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A Touch of Fire (Meridian Island Book 1)

Page 21

by Jennie Dah


  I take aim, again another arrow appears and I release it again but this time it splits into a lot more arrows and when it hits them they disintegrate leaving behind a puff of smoke.

  Whoa! I forgot how invigorating it felt to use this. I fire again and again until a path is cleared. I look up and both men are both gaping at me.

  “Pick your jaws off the ground and let’s go,” I tell them already walking down the road. “We have less than one minute and I’d like to be on the other side when this place goes kaboom!”

  Hands lift me off the ground and the wind rush in my ears as Nick rushes through the offending creatures. So he could’ve done this before? Ugh.

  He stops when we reach the cages and I see Robbie, Logan and Charlie busy fighting of the goblins. Aww, they came for me too. I couldn’t help the laugh that leaves me. Nicholas sets me on the ground and starts shooting ice shards at the goblins getting a little too close.

  “Where’s the portal?” Michael yells over the sound of all the growling and snapping going on.

  Charlie groans ripping an arm with his bare hands. “It disappeared about a few minutes ago when these things started crawling out of the ground.”

  “And the others?”

  “Safe on Meridian.”

  “Great, how do we get out of here?” Michael grunts his sword sweeping through the air swiftly and heads and body parts fly. The ground trembles violently and I know we just run out of time.

  I look around the faces of the men that have come to mean so much to me these past few days and heart breaks to pieces at the thought of them dying because of me. Another memory hits me and I know what I have to do.

  Back at the Bunker, the very first power I had was teleporting things to me and getting them somewhere away from me. I could never manage to teleport myself though. Mr. Smith had said I had Semi–teleportation. I laughed it off because there’s no way that was even a thing. He’d just been trying to make me feel better about how useless I am even as a supernatural. Now it might be just what I need to get everyone home safely.

  I’ve never tried with a person before but there’s a first time for everything right? Besides there’s nothing to worry about. This will probably be like one of the simulations I’d taken at the Bunker.

  “I can get you out of here,” I say untying Ash from my back. I hand her over to Robbie careful not to wake her. How she can manage to sleep in a situation like this is astounding. I harness the pain in my ankle and create a circle of fire around us to give everyone a break from fighting the goblins. They turn to me wearing looks of confusion all except for Michael. He gets a stricken looks on his face and he scrubs a hand down his face roughly.

  “How?” They all ask at once and I chuckle.

  “Fire isn’t my only power,” I answer softly. “I can transport things.”

  “But our powers aren’t working here,” Robbie says wiping sweat from his brows.

  “I know,” I say quietly. I understand the look Stella gave me earlier now. Teleporting petty things isn’t really an ability you try to build defenses against. I really hope that was what she meant by that look.

  “Great let’s get out of here then,” Logan cheers and hoot. I keep my eyes on Nicholas when I made the statement and he’s watching me strangely with his head cocked to the side.

  “What are you not telling us,” he growls stepping up to me.

  “I'm not coming with you,” I say softly and close my eyes as his burn yellow.

  The roar that follows my statement isn’t really a surprise but it still startles me. “The hell you are not.”

  “Yeah Celia you don’t have to do this. Nicholas can try teleporting us out of here,” Michael says pleadingly but my minds already made up.

  “It won’t work,” I say quietly and take deep breath. “None of us will be alive if I don’t do this.”

  “But if you send us back it means you’ll stay behind,” Logan says a like it just dawned on him.

  “I know,” I nod avoiding their eyes.

  “You’ll die.”

  “I know.” I stand firm in my decision even as Nicholas envelops me in his arms, tears burning my eyes and I blink rapidly.

  My heart jackhammers against my ribs and I’m pretty sure everyone can hear it. The ground trembles even more violently this time and we barely stay standing. I move away from Nick and press a kiss to Ash’s head.

  I close my eyes and concentrate really hard. I envision both Robbie and Ash back on Meridian at the arena. I guess it worked because shocked gasps fill the air and when I open my eyes, Robbie’s no longer there. Great.

  I turn to Charlie and Logan next and they shake their head but they’re gone before they can say a word. Michael and Nick step away from me and if I don’t do this now I won’t be able to and I can’t have their deaths on my hand too. I’ll die if anything happens to Nicholas so I take a deep breath and blow it out.

  “Nicholas do something, use your powers, anything, just do something,” Michael growls frantically desperation all over his face.

  “I can’t, my powers aren’t working,” he says in a broken whisper. My heart drops to my stomach at the devastation in his voice.

  “Then we’re all staying here then,” he says a determined look flashing in his eyes.

  “No, I’m the only one staying,” I say wiping the tears that escape off my cheeks. “I brought this mess to your doorsteps and I can’t watch you die because of me.”

  “No we’re staying,” Nicholas roars anger radiating off his big frame. “When we said forever we didn’t say I was going to live it without you. I wouldn’t survive it if you left me.”

  ‘Michael please you have to get him out of here.’

  ‘Not without you.’

  ‘Take him home and take care of him till I get back.’

  ‘Celia—’

  ‘Please do this for me,’ I whisper my voice cracking.

  I can sense Michael’s confusion but I shake it off looking up at the man in front of me who has come to mean more to me than my own life.

  “It won’t be forever Nicholas,” I cup his cheek and pull him closer to me. I kiss him with everything I have and I make a promise with that kiss too, that no matter how long it takes me I’ll find him again.

  I snap my bow again and it transforms again, the string wrapping around my neck once more just like it’s supposed to and I hand the bow over to Nicholas once the stones cool enough for him to touch.

  “Take care of this for me until I get back,” I say softly and press my lips to his one more time.

  “But you’re going to die,” Michael snaps and I break the kiss sucking in a shuddery breath.

  “Not exactly,” I mumble with a watery smile and move away from Nicholas.

  “What the hell does that mean?” he growls trying to reach for me again but I step completely away from him.

  “It means I won’t die completely,” I run a hand through my hair and suck in a shaky breath. “It’s the memory lose that might be a problem.”

  “Memory loss—”

  “Phoenix,” Michael cuts him off with a faint whisper, like he’s even afraid to say the word. “But you might not survive. From what I’ve heard, phoenix don’t exactly rise back from their ashes and women don’t have that ability, it’s a myth.”

  “That’s not exactly true,” I shrug grimly.

  “How would you know that? Unless…”

  “This isn’t the first time I’ll die,” I answer his unspoken question and his eyes widen.

  Something tells me it won’t be the last either. I groan in pain as another memory races through my mind.

  I can actually feel the pain as Sneer face thrusts his sword straight through my stomach as white hot pain spreads through my body and the crunch of bones as he pushes me over the edge of the cliff and my body made contact with the jagged rocks in the water.

  Nicholas stalks towards me and grabs my neck his hand tightening almost to the point of pain and I cry out when the ski
n around my throat sizzles and burns fiercely and my eyes well up with tears. I don’t fight the hold and he let’s go as suddenly as he grabbed it. I gasp for air and touch the raw skin tentatively with a finger. It stings badly.

  “Michael,” I whisper shakily with a nod and he walks up behind Nicholas clamping a hand down on his shoulder.

  “I’ll see you later,” I smile softly looking in his panic stricken eyes and close my eyes because that can’t be the last look I remember from him when I die. My heart shatters completely when he let’s out a pained cry and I picture him back safe on Meridian.

  “No!!!!” his scream echoes in my head as the ground shudders again and falls in on itself and lava spews from the ground. I close my eyes and once again give in to the comforting arms of the darkness.

 

 

 


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