The rhythm of the wind, the strength of the storm, the life of the earth filled her, surrounded her, lifted her higher than she could’ve imagined. A song erupted down her spine, a new song, a melody she could only feel. Too high and strong to be heard, it wove through her skin and flesh, tightening in a universal truth.
She was more powerful than the earth, sharper than the truth. More everlasting than reality—stronger than death.
Her hands vibrated, a wild dark blue dancing along her fingers. Turning, she knelt and placed both hands across Janie’s throat.
Tendrils danced from Janie to tickle through the blue. Brenna tipped her head to the side but couldn’t see anything. Yet something, a presence of a sort, reached for her hand. Was it Janie’s soul?
“Stay in there,” Brenna whispered, pressing harder against ripped flesh and damaged tissue.
The earth trembled, rumbling deep with the hint of violence. Something unnatural was happening, and the earth would object. That was fine. Brenna could fight the planet if necessary. Potent power filled her, entranced her, drugged her.
She felt the exact second the comet drew close.
Forcing the energy into her hands, she pressed Janie’s soul back into her body. Blood squirted, the vessels quickly mending before flesh drew together.
Janie gasped, rearing up, her eyes wide.
Brenna fell back. Holy crap.
Janie clutched her neck, wheezing in air. “What . . . happened?”
“You died.” Brenna lurched to stand and waved the fire wall down.
Jase rushed forward to yank Janie up in a hug. Tears slid down his face. “I can’t believe it.”
Brenna’s lungs heated and compressed. Uh-oh. She backed toward the demolished doorway, struggling to breathe. The sky bellowed a warning loud enough to be felt as well as heard. The ground shook. Rocks fell from the ceiling in large chunks.
Her body filled with energy and insurmountable power. She tried to shove it out, but it was too late.
Way too late.
Chapter 31
Jase settled Janie on the ground, her back to the rock. Faces morphed around him. Some familiar, some new. Had they missed him? He shook off the odd question, accepting the strangeness of his captivity. The faces had helped him to survive, to not be so alone. His brain had done what it could to keep him from going completely crazy.
Brenna backtracked to the far wall, her eyes wide and an unfathomable black. Her hair cascaded around her, curling as if she’d been electrocuted.
She was beautiful.
And dangerous as hell.
Flames danced on her skin, along her neck, even deep in her eyes. Panic lived there, as well. Then resignation.
Oh, hell no. The woman wasn’t giving up. He shook his head, fighting to be heard above the rumbling earth. “Dig deep, Bren. Fight the power. You used it, you owned the bitch. Now let it go.”
Crimson spread along her high cheekbones, and her eyelids half-closed. Ecstasy and pain raced across her face. “Caaan’t contain it,” she gasped.
“You can.” He dodged to the side to avoid a falling boulder. They needed to get out of the ground before the tunnels collapsed. “Find the ice.”
“There’s . . . no . . . ice,” she hissed out, grimacing. “Too much . . . too hot . . . step back. Now.”
“No.” He moved closer to her, heat singeing his arms and face. So much heat.
The fire wavered around her and crackled. She cried out, pain washing her face white.
Janie cried out from behind him, scrambling out of the way as rocks pummeled down.
Male voices echoed from the hallway as boulders were tossed aside. Talen and Conn shoved inside, bloody and bruised. But alive.
“We have to go,” Talen growled, running to help his daughter stand and half-carry her into the hall. “Now.”
“Go,” Brenna shouted above the shaking earth. Regret twisted her lips, and tears made steam rise on her face. “Get out. Now.”
Jase shoved Conn into the hallway after Talen and Janie. “Go. We’ll be all right.”
His brother turned and eyed Brenna. “I’ll stay with you.”
“No.” Jase shook his head. “I can’t worry about both of you.”
“But if she blows, you’ll both be buried.”
“I know. Go home to your witch, Conn. I’ll take care of mine.” Jase couldn’t be responsible for his older brother’s death if this went the wrong way. His only chance to save Brenna lay in total concentration. “You have to go and make sure our brothers don’t try to come back down here.” They would, and that would be disastrous. The Kayrs men needed to get clear.
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You are. I need you to trust me.” Jase fought to keep his face clear and confident. His older brother had always stood between him and danger, but that time had passed. “You have to help Talen get Janie out of here—it sounds like you’ll need to dig out, and time is running short. Janie is the only human, and she definitely won’t survive an explosion. The rest of us have a chance. Get going. Please.”
Conn studied him as debris rained around them. Finally, with a nod, he grabbed Jase in a hard hug.
Emotion choked Jase’s throat, and he clasped his brother tight. “I’ll see you topside.”
Conn levered back, his eyes glazed. “Topside.” Then he turned and followed the path Talen had taken.
Jase nodded and took a deep breath. Good.
Brenna’s eyes filled with more tears. She grabbed the pendant around her neck. “I can’t focus the energy into the virus. I’m trying, but—”
“Stop worrying about the virus. Concentrate so you don’t blow up.” Panic swept through his limbs along with a fierce determination.
She cried out, pain scenting the air. “Please, go. Now.”
He shook his head. “I won’t leave you. So you’d better control this.”
“I can’t.” She winced as fire cut into her jugular, highlighting her veins in bright red through her pale skin. “Too much.”
The fire was burning her. Jase stepped closer, his skin sizzling. Taking a deep breath of the heated air, he forced calmness through his nerves. The wall inside his mind had shattered, and he’d taken control. The last vestiges of his captivity, of his torture, had disappeared by his own effort. For years they’d tried to break him, but he was stronger than they’d imagined.
“You failed,” he bellowed to the morphing rocks.
Brenna tilted her head. “What?” she yelled through the smoke.
He settled his stance and opened his hands. “Hold on, baby.” He could do this. It was time to reclaim his life, to be who he wanted to be and not who the demons had tried to turn him into. He was Jase-fucking-Kayrs, and he controlled the elements.
Brenna’s mouth opened in a silent scream as the fire started to consume her.
Jase peered into the raining debris to individual oxygen molecules. Digging deep, he commanded them to alter their state.
Water dripped through the air.
Exhilaration swept him. It was as if a missing limb had suddenly been returned. Power rushed through his veins in an electric arc.
Brenna screamed, and he narrowed his focus. Water splashed over her, quickly turning to ice. Steam rose with a sharp hiss all around her. The fire fought him, and he pushed back with as much strength as he could without harming Brenna. The ice might sharpen and stab her, so he kept a tight rein on the power.
Life and power hummed in his blood. A feeling he’d missed.
The ice cracked, and he added another layer. More steam rose. The fire turned blue, fighting him. Brenna’s eyes widened and then closed.
He sent another layer. “Dig deep, Bren. Find calmness,” he yelled. Maybe she could hear him through the ice and fire, maybe not.