“If you truly think I’m capable of that, I wouldn’t be standing here, would I?” Cayden started drawing with his right hand. “Let go of my girl.”
Ravana scowled. “Now I get why Silas can’t stand you.”
“No one likes me.” Cayden connected the final line of his rune, and it glowed. He pointed it right at Ravana. “Let. Go. Of. Her.”
Ravana released my shoulder.
Cayden turned to the groaning man on his other side, dropped to the ground next to him, and pushed the rune into his chest.
Ravana sucked in a breath to stop time, but I grabbed whatever bit of her I could reach. “Stop, it was a bluff. Cay’s feeling how bad the man’s injuries are.” I reached up and pulled on Ravana’s hand. “Let him do his thing. He’s an ass and frustrating as hell, but he won’t hurt anyone. I swear on my life.”
Ravana clenched her fist, growling in frustration before dropping beside me.
I gestured to Goth Girl. “Why should I use my Majekah on your friend?” I asked, keeping her distracted so she couldn’t attack Cayden.
“Not my friend, my niece,” Ravana explained. “Brit swears you fixed her cycle. If that’s true, you could change the damn game.We need to know. If it works, we say she was a late bloomer. If it doesn’t, fine, we’ve got answers. You’re here, she’s here. Best chance we’ll get.”
I took a deep breath and looked down at Goth Girl. “You don’t have anything artificial on or in you that you care about, right?”
“In me?” Goth Girl panted. “What would I have in me?”
Okay, maybe that question made more sense in my time, and I needed to stop asking it.
“Do you have a blanket or something?” I asked Ravana.
The woman stood and came back with a dusty wad of cloth.
“It will be obvious that my Majekah touched her.” I opened the dusty blanket, sneezed, and handed it to Ravana. There was nothing else I could do to stall. I called on my Majekah. The hairs on my arms rose. The light tug, like a dog on a leash, returned, and so did a vision of Professor Holiday’s crumbling monster. I pressed my flat palm against Goth Girl’s abdomen.
Her clothes unraveled under my touch, leaving bare skin exposed. With Brit, I’d been so desperate I would’ve clawed my way inside her if that’s what it took. With Professor Holiday, I’d tried to rip free, but my Majekah clamped down and wouldn’t let go. This time, I didn’t fight. I didn’t force it; I let it take over. My heart thudded once, twice, then the power cut off like a switch, leaving me shaken and hollow.
I half expected a little dragon to pop into existence, but it didn’t. It hadn’t when I touched Brit, either. I took a deep breath and stored that away for later.
Goth Girl lay naked before me for a split second before Ravana tossed the blanket over her.
“Shit, kid,” Ravana let out a low whistle.
“You stop time. I destroy stuff,” I hissed defensively. “This is why I think Brit is crazy. I don’t fix things. I break them.”
Ravana didn’t respond.
Another body joined our little area. Rowan hesitated, but I waved him off. The big elemental flourished in chaos. He needed to keep moving.
Cayden stepped to my side. “On me, Quinn. I need a second pair of hands.”
Ravana scowled. “I’m watching you, Lawson. Don’t prove me right.”
Cayden narrowed his eyes and inclined his head.
It was something. I crawled up my best friend's body to get to my feet. For the next hour, I held body parts, distracted people, and helped wrap injuries with Cayden.
The dust settled, and an argument about whether this was an accident from an experiment gone wrong or sabotage gradually escalated into a raging storm, eventually targeting Cayden.
Three men, including Silas, cornered my best friend. I slid to him, and he put a single arm around my upper chest and locked me to his front.
“He didn’t do this,” I said.
Silas crossed his beefy arms. “He’s obsessed with you and more than capable.”
