Chapter 46 You’re Kidding Right? #2
I scoff, rolling my eyes. I can’t help it. The wind is so loud we're practically yelling at each other. “Oh, yeah, great advice. Just throw a tantrum, that’ll definitely fix everything. Is that the advice you give the king too?
The corners of his mouth twitch like he’s fighting a smile, which only makes me more mad. “It's not about throwing a tantrum.” His voice is annoyingly patient, and I want to punch him. “It’s about actually acknowledging what you’re feeling, and not letting it control you.”
He gestures upward. “Right now, you’re not in control...”
I follow his gaze… no shit.
The sky is black now, and the thunder rolls like the growl of some ancient beast. The wind howls, clawing at my skin, my hair, my clothes, and the air vibrates with raw electricity. I can feel it pressing against my ribs, and curling through my veins. I can feel it, but I can’t reach it.
“Maybe if anyone bothered to tell me about any of this before now, I wouldn’t be standing here struggling to figure it out alone!”
My voice cracks at the end, betraying the exhaustion, the confusion, and the weight of everything unraveling too fast. I don’t even realize I’m crying until a drop of rain hits my cheek.
The air tightens right before lightning strikes.
A blinding flash rips through the sky, slamming into the ground, right where Cam is standing.
A deafening boom detonates through the clearing and the shockwave slams into me, rattling my bones. The pressure crushes against my ribs, warping reality, and my vision tilts like the entire world just flipped upside down.
For a few terrifying seconds, I hear nothing but white noise.
Nothing but static and chaos.
Cam.
The name rips from my throat before I even register the scream.
As the haze begins to clear, my stomach plummets. He’s still standing, but barely. His hands are braced on his knees, and his chest is heaving. There's a thin line of blood trickling from his nose and his jacket is singed. The edges are still smoking.
Oh. My. God.
Did I just kill him?
The thought slams into me, but before I can even process it, I'm already moving.
“Cam!” The words rip from my throat as I lunge toward him, gripping his arms. I'm frantic, searching for any signs of damage I can’t undo.
He tenses when I touch him and his body's too warm. But I don’t let go. I can’t. What if I just melted his internal organs? What if he drops dead any second? Oh my God, what did I do?
He should be pissed. He should be yelling at me. Hell, I'm yelling at me. Only he just laughs, like this is nothing. Like getting struck by actual lightning is just another Tuesday.
I jerk back, staring at him like he’s lost his goddamn mind. “Are you seriously laughing right now?
He wipes the blood from his nose and shrugs like he didn’t just almost die. “I’m fine.”
I blink at him. Fine?
“Oh, right, sure, that’s totally normal,” I snap, staring at him with disbelief. “You just got struck. By fucking lightning.”
He grins, looking like an absolute lunatic. “That's cute that you're worried, but it didn't hit me. Damn near did, though.” He brushes dirt off his jacket like I didn’t just nearly obliterate him, then adds, “Thank the Gods I have the reflexes of a cat.”
What. The. Actual. Fuck. Is going on right now?
I almost killed him and he’s going to act smug about it?
My pulse hammers in my throat as I stare at him, watching him act like he just tripped over a rug instead of nearly being electrocuted to death.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
I couldn't hide the pitch in my voice if I tried. Pretty sure I'm in shock right now.
But Cam just looks right at me with a grin on his face. “It's awake. Great job!”
Did he just—?
“Great job?” I echo, somewhere between panic and hysteria. “Cam, I could’ve had a body count!”
His expression shifts slightly, and I can practically see the gears turning in that head of his. The way his lips twitch tells me exactly where his mind went. His shoulders shake with the laugh he's biting down.
And for some reason, that makes me want to punch him even more.
“It’s okay to be frustrated,” he says after a beat, sounding infuriatingly calm for someone who was just almost reduced to ash.
I feel crazy right now. Am I overreacting? I mean, he's clearly fine. But nothing about this is fine.
“This is a lot to take in, but you’re not alone, Rae. We’re here to help you.”
And then he does the last thing I expect. He closes the distance between us, and pulls me into a hug.
A real one.
And God help me, I hug him back.
I don't know how long I stay there, wrapped in his arms. His heartbeat is steady in my ear, and for once, that's all I care about.
And then I break. The tears hit before I can stop them, slipping past the walls I’ve spent years perfecting. I squeeze my eyes shut, furious at myself, but it doesn’t stop my chest from shaking violently. I'm just happy he's alive.
Cam doesn’t let go, he just holds me and lets me cry.
When my sobs turn into sniffles, he slowly pulls away and his hands settle on my shoulders. But I can't look at him without crying.
“Needing people doesn’t make you weak.”
I want to scoff and shove him away, but I don't have it in me. Not sure I even want to. Then he steps back, and the warmth disappears, replaced by cold air biting between us. His eyes catch mine, searching for something I'm not ready to give.
“You need to do whatever you think is best,” he says slowly. “You can leave whenever you want to. I told you that you’re free to make your own choices, and you are. But everyone needs—”
“I don’t need anyone.”
I cut him off before he can finish. Shutting that door so that he can't see me break any more than he already has.
The lie tastes bitter, but saying it feels like control. Which is something I don't have a lot of right now.
He doesn't argue. He just stands there, with an eyebrow raised, and that’s what breaks me.
I swallow hard, but it doesn’t stop the words from spilling out.
“I’m just… so tired of not knowing who the hell I am.” My voice barely scrapes above a whisper. “And what I'm supposed to be doing.” My breath shudders, and I shake my head, trying to stop the rest before it claws its way free.
“And I just accidentally struck you with lightning, Cam!”
My voice cracks again. “Fuck this.”
I clench my hands into fists at my sides. But there’s no real fight left in them.
I know it and he knows it.
“And on top of it all…” My voice climbs as all that frustration digs its claws in. Because if there's one thing I can control, it's being pissed off.
“You tell me that you’re here for me and that I’m not alone, but you’re avoiding my questions. You’re keeping secrets. Don’t insult me.”
Silence.
His expression falters, just for a second, but it's there.
I don’t give him the chance to respond before I turn on my heel and storm off.
The momentum of my anger is the only thing keeping me together. The only thing that’s keeping my walls up. Because if I stop moving, if I stop pretending I have any control over what's happening, I might just break. And I don’t want to be near anyone when that happens.
Cam says something behind me, but it’s muffled. I don’t know when it happens, but all I hear is ringing in my ears. My body's still vibrating with unchecked energy, and all I know is that I need to get the hell away from him before I lose control again and hurt him for real this time.
Then, out of nowhere, ice cold water slams into me.
Shock explodes through every nerve in my body as my breath is ripped from my lungs. My muscles lock up as the freezing sensation shreds through me like a blade.
What the fuck!
For a split second, everything is numb, before it comes back to life all at once.
I gasp, stumbling back.
“What the fuck!” I shriek, shoving my dripping hair out of my face as I spin around.
And there he is, standing there with a bucket in his hand. A fucking bucket and a smirk.
“Magic,” he says smoothly, entirely too pleased with himself.
He’s so lucky I’m not holding a weapon right now.
“Are you serious?” I wipe at the freezing water dripping down my arms, trying to stay calm. “What the hell was that for?”
Cam shrugs, completely unfazed. Which only pisses me off more. I wish I could have more of his zero fucks attitude.
“You were getting out of control,” he says simply.
“Sometimes, you just need a cold shower to get your mind off things.” Then, the smirk widens, and his voice dips into something else.
“Or, you know… off someone. But I can’t give you that.
” He taps his temple. “I like my head where it is, remember?”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
I glare daggers at him, torn between strangling him and laughing despite myself. Damn him. My body is still shaking, but the burning frustration from earlier has dulled significantly.
I shake my head, still shivering. “You could’ve just said calm down, you know.”
Cam chuckles, rolling his eyes. “Would that have worked, Princess?”
My mouth snaps shut… damn it. I hate that he’s right.
I also really don’t want to end up unconscious for another three days. So, with an annoyed sigh, I give in. “Fine. Point taken. But don’t call me that.”
His laughter deepens, and the look on his face is pure trouble. “No promises.”
I roll my eyes but don’t bother hiding my smile. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll try again,” I say, rubbing my arms, covering up a shiver. “But if you dump water on me again, I swear—”
“It worked, didn’t it?”
Smug bastard.
“You know,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “My grandfather used to make me swim in freezing water, so I’m kinda used to it.
” I wring out my soaked sleeve, sighing dramatically.
“But at least give a girl some warning next time, so I can, you know, dress for the occasion. Maybe bring a towel. A wetsuit. Emotionally prepare.”
He chuckles, and for the first time today, I feel some of the tension ease from my body. I look at him and see that all his amusement is gone. His entire posture changes, and his jaw tightens.