Destiny's Fire - By Trisha Wolfe Page 0,98

power—my White Flame. Holding my arms out beside me, I shot beams into the air. I opened my eyes. A white haze surrounded me. I pushed my power out, but whatever spell Drevan had placed over the barrier to guard it wasn’t allowing me to enter.

I screamed, frustrated, and threw my blazing white hands against the barrier. It rippled with power. But the blue shimmer slowly began turning red. Drevan had to be working a spell right now. He wasn’t going to allow me to win. Damn him.

I thrust my hands flat against the shield, willing with all of my power—my strength—for the barrier to obey me. But he was stronger. My stomach churned, and my legs buckled. Tears streamed down my face as I felt my power falter. I was failing.

As I struggled to release one last round of power against the shield, one of my arms weakened from the strain, and I couldn’t hold it against the barrier any longer. It fell, and I hung my head. But then I felt someone reaching into my pocket.

Panicked, I jerked up. Reese stood beside me. He fished my crystal from my pocket and held it up. “I think you might have to get rid of this first,” he said. Then he tossed it to the ground and stomped on it. The crystal shattered beneath his boot.

“Reese…” My eyes roamed over his face. He was so beautiful in his Kythan form.

He slipped his hand into mine, and his power rushed through me. His eyes stayed on me as I called forth one last blast of power. I could barely see through the blinding glow of my eyes. The dark world around me lit up as I pressed my free hand against the barrier.

In a flash, the shield illuminated, white and celestial. I chanted the ancient spell, words flying from my mouth. The barrier maxed into a bright explosion of white light, and Reese covered his eyes with his arm. The sounds from the battle died as the flash sounded in a muted boom.

For a second, I was blinded by the light, and a powerful feeling surged through me. Then it was dark. Slowly, I began hearing the fight behind me. Reese lifted me into his arms, cradling me to him. As he spun us, my laughter echoed in my still-ringing ears.

“You’re amazing!” he said.

“And you’re here.” I pulled back and looked into his eyes. “You stayed. What about the Feyan? And Drevan?”

He cocked his head to the side. “I had more sway than I thought, I guess.” I looked toward the battle. A mob of glowing white Feyan fought alongside the Shythe. “I’m sure that wild thing you just did scared the Narcos pretty good, but I thought I might show up with some back up…just in case.” He winked.

I laced my arms around his neck, pulling him close. “So you’re not leaving me?”

He buried his head in my neck. “Never.”

Then something hit me. I drew back. “You saw that?” I asked, searching his violet eyes. “The white barrier?”

“I think everyone from here to the other side of Maine saw that.” He beamed at me. Then his forehead creased, and he ran his thumb over my neck. “Dez…”

“I’m all right,” I assured him. “But does it look that bad?”

His eyes moved from my neck to my face, tracing my features, and his eyes brightened. “You’re beautiful. Nothing could ever change that.”

My heart swelled, but then I heard heavy footfalls coming toward us. Jace, Lana, Nick, and Devon ran up. “It’s almost over,” Jace said, panting. “The Feyan are taking out the rest.”

He threw his bruised arms around me and hugged me tightly. The rest of them gang-hugged me from the side and behind. We laughed, the tension from the fight melting away. After I disentangled myself from their embrace, they jumped up and down, cheering into the predawn light. I watched my friends in awe.

Reese walked up beside me and took my hand in his. Jace looked over at us. Then he came forward. My heart constricted as both of them stood on either side of me, staring one another down.

Then Jace stretched out his hand toward Reese. “Nice job.”

Reese’s face relaxed into an easy smile. “You, too.”

I looked between them, my heart lifting. I squeezed Reese’s hand and spun us toward the ocean. Then I tugged Jace’s arm, and he turned toward our gaze. “You did it, Dez. And we won,” Jace said.

“No, we did it,” I said, giving him