That he’ll do whatever he can to stop me from dying.
But I hate how helpless I feel.
Maybe if I unleashed some of my powers, I could hurt darkness—
Foster’s gaze darts to something behind me.
I turn my head to see what he’s looking at, and my heart nearly stops.
The tendrils have found us and are brushing against the car, working to get into the cracks of the windows and vents.
I open my mouth to scream as one squeezes through the vent and billows toward me, reaching for me, wanting to drag me into the darkness where I’ll use my power for only bad, for—
Foster swats it away. Then, keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he uses his other hand to cup the back of my head. When his gaze melds with mine, remorse fills his eyes. “I’m so sorry about this.”
Fear whiplashes through me as I prepare to be shoved out of the car, but instead he glances at Easton.
“Take ahold of her hand,” he tells him in a strained tone.
Easton hesitates, giving Foster a strange, shocked look.
“Just do it,” Foster repeats tightly.
Swallowing hard, Easton reaches out and slips his fingers through mine.
Confusion whips through me as Foster’s eyes lock on mine. Sparks are showering in his pupils as he pulls me toward him and crashes his lips against mine. I gasp as he sweeps his tongue into my mouth and deepens the kiss. My hold on Easton’s hand tightens as heat spills through my veins, pulsating through me, and my heart rate quickens. My chest warms, glowing with heat, and sparks zap through my body as his power mixes with mine. The potency of it is so overpowering that I swear I’m going to ignite.
“Let your power out,” Foster breathes against my lips. “Let it all the way out. Don’t be afraid. It’s like creating our own little world again, only it’s going to be a portal. I know you can do it. You’re fucking powerful. We’re powerful. More powerful than him. Do you understand?”
I nod, even though I’m not fully sure I believe him. But I do what he says and just let everything go. Let everything I’ve ever felt all out. Let it connect with the world. With the elements.
When he kisses me again, Easton’s hand constricts on mine and water spills across my skin. I feel Foster’s power and Easton’s all the way through me. I feel the power of the kiss. And, as a bright ball of blue light abruptly pierces the air and swallows up the darkness, and us right along with it, I wonder if my powers and freed emotions swallowed up the entire world.
“You may have escaped me this time, Sky, but I will find you,” darkness whispers to me. “And either you can join me or you’ll join the other gods and goddesses.”
I scream before silence overtakes me.
Chapter 12
The next thing I know, my head is throbbing and my eyes are closed. I need to move, so I force my eyes open and blink a few times, expecting to either be dead or squeezed in the passenger seat of the wrecked Camaro. But nope. The first thing that comes into focus is a glittery blue ceiling.
That has to mean I’m alive, right? Or maybe this is part of the afterlife or wherever elemental protectors go after they die.
Confused, I tilt my head to the side and take in my surroundings. I’m lying on a four-poster bed in a bedroom with black walls and a fireplace. A blanket is pulled over me, and the curtains lining the bed sway in the light breeze whispering in through the cracked open window. The air smells heavenly, like freshly fallen rain, a crackling fire, crisp snow, and a summer breeze. Basically, just like Foster.
Lost beyond imaginable, I glance toward the other side of the room and quickly discover why the air smells so wonderful.
Foster is lying down on a velvet sofa, his head resting on a pillow. His eyes are shut, and his arm is draped over the side. He looks so peaceful and relaxed, so I’m assuming we’re not dead and in the afterlife or wherever.
Seeing him like this, so at ease, ignites a power inside my chest as the memory of what his lips felt like against mine burns in my mind.
Tossing the blankets off, I climb out of bed and pad across the room until I reach the sofa. As I stare down at him, watching his chest rise and fall with his breaths, my fingers itch to touch him. And my lips.
Even though I know I shouldn’t, that some sort of power is controlling me right now, my fingers have other ideas and drift toward his face.
The instant they graze his cheek, his eyelids lift open, his eyes glazed over with remnants of dreamland. Blinking a few times, he focuses on me.
I start to pull my hand back because, hello, I was touching him in his sleep and being a total creeper, but he places his hand over mine and traps my hand against his cheek.