Page 45 of Of Flame and Fury
“You suck,” I say.
“Yeah, Ceel,” Shayna agrees, crying harder. “You kind of do.”
Emme sniffs. “It’s ru-rude to insult someone who’s pregnant,” she says.
“Not if they deserve it,” I say, bawling louder. “I hate this fucking plan.”
“I’m not happy either, Taran,” Celia says. She wipes her eyes. “We’re just desperate.”
I lift my head. “Bridette was desperate too, Ceel, and it cost her everything.”
Celia jerks away from me, growling. I think I really did it this time until Shayna leaps in front of her with her sword out. Slowly, she lowers it.
Celia places her hand over her heart. “It’s Aric,” she rasps. “He’s here. He’s coming.”
Shayna nods, staying alert to our surroundings. “All the wolves are here.” She frowns. “And some of the vamps are with them.”
She means Misha, but knowing Gemini is also near is what allows me to take that much-needed breath of air.
The ground rumbles at my feet with how fast they’re running. Either something is chasing them, or something isn’t too far behind.
“Is Bren with them?” Emme asks.
Celia closes her eyes and inhales, her nose wrinkling when she latches onto a scent. “I think so.”
Emme bites down on her bottom lip. “You don’t know for certain?”
Celia places her arm around Emme. “It’s hard to tell for sure. I can’t scent them, but I recognize the way they run. It sounds like Bren’s stride, and he’s favoring his hind leg.”
Shayna steals a glance at Emme. “Yeah, I hear it too. He’s hurt bad, Em.”
“How are the others?” I ask.
Celia takes a long breath. “I can’t scent anyone individually, but I do smell blood. Everyone seems pretty beat-up.”
“Why aren’t they healing?” Emme asks quietly. “If Johnny invaded the magic in the house, it would make sense that their healing powers were suppressed within the manor. But they’re out now.”
I fall on all fours, grimacing when the squishy and cold mud slides between my fingers and toes. From deep in the soil to the tiny blades of grass, I feel him and his magic.
“T? You okay there?”
I shake my head and swear. “Johnny has his meat hooks in the entire compounds. His magic…it’s everywhere.”
Celia stares hard into the night. “I can feel him.” She turns to me. “But I can also feel Destiny. She’s fighting his power.” She frowns and turns in the opposite direction of where I feel the wolves.
“Is something wrong, Celia?” Emme asks.
Celia turns back to us, appearing stunned. “The lake…it’s fighting Johnny too.”
Shayna does a doubletake. “How can the lake fight Johnny, Ceel?”
“I don’t know if it can directly,” Celia smiles softly. “But its power and purity are intensifying.”
I wipe my hands on my dress. “We’ll take anything we can get. Maybe the lake has the goods to help Destiny.”
Emme is usually our light. Her kindness filters through in her gentle touch, reminding us there’s still good in the world. Tonight, she shares that light with Destiny.
Destiny is out there mixing it up with Johnny. Her magic is fighting his, and now that she’s tougher and become something more, I really hope she can gain the upper hand. My worry is, it seems that Johnny is something more too.