Elemental Earth (Paranormal Public) by Maddy Edwards

but inside me I could feel the strength building,
and taking Keller’s hand only buttressed my resolve.
    “Better,” I said quietly. “I
think I could enact the Power again if necessary.” The unspoken comment was
pointed at Faci. Surely Daisy was with them too, and I wanted to be able to
fight and die honorably if he attacked us, so that Dacer could tell Ricky I did
everything I could to get back to him.
    “Good,” she said. “I think we’ll
be fine. I don’t know what game the Nocturns are playing, but it’s a slow and
steady burn, not a flaming battle. Besides, Sectar is here now.”
    “Let’s do it, then,” said Lough,
joining us. He looked almost as bad as Zervos, though I knew he had slept some.
Sip was still sitting by herself, her mood mostly unchanged from the day
before. She had watched Dove die, after all. I wondered if - and when - she’d
recover.
    “I’m ready,” I said, standing
with Lough’s help. His firm grip was in stark contrast to his tired appearance.
He chuckled at the surprise in my eyes. “I can take whatever they dish out,” he
said. “So can you.”
    Kia and Rake joined us. Marcus
was still in no condition to perform spells, but it didn’t matter. When we
reached Zervos, Sectar and Faci were already there.
    I didn’t even look at the
vampire.
    “If we do this,” said Zervos,
“can you promise us safe passage to Golden Falls? No demons?” Zervos probably
just cared about his own safety, not all of ours, I thought bitterly.
    Faci didn’t move. I wondered if
that smooth, pale skin was even capable of expression.
    “Yes,” said Sectar quietly. “The
demons are gone and Golden Falls is the safest place I know. You will arrive
without further problems. I promise.”
    Faci was standing nearby, glaring
at the tall Sectar, probably because the new werewolf was thwarting some evil
plan of his. “The danger is entirely in your mind,” said Faci. “The demons
won’t attack again.”
    Lough snorted. “You’re right it’s
in my mind. The mind of a sane paranormal. Something you’re probably not that
familiar with.”
    Faci stepped forward, his eyes
intent on Lough’s face. They glared at each other as Zervos and Sectar talked
quietly to each other.
    Faci blinked first, taking a
quick step back. Lough must have sent some sort of dream at him, because Faci
looked at my friend with new respect.
    In the early morning light, Faci
didn’t look so scary. He actually looked more like a frightened teenager,
standing there without his father for protection. He looked like he might even
have been mistaken for a bully who might one day grow out of his mean stripes
and become a productive paranormal.
    But I knew better.
    I knew his appearance was
deceiving; Faci Decimatar was evil through and through. He seemed to sense my
thoughtful gaze, because he met my eyes with his own.
    “Do you remember the puppy at
Vampire Locke?” he asked quietly. “I am looking forward to the day when it is
you I have underneath my foot.”
    I matched his glare. I don’t know
where I found the strength. Maybe it was because of Dove, who hadn’t deserved
to die, or maybe it was because of Keller, or maybe it was because of the
elemental ring that fit so perfectly on my finger. I didn’t care.
    “Remind me again why you’re
here,” I said coldly, then, before he could respond, I added, “Oh, right. There
isn’t a good reason.”
    I stuck my hand in the barrier
and released the magic. Power sucked in on itself, flowing back the way it had
come. Once I had gathered the barrier, making sure there were no traces left in
the air, I turned on my heel and walked away.
     
     

Chapter Twelve
     
    We took brooms the rest of the
way. Those of us who could fly did so and helped the rest along the way.
Lisabelle took a broom with Sip, who still seemed sad. Lisabelle got her
talking about plans for the Sign of Six, and that seemed to cheer her up a bit.
I took a broom by myself, but Keller flew right next to me