Released Souls (4 page)

I shook my head in confusion.

He turned my palm over and placed his fingertip on it. I flinched from the pain. He bit his lip and looked away.

“From what?” I finally found my voice.

I groaned as the heat continued to ravage my body. I felt like my body was seizing up on me.

He gently placed me on the floor against the tub and began pulling
my sweater over my head. I attempted to remove my leggings, but the pain was too sharp when my fingers touched anything but air.

“I got it, baby. We’ll
get you through this.” He gently worked my leggings down, and that’s when I saw it. My pale flesh was now patterned with reddish-orange blood vessels. They were tiny and spreading in all directions. I looked up in horror. What was happening to me? My legs looked like something from a scary movie.

The bath was filling with cool water, and he scooped me up and placed me in the tub. It didn’t feel cold, and I knew it should have. He propped me up against the back of the tub, slowly lapping the water against my skin. I looked down at my arms and they were completely covered in the same markings as my legs.

Oh my god! Was my face like that now? Was that why my aunt panicked when she saw me?

“What’s happening to me?” I asked.

Logan’s deep blue eyes steadied on mine, continuing to splash the water against my skin.

“You tapped into an emotion that apparently
unlocked something inside of you,” he paused. “Are you feeling any cooler?”

I shook my head.

“Let me dribble some water over your head.” He cupped his hands and dipped them into the water. I caught his eyes running over my body taking me in, and a rush ran through me.

I clenched my eyes shut as he poured the water over my scalp. I felt the wetness trickle down my neck, shoulders, and spine finally beginning to release the heat from my spirit.

I steadied my breathing as I let the water attempt to do its job. I rested my head against the tile wall and slowly opened my eyes as Logan reached over and turned off the water. The pounding in my head started to subside when it hit me like a jolt of lightening.

The heat. The flames. My father.

“Was I about to?” I stopped. I didn’t actually want to say it.

Logan nodded his head. “You were about to throw flames. I think you tapped into
inicio
powers.”

“But I don’t know how. I mean I’ve never…”

“I think we can say you inherited them from your father,” Logan replied.

I reached for his hand, pulling it out of the water. The heat was starting to subside. My hand interlocked with his, and I noticed the veins beneath my skin beginning to diminish. Hopefully
, the whole Frankenstein look would vanish quickly as I sat in front of him without much on.

“What were you two talking about when this happened?” he asked, his blue eyes locking on mine.

My eyes dropped from his, and I began to feel the heat build once more, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of what just happened or because he had that look in his eyes that always drove me crazy.

“My father,” I murmured.

“Was that all?” his voice quieted.

I shook my head. “And you.”

“All good things, I hope,” he chuckled. “But I’m kind of thinking not after this.” He pointed up and down my body with his finger, but his eyes slowly trailed behind his finger taking me in.

“It wasn’t a pleasant conversation to say the least, and I didn’t even feel like it was my mom talking.” Goosebumps began to surface along my flesh as the temperature of the cold water finally sunk in
. Or maybe it was his gaze lingering over my body that produced the prickling sensation.

“Maybe it wasn’t. She’s got a lot of healing to do, which is why staying at your aunt’s house is the perfect place for her. And judging by what just happened
, it’s probably the best for you too. Things have changed since she left.”

He touched my cheek, and I felt a flurry rise deep inside me. His touch was so soft and gentle.

“Are you doing better?” he asked, his voice tender.

I glanced at my skin and it was almost completely back to ivory minus the wondrous webbing.
Phew. I doubt that was a good look.

“Well…
Now
,” I smiled at him. “Your touch does wonders.”

“Really,” he teased.

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, that’s good because seeing you in the tub like this is almost more than I can bear.”

“It’s nice to know that even in the gravest of times I’ve still gotta little something to tempt you with, Mr. Greene.” I grinned, trying to ignore the embarrassment factor that was creeping into my moment as to what I must have looked like.

“Oh, you have no idea the e
ffect you’re having on me right now,” his voice was velvety.

He helped me out of the tub and wrapped a towel around me as I steadied myself. I glanced at my r
eflection in the mirror and was relieved to see my ivory skin reflecting back to me. Logan caught my gaze and followed it to me.

“You’re so beautiful,” his voice
deeper, bringing his lips close to my wet hair and it left me wanting so much more.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “I needed to hear that.”

He caught my eyes in the mirror, and I couldn’t look away. His hand found its way around my waist and slid underneath the towel.

“Let’s get you dressed and back to your house. We’ll
need to get a handle on your new ability. I’ve got you temporarily cooled off, but we need to allow the energy to release or it will resurface at the slightest aggravation. And if we’re aren’t near a bathtub, it wouldn’t be good.”

“Is that what’s really on your mind?” I asked, reaching for my leggings to pull on.

His concern turned to playfulness as he shrugged his shoulders. “Beats me at this point.”

“Logan,” my aunt
said through the door. “Is she doing any better?”

“Well if that doesn’t kill the mood, I don’
t know what would,” I whispered teasing. Logan’s lips broke into a smile.

“I’m doing fine.” I tugged my sweater over my head. “Is mom okay?”

“I gave her some skullcap to relax. She’s not herself,” my aunt began.

“That’s an understatement.”

I opened the bathroom door to have my aunt wrap her arms around me tightly. “Don’t give up on her. I don’t know what she said to you to get you to this state.” She stopped. “But know whatever she might be saying now isn’t necessarily her. She’s got a long road ahead of her.”

“I know. I just never expected a conversation to go like this with her. We’ve all been through so much, but it’s like she doesn’t recognize what I’ve… what we’ve been going through the last several months.”

My aunt flashed Logan a look for help as she released me from her grasp.

“She will in time.” Logan wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and we began to walk toward the hallway.

“She’ll get back to the Suzy we all know and love,” my aunt whispered.

I nodded. “I hope so.
But I feel horrible. I don’t know what came over me.”

“We’ve got to take off though,” Logan replied. “I cooled her off temporarily but she’s got to learn her release before she overheats again.”

“You’re making me feel like a ’67 Chevy,” I retorted, lightly punching him in the arm.

“At the moment, that’s kind of what you are, and I don’t want to see you blow a gasket.” He grinned, pulling me down the hall.

I turned around to wave at my aunt who was smiling at us both, shaking her head.

“Do you know how corny that was?” I asked, turning my attention back to Logan.

“I do, but isn’t that what you love about me?” He tightened his grip around me.

“I’m not sure actually,” I giggled.

“It’s like that, is it?” He let go of me and before I had time to object, he grabbed me and plopped me over his shoulders, carrying me down the stairs.

“This is not funny, Mister!”

“No it’s not, but I’ve gotta get you back so you can get a handle on how to not light things on fire or overheat the next time you get ticked.”

“Point well made,
” I sighed, as he carried me out the front door. “I really hope I don’t turn into Frankenstein again.”

“We can hope,” h
e laughed as he plopped me down beside the front of the car. “It’s actually a cool skill to have. I mean once you figure out how to control it.”

“Do you know much about it?” I asked, climbing into the passenger seat.

“Enough, but we can always ask Dace or Bakula.”

I nodded as he
put the car into reverse, and I saw my mom at the window staring down at us with tears streaming down her cheeks as she waved goodbye. I smiled at her and waved back, but she didn’t seem to notice. She had the familiar vacant stare that I saw so many times before when she was with my father. Would we ever be able to get past this? I shoved the guilt aside for my blow-up but then my body started to change again.

The heat in my body began surfacing
, and I flashed Logan a look.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“It’s starting again. The fire thing,” I responded.

“We might not be as lucky the second time,” he mumbled, as he stepped on the accelerator.

“Feel the fire in your palms?” Logan questioned. “You’ve gotta keep thinking about the fury and fire merging as one. Let it trickle down to your fingertips.”

We were in the backyard
, where he was frantically rubbing his hands together to get warm, and I was burning up. It was far worse than when he plunked me in the tub. He was right about needing to find the release quickly because as of now I felt like I’d implode. I concentrated on the moment that started this entire fiasco.

“
I feel the fire
everywhere
not just my palms. Is that all Bakula told you?” I scowled at him.

“Maybe if I a
nnoy you enough you can turn the flames on me. However you find your release…” he joked. “But we’ve gotta find it.”

“Be careful what you wish for.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “
All I can think about is the fury. The fire seems to have a mind of its own. There’s no way I can focus it just to my palms. When are they going to be here?”

I was trying not to panic, but I couldn’t fathom how I was supposed to toss flames with a flick of a wrist.
Instead my head was pounding and I couldn’t stop sweating.

“Any second. But it’s not like they’re going
to tell you anything I haven’t.” He was walking toward me, zipping up his sweatshirt as the wind picked up and I felt none of it. I still felt like I was in a sauna.

I sat down on the concrete bench
that was in the middle of our herb garden, hoping that the chill would penetrate through my leggings. All the herbs had completely withered away from the first frost of the season, leaving piles of mush everywhere I looked. How was I able to think about anything and everything except getting control of my body? What was going on? Why couldn’t I focus on this?

Logan
sat next to me and a flutter emerged as he leaned over to me. He was quiet as his azure eyes searched mine. I could feel the sweat from my scalp dribbling down my neck. This was not a good look. I looked away quickly, but he gently touched my chin bringing my attention back to him.

“I know you can do this.” He grabbed my hand and brought it toward him. “Mastering this doesn’t make you like your father.”

His words sliced me through to my core. Was that why I was afraid to harness these powers?

I shook my head. “It’s not that…”

It couldn’t be.

“Then what is it?” His eyes were desperately searching mine. “I don’t think you understand how serious this is. We’re running out of time.”

“Well
, maybe—” I sighed, feeling the tension in my chest release as I let his words wrap around me. Sometimes it felt like he knew me better than I knew myself.

“I refuse to lose you because you’re being stubborn. You ar
en’t like your father and you never will be. But you’ve got to learn this and quickly.”

He let go of my hand and began pacing in front of me. He’s right
. I had to get a hold of myself.

Dropping my
head to my palms, a piercing pain zinged through my fingertips. Oh. My. Word. Maybe I’ve got it. I closed my fist, allowing the throbbing to center in my palms.

“You okay?” Logan asked
, kneeling in front of me.

“I think
I’m onto something.” I stood up and walked over to the birdbath.

I took a deep breath
and began to feel lightheaded as I embraced the urges running through me. I no longer felt a body filled with uncontrolled heat. Instead the breeze began kissing my skin, providing a chill from the dampness on my neck as the burning rushed to my fingertips. My entire body began to cool immediately.