by Kaitlyn Hoyt
“Why did you yell at him?”
“Because he wanted to continue with the plan instead of searching for you right away.”
“He was right. You know that there’s a chance that I might not come out of this situation alive. I’ve cheated death too many times. This isn’t an episode of Supernatural. I mean if I could bring Sam and Dean here—”
“Ry.”
“Sorry. That vision is just one possibility for the future. It can still change. I’m going to do everything I can so it doesn’t, but there’s always a chance. If something does happen to me, you have to continue with this fight. You have to push forward; otherwise all of this would have been for nothing. Don’t let it be for nothing, Colton.”
“If I lose you,” he starts.
“Don’t think like that,” I say. “There’s no point. Unless Dravin captures me again, don’t think like that.”
“Dravin’s not going to capture you again,” he says—his deep voice low with conviction. I wouldn’t be so sure of that, but there’s no point being the negative-nelly.
“Exactly.
Someone starts knocking on the door. “Unless you’re having crazy sex against the bathroom sink, which I know you’re not, because I can hear you talking, can you hurry up? I gotta pee,” Emma yells through the door. I laugh and step away from Colton.
“Emma!” I hear David say from the room.
He opens the bathroom door and walks straight into Emma. “She has to get dressed,” he tells her.
“I don’t care. I’ve seen her naked before. Move!” she pushes past him. A confused look crosses Colton’s face as I shut the door. “Poor guy. He feels like he’s missing out.”
I search through my duffle bag for a fitted black t-shirt and some athletic shorts. I have a feeling that today is the day. I’m well enough to heal Logan the rest of the way which will allow him to heal everyone that’s still injured. As Emma washes her hands, I try to fix my hair, but it’s already drying curly, so I leave it.
I walk out of the bathroom and barrel into a rather large man. I don’t recognize him. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I say as I crane my neck up to see him. He looks slightly older than Bragden. Sandy blonde hair and eyes so blue the summer sky would be jealous look down at me.
“No need to apologize, miss,” the man says with a deep southern drawl. Finally someone who I can imitate! He sticks out his hand. “Travis Howick,” he introduces himself.
Travis? That names sounds so familiar, but I’ve never seen this man before. Travis…Travis…Tra…“You saved me.” He smiles at me, the left side of his mouth rising slightly higher than the right. Dimples and all, the smile gives me all the confirmation I need. Instead of shaking his hand, I give him a hug. I never used to be a huggy person, but so many of these mages have saved my life. A hug is more appropriate than a handshake. “Thank you,” I mumble into his shirt. His chest rumbles from his laughter.
“Ryanne gives the best hugs, doesn’t she?” asks Bragden.
“Sure does. Never had a better one.”
I laugh and step away from him looking for Colton. Everyone is in this room now. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, watching me. I step away from Travis and head to my soulmate.
“So, umm…where are we?” I ask as I sit down.
“At a hotel roughly thirty minutes from the Howick’s house. What do you remember, Ryanne?”
“Umm, I remember talking on the phone with Colton and the car hitting us…” I shake my head. I’m drawing a blank. “I don’t remember anything from getting hit to waking up. Dravin brought in a doctor who took some of my blood to see if they could extract my magic and then he gave me more dormirako to sleep again. I remember Liam showing up and then…” I pause to think. Did anything happen between then and waking up again?
“I don’t know. I remember waking up again and Dravin asking me if I had an enchantment spell on me. He didn’t think it was possible to put that on a person, but he couldn’t detect any magic in my blood. Umm, he hit me twice, choked me once, and then stormed out of the room. While he was gone, I got my right arm free and untied myself. I ripped the IV out of my arm, which let me tell you…that hurt. Before I could call for Travis, Dravin and the doctor came back into the room. I hit them with electrified energy and got out of the room. The dormirako was wearing off, so I was starting to feel everything again. I called for Travis after Dravin yelled…”
That’s what I was forgetting! I jump off the edge of the bed. That’s why I was getting those strange feelings when he was around. How could I have forgotten that?
“Ryanne, what did he yell?” Liam asks.
I turn and face him. Because I’m standing and he’s sitting, we’re pretty close in height. I told Liam everything when I first met him. “He said grab your daughter.” Everyone in the room gasps. “Yeah, my father,” I put air quotes around father, “is working with Dravin.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Colton
“What?” I stand up and stare at Ryanne. Her dad is working for Dravin? How could a father do something like that to his daughter?
Liam jumps up and takes a step toward her. I know Ryanne told him everything, so he’d be concerned too. “The guy that left you and your mom when you were a baby?”
“Of course, that guy. How many dads do you think she has?” Emma retorts.
“Apparently,” Ryanne says.
“Are you sure it’s him?” Liam asks.
She looks over toward him and nods. “I had this weird feeling in my gut every time I saw him. I thought it had something to do with the dormirako, but I knew that there was something about him…something I recognized. We look alike too,” she says with a grimace.
“Does he know that he’s your dad?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. Every time he came into the room, he’d give me a small smile. You know, that smile that says I know something you don’t know. He’s not my dad though. I don’t nor have I ever had a dad. He’s nothing more than a sperm donor to me.”
“Ry,” I say as I reach for her.
“Look I don’t care who he is. He’s working for Dravin, which makes him the enemy. I still want to stop Dravin, and if he gets in the way, I’ll still do what needs to be done.”
I know that she never knew the guy, but would she really be able to attack him knowing that he is her father?
“I hit him with liquid lightning earlier, Colton,” she tells me. It’s like she can read my mind which I know that she can’t. “And I’d do it again.”
“Liquid lightning?” Travis asks.
Ryanne turns toward him and smiles. I can tell that she already likes him. “I can control weather elements. So when I was calling my magic, I imagined the electrical energy of a lightning bolt with the consistency of water. It turned out pretty well actually. It stunned them enough for me to get away to call you.”
“Impressive,” he says. She blushes slightly and looks toward the carpet. I know that he sees it. He looks over her toward me and smiles. She’s adorable, I know.
Liam’s swift intake of breath from across the room catches my attention. I turn toward him, but he’s staring at Ryanne. Her smile disappears as she leans over and grabs her stomach. Oh no. She grunts as her knees give out. I reach out to grab her as she falls, but she disappears before I touch her. “Damn it.”
“What just happened?” Travis asks. Everyone in the room instantly becomes alert. We all recognize those symptoms. “How did she do that?”
“She went into a freaking vision!”
Natalie runs up to me and grabs my arm, trying to calm me. I know that she means well but I just got her back after Dravin had her, and now she’s gone again, so that’s not going to help any.
“Went into a vision?” Mr. Howick asks.
“But she didn’t draw anything this time…” Emma says, obviously confused.
“Her power is strengthening,” Tom says. “She mentioned that she was able to combine two natural weather elements. She’s never
been able to do that before. She was able to use her magic with dormirako in her bloodstream. Dormirako is pretty debilitating, so the fact that she was able to do anything is pretty impressive. Her power is getting stronger because she needs it more now than ever before.”
“Ok, I get that. But. Where. Is. She?”
*****
Groaning, I open my eyes and instantly throw a shield up around me. All around me people are screaming and fighting against Gadramicks. What’s going on? I push myself off the ground. Adam is standing maybe twenty feet in front of me fighting a girl, probably in her lower twenties. She’s fighting back, but it’s obvious that he has the upper hand.
Imagining the liquid lightning again, I start walking toward him. All around, people are fighting. Everyone ignores me as I avoid their movements. When my hand is warm enough, I thrust it forward, hitting Adam in the back. The girl gasps and takes a couple steps back but doesn’t run away. She looks up at me briefly before glancing back down at Adam. When he falls to the ground and begins shaking, I stop the flow of magic.
“Are you okay?” I ask as I step over Adam.
“Who are you?” she asks.
“Ryanne,” I tell her. “What’s going on?” My eyes scan the area, looking for anyone needing immediate help. There are a couple guys to my right fighting a large group of Gadramicks. I push my magic toward them. They stare at me before finishing off the men in front of them. Nodding their thanks, they move onto the next ones.
“We were attacked by Gadramicks while we were going to attack them. They killed my family. I want revenge,” she says as she bends down and kicks Adam in the stomach. He curls into a ball and groans. She doesn’t have a weapon, so she has to make up for it with physical techniques. “Look out!”
I flip around right as a Gadramick barrels into me. “You’re the one we’re looking for!” he growls. I roll to the left and thrust the palm of my hand upwards, breaking his nose. He stops fighting me and grabs his face. I push him off of me and kick myself up. Ignoring his nose, he jumps up and stalks toward me. “Dravin will be so pleased when he finds out I found you.”
Flipping backward, I push magic out like I’ve done so many times in training. His forward momentum is halted when the magic connects with his chest. I run toward him and jump kick him, knocking him to the ground. While down, I hit him with a lightning bolt. I hear Adam coming for me from behind. The girl I was talking to earlier is now fighting someone else. I keep my back to him until I know he’s right behind me. Swinging my leg out, I twist my body and kick him in the jaw, knocking him out.
“I’m getting really tired of you, Adam,” I say as I step over his body.
I turn and look up right as the girl stumbles backward, grabbing her side. Blood starts oozing out of the wound, covering her hand. I run toward the man and hit him with a lightning bolt. I grab onto her as she starts to fall backward. She’s a lot taller than me, but I manage to keep her upright. “Larkin!” I yell and throw a shield up around us.
Larkin appears right in front of me. I hand the girl to him. “She needs healed. Bring her to Logan.” When Larkin has a hold of the girl, I turn around and start fighting another Gadramick. I peek over my shoulder; Larkin’s still standing there. “Go!” I shout.
The guys that I helped earlier seem to be surrounded again. I hit this man in the jaw and run toward them before he even hits the ground. Calling more magic to me, I smile as I feel the wind pick up. I hit two of the men with my liquid lightning and kick one of them on the chest as he falls to the ground. As I’m preoccupied, a Gadramick grabs me from behind, lifting my feet off the ground.
All of the guys that I’m trying to help are busy, so I’m going to have to save myself. I lean my head back and hit the Gadramick in the face. He groans and loosens his grip but doesn’t let me go. I push more energy into my leg and back-kick him in the shin. When he drops me, I swing my foot up and kick him in the chest. He flies back into another Gadramick. The guy fighting the fallen one finishes both of them.
“Thanks,” he says as he helps one of his friends. I head toward the other one. The wind is blowing crazily now. Again, I don’t have a hair-tie when I really need one. Wind, I need you. I throw my arms up and push them forward. Wind gathers around me and flies forward, hitting the Gadramick in the back. Momentarily stunned, he falls forward and stops fighting. The man uses this to his advantage and punches him with all his strength in the jaw. He falls to the ground limp.
“You’re her, aren’t you?” he asks me while the other guys gather around.
“I’m not sure I know who you’re referring to,” I say, and I send another lightning bolt across the field toward a Gadramick. It hits him in the shoulder giving the girl he’s fighting enough of an advantage. There’s only one more Gadramick left in the field. When he sees me looking at him, he stops fighting and disappears into the trees.
“The prophecy. You’re the girl from the prophecy,” he says; his eye lighting with excitement as he watches me. He’s younger than I initially thought. I’d put him close to my age. Before I can say anything, Larkin blinks in behind me.
“You’re going to give Colton a heart attack if you keep disappearing like that,” he says as he walks up to me.
“Is she okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, Logan’s healing her, but Colton’s very mad that I didn’t bring you back first when he found out that you were fighting against Gadramicks, especially since we just got you back from Dravin’s compound.”
“You’ve been to his compound?” the guy asks. The other three men are standing behind him silently.
“Who are you?” Larkin asks him. I hit him lightly on the arm when I hear the harshness in his voice.
“Lucas,” he says while looking at me.
“Lucas,” I nod. “I’m Ryanne, and this is Larkin. Yes, I’ve been to Dravin’s compound. Way too many times.”
“And you’re still alive?”
I give him my too stubborn for death line. Larkin looks around the field. A couple bodies are lying on the ground, but they all look like Gadramicks. I don’t think they lost any of their fighters. “Where did they all go?” he asks.
Lucas points at me. “She fought them off. She kicked ass,” he says excitedly.
“Hey, not in front of the lady,” Larkin reprimands. I playfully shove his chest. I’m ready to go back now.
“Do you guys need any more help,” I ask, “because I know my soulmate is probably creating havoc waiting for me.” Larkin scoffs. Lucas’s face falls a little at the mention of my soulmate, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Nope, we’re good. Thank you.”
I turn toward Larkin, telling him that we can go. “Oh, would you guys be willing to help me again if I needed it?”
“Most definitely. We owe you,” Lucas says. The men behind him all nod. Can they speak at all?
“Thank you!”
Larkin wraps an arm around my waist, pulls me against his chest, and transports us out of the field. I close my eyes and try to ignore the dizzy feeling that always accompanies the quick traveling. When I open my eyes again, I’m back in the hotel room. Larkin steps away right as Colton runs into me. I laugh and wrap my arms around his waist, to keep my balance and to hug him back. “I was only gone a couple minutes, Colton.”
“A couple minutes too long,” he whispers as he sets my feet back on the ground. I look over my shoulder for the girl that I had Larkin bring here earlier. She’s sitting against the edge of the bed. Her shirt has a deep red stain, but she’s no longer bleeding.
“You okay?” I ask her.
“Yeah, thank you,” her eyes scan the room. It can be pretty intimidating surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces. “So, um, where am I?”
Tom explains our location, since I really don’t know. She nods but doesn’t say anything. My gaze moves across the room to seek out my protector. He’s watching me, probably making sure I’m not hiding any injuries. I smile at him. I didn’t get hurt at all. From him, my eyes t
ravel over to Bragden who looks like he’s experiencing some discomfort. I step away from Colton and walk toward him while Tom continues explaining everything to the girl whose name I still don’t know.
“Are you okay?” I whisper to him.
“I feel weird,” he replies. I reach out, touch his arm, and feel like I’d just stuck my hand on a stove burner. Yelping, I pull my hand back. His skin is burning up. Hearing my cry, everyone turns toward me. Bragden is looking down at my hand which is turning red.
“You’re smoking,” I say as I take a step backward. His skin is literally smoking. Smoke tendrils are pillowing out of his body and diffusing into the air.
“What’s happening to me?” he asks. Colton reaches out and wraps his arm around me from behind and pulls me away from Bragden.
“I think you’re finally coming into your powers,” Tom answers.
“Which would be what? A walking chimney?” Emma asks.
“No, I think he’s a fire affinity,” Tom says.
The girl I helped earlier jumps off the bed. “Bragden?” she asks.
He swallows and looks over at her. It’s like he’s seeing her for the first time. His eyes widen when he takes in her appearance. She is incredibly gorgeous. Her hair is particularly striking. Her roots are a deep red that gradually lightens into a bright golden orange at the ends. The color contrasts with her pale skin. Like mine, her hair falls down her back in bouncy ringlets. She’s looking up at Bragden with deep green eyes, waiting for his reply. He swallows loudly and nods. I’ve never seen him react this way.
“I’m Incendia,” she says. Fitting. “I’m a fire affinity too.” Even more fitting. “I can help you.” When Bragden grimaces, Incendia continues, “Right now, it probably feels like thousands of needles are pricking your body, am I right?” He agrees. “The heat is spreading through your arms and legs; you can feel the individual strands moving through your limbs, correct?”
His eyes are now glued to his arms, watching as smoke continues to emanate from his skin. “Take those strands and push them into your hands. Envision them coming together and forming a ball in the palm of your hand. Like this,” she demonstrates. Two balls of fire transform in the palms of her hand. I gasp as I feel the heat.
