Page 58 of Warrior Witch
The next gasp of air came far more painfully than the first, but that seemed to be a good indication I’d made my way back to consciousness. A drop of moisture hit my hand, and I looked up into the earnest blue eyes of my nature witch.
“Welcome back,” he whispered, casting a glance over his shoulders. He turned back with a small frown creasing his brow.
My heart ached, but my body hummed with an energy unlike anything I’d ever felt. It was powerful in a way that could put my previously wild magic to shame, but with smoother, more manageable edges.
“Holy shit. The curse is broken.”
Hendrix nodded at my wide-eyed stare. “Yeah, we think so. How do you feel?”
I turned my attention inward, and smiled as I felt the presence of each one of my men, where previously there had only been chaotic energy. There was no way to properly quantify the feelings bubbling up inside of me, so I settled for the most apt.
“Alive.”
Hendrix returned my grin before moving away to make room for Bruin.
“How about you don’t pull the lone cowboy shit again and scare us half to death, huh?”
“That almost sounded like a compliment.”
“Perish the thought.” His eyes crinkled in the corners before he, too, straightened and moved away.
“Please don’t scare us like that again.” Ranto’s voice rumbled through my back, making me acutely aware of the fact I seemed to be using him as a human pillow. Before I could decide on whether to go for a sweet or smartass reply, the sound of my name pulled at our attention.
Ten feet from where I lay, Lindsay sat with his back to me, his wide shoulders curled over.
“What…?” I sat up, and the change of angle showed me a slightly melted pair of Converse shoes.
“Addie!” Scrambling over on hands and knees, I almost shoved my best friend out of the way with my urgency to reach her.
“What happened? What do I do? Shit. This is my fault. Addie, can you hear me?”
A warm hand pressed against my back, and then Kylen crouched beside me.
“Lindsay got her heart beating again with CPR, but it’s not beating the way it should. She’s in and out of consciousness. You’re going to have to shock her again.”
My chest heaved as I struggled to get air into my lungs. Shocking her had put her in this position. How the hell was doing the same thing going to get her out of it?
“I can’t do it. My power is too violent. Too much. I can’t do it.”
“Hey.” Kylen’s voice was harder than I’d ever heard it as he squeezed my shoulder. “I’m not going to see my sister die because you had a panic attack when you could have helped her. Take a breath and think. It’s the same as using a defibrillator, just that you’re a person instead. Put your hands on her. One over her chest, the other wrapping around her ribs. Good. Just like that. Now, you’re going to send a single pulse through her.” He looked around, waving Lindsay back so everyone was clear. “Now.”
With a prayer to whoever the fuck was up there listening, I sent a jolt of power out through my palms. Addie’s small body seized in a convulsion that made my stomach turn. When she flopped to the ground, Kylen checked her pulse.
“One more.”
We repeated the action and this time, Addie’s lashes fluttered.
“Ow. Who the hell hit me? I think I bruised a rib. Harlow! You’re ok. I was going to save you.”
I choked on a sob as I crushed her to me in a hard hug, feeling the strong, steady beat of her heart beneath my hands. She was okay. She was safe. She was…
“What the hell?” I asked, eyeing the small carpet of white flowers that spread beneath her palm.
“Did you do that?”
Addie glanced down at her hand, a look of awe dawning on her face as she touched a finger to one of the buds and drew a coiling vine from its center.
“I have powers?” she breathed so quietly I wondered if she worried it would disappear if she were too loud.