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“I am not helpless!” she snapped. But her heartbeat was in her ears, blocking other sounds.
Nick was practically breathless. Too pale. He’d healed his head wound, but she wondered how much damage he’d really taken. “Can you get to the house?” he said. “Everyone’s number is on the wall. Call Michael. Tell him—tell him—”
“I’m not leaving you,” she said.
“Damn it, Quinn, I can’t help them all! I need—I want—”
Another gunshot. Everyone froze.
The wind kicked up, a sudden gust that lifted her hair. The air temperature dropped ten degrees. Nick went paler, if that was possible. “He’s hurt. He’s hurt. He’s—”
Another shot.
“Go,” said Tyler. “If you can get to a phone, call nine-one-one.”
“We’ll go,” said Adam. “Come on, Quinn.”
Then he grabbed her hand and dragged her, not leaving any room for argument.
CHAPTER 32
The woods blazed with fire, consuming dead leaves and trees and anything it could find to burn. Nick moved beside Tyler, hating that his mortal enemy was going to be at his side when he found his brother’s body.
Stop thinking like that.
But he couldn’t sense Gabriel now. The flames were too thick, and smoke clouded the sky, blocking what sunlight crept through.
More fire was good, right?
Or did it mean that Gabriel had lost all control, and the fire was raging of its own accord?
Nick stumbled and lost his footing.
Tyler caught his arm and hauled him to his feet.
Nick struggled and wrenched his arm away from him. His head still wasn’t ready for this much movement, and he hit the ground anyway, landing in burning leaves.
“Fine,” said Tyler. He took a step closer to Nick and the fire moved away from him, leaving Nick alone, too. “Do it your way. Face this guy while you can barely stand up.”
“Fuck you,” said Nick, despising that he wasn’t even strong enough to find his brother on his own. “I don’t want your help.”
Gabriel. Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel. Where are you?
“He’s not dead,” said Tyler.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.” Tyler reached down and scooped up a handful of fire, letting it burn from nothing, a rolling ball of flame suspended over his palm.
Nick stared. He’d seen Gabriel do this hundreds of times. It was unsettling to see the same show of power from Tyler.
“Fire likes him,” said Tyler. “It likes me, too. He’s still alive out here. He’s just hiding.” He glanced up at Nick. “If I can follow the flames to find him, so can the Guide. He’s being smart.
Not using his power. Letting the smoke cover him.”
It was covering him and Tyler, too, and Nick could keep the smoke dense around them. But Gabriel was hurt—the air or their twin connection or whatever had told Nick that much.
In a flash, Nick realized that all this panic he was feeling wasn’t just his own. Fear bled through the smoke, riding the very air to find Nick’s senses.
