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“Oh, thank gods you’re back.” She hurries down the stairs and rushes up to me, wrapping her arms around me.
So not the reaction I was expecting, but I awkwardly hug her back anyway.
“I’m so sorry we freaked you out, but you can never run off like that again, okay?” She pulls back and waits for me to answer, but Foster speaks first.
“Actually, she had a good reason to take off.” He massages the back of his neck tensely, staring at the floor. “She overheard us talking about what it means to be an elemental enchanter, particularly about how I—we can’t be with anyone else…” He trails off, scratching his cheek and looking away
“Oh.” Her expression plummets as she stares at me with concern. “I’m so sorry you had to find out that way. We were going to tell you, but …”
“It’s a lot to take in.” Foster briefly meets my gaze, his pupils sparking. Then he blinks and looks at Emaline. “Mom, you don’t have to worry. I explained a lot of it to her.”
Emaline’s brows rise in surprise, but then a knowing smile pulls at her lips. That smile dissipates, though, when Easton and Max enter the house and Max announces, “A hunter has been in contact with her.”
More fear than I’ve ever seen in anyone’s face consumes Emaline’s expression, and suddenly, I find myself wishing I’d chosen to dive out of the car when I had the chance.
Chapter 21
“So, what are we going to do?” Holden asks, glancing apprehensively at Gabe.
After Emaline found out a hunter had been in contact with me, all the Everettsons and I piled into the living room so we could discuss what happened. By the time Max, Easton, Foster, and I finished explaining the card and how a hunter approached me, fear had swept across everyone’s faces. I felt afraid, too, but mostly over what they’re going to do with me.
I’m nervous. I’m not going to lie. I wish I’d taken a seat closer to the exit. You know so I can take off if I need to. Instead, I’m sitting on the sofa in the center of the room.
Max and Porter are beside me, Foster, Easton, and Hunter are seated on the sofa across from me, Holden is perched on the coffee table close to the doorway, and Emaline and Gabe are seated in chairs beside the fireplace where a fire is crackling, remnants of the portal no longer evident.
“We’ll continue to do what we’ve been doing,” Gabe answers Holden after a quietness haunts the room for an unnerving amount of time. “We’ll keep our walls up around us and the protection spells around the house and yard. We can also retouch the protection spells on everyone, and make sure our powers are at full strength, which means extra practice sessions.”
Another drop of silence skips by, and it’s hard not to be aware of how shifty everyone has gotten. No one is directly making eye contact with me, either staring at the fire, the doorway, or each other. Honestly, hardly anyone has said anything to me at this point, but I guess that’s typical. Well, it was up until yesterday when I moved in with them. They’ve paid more attention to me than anyone has in a long time. I’m not sure how I feel about that, just like I’m unsure how I feel about their lack of attention now.
“What about Sky?” Holden breaks the silence, avoiding my questioning gaze and looking directly at Gabe. “She’s … Well, she’s weak controlling her powers, and it’ll take her years to be able to get them to full strength.”
Shock courses through me, and I cringe as the lights flicker on and off, announcing my hurt. But, out of all of them, Holden seemed like the nicest. Then again, he’s only saying the truth. The truth sort of hurts like a bitch, though.
“I can go back to live in Honeyton,” I offer quietly, folding my arms around myself. “I’m sure I can crash with Nina or Gage, just as long as you guys don’t report me as a runaway or anything.”
Emaline shakes her head but doesn’t utter a word, looking at Gabe. Their silent exchange goes on for an unsettling amount of time, and everyone begins to grow fidgety.
I’m not going to lie. It hurts when no one protests for me to stay. But it’s fine. I’m fine. I’m always fine.
You’re such a liar.
When my heart starts to do weird things, I decide it’s time to say peace out and go pack my shit.
Sucking in a breath, I push to my feet and step toward the doorway.
“Where are you going?” Max jumps up in front of me and snags ahold of my arm.
In the blink of an eye, all of them are standing up.
Panic rushes through me, making my heart pound and the house rattle as spurts of lightning vibrate from outside.
Emaline glances at the chandelier clinking above our heads, then her gaze lands on me. “Sky, sweetie, I know this situation is scary, but you need to calm down.”
“I’m trying.” But, as they all take a step toward me, my adrenaline soars and lightning streaks across the ceiling and thunder booms from inside, shaking everything.
“Holy shit,” Porter murmurs, looking from the ceiling to me. “Oh honey, you’ve got some wicked power in you.” The lightning lights up the delight in his eyes.
Delight that I don’t understand.
