I’m unsure how long I lie on the floor, but at some point, I reach a sort of catatonic state.
I should be afraid. Instead, I feel a drop of relief that at least the images have stopped.
“Sky?” a voice cuts through the darkness.
Shit. It’s come back.
“Go away,” I say with my hands still over my ears and my eyes tightly shut. My chest aches, like a deep wound, my eyes hurt from the tears I shed, and my veins are sizzling from the overload of power that was trapped inside my body. “Leave me alone.”
Hands cup my cheeks and warmth douses through my veins, thawing some of the cold but not the agony inside my chest.
I blink my eyes open, fearing who’s found me, but relief hits me at the sight of his eyes.
“Foster,” I croak hoarsely.
Lightning flashes behind the silver in his eyes as he scoops me up in his arms. I’d work up a good protest, but my body feels like lead, heavy and fatigued.
“Who did this to you?” he whispers as he carries me from the darkness room and into the lighted hallway.
People are loitering around, watching us, all their eyes a vibrant shade of either lavender, silver, gold, or green, which means I must be in the elemental’s building.
“It was … It was Brody and a couple of his friends,” I croak out, loathing how feeble I sound. I lower my voice and whisper, “Foster, I think Brody’s still in that room. He tried to kiss me, and I …” I trail off as guilt, fear, and anger rupture through me.
Guilt that I may have hurt someone. Fear that everyone will find out what I am if they discover Brody passed out on the floor. And anger that, deep down, I know what that fucker was going to do to me if kissing me hadn’t knocked him out.
Maybe it makes me sick and twisted, but part of me is glad he’s lying on the floor in the dark, most likely poisoned from the kisses he stole from me.
Foster glances down at me, the lightning in his eyes illuminating behind the grey as he notes my bloody lip.
“Take her,” he bites out, his heart rate thundering like an out of control storm.
I’m shifted into Easton’s arms. He swallows audibly as he stares down at me with a pained expression. I’ve never seen him look so upset.
“Come on; let’s get you out of here,” he utters, then starts down the hallway with me in his arms.
“What about Foster?” I ask, peering behind us.
“Foster will be fine,” he says as he pushes out the door.
As we step outside, I look back into the hallway one last time and catch a glimpse of Foster striding back into the room of darkness, with his fists balled at his sides, looking as if he’s about to commit murder.
Frowning, I look away. I feel like shit, broken and dirty inside. Not to mention pathetic. I mean, it’s my first day at a new school and I’m being carried out like a damsel in distress. Not a good way to start things off. I want to get down and walk with my head held high, but I can barely keep my eyes open.
Fighting to stay awake, I direct my attention back to Easton. He has a grim look on his face as he glances up at the stormy sky.
When I was in that room, I couldn’t channel my powers outside of my body. Even now, the sky is strangely quiet. I wonder why. If it was from the cold Brody’s friend instilled in my body or something else.
“Where was I?” I ask. “I mean, what was that room I was in?”
His gaze drops to me. “That’s the room they use to train elemental protectors to fight darkness. While a creature is in there, their powers are restrained within their bodies, because the training is supposed to be a mental thing, since darkness mostly attacks mentally.”
I swallow the lumped in my throat. “It showed me horrible things … Some, I’m not sure if they were true or not, but they were still horrible.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he says as we reach the car. “And I’m sorry we allowed it to happen … Foster and I could feel your fear, but we had no idea where you were because of the restraint on your power … But we could still feel it… that heat and overwhelming …” He pauses, taking a breath. “Nothing like that will ever happen again. We fucked up this time, but I swear we’ll keep a better eye on you from now on.”
I’m not naïve enough to believe they can watch me twenty-four seven. And honestly, I don’t want them to. What I want is to be able to handle those situations myself. Hopefully, in time, after I’ve learned more about my powers, I can do just that.
In fact, I think I’ll make it a goal—to become the most badass elemental enchanter who’s ever lived, one no one will ever mess with. That way, I can protect myself. With what I am, I really do need to.
“East,” I whisper tiredly. “I think I may have really hurt Brody … He kissed me, and then he tipped over and … He was really silent.”
His expression turns guarded. “Whatever happened to Brody, I’m sure he deserved it. You need to remember that, okay? He tried to hurt you, so he brought this on himself.”
I press my hand to my stomach as my gut ravels into tight knots. “What if I killed him?”
“You didn’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because it’ll take a bit more than a kiss to do so, but he’s probably in some pain right now.”
Images pull at my mind …
“Easton … the darkness in that room … the last thing it said to me was that it needed to somehow go tell its master of darkness what I am and the condition I’m in—”
The roaring of engines cut me off.
Easton turns toward two motorcycles zooming in through the gated entrance. The drivers have helmets on, but the way Easton visibly relaxes has me wondering if they’re his brothers.
Two seconds later, my guess is confirmed as Easton mumbles, “Porter and Max are here… They must have felt you.”
“Felt me?” I stare up at him, lost.
“Your fear through the link,” he explains, adjusting me in his arms.
“Oh…” My words get smothered by the loudness of the engines as the motorcycles pull up and park beside us.
The engines shut off, then the drivers climb off and remove their helmets.
“What the fuck happened?” Max tosses his helmet onto the seat of his motorcycle, then rakes his fingers through his dark hair, the strands somehow falling perfectly into place. “We felt something down the link and I…” He massages the center of his chest, as if his heart deeply aches.
Easton’s chest rises and crashes as he releases an unsteady exhale. “This guy Brody has been holding a grudge against Foster for a while, and when he saw Foster with Sky, he decided to get back at Foster by… by locking Sky in the room of darkness.” He shakes his head, the muscle in his jaw pulsating. “Then he tried to kiss her and… fuck. This is so messed up.”
Max pales as he looks down at me. “Are you okay?”
I nod, even though I’m not sure I am. “Yeah… I think so…” A yawn escapes me. “I’m just a bit tired.”
“Look, can you guys take her home?” Easton asks his brothers. “I think I need to go find Foster and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“You probably should. I can feel a lot of anger through the link right now,” Max mutters, stepping toward East. “Give her to me. Porter and I will take her home in the car. Hunter’s on his way too. I think he’s taking a portal, though, so if he gets here in time, we’ll have him ride home with us. You and Foster can drive those home.” He nods at the motorcycles then takes me from Easton’s arms.
“I can walk,” I say with wavering confidence as I move to climb out of his arms.
But Max only holds me tighter against his chest. “Stay still and let me carry you.”
My lips part in a protest, but Porter cuts me off as he steps closer to Max and I and leans over me.
“Honey, you can barely keep your eyes open.” His head angles to his side, then he reaches out and traces his fingers underneath my eyes. “You should try to
go to sleep. Let your power rest for a bit.”
I want to stay awake, but dreamland tugs at my mind, and hastily pulls me under.
Chapter 8
When I open my eyes again, I’m lying in my bed and darkness has settled across the sky outside.
Even with all the sleep, I feel groggy as I sit up and stretch my arms out. On a positive note, a lamp has been left on, so I’m not completely in the dark. But my head is also buzzing with confusion and my stomach is rumbling with hunger.
As I climb out of bed to go find something to eat, my mind races with questions.
Before I walk out of the room, I check my reflection in the mirror to see if anything that happened to me today did any physical damage. I instantly cringe at how swollen my lip is and the dried blood left over from where Brody bit me.
Rage simmers underneath my skin, and the sky outside reacts, lightning reflecting across the darkness. I take a few breaths to steady my rage then step out of my room.
The house is silent as I make my way down the hallway and toward the stairs, not even Kash the faerie is shrieking. I begin to question if anyone is home, but when I walk into the kitchen, Foster’s standing near the kitchen island, cupping the side of his face with his hand.
His gaze collides with mine as I enter the room, his eyes back to the striking shade of lightning-blue.
“Hey,” he greets me with a hesitant smile. “How are you feeling?” He shakes his head. “Sorry, that’s a dumb fucking question, isn’t it?”
“No, it really isn’t.” I pad over to him and lean against the counter. “I’m fine for the most part, but I’m really confused how I got here. The last thing I can remember Porter, Hunter, and Max putting me in the car.”
“They brought you home after that,” he explains, searching my eyes worriedly. “How are you feeling about the all stuff that happened? About Brody and being in that room?”
I smash my lips together, unsure if I want to, or even can, answer him.
If I let myself think about what happened in that room, I can almost feel Brody’s lips against mine and feel the pain of seeing the images that darkness showed me. Particularly the ones of my parents leaving me. Could that be true? Could they have left me? Did they ever care about me?
Does anyone care about me?
“I’m not sure how I feel…” I admit. “Did you …?” I struggle to get the words out. “Did you find Brody in that room?”
He nods. “I did.”
“Was he …? Was he okay?”
Foster works his jaw from side to side. “He was okay until I got ahold of him.”
My stomach clenches. “What did you do?”
“Nothing he didn’t deserve,” Foster bites out. “Not after what he did to you … And locking you in that fucking room …” An uneven exhale eases from his lips. Then, with his free hand, he brushes his finger lightly across my bottom lip, his face a portrait of pain. With each stroke of his finger, I swear the imprint of Brody’s lips against mine fades.
“Did …? Did Easton tell you what darkness said to me in that room?” I can barely utter the words, too distracted by how calm his touch is making me feel. “About knowing what I am and the condition I’m in?”
He nods, tracing his fingers along my hairline and pushing my hair back from my eyes. “I sent a message to my parents about it. I’m not sure if the darkness in that room can actually escape and contact the elemental god of darkness or if it was just trying to screw with you, but they’re going to try to find out. Until then, we’re going to lay low and stay at the house, okay?”
“But what did darkness mean when it said, the condition I’m in?”
“I’m not sure. But my best guess is you being locked in that room and that it was draining your powers from you.”
I take a subtle breath as I attempt to process everything he just told me. How my lips hurt Brody. How my powers seeped into the Everettson brothers.
I’m such a risk. Why would anyone ever want to be around me? Not that the Everettsons have a choice in the matter, I guess. Well, unless their parents decide to kick my ass to the curb.
“So, no more school for now?” I attempt to focus on something else instead of my sudden burst of self-loathing.
He nods. “Not until my mom finds out more about the room of darkness.”
“What if they do find out it warned the god of darkness?” Not that I’m saddened by the fact that I get a few days off from having to go to that school again. In fact, I’m grateful I don’t have to go back yet.
Honestly, I wish I never had to return.
“We’ll figure that out when the time comes. If nothing else, we can attend another school. We just need to make sure you’re well protected and that darkness doesn’t know where you are. Here, you’re pretty damn safe. There’re enough protection spells around our house.”
“That’s good.” I work to bottle back the fear creeping through me, but a bit oozes through, making the light bulbs flicker on and off. “So, there’re more schools for elementals on earth?”
His gaze flits from the flickering light bulbs to me. “They’re a ways away, but yeah.” He draws a path with his fingertip down the side of my face to my jawline, his eyes crammed with puzzling guilt. “I’m so sorry for letting that happen to you. What happened to you while you were in that room was probably awful, and I … I wish … I’m so sorry. I promised you’d be safe, and I failed you.”
“You didn’t fail me.” I’m taken aback by the guilt in his voice. “Stuff like that happened to me all the time in my normal school. Well, not that I was ever locked in a room of darkness, but one time, some guys locked me in the janitor’s closet. But I’m sure they would’ve locked me in a room of darkness if we had one at our school.”
“What happened today should’ve never happened. And what happened in your past should’ve never happened either. You never should’ve had to go through any of what you did … Brody …” His fingers twitch and his whole body tightens. “He only did it to get back at me. If I’d just been nice when I turned Sofie down, none of this would’ve happened.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I briefly met Sofie and her friend, who apparently saw me holding your hand at school—that’s what she was upset about. And besides, if you had to reject her several times, she should’ve taken the hint long before she did.”
“Maybe.” He studies me, sketching his fingers along my hairline then my jaw. “What all did they do to you? Brody and his lackeys … I know you said Brody kissed you, but …” He swallows, the ground shaking with whatever he’s feeling inside.
I shrug, but a foul taste burns at my tongue. “Brody made his friend drop my body temperature to a hypothermic level, and then his other friend blasted me with darkness. After that, I blacked out and woke up in that room. Brody was there, and he … well, he tried to kiss me, and then bit my lip when I bit his tongue.” My voice quivers, and I swiftly clear my throat. “But, yeah, anyway, he didn’t get very far before he passed out.” But, did he even pass out? I never did see him afterward …
Remorse pours from Foster’s lightning-blue gaze. “I’m so fucking sorry, but I promise, that if we return to the academy, you won’t have to worry about Brody or his friends again. From now on, you’re going to feel safe.”
The way he says I’ll never have to worry about being hurt by Brody again leaves me wondering if he hasn’t told me the full story. That maybe…
“Did I …? Did my kiss kill Brody?” I blurt out.
Foster swiftly shakes his head. “No, he just passed out. I swear.”
Relief trickles through me, but rapidly dissipates. “Did you kill him?”
“As much as I wanted to, no, I didn’t. When he woke up, I did get a few good punches in and blasted water through his body. Then someone broke up the fight. And since Brody was already on probation, he got kicked out of school.” He sweeps his knuckles across my cheek, watching in fascination as my eyelashes flutter. “Him and his friends who locked you
in that room are never allowed on school grounds again.”
“What about Sofie?”
“With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to handle Sofie if you need to. Her powers are weak.”
“I don’t even know how to use my powers properly. Today more than proves that.”
“What happened today wasn’t your fault. And you’ll learn how to control your powers in time. My brothers and I will make sure of that. In fact, we should probably start as soon as possible.” He lowers his hand from his cheek, revealing a gnarly bruise forming on his skin.
“Holy shit, did Brody do that to you?”
He gives a dismissive shrug. “It’s just a little bruise. Brody ended up way worse. He’s lucky I was smart enough to control most of my powers or his ass might have been fried.”
I place my hand on his cheek, and light skims across my fingers and along the bruise. “Why’s your skin so cold?”
He lifts the hand he’d been holding against his cheek and lines his palm against the side of my neck. I flinch as a chill bites my flesh and let out a squeal.
“I used my ice power to make an ice pack.” He withdraws his hand with a trace of a grin on his face.
Remembering the goal I made to myself earlier, I ask, “Can you show me how to do that?”
“Sure.” He sets his hand on top of mine, trapping my palm against his cheek. “Just think about coldness seeping through your veins and channel it toward your hand. It also helps to visualize it.”
I do what he says, and only a handful of seconds later, my hand is as cold as an ice pack.
He smiles. “You catch on to everything so easily. It makes me wonder how powerful you’re going to be.”
His compliment makes me blush, but weirdly, it doesn’t make the ice in my hand melt.
“Don’t be embarrassed about being powerful. It’s a good thing.”
“I’m not embarrassed about that. It’s just …” Stupid flushing cheeks. “I just don’t do well with compliments … I’m not used to them.”
“I have no idea how that’s possible.” His gaze searches my face. Then he steps forward, backing me up against the counter. “You’re so gorgeous, smart, powerful, funny, and brave. How has no one ever told you that?”
Enchanted Chaos Series: Sky & Foster’s Complete Novel Page 24
