“You’re not getting cold are you?” he asked with a touch of hope in his voice.
He knew damn well she wasn’t getting cold he just wanted an excuse to touch her more. Anger and fear mixed until she started to feel sick.
“No, I’m just eager to get there,” she said with a forced smile.
“You sure? Because I can keep you warm,” he whispered against her ear.
Eren shuddered and giggled to make it seem like she wasn’t disgusted. Her power longed to break free and blow that horrible look off his face. She forced the thought aside and tried to focus on their surroundings to help keep her power at bay.
As the last of the houses faded behind them, they turned down a gravel road that led into the forest. When they reached the first of the trees, voices and the feel of many people’s energy drifted to Eren. She had to blink back tears of relief. For a minute there she had feared she wasn’t going to make it to the party without a fight.
She felt the powerful energy of the bonfire long before she saw its glow through the trees. Luke led her off the road and in the direction of that glow. When they finally came to the clearing Eren was shocked to see close to a hundred kids gathered around a huge bonfire dancing to music. Almost every one of them had a paper cup in their hands and she was pretty sure they weren’t drinking juice.
Heads turned in their direction and all conversation halted. Most of the looks were surprised, not hostile like she’d expected. A tall dark-haired Romanian boy pushed through the gawkers and walked right up to them. He held out a paper cup to both of them as his eyes traveled the length of Eren’s body boldly. It was Claud. Fear and anger warred within but Eren fought hard to look oblivious and conceal her recognition.
“Glad you could make it, bud,” he said to Luke.
Luke took the cup and let go of Eren to clasp hands with Claud. When he let go Claud extended the other cup out to Eren again. Though she had no intention of drinking it, she accepted it for appearances sakes.
Talk started back up and people began dancing again. As Luke and Claud talked she raised the cup to her nose and knew that would be as far as she got it. It smelled strongly of vodka and orange juice with a subtle cranberry undertone. Somehow she would have to pretend to drink the nasty stuff.
Claud pulled her and Luke into the crowd and began introducing her to people. Most of the smiles and enthusiasm was forced, but a few people were genuinely kind. Eren was sure that was only because they had gone through a few cups of that drink. How anyone could choke it down she couldn’t fathom.
Elisabeth was nowhere to be found. Eren had been hoping Luke hadn’t scared her away completely, but it was starting to look like he had. Luke laughed and joked with everyone, parading her around like she was a prize. It was making her feel very uncomfortable.
People were getting drunk and starting to pair off and disappear into the woods. Luke had downed two drinks and was starting to look at her in a very disturbing way. He wouldn’t let go of her and his hands kept trying to wander. Twice he had tried to kiss her and she had deftly turned away or ducked at just the right moment, pretending not to notice.
“Come on, there’s somebody you’ve got to meet,” Luke said after draining his third drink.
His breath reeked of vodka and she couldn’t help turning away. At first, it was a relief when he took her hand in his—at least he couldn’t try to grab her butt this way—but then he led her into the trees. From the sounds coming from the forest she knew the other kids were not going in there to hang out. She protested and pulled back but he just ignored her and pulled harder, practically dragging her.
“You’re hurting my hand,” Eren complained.
They were alone now, surrounded by nothing but trees. The glow of the bonfire seemed very far away. Luke let go of her hand, but her relief was short-lived when he put his arms around her. His breath made her gag and his touch made her body vibrate. She fought the urge to channel and the muscles in her arms began to convulse because of it. Luke smiled, his face brightening with a sick excitement as he shoved her up against a tree.
There was an almost maniacal gleam in his eyes when he leaned in to kiss her. She swiftly turned her head away and avoided him. Undaunted, he kissed her chin and started to work his way down her neck, his lips so hard against her they were almost bruising. Eren finally managed to push him back just a bit. He was so strong that it wasn’t easy.
“Who did you want me to meet?” she asked, desperate to distract him.
One side of his mouth lifted into a crooked smile that raised bumps along her arms.
“The real me,” he said.
Eren nearly lost control and channeled. Her energy was so close to the surface it burned. She was concentrating so hard on not doing it that she was barely able to fight back as he shoved her up against the tree. Her head snapped back into the rough bark and her vision swam for a moment. When it focused again she saw Luke’s face only inches from hers and his body was nearly crushing her.
An angry grunt bubbled up through her lips and her control slipped ever-so-slightly. She was seeing the world through a blue haze. Focusing that energy down through her hands, she forced it into Luke’s arms, thinking about it burning. Blue flames started to consume the sleeves of his shirt. Horrified, he pushed away from her so hard that he fell back to the ground. Her shirt tore in his hands. Screaming, he scrambling backwards like a frightened dog.
Eren reached out to him but didn’t take a step in his direction. “Stop!” she commanded. The blue flames died instantly but Luke’s skin had already started to blister severely.
Instinct overrode her common sense. She lunged forward and grabbed his arms, calling up her power as she did so. His skin broke beneath her hands, and she felt what was probably a mixture of puss and blood. Ignoring it, she thought about his arms being perfect and unscathed, then dumped her energy into him. A moment later his arms were flawless. He wrenched free of her, staring at her like she was a freak.
“That isn’t possible! No one can do both!” he said.
Her heart sank as she realized she probably shouldn’t have done that.
“It’s not possible,” he murmured.
When he took another step back Eren followed him. Though she had no idea what to say, she had to convince him not to tell anyone. She was already enough of an outcast here. He stood up straight and squared his shoulders, an angry look filling his suddenly sober eyes.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m going to have you anyway,” he swore.
After what she’d done to his arms she was afraid to call on her power again. She had no choice but to turn and run. If she could just keep her wits about, her she knew he didn’t stand a chance of catching her. As much as she wanted to leave this place and just run home, she still didn’t have the proof she needed. So she headed for the bonfire instead. Maybe if she faced him there he wouldn’t try to force himself on her.
Panting more from fear than exertion, she burst into the clearing and stumbled to a stop only a few feet from the heat of the fire. She turned her back to it and prepared to defend herself. Dozens of surprised faces turned to stare at her. The clearing fell silent save for the crackling of the bonfire. Luke burst through the trees and stormed toward her. She could channel and fight him but she didn’t want to do that in front of everyone if she didn’t have to. Besides, without the element of surprise, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
Luke stopped a few feet from her in a semi-crouched position. Eren’s fear rose and she had to clamp her lips shut tight so that she didn’t whimper. Some of the other kids began to move in, responding to her fear. That made it worse. She wanted to retreat but the fire was blazing at her back and it was so tall and wide she wasn’t sure she could clear it even if she used her power. A circle of hungry faces closed off any other means of retreat she had.
“I’m done playing, bitch,” Luke said.
He snapped his fingers and two boys stepped out of the gathering crowd and up to his side. They shed t
heir shirts. Each of them began to glow. No, not glow, Eren realized. They were pulsing with energy. Their bare upper bodies were surrounded by an aura of their power, though it was concentrated strongest around their hands. Their eyes glowed eerily in the firelight. Each emitted a slightly different color. One boy’s energy was mostly red with orange flecks throughout it. The other was Claud, and his energy scared Eren the most. His was a wild mixture of colors that churned like a storm.
Tears and the vibrating of her body combined to render Eren blind for a moment. She blinked the tears away and managed to reduce the vibrations.
Laughing, Luke snapped his fingers again. Two more boys stepped up, shed their shirts, and called up their power. The four of them started to advance. They looked drunk on their own power. Luke wouldn’t be able to hold them back for long. The faces in the crowd were starting to look nervous and unsure. One face stood out, Elisabeth. She was shoving her way through people, trying to get to Luke. Two boys held her back just before she made it.
“Luke, stop this!” she screamed.
“Stay out of it, Elisabeth,” he commanded.
She struggled against her captors but they held her tight.
“She hasn’t hurt anyone and she didn’t expose us. This is wrong!” she yelled.
Luke turned toward his sister. When he did the four boys advanced a few steps closer to Eren. She was shaking so bad it was hard to stay on her feet. Her energy was building up so much it felt like she was going to explode.
“This doesn’t concern you. Go home,” Luke said.
“It does concern me. Eren is a good person. There is more to life than just pleasing our parents, dammit!” she snapped back.
“No there isn’t,” he said, biting off every word.
He spun away from her and stormed back to Eren. The four boys were only a few feet from her now. Pushing two of them aside, Luke made a path through them and came to stand in her face. Seeing the hatred in his eyes, she suddenly wished she only had the four boys to deal with. She shook as he reached out and fingered a lock of her dark hair. The fear in her chest exploded and she went to her knees.
Responding to her terror, the kids in the crowd began losing control and channeling. Trees snapped, bushes burst into flame, rocks exploded. Chaos reigned around them and Luke ignored it all, no doubt trusting their fear of him would keep them at bay.
“She’s wrong, you know. Pleasing my parents is everything. And killing a mixed blood who could ruin our plans will please them very much. You were supposed to die with your parents that day,” he said as he leaned down into her face.
“What do you mean?” Eren asked, trying to delay the inevitable.
“By raising you with normals, your parents risked exposing all of us. My parents did what they had to do to protect our kind. Your parents went hiking in the same place every year. It made it almost too easy for them. But you were supposed to be on that hiking trip.” There was an almost feral look in his eyes and he bared his teeth at her like an animal.
“My parents planned to kill you all that day. Now I’m completing the plan. Father will be very pleased,” he said with a horrible laugh that chilled her despite the fire raging at her back.
It was hard to think past her pain but she had to. There was something else she had to know. “What plans are you talking about?” she asked.
A wicked grin split Luke’s face and his teeth gleamed in the firelight. “There’s a battle coming. The last battle, really. We’re taking the Earth back from the norms and you need to die because you’re the only one that can stop us,” he said.
Tears streamed down Eren’s cheeks. As much as she didn’t want him to see her cry she couldn’t help it. He grabbed her by the throat and hauled her to her feet. His hand was like a vice, cutting off her air supply. Anger and desperation pushed back her fear and the world took on a blue tinge again. Releasing just a touch more of her control, she let energy flow into her fingers as she grabbed a hold of both of his arms. His skin sizzled as her energy burned into him.
Luke’s eyes widened with pain but he didn’t let go of her neck. Eren felt his power rise, flow into his arms, and push back at hers. It hurt, bad. He lifted her until her feet were dangling, toes just barely touching the ground. She grabbed his arm tighter until her fingernails were biting into his flesh. His upper lip twitched but he didn’t put her down.
“You’re not just a mixed blood, you’re a freak!” he spat at her.
Eren would have cussed at him but she couldn’t breathe, let alone speak.
“Put her down or I will put you down,” Aiden’s voice boomed above the chaos.
More out of shock than compliance, Luke lowered her to the ground and turned his head to find that voice. His fingers pinched Eren’s skin and she dug her nails further into his arm. His power receded enough that it had stopped trying to overwhelm hers. That horrible pressure being gone was such a relief that it brought tears to her eyes.
“Elisabeth must have let you go,” Luke hissed as he shot his sister a hateful glare.
Aiden stepped into the glow the bonfire gave off and his gaze met Eren’s. His eyes scanned her, catching on her torn shirt. Then his gaze shifted back to Luke and became murderous.
“Let her go,” he commanded.
Luke’s arm twitched and his grip loosened slightly, as if Aiden’s demand alone had almost forced him to comply. Anger burned brighter in his eyes as he clenched his teeth and renewed his grip.
“Make me,” he growled.
Aiden threw his jacket open wide and let it fall to the ground. He was wearing only a pair of cargo shorts. A green glow flecked through with gold surrounded his upper body when he thrust his hands out to his sides, fingers spread. His hair was stirred in the breeze caused by all that power. Like water running, the green aura flowed from his upper body until it was all focused in his hands. With the force of a sledgehammer, he drove his power into Luke’s side and knocked him to the ground. Blood splashed as Eren’s fingernails tore free of his arm. It hurt but the pain was dull and distant. She must have torn a few fingernails.
Luke’s power rose and they became a tangle of seething red and green energy. Strikes with both body and power were being thrown and it was hard to tell by who.
A step in their direction swiftly reminded Eren that Luke wasn’t the only threat. The four boys began to advance on her, fast. There was no time to shed her clothing so she didn’t. Tattered pieces of her expensive blouse floated to the ground as she let go and channeled. Her power slammed into the closest boy, sending him tumbling over backwards.
She could feel that she wasn’t naked. Most of her clothes had survived the initial channeling. But they would only survive a second release of her power if she could maintain her focus.
Faking a lunge at the boy in front of her, she twisted in mid-leap and shot her power at the one to her right by thrusting an arm in his direction. It struck him in the shoulder and caused him to stumble, but it wasn’t enough. A weight landed on top of her, pinning her against the other boy and knocking the breath from her.
A cry escaped her lips as pain scratched its way down her back. She tried to throw off her second assailant but he was too heavy. Eren heard bodies slam together and suddenly the weight pressing down on her was gone. Not wasting a moment, she rolled off the boy and scooted back to assess the situation.
Aiden was easy to locate. His green energy was more magnetic than the moon. He and Luke were still fighting, throwing power and punches at each other. Eren called to him but he didn’t seem to hear.
The group of fighting boys in front of her tumbled so close that she had to scamper out of the way. From their power she knew one of them was the boy who had pinned her down and the other was the one who had knocked him off. She could tell, by his smaller build, that the boy who had saved her was clearly younger. Despite his size, his power was formidable. It pulsed around his hands, under perfect control. It was a mixture of blue and purple. The too long black hair that had just a
bit of curl to it and the soft brown eyes were unmistakable. Though she had only seen him on a computer screen, she would know him anywhere: Fane.
Another group of kids were fighting just to her right and Eren was horrified to see that one of them was Elisabeth. The odds were not in her favor. Eren couldn’t let her fight alone, not after she had stood up to Luke for her. She called her power and thrust it at the boy that was coming up behind Elisabeth. More of her clothing floated to the ground. It was getting harder to focus.
“What the hell is going on here?” a voice boomed over the cacophony of the fighting.
Everyone froze. Eren looked up to see people stepping out of the woods from every direction; adults. Aiden had succeeded. They stormed into the crowd of kids with a presence that was undeniable. These were clearly the Rectors he had spoken of. Power radiated out before them. It reminded Eren of the hum of an electrical transformer. Kids fell to their knees at the Rectors passing as if their legs had given out. But when four Rectors approached Luke and Aiden, they did not bow.
Two Romanian couples that Eren didn’t recognize surrounded Luke and Aiden. Even from five feet away she could feel an intense pressure coming from the adults, kind of like the pressure during a storm. It increased and suddenly Eren was very glad they weren’t directing it at her. Luke dropped to a knee and from the pained look on his face, it wasn’t voluntary. However, Aiden fought their influence to stare defiantly back at them. Finally, he bowed his head and went to a knee of his own free will. Eren was proud of his ability to defy them.
One of the men grabbed Luke by the hair and yanked him to his feet. Eren barely looked away in time to avoid seeing him mostly naked.
Her modesty was swiftly forgotten as the other three adults turned her way. That incredible pressure turned with them, falling upon her and the other five boys around her as their gazes did. The boys’ and Elisabeth’s power faded away the moment that pressure touched them.
The Secret Of Spruce Knoll: A Channeler Novel Page 22
