Chapter 21 Jericho #2
I risk a glance at Justice, trying to read his body language, but the young shifter seems oblivious to anything going on. He struggles and writhes, whimpering and asking to be set free.
Rip places a foot on his back, pressing hard, and Justice cries out. Dammit, kid. Shift!
He needs help.
Rip sees me watching and slants his head. “How pathetic. You actually care for the shifter.”
I take a step to the left, hoping to lure the vampire away, but Rip doesn’t move, tracking me with his eyes.
“What’s pathetic is hurting innocent people,” I say.
Rip gives me a wicked smile. “Yes. Tell me, Jericho, how’s poor ol’ Evelyn doing? She was in quite a tizzy when she got home.”
My vision goes red. “You had no right threatening her!”
He merely shrugs as if Evelyn’s life means nothing. “All means to an end.”
I lunge for Rip, fury sparking through me like lightning. My hand closes around his throat. To my surprise, he grins. Like he’d won.
Within seconds, thick gray smoke swirls around us. What the fuck? I let go when embers of gold and yellow begin to float through the air, burning whatever they touch.
He’s going to burn me.
Rip seems amused, cackling loudly. “Still haven’t figured it out, have you? Oh, I’m going to have so much fun.”
He raises a hand to the left, casting a ball of fire straight through the air. I jump out of the way before it lands at my feet, dissolving into ash and flame. Fuck!
This doesn’t make any sense! Fire is supposed to kill vampires, yet he can wield it?
Rip throws another one in the opposite direction. It nearly hits Justice in the shoulder. Circling around, I step forward, trying to draw Rip’s attention away from the teen. He launches three more fireballs, laughing maniacally. It makes me shiver.
Gray plumes of smoke flow on the ground around us, burning my senses and making it difficult to see. My lungs begin to burn, and fear—deep, unbridled fear—freezes me in place. In my mind, walls are crumbling to ash and windows shatter.
Mom’s panicked cry pierces the air. “GO! GET OUT OF HERE, JERICHO!”
I shake my head, refusing to relive the memory.
Focus.
I step to the left again, and to my relief, Rip follows, eyes wild. He drags his arms through the air like a crazed magician and a ring of fire appears from nothing. It encloses us.
No! This can’t be happening. I’m trapped. Caged in with this sadistic asshole.
Leaping skyward, I somersault over the flames and land just outside. A few inches closer and I’d be a goner.
Rip laughs. “Oh, come on, Jericho! You aren’t actually afraid, are you? I mean, what’s a little fire to a phoenix?”
He throws two more fireballs, igniting a tree in the middle of a clearing. When it erupts into a crackling fire, he claps his hands together with glee.
“Oh, this is fun!” he coos, watching flames dance at the tips of his fingers. “Like playing with death. No wonder Foxx wants—”
Without warning, Rip trips over the other vampire’s leg and falls on top of him. The fire on his fingers dies instantly.
Rip snarls in frustration, getting to his feet and clenching his hands. “NO!”
I tilt my head. One second he could do fire, the next…
That’s when it hits me.
He lost the ability the moment he touched the other vampire.
I’ve heard rumors of vampires who can copy gifts, and if he could only summon fire because he touched me, then that means…
I focus my attention on my palms, at the heat radiating just below my skin. I’ve felt it all day, thought I was losing my mind. The sting reminds me of when I was ten, how I’d touch the door of my room only to yank back in pain.
Only, this heat doesn’t hurt like that pain did. This pain soothes.
Because it’s coming from me. Because I’m the phoenix.
But how do I conjure fire?
Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. Rip is hovering over Justice as if about to drink.
“No!” I lunge for him, my foot connecting with his shoulder and sending him flying back about twenty feet. I crouch in front of Justice, protecting him with a snarl that sends a flock of birds fleeting from the forest.
Rip gets to his feet, dusting his shirt off and shaking his hands. His smoking hands. Shit. I just gave him the power back. Flames erupt on his fingers which he quickly forms into a ball, then chucks at me.
I dodge to the right, letting out a breath when the ball lands five feet behind Justice.
I have to save him.
Leaping across the clearing, I pull Rip’s attention away from the teen, then channel all the heat to my palm. It burns white hot, but no flame. I try to conjure a ball of fire, but the most I get is a pellet sized sphere.
Fuck! There has to be something else I can do.
Remembering the wall of fire, I swirl my hands around myself, imagining a thick curtain of smoke, then push it toward Rip. He stumbles, as if the smoke actually hurt him. Is that… are those embers? I curl my fingers, and to my amazement, flickers of gold flow from them.
Rip steps through the smoke, sputtering and waving a hand.
His hair smokes as if singed. In a single jump, he leaps across the field, staring at me for a long moment before circling his hand in a wide arc.
I brace myself for another ring of fire, but something is different about the way he arcs his arms wide.
This time, the ring is around him. No, not around him, in front of him.
It grows larger and larger, until it’s taller than he is.
With one last look, Rip steps through the ring and disappears.
Holy shit. It’s a portal. It’s a motherfucking portal!
I double over, clutching my knees, and try to catch my breath. Then I remember Justice. Scrambling over to him, I lean over to see if he’s breathing. He is, but barely.
I look around, hoping someone from his pack is nearby, but when I don’t see anyone, I realize I’m going to have to take him back to the house. And fast. He doesn’t have long.
Igniting my palms, I burn the other vampire before getting to my feet. Okay. Rip did this, so I can too. I just need to figure out how.
I think of the Clearwater house in as much detail as possible as I swirl my hands.
The orb of fire grows and grows, as if the clearer I see the house, the larger the portal becomes.
I stretch it, just as Rip did, until it’s large enough for me to step through.
Before I do, I scoop the teen into my arms and say a prayer that he’ll survive.