Enthrall Me (The conclusion to Enchant Me) by Anne Violet

others would sense us, so under a cover of dark fog, provided by Tempest, we attacked…
    Screams of surprise followed by groans of pain, rang through the forest. We moved quickly to take advantage of their shock, but they rallied quickly, and soon we were on the defensive. I stepped out of the fog, and immediately looked for Christian, our target. Of course not far from Christian was Alexis, and for a second I stood and stared. All the emotions I locked away came tumbling out, love, hate, pain, and that weakness. I still wanted to be with her.
    Jealously, I watched as Christian ran to join her, and I stepped into his path. If I suffocated him into unconsciousness we could carry him off without a fight. As we stared at each other I saw disbelief and shock, fade to fury. Last time we had faced off, I had dropped my shield for Alexis’s sake, but I wouldn’t do that this time. I formed a shield around him, then pulled it tight, closing off all the air I could, and waited. Any moment now he would start gasping for air then pass out. But he didn’t.
    Fear penetrated my confidence, as I felt him in my mind. My powers evaporated, and my shield fell from him. I couldn’t sense them! Had he destroyed them so easily, so quickly? With no other choice I sprinted back to the others, but they were gone; the dark fog, Tempest, Ryker, and Garron, had disappeared. Panic crashed over me. They left me? And Christian our target, behind?
    A woman jumped in front of me, with a ball of crackling fire in each hand. “Where did they take Alexis?” she demanded.
    “What?” Christian and I roared in unison. I looked around us, Alexis wasn’t among the standing, injured, or dead. In shock I stood there numbly, as they demanded answers. I couldn’t believe it. Not only had Garron changed the plan, but he’d sacrificed me to do it. Anger ripped through me at his betrayal, but it couldn’t compare to the burn of pain in my mind. White hot flames ripped at my mind, stripping me of all sense, and dignity. And then there was nothing…
    A deep throb of pain woke me up from a fitful sleep. The migraine to end all migraines. When I tried to sit up, I almost ripped my arms out of their sockets. I glanced up at the chains encircling my wrists, and then around the room. A dungeon, how fitting. I wasn’t alone though, five other people filled the room, an old man and woman, a young couple in their twenties or thirty’s, and Christian.
    “Good, you’re awake,” the older woman said stepping forward. “Unless you want to go through the same pain you went through last night, you better tell me everything I want to know.”
    Hazy memories of last night came back to haunt me. Alexis. My Grove had taken Alexis, instead of Christian.
    “Worry, regret, that’s good. Tell us what you know, so we can get her back.”
    Great an Empath. I tried to shield myself, then realized I couldn’t. I glanced over at Christian, who smirked, and tapped his head. Not again! I forced myself to remain calm. “What have you done to my powers?”
    “Thanks to Ciara, their just blocked…for the moment. If you don’t help us, I’ll put you back in a coma. And this time, I’ll burn out your powers to the point where they can never be resurrected.”
    Inside I shook. I would be of no use to my Grove without my powers, but then again, they had deserted me. “They weren’t supposed to take Alexis. They were supposed to take you,” I volunteered.
    Christian glanced at the older woman, Ciara I assumed. She nodded at him. “He’s sincere, so most likely he’s telling the truth.”
    “Why did the plan change?” he asked.
    I rocked my head back and forth against the wood platform in frustration. “I don’t know,” I shot back, just as confused and angry as him.
    “And just what were you going to do with Christian if they had taken him?” queried the Firestarter.
    “What do you think?” I said, turning to give an evil look to Christian. “I was going to kill