Cooper.
Get out of my head,I shriek, as the red tide rises higher. It’s up to my chest. My throat. My chin. It’s drowning me. I know it isn’t real, isn’there,but oh God I can’tbreathe?—
Donovan shakes me, his fingers biting into my arms. He’s talking, his voice frantic, but I can only make out every other word:scaringandwhatandhelpandgo.Ethan is laughing inside my head and Cooper is telling me to fight and all I can do is struggle for breath, pulling in one iron-tasting lungful of air after another.
What the hell does Cooper mean? Fight who? Does he mean Donovan, who’s only trying to help me? Or Ethan? But Cooper and Ethan are on the same side. They have to be. Otherwise,why would Cooper be in my premonition? Why would he obey Ethan’s command to kill Donovan?
In this moment, though, none of that matters. I’m of little use to anyone if, while Ethan and the Blood Witches plot to take even more from me—another one of the few people I care for—I’m stuck kneeling on the floor, trapped inside my own mind. And so, no matter whose side Cooper is on, I decide to listen to him. To fight.
Before, I’d always accepted that once I was truly in the grip of a premonition, there was nothing I could do but ride it out. But this time, I have the remnants of the ley line’s energy bubbling inside me. Even though we’ve left the escape room’s chamber behind, I can still feel a hint of that blue light, calling to whatever makes me able to see the future. It’s not enough to make me lose control, the way I did when I confronted Cooper. But it’s enough for me to stand against the darkness in my mind.
Inside my premonition, I close my eyes and reach down, down, down into the depths of myself. I picture the blue light as a pool at the very center of my being, a well from which I can draw. And then I imagine reaching into that well and scooping up a handful of light, cupping it in my hands and letting it sink into my skin. Its enticing warmth penetrates my bloodstream, heating me from the inside out. It creeps upward, from my palms to my wrists, and then further, up my arms. Everywhere it goes, it leaves behind an undeniable sensation of heat. Of power. My blood feels like it’s bubbling in my veins, fizzing like it’s been infused with carbonation.
The power isn’t mine, not really. I’m just borrowing it. But it’s enough to do what must be done.
The blood tide closes over my head. This time, though, I’m not afraid. I don’t kick for the surface or thrash in terror. Instead, gritting my teeth against that strange bubblingsensation, just this side of pain, I plunge my hands deeper into the murk. And I open my eyes.
Everywhere that the warmth of the light penetrates is encased in a blue glow. It emanates from me, spreading out and out, illuminating the crimson depths. Obliterating them.
I can still hear Ethan’s voice, but it’s growing fainter. And then, with a sucking sound that shakes me to my bones, the tide retreats, pulling back all at once until it dumps me, shaking, onto the shore.
I blink, then blink again. The red tide is gone. I’m kneeling on the hardwood of Donovan’s cabin, his hands still on my upper arms, his face inches from mine.
“Rune!” he says again, sounding desperate this time.
“I-I’m here.” I clear my throat, then try again. “I’m fine.”
“What the fuckwasthat?” His gorgeous eyes, containing all the hues of that incredible blue light, search my face. “You—I could swear you started to?—”
I wish I could explain it to him. That I could tell him how amazing it felt to be able to feel that power flood through me, to be able to chase my terrible premonition away. But he wouldn’t believe me. The weight of my predicament settles onto my shoulders as the warmth of the light fades, leaving only icy certainty in its wake. “Come on,” I say, shrugging his grip off and getting to my feet. “We don’t have time to talk about this now. We have to go.”
Muttering under his breath, Donovan grabs his duffel and his messenger bag. I shove my wet shoes back on—luckily I didn’t have to unknottheirlaces—dump my soaked, ruined clothes in the trash, and follow.
Under normal circumstances, I’d feel embarrassed about being outside, at a work event, wearing Donovan’s oversized sweats. But these circumstances are so far from normal, it’s laughable. I’m paranoid that people are looking at me, all right,but not because I’m afraid I’m going to become fodder for the gossip mill. Because I’m terrified that Cooper or Ethan or God knows who will come barreling out of the trees and drag me away by the hair.
I spare a glance for Donovan, who is bending down to?—
“Holy shit. Did you just lock the door and stick the key under the doormat? Seriously?” I snap at him. “What is wrong with you? Are you afraid you’re not going to get your deposit back or something?” I spin on my heel, heading for his Prius, peering left and right to make sure we’re not being followed. “Oh, that’s right,” I toss over my shoulder. “We didn’t pay one. Because this is a goddamn corporate retreat where we’ve almost gotten murdered three times over on our boss’s dime! And then we?—”
“Shhhh,” Donovan hisses, cutting me off.
“Did you just ‘shhh’ me? I swear to Christ, Donovan Frost?—”
He ignores me, slipping past me to open his car door and toss the duffel into the back. The front end damage has been repaired, and even through the fog of my anxiety, I spare a moment to think that he must have a hell of a mechanic. Apparently, not even Sapphire Springs’ lone body shop is immune to the Ice Man’s obsessive need to restore order.
Giving our surroundings one last glance, I storm around to the passenger side and climb in, slamming my door behind me. I expect Donovan to at least wince, but he just sits there, his brows knitting.
“What is wrong with younow?” I tug on the strings of my—okay, his—hoodie in aggravation. “Did you forget to tip the maid?”
Mutely, Donovan shakes his head.
“Then what? Can we please get going, so we can grab my stuff and get out of here?”
“The car won’t start.”
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
“What do you mean?” I say, staring at his smart key, which he’s dropped into the cup holder. “Is your key’s battery dead or something?”
