Vampire's Forbidden Territory (Sídhí Summer Camp Series #2) by Jodie B. Cooper

teeth together.
    He supposed he could use silver against her. It would be a preemptive strike, but it would work. He hated the idea of putting silver cuffs around her wrists before they left Dragon Valley, but as a last resort, he'd do it.
    Actually, silver wasn't a bad idea. With silver restricting her Sídhí abilities, she couldn't port away the minute she saw the institutional-like structure of McClint House. He hated the monstrous mansion with its sterile white-washed walls and restrictive security, but there was no choice.
    Fact of life: Katie was half elf. McClint House was the only possible option.
    _____________
    Katie looked up at Jared, hoping she might see some glimmer of anything except anger in his eyes. Some memory of what they had shared.
    When he noticed her watchful gaze, he frowned and sharply nodded once then turned his eyes from hers. He scanned the tunnel in front of them with renewed force, treating her like she was responsible for his inattention to the dangerous surroundings.
    Soft blue light began blooming along the cave walls in small patches. After twenty feet or so, the patches of glow moss grew thicker, forming a splotchy carpet along the walls and ceiling, creating a bright blue glow sufficient for even a mundane to see by.
    She stared unseeing down the tunnel. Her heart crunched-up a little tighter each time she looked at him. He might have apologized for scaring her, but nothing had changed.
    Katie turned her face downward, away from him as she felt her tears trying to make an escape attempt. She shivered again, ripples of chill bumps popped up on top of what she already had. She clenched her teeth together to keep from crying. Tears never helped, but she couldn’t seem to stop them from rolling down her face.
    What an awful day it turned out to be, a horrid black moment in time that grew worse with each passing minute.
    Suddenly a sharp pain thrust through her stomach and spread toward the tips of her toes, shoving her link with Mitch to the front of her brain. She had created the odd link before she entered the cave hoping the connection would help her find him faster. Also, she didn't want to leave her brother alone, but the deeper into the caves she walked the stronger his pain became.
    As twins, they had an invisible connection that had always been there. Everyone agreed Sídhí twin bonds were weird. Weird didn't cover the pain she felt coming from him. Feeling a physical sensation through a link wasn't normal. Thank goodness.
    No, she didn't normally feel his pain – or other inconvenient sensations.
    She wondered if his shields had collapsed. Maybe the mite’s toxin cracked his mental shields, allowing his pain to echo through her. That might be the answer. Even asleep, Sídhí kept their mental shields in place.
    She didn’t know if the shadow pain she felt was the toxin at work or not, but her theory made an odd sort of sense, because there was no way she could have intentionally formed a link to his physical responses.
    The echoing pain made her hurt. Sharp little pains hit her knees and lower back. They pulsed repeatedly then finally dropped into steady ache, burning the occasional streak of pain down her leg and into her heel.
    Distantly she noticed her pace slowed. She blinked, trying to focus on anything except the burning pain. Her attempt to ignore the pain didn't help. She couldn't maintain her pace and her link with Mitch. She sighed with regret knowing one had to go.
    Her heart ached as she pulled her contact away from her brother, leaving only the faintest of mental strands touching him.
    Sweet relief filled her. Only a mild headache remained, making her nearly pain free.
    Blocking Mitch from her mind was the only possible solution. She didn't dare slow their pace down. She was terrified they wouldn't reach him in time. The cave mites were really fast, especially when compared to her and her companions. She knew she couldn't run head-long down the tunnel, but their pace