Beautiful Chaos (Caster Chronicles 3)

Hunting started walking toward us, his lackeys right behind him.

Lena squeezed my hand.

Oh my God. He was safe in the Tunnels. This is all my fault.

It’s Abraham’s fault.

John stood his ground. “I’m not going anywhere with you, Hunting.”

Hunting flicked his cigarette into the darkness. “It’s almost a shame I have to take you back. You’ve got a lot more fight in you when Abraham isn’t messing with your head. Does it feel any different to think for yourself?”

I flashed on John wandering like a zombie through the cave at the Great Barrier. He swore he didn’t remember what happened that night. Was it possible Abraham was controlling him then?

John froze. “What are you talking about?”

“Guess you haven’t been doing much thinking after all. Oh, well. You won’t miss it, then.” Hunting lowered his voice. “You know what I won’t miss? Watching you twitch all the time, like someone’s poking you with a cattle prod.”

John’s hands started to shake. “Shut up!”

I remembered the way John’s body used to jerk all the time. The way his muscles had seemed to seize involuntarily—the way it had gotten worse when he was with Abraham the night of Lena’s Seventeenth Moon. I hadn’t seen it happen once since we found him in Ridley’s room.

Hunting laughed. “Come over here and make me. Or we can skip the part where I beat some sense into you before I take you back.”

Link stepped up next to John. “So, tell me how it works. Is this like a regular fight, or do I need to use some kinda Jedi mind tricks I don’t know about?”

I was stunned. Link was clearly trying to even the odds. John looked as surprised as the rest of us. “I got this one. But thanks.”

“What are you—” Link never had a chance to finish.

John threw his hands out in front of him, the way Lena did when she was using her powers to tear up the ground or bring on torrential rain.

Or hurricane-force winds.

John was using Lena’s powers—the ones he absorbed the last time he touched her.

The wind picked up so fast that it knocked Hunting off his feet. The other two Incubuses were thrown backward, skidding across the parking lot at a speed that would result in serious asphalt burn. But Hunting ripped before the full force of the wind caught him.

He started to materialize a few feet away, but the wind pulled him back again.

“He’s still coming!” Liv screamed. She was right.

Lena pushed past me.

I have to help John. He can’t do it alone.

She threw her own hands forward, her palms facing Hunting. Lena’s powers were strong

er than ever. And as unpredictable.

Rain poured from the sky as the clouds broke open.

No! Not now!

The rain hammered down on us—and the wind, which was dying down fast.

Hunting was dry, the rain running off his jacket in rivulets. “Nice trick, kid. It’s a shame Sarafine’s daughter destroyed the Order. If her powers weren’t so screwed up, you might’ve been able to save your ass.”

I heard a dog barking and caught a glimpse of Boo Radley running around the side of one of the cars.