The Lightning Prophecy (The Lightning Witch Trilogy Book 1) (13 page)

Like most times when Troy and I ran, we chatted about his flavor of the month and my lack thereof. He knew about my virgin status and teased me relentlessly about it.

“God, Delaney, how have you not let Mr. Tall, Dark, and Lickable in your panties yet? He’s welcome in my panties any time. Well, he would be if I wore any.”

“Ah, Troy, TMI!”

It was about then when I started to feel the small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I developed this sense that we were being watched. I looked over my shoulder as we jogged, surveying the area and peering into the woods. I didn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean much. Maybe it was just me being oversensitive. The full moon was nearing and my powers tended to get a little restless when the full moon neared. I shrugged off the feeling and chatted with Troy, trying to enjoy the time with the only friend I had. I could not keep my eyes from darting off in just about every conceivable direction.

“What in the hell are you looking for? Because if it’s a man, oh or a donut, I’ll stop,” Troy said.

I rolled my eyes at him. Although a donut sounded a whole lot better than pizza. “No, I don’t know, I just feel like someone is watching us. Do you feel it?”

Still jogging, Troy seemed to think about the question for a moment before he said, “No. Maybe it’s a witchy thing.”

This weird feeling was putting me on edge and I had to rein in my power a bit to keep from shooting off sparks and jolts. We kept on our path and I tried to shake the unease.

“Hold up!” Troy said a bit breathlessly. “My shoe.” I stopped and jogged in place, waiting on Troy to finish. I couldn’t help but look at the wooded area we were running alongside. That’s when I saw it. Deep in the wooded area, to the right of a large oak, was a pair of glowing green eyes. I froze. They looked identical to Reid’s when he was a wolf. That feeling I had before was my power trying to tell me what I pushed off. We weren’t just being followed, we were being hunted.
Shit
.

In a low, calm tone I said, “Troy get up. Not quickly. But, get up.” Even bent over his spine seemed to stiffen.

Through our friendship Troy may question me and mess around, but when it came down to it he trusted me. And now I hoped that was true because I needed him to trust me so we could both get out of this with our throats intact.

“Troy, Reid’s hotel is only about a mile away from us. You need to run to the hotel and stay there,” I said to him, never taking my eyes off the wolf’s eyes. I could feel the sparks falling from my fingertips. I had never hurt someone intentionally with my power. Could I do this? I mean, if I needed to? Hell, that could just be someone’s German Shepherd. Yup, and my middle name was delusional. I looked over at Troy and the fear on his face clinched it for me. Of course I could. I was not some weak human with no power. I was a fucking witch.

“D, I will not leave you alone with whatever it is. How do you know that’s not Reid?” he stated the question I feared most. I swallowed the lump that seemed to make its way up my throat and settle there. The wolf’s eyes looked just like Reid’s. But these weren’t his. I didn’t know how I knew, I just did. The wolf walked a few paces closer to us. He was still cloaked in darkness, all but his glowing eyes.

Without taking my eyes off the wolf I said, “Troy, please, I cannot have what happened to Sierra happen to you.” I began to pull my power from my core to my hands. It was slightly painful, as my focus was not as sharp as it could be, but I had to be ready.

“D, I am not—”

That’s when the freight train hit me.

Pain exploded from my left collarbone and my breath left me with a whoosh as I hit the ground. I pushed my palms to the wolf on top of me and willed my power to leave my core. The only thought I had was to get this snapping-jawed snarling beast off and away from me and get Troy and I out of there. The wolf went flying off of me as though he had a bungee cord attached to his back. The air stank of burnt hair and blood. I was dazed. There was no fighting this thing with as little experience as I had. It was too goddamned fast. I felt strong arms lift me up off the ground. Black stars threatened to take over my vision.

“Oh my God, D! Are you okay? We need to run,” Troy’s frantic voice sounded muffled.

I tried to meet his eyes, but had a hard time at first. When I did see his eyes, there was a wild fear in them. I shook my head, trying to clear the ringing from my ears. I saw a crumpled form off in the distance. That form snapped me back into reality. Shit, yeah, we needed to run because that form was getting up for round two and I knew I did not have that many rounds left in me. No words were needed; we ran.

Panting and gulping precious air, I huffed, “We. Need to. Get to. Reid.”

Troy turned his wild eyes to mine and said, “One mile?”

“Less than,” I panted. That’s when I heard the snarling. Shit. I couldn't spare the time to look behind me, but I picked up the pace.

I heard Troy do the same behind me. Then his muffled cries shocked me out of my panicked run. Troy was kicking the beast with all of his might, but he couldn't shake him off his left arm.
Oh hell, no, not Troy
. It was a light switch inside me. My core exploded.

My power sat in a well inside me, waiting to be tapped. I had never tapped my power like this before. Never have I felt the lightning to strong within me. It begged to escape any way it could. Once my core erupted, my vision changed. Everything went white. After a second, I saw the forms of Troy and the beast as black shadows. I panicked for a moment, not knowing what to do with such power. I let the lightning guide me.

I stretched my right hand out toward the beast and pulsed my power. A bolt of lightning went careening toward it. I managed to clip him on his right hind leg. I heard the beast yelp and then snarl at me. His eyes seemed to grow brighter with the rage and pain I knew a blow like that would cause. It would not be enough to injure him, but it drew his attention to me and away from Troy. I ran to him and said, “Troy, get up. I know it hurts like hell, but I can’t touch you right now.”

His eyes met mine and he flinched. I had no idea what I looked like in that moment but it must have been frightening. I knew I didn’t look human because, well, I didn’t feel human. I glanced down at my hand to see that sparks were falling from them and from my arms.

“Fuck me. Goddamn asshole. I am never running again. I’ll be a fat queen for the rest of my life,” Troy said as he struggled to get up. I wanted to go to him and help. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and sooth him and me. I clamped down on that feeling because right now I would not only hurt him, I would likely kill him.

The beast limped in front of me, pacing back and forth snarling. My heart was racing faster than I thought possible for me to still be standing. I couldn't make out the color of his coat as anything other than black because of the weird black-and-white vision. He started toward me and I flicked my hand out and another bolt connected with the ground in front of him, dusting him with dirt. I. Was. Pissed. I was not some weak child.

“I am done running!” I yelled at the beast. “You started this and I WILL end it.” I could feel the sparks raining down my body. I knew I sounded half crazed, but I would not be a victim. The wolf seemed to realize I would cause him more pain than it would be worth. He ducked his head, turned, and ran off into the woods.

Oh, I don’t fucking think so
. I started after him, then froze as I remembered him biting Troy.
Troy is hurt
. I ran to Troy, who was cradling his arm. He took a few steps away from me.

I hung my head, stepped back, and said, “Sorry, are you okay?”

“Uh, I don’t know. But, Jesus, you look like a human sparkler. You're amazing, and your eyes. Delaney, they are silver and sparking. I have never seen anything like it,” he said shakily.

“I-I-I don’t know, this has never happened. Let me rein this in and then we need to get to Reid’s.”

I focused on pulling the power back into my core.
God, it hurts like hell
. I actually screamed. I tried not to, but I couldn't help it. It felt like my blood had turned to acid and was burning its way through my body. My eyes were clenched shut, but I heard Troy running over. I put up a hand to stop him just in case he was going to touch me. I couldn't be sure I wouldn’t hurt him.

“I’m good,” I rasped. God, what a fucking lie. Every part of me hurt and I mean every part down to a cellular level.

“You look normal now,” Troy said hesitantly.

I stood up on weak wobbly legs and opened my eyes. Everything had color again. I released a breath I hadn’t been aware I was holding.

“Troy, we need to go.”

“Agreed.”

IT WAS THE
longest half mile of my life. By the time we got to the hotel and to Reid’s room, I didn’t have the strength to stand any longer. Slumped against the wall just across from Reid’s door, I slid down it until my ass connected with the ground. I placed my arms on the tops of my knees and rested my head on my arms. I had never been so grateful to sit in my life. I had nothing left. I couldn't even knock on the freaking door. Troy, however, about beat Reid’s door down.

“Keep your pants on, I am coming,” Reid’s muffled voice sounded beyond the closed hotel door. The chain on the door rattled just before it opened.

I raised my head to look at Reid, but only saw Troy from his most flattering angle, according to him anyway. My head felt like it would explode, and if I opened my eyes again it very well may have happened.

“Troy, what the hell happened to you?” Reid’s voice sounded frantic.

“We had a run-in with some sharp and pointies. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m coming in. She won’t let me touch her.”

“Holy hell!” Reid’s voice sounded closer this time and a bit wild.

I lifted my head up slightly and cracked my eyes slightly to see him. I was blinded for a moment. I felt Reid’s strong hands cradle my face. As he touched me I felt his body shudder.

“Damn, Delaney, you’re packing quite a punch.” The shudder I felt in him must have been because of my power slipping from me to him. God, I just felt so damned drained.

“Sorry.” It came out more a squeak, but it was all I could manage.

“Don’t be. You were right to make sure Troy didn’t touch you.” His caramel-colored eyes were sparkling. He was so beautiful. Hulking brute of a man that he was he was, so beautiful. “Honey, I’m going to pick you up and take you inside so I can look at you better.” I felt his strong arms wrap around me. One slipped around my back near my shoulders and the other behind my knees. “Troy, get the door.” He gently set me on the bed. Or what this hotel passed for a bed.

“Look at Troy first,” I said just as Reid was about to mess with the bite on my collarbone.

Reid didn’t take his eyes off me, but his jaw tightened and his lips went into a white line. I knew it wasn’t what he wanted to do, but I would be fine. I’m a witch, for God's sake. Troy needed help. Reid got up and went to see Troy in the chair by the door.

“Honey boo-boo, I’m fine, but our girl over there did some amazing shit,” Troy said.

“Hold on one second, Troy. Let me go get Mitch,” Reid said.

I stared up at the ceiling. God, what a fantastic mess this is. My life was a disaster area. This seemed familiar. At least this time I wasn’t covered in foam. I snorted, trying to stifle a laugh.

“Get pants on first,” Reid said, coming over to the bed.

“Fuck me, what the hell happened?” Mitch asked as he entered the room. Clearly he had been in the shower, as his hair was wet and he was missing a shirt. Lord help me, the man was toned. I looked over to find Reid also did not have a shirt on. Where Mitch was slim with a toned body, Reid was slim yet ripped, rippled, stacked … pick an adjective.

Mitch went over to Troy and picked up his arm. Troy winced in pain.

“Ouch! Shit!”

“It’s not broken, but you're going to need stitches for sure,” Mitch said, setting Troy’s arm down on his lap.

I thought Mitch was going to Atlanta? My confusion must have shown on my face because Reid said, “He was just getting ready to go. Can you sit up?”

Reid put his arm under my shoulders and leaned so close to me I thought I felt his lips brush the tip of my nose. Even as beat up as I was, my stupid heart kicked up a notch.
Stupid body
.