” It was a ridiculous question. Of course she wasn’t. She had signaled that she felt like she was about to faint. He wasn’t a medical expert, so he wasn’t sure what to do in this scenario. Dozens of possible treatments flitted through his mind. Water was good for nearly everything, sleep was the fastest way for the body to recover, bright lights could overstimulate the brain and should be avoided… But he didn’t have any solid method to help her get her strength back.

Serix continued to hold her chin up so Cassie could look him in the eye. “You know what?” he said, offering her a half-hearted smile. “You did it. For a second, you made the link. I felt it.” It wasn’t much, but reassurance was the best thing he could give her at the moment.

“I think we’re done for today, don’t you?” he went on. “Do… you need help standing up?”