Iridescent Chaos (Enchanted Chaos 3)

Foster nods, sadness and worry haunting his eyes. “I’m positive. No one else knows, though, so if we play this carefully, no one besides us has to find out.”

“What’re you suggesting?” Max asks with a cock of his brow. “That we hide the body and don’t report it?”

“I know it’s not ideal, but it might be our only option…” He swallows hard. “If anyone finds the body and figures out the cause of death, they’ll not only find out what Sky is, but she’ll be handed over to the elemental protectors authority and more than likely she’ll end up in the underworld prison. Or she’ll be forced to use her powers for who knows what.” His fingers curl into fists, tension waving through his body. “I can’t let her end up like that.”

With his lips pressed together, Max nods. “I know. Neither can I.”

Foster shakes his head. “I fucking hate this. I never should’ve let this happen. I should’ve watched her closer. If I had, none of this would be happening.”

Max puts a hand on Foster’s shoulder. “This isn’t your fault. You can’t keep an eye on someone all the time.”

Foster lifts his head. “If I hadn’t been a dick to so many people, Brody would’ve never gone after Sky to get to me.”

“Relax, little brother.” Porter appears at the top of the stairway, dressed head to toe in black, his lavender eyes darker than they usually are. “This will all work out if you just relax.”

Foster throws him an icy look. “How the hell am I supposed to relax when Sky could be arrested for murder and her powers could get discovered?” He lowers his voice to a mutter. “And even if this does all work out, she’s still linked to all of you.” His iciness melts a droplet as he sighs. “And eventually I’m going to have to tell her that her kiss killed Brody…” He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jeans “This is going to destroy her.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t tell her then,” Max suggests, reaching for a jacket on the coatrack. “I know it’s not ideal to keep secrets from her, but with everything going on… It might be better if we don’t tell her. Or at least wait awhile.”

Foster mulls over what he said with a frown. “I hate the idea of keeping secrets from her, but I think you might be right. There’s too much other shit going on right now and I worry that learning about Brody might push her over the edge. And with her not being able to control her powers very well, she could end up losing control completely.”

“I’m going to have to disagree with you,” Porter says as he starts down the stairs. “It’s better if you tell her now and let her embrace her pain now instead of later. Plus, she’ll hold it against you if she finds out you kept this from her.” He stops at the bottom of the stairway.

Foster shakes his head. “Sky isn’t like you, Porter. She’s more fragile.”

“Are you sure about that?” Porter questions with a curve of his brow. “You barely know her. And from what I’ve felt through the link, she’s stronger than I think you sometimes give her credit for. And I can tell she’s not a fan of lies.”

“I know her better than you do,” Foster snaps, backing toward the kitchen, his gaze sliding to Max. “You’ll take care of the body, right?” he asks and Max nods. “And please make sure to bury it where no one will find it.”

“I will,” Max promises with a nod…

I jerk away from the memory, blinking wildly as I struggle to process what I just saw.

Brody is dead.

I killed him.

Oh my God…

“I killed Brody?” I say through gasping breaths.

Lightning snaps across the ceiling and flashes across Foster’s face. Thunder booms a second later, making the floor quiver.

Foster pales. “Sky, I…”

I step back from him as clouds cover the ceiling and rain showers down on us. “Oh my God, I’m a killer… I killed someone.” Guilt crushes my chest, rips the air from my lungs, sends a tremor of pain through my body.

From the day I realized I had powers, I worried that eventually I might accidentally hurt somebody. And now that it’s happened… The pain… the guilt… the fear that I might do it again… It’s too much. I can’t take it…

“Brody was a terrible creature,” Foster says, inching toward me, his movements slow and cautious. “And it’s not like you tried to kill him. It was an accident. An accident that Brody did to himself by forcing himself on you. You need to understand that. That this isn’t your fault.”

“It doesn’t matter how it happened.” A darkness roars through my chest and heavy clouds cover the ceiling, along with a sheet of ice.

Wind sweeps through the cabin next, knocking over lamps and portraits on the walls.

Foster skims the madness and worry fills his eyes. “I know you’re upset, but you need to calm down.” His eyes dart down to my hands. “Now, okay? If you don’t…”

The howling of the wind and the grumbling of thunder drown out his words. The entire house begins to tremble, the floor shaking beneath my feet. I glance down, worried the floor is going to crack apart, but my gaze gets snagged on my arms.