MICAH
TWENTY-ONE
Panic surged through my body. I couldn’t help her. My power was too volatile. I could hurt her. Nobody understood how much effort it took to keep my power in check, and now he wanted me to use it against Lailah!
Fear screamed at me through Lailah’s eyes, which latched onto mine.
Behind that fear, I saw hope that I might be able to help and save us.
The plane rattled around us like we were in rough turbulence, but I knew it was Lailah’s power trying to burst from the confinement of the small space.
I had to do something, and trying to get her to snap out of it on her own wasn’t working.
I took a deep breath in, practicing the meditation that I’d been taught so long ago.
The need to close my eyes was strong, but I couldn’t leave Lailah alone without an anchor.
Inwardly, I traveled deep down into my center, finding the well of my power.
I always thought of it in a metal box wrapped in chains and padlocks, keeping it at bay.
Slowly, I started to unlock my power, and halfway through, it started to leak from the lid.
Pausing, not wanting to let more out, I directed the wild flame upward and down through my arms into my hands.
I heard Lailah gasp when my energy lashed out at her, flames licking up her arms. I could feel it devouring her excess energy, reveling in the ability to wreak havoc with my blessing.
Lailah’s body began to shake as she regained control, sweat breaking out on her forehead.
My power coursed through her body, and I felt her strength and determination, but it was overwhelmed by fear and doubt.
It was then that I realized that she and I might be more alike than I thought.
Both of us feared our power and how dangerous it could be.
She was just in the beginning stages of this, and it brought back memories of my own journey.
Refusing to revisit the past, I shook them away and refocused on what was happening right in front of me.
Her eyes were clearer now, more in control.
I don’t know when she brought her hands up to grab my arms, but I could feel them bridging the connection.
We were a perfect circuit as our energy flowed between us.
“Lailah, I need you to help me push my power out of your body.” It was having way too much fun for it to listen to me alone calling it back.
“Pull your power back from me. Make sure not to leave anything behind. I will do the same, but once you have your power back, I need it to flush out the rest of mine before we cut the connection.”
What I wasn’t telling her was that if her power accepted mine, then we would start the bonding sequence, and I was definitely not ready for that shit to happen.
This whole experience showed me how not ready I was to be responsible to care for someone other than myself.
If Brayden hadn’t challenged me, I would have waited too long to use my powers.
That was always a last resort, not considered until it was our only chance.
I grunted as Lailah thrust my power out of her body, taming it to her will with ease.
Searching her for anything left behind, I slammed my power back into its box and locked it down tight.
I pulled away from her, flopping back into my seat.
Panting, my adrenaline still high, I let my head hang between my knees as I tried to slow my heart back down.
When I felt as centered as I got, I looked up and found Lailah cradled in Brayden’s arms, tears streaming down her face.
Brayden looked up at me and mouthed thank you before turning his attention back to Lailah.
He knew what he’d asked of me, the risk I’d taken.
It was proof that he was worthy of being her guardian, and I had a long way to go before I could even consider that.
Leaning back into the chair, I pulled my headphones up and got lost in the music, the only thing that seemed to calm me down.