The Lightning Prophecy (The Lightning Witch Trilogy Book 1) (22 page)

I heard the dirt shuffle near my head. I snapped up on all fours. Standing was pure agony, but I had no other choice. Mitch was circling me. His throat was a mangled mess of torn flesh and matted hair. It would heal. I had him, but something happened. My skin felt like it was covered in lava. It still did
. Shit
. My chest felt like it was caving in. I was having a hard time breathing, like I could only breathe through a straw.

I collapsed on my side and could no longer hold my wolf form. I slowly and agonizingly shifted into my human form. My skin and bones felt like an open wound being filled with peroxide. I have never had such a painful shift.

I looked up to see Mitch standing over me in his human form. Had it taken me that long to shift? He was already half dressed.
Why hasn’t he killed me?
 The world was swirling and tilted. I gasped for air but found little of it. Mitch smiled, all teeth.

“Now, Reid, did you really think you would beat me?” His voice sounded as though he swallowed gravel. He kicked me in the side. I almost didn’t even register the attack. It didn’t hold a candle to the pain I was in. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“Silver nitrate, my dear lone wolf.” He kicked me again. This time he kicked what little breath I had out of me. The air went out of me with a whoosh along with blood.
The mother fucker drugged me
. Silver, no wonder I wasn’t healing. Having silver in my blood would preclude me from any kind of accelerated healing.

“You’ll have to kill me. I do not yield,” I managed between gasps of much needed air.

He made a
tisk, tisk, tisk
noise with his mouth. “I’m not going to kill you. I need you.” He made a few hand motions and within moments I was lifted to my feet. I couldn’t move. The silver nitrate had done just what Mitch wanted. It had effectively shut me down. This would take my body at least twelve hours to burn off. Who knew what would happen to Delaney in that time.

“Only way you could beat me? Shoot me with silver? Pathetic, really,” I taunted. He turned and punched me in the face. I went blind in my left eye. I heard and felt a crunching sound as his punch connected.  I guess he was healing at normal werewolf speed because his face still looked like hell, but it didn’t dampen his blow.
Shit, that hurt
.  I swallowed the pain and smiled up at him. “Thought so.”

I couldn’t walk so two of his pack dragged me into the building. I barely had enough strength to hold my head up to see where I was being taken. Mitch directed them to take me down a flight of stairs.

“Where is she, Mitch?” I spat the words. I hoped they hit him in the face. The stairwell opened up to a hallway lined with several office doors. The place was musty and smelled of mold. But, there was a slight scent of gardenia and it was getting stronger.

“Don’t worry, Reid. Your girlfriend is fine.” I couldn’t see his face, but his voice was laced with venom.

I wasn’t sure what good it would do but I said, “You know I claim her, right.”

He laughed. “No matter. It would never have mattered. She’s mine now.”   

I didn’t know if it was him blowing off my claiming or him saying she was his. But, whatever it was set me off. I found the last bit of energy and turned. I tossed the two assholes aside and charged at Mitch. I must have caught him off-guard because I slammed his worthless body against the wall. My forearm crushed his windpipe. I had no illusion that this was little more than posturing, but I was incensed. I pressed all of my weight into my arm.

“I. Will. Kill. You.” I said each word as though it were a curse. I spat each syllable and pushed every bit of my power behind them. Just before I was pulled off of him, he looked scared.
Good
. He should be wetting his pants.

They pulled me to a nearby room. There were chains and shackles fixed to the wall. From the shine of lights bouncing off the shackles, I could tell they were silver. Across from the wall with the chains there was a large window that looked to be a two-way mirror.
Looks like they picked this location with purpose
. They shackled me to the wall. There was little at this point that I could do. I could barely move. Breathing hurt. Fuck, but the pulse in my neck hurt.

“Look, there is your little Delaney,” Mitch said coolly.

I looked up to see Delaney through the window. She was shackled as I was. But, her hands were chained to something I couldn’t make out. And she was unconscious. I fought my restraints, with little results.

“What do you want? I’ll give you anything. Just let her go.” I wasn’t above begging, not for her.

Mitch met my eyes and laughed. “I want her. And I have her. You’ll see the rest.”

I looked past Mitch to Delaney strung up on the wall. I loved her. Beyond this world and the next, I loved her. Now, I had to find a way to save her. Or pray she came back to me.

“WHERE ARE WE?”
I looked around and everything was hazy.

There was a heavy fog layered on the ground. I couldn't see past my knees. There were pine trees all around me. They were so tall I could only see their trunks. The man next to me looked at me adoringly. I have known him my whole life. He had been in every dream I’ve had since I was a child. I knew him in a way that felt intimate. But, I didn’t know him at all. I knew better to ask for his name. Not just because I knew he wouldn’t tell me, but because I wasn’t too sure I wanted to know.

“We are where you want us to be.” His slight eastern-European accent tickled the hairs on the back of my neck.

Now what the hell does that mean?
I bent down to run my fingers through the fog. It swirled around my fingers. Did fog really do that?

“Is this a dream?” I looked up at him and met his near-black eyes.

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand.” I didn’t; I had no idea why I was here or why he was here.

“Take us somewhere that means the most to you and I will tell all.” He grabbed my hand.

“How, I don’t know…” I looked around and the foggy forest was replaced by a familiar campsite. It was the same campsite that Sierra took me to. The first time I got to touch wild lightning. Now, it was dark. Sometime in the middle of the night. It must have been near morning though, because the night sky was purpling around the edges.

“I hoped this would be where you picked.” He smiled down at me. His black hair was loose and fell over his shoulders.

“Why am I here?” I questioned.

“Because you are dreaming.”

“Okay, why are you here?”

“I have a gift for you, and I need something from you.” It was strange, this man. I tried to think back to other dreams he was in and I did not recall him ever speaking to me.

“Care to elaborate?” Good grief, but he was being obtuse.

“It will be hard to understand. But, I will tell you,” he said, reaching out his hand to me. I looked down at it as though it were covered in snakes. I wasn’t sure I wanted what he offered. But, hell, here I was and it did not seem like I was going anywhere, so I might as well. I placed my hand in his and we walked.

“Well, what can I do for you?” I said, looking at the ground.

He laughed out loud. It was a rich, filling sound. It seemed to touch my soul and fill it some.

“Oh, little one, you never cease to surprise me.”

“Well, I just want to know for once what is going on.” I was getting frustrated being in the dark.

“I am sorry.” He stopped walking and turned me to face him. I met his gaze and fought the fleeting sensation to run the hell away and not look back. “I have something to give you before you wake. I need you to hold on to it until the time is right.”

I opened my mouth to ask, but he just smiled, causing me to shut my lips.

“You will know when. As for what I need from you.” He put a hand on either side of my face, cradling it. “I want your fear and your pain. I want you to send it to me.”

“I don’t understand.” I wanted to give him everything as long as he kept touching me. This man was dangerous.

“You will be more afraid than you have ever been. When you are, I want you to send me your fear, your panic, and I will send you calm. The pain will seem earth shattering, but release it to me and I will soothe you.” He spoke the words fear, panic, and pain as though they were tangible. Like I could pick them up, put them in a box, and wrap Christmas paper around them.

“I’ll try,” was all I could manage.

“Now, we do not have much time.”

He drew me in and crushed his lips to mine. It took me so off-guard all I could do was stand there like a mannequin. After a moment I opened my mouth and felt a rush of life enter my body. Thank God his hands were on my shoulders, otherwise I would have blown away like a feather in the wind. He was breathing life into me. That’s the only way to explain it. This was not a kiss that warmed me like I shared with Reid. This was somehow more. He was truly breathing something more into me. He was filling me, expanding me. Just when I thought I would burst he let me go. I staggered backward a few steps before finding my feet again.

“What did you give me?” I could feel it there in the corner of my soul. It was just more. More than me alone.

“Your future.” He looked to the sky and frowned. My gaze followed his to the now burnt-orange sky. All that was left in the sky from the night was the large full moon.

“There is little time. One more thing,” he bent down slightly to whisper in my ear, “I will take the pain and fear if you let me. Remember, night cannot last forever. The moon will set and the sun will rise. I promise you, no matter how bad it gets, it will get better. I love you, my little lightning bug.” He kissed the tip of my nose and faded away.

Calling after him yelling questions wouldn’t do a damned thing. I sat down in the field and waited to wake up and face my future.

I TRIED TO
stretch before I opened my eyes. But, I couldn’t lift my arms.
What the hell is going on?
My body felt like it took a trip in a drying machine. Every part of me hurt and my head was going to explode, I just knew it. I cracked my eyes. Bright light flooded my vision and just as fast I clamped my eyes shut. I should have been more panicked about the fact that I couldn't move more than a few inches, but my mind was too busy trying to catalog and sift through all of the shit I had just been through.

What the hell happened? The last thing I remembered other than that weird-ass dream was having dinner with Mitch. We went and had a drink and then, nothing. My memories were a mess of foggy images. I tried to sift through them, but just could not manage it. Finally, I opened my eyes slowly, letting my eyes adjust to the painful light.

After a few moments I realized that it wasn’t that bright. I looked around the small room and it took a good five minutes for the full effect of this situation to register. I was chained to a wall
. CHAINED, who does that?
My hands were taped to two rods on either side of my body. I laughed. Hell, I guffawed. I mean, what else could I do?
I can’t even make this shit up
. Granted, I may have been suffering from a bit of hysteria.

“Hello?” My voice was dry so I sounded a bit horse. “Can someone either kill me or get me some water?” I was just so done with this. I heard footsteps outside of the dusty and dirty dank cellar of a room. It looked like it was once some kind office space, but had been forgotten for about fifty years. The doorknob turned and standing in the doorway was Mitch.

“Hello, princess. Did you sleep well?” His tone carried a mocking coldness to it.

The memories of the drink he had gotten me, the weird facial expressions, and the last memory of him passing my apartment all came back to me in a wash of ice water across my mind. I met his eyes and pushed all my hatred at him. Instinctively, I reached for the power in my core and the power flooded me. Then cold reality slapped me in the face. I had no way to expel the lighting. Whatever he taped my hands to had absorbed the lighting that jumped from my body. My heart was beating like a wild thing. Had Reid been in on it too?
Please, no
.

“Where’s Reid?” I said.

“He’s here.” His tone was even. What did that mean? Could he really be part of this?
Shit
.

“Why? Why do any of this?” He moved from the door, shuffling his feet and kicking up dirt and dust. He stopped about three inches from touching me. I could feel his hot breath touching my face like delicate fingers.

“If this prophecy is true, then you, little girl, will be the end of the witches.” He raised his hand to my face and ran a finger along my jaw, then down my neck. He fingered the shiny pink skin of the wound on my collarbone.

“I should have been more careful with you. I didn't mean to bite you. But, I wanted to see what was so secretive about your power. And boy did I figure it out.” His eyes followed the path his finger was making along my skin. His touch was so cold it left goose flesh in its wake.

“That was you?” His finger dipped down to the swell of my breasts. He met my eyes and his own sparkled. A smile broke out over his face.

“Yes, now tell me. What do you know of the prophecy? What did your aunt tell you?”

I couldn’t be sure if it was the word
aunt
that tipped me over the edge or the thought of how many innocent people he killed to get to me. I pushed my power outward. The main way I had to push my power was through my hands, but I have radiated power over the surface of my body before. I focused my power and thought of it like a blanket and covered myself with it. As soon as my power snapped into place, Mitch snatched his hand from me. He looked at me as though he disapproved.
Good
, I hoped I pissed him off. If he thought for one fucking second I would be going gently into that good night he had another think coming!

Just as fast as I had my little victory, it faded as his hand connected with my cheek. He slapped me so hard my teeth bit down on my tongue.

“Tell me,” he demanded, rubbing his hand. I spat the blood that was pooling in my mouth at him.

“She told me I was the only witch who could be turned. She said I would be the downfall of the witches. That’s all I know.” I thought about lying to him, but figured maybe I could get some information from him too if I played ball.

“You know next to nothing about the prophecy,” he scoffed. At this point I didn’t care.

“Where is Reid?” Had he hurt him? I feared that more than him being in on this whole thing.

“He’s here. One thing you need to know about this prophecy is that you will need to let me turn you willingly.” He managed to say it with a straight face.

“Yeah,” I laughed, “that’s so not going to happen.”

He smiled and said, “Oh, honey, that’s what Reid is here for.” He gestured at the wall in front of me. I realized belatedly that it wasn’t a wall at all. It was a large window.

It was as though the curtain was raised on a stage. The blackness was gone. If I could have fallen to my knees I would have. My eyes burned with tears. The tears felt like liquid heat carving paths down my cheeks. Reid was bound to the wall much like I was. He was covered in blood, but didn’t look hurt. I screamed his name. He raged against his chains, to no avail. I couldn’t hear him through the window.

Mitch knelt in front of me, his head even with my pelvis. He angled himself so he was sideways, then looked at Reid and ran his hand up my thigh. My heart raced. I pushed my power out again, but he must not care about the pain of touching me. I thrashed against my chains, but it did little to dissuade him.

I met Reid’s gaze. If his eyes could kill, Mitch would have combusted where he knelt. Reid suddenly raged against his confines, but nothing.
What the hell is in those chains?
It had to be supernatural to keep him in them. Mitch’s hand stopped right before the apex of my thighs. He smiled up at me.

“I just love pissing him off,” he said, standing up. He was rubbing his hand again. I knew it had to hurt; I was pushing hard on my power.

“Hand hurt?” I said, giving him a saccharin sweet smile. When he didn’t answer I asked, “How do you plan to use Reid to get me to let you turn me?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew. He would kill Reid if I didn’t. The realization must have showed on my face because Mitch smiled.