When The Grave Calls (The Veil Diaries #9) - B.L. Brunnemer Page 0,74
Stop them. I pulled hard around me, the grass withering under my fingertips. The spot of dead grass grew outwards from my trembling hand as I raised the cougar again.
“Lexie! Enough!” Uma shouted in my ear, getting through to me.
I pulled back. Energy washed through me as a euphoria took over. I dropped to the grass as my mind fogged with it. Everything was okay. Everything was right in the world. I wanted nothing more than to just lay here. So much energy. It crackled along my skin, leaving tingles running over every inch of me. I was lifted and carried away by strong arms, the scent of citrus enveloping me as people poured from the woods and up the lawn.
The jostling brought me back to the present. Fear shot through me like ice in my veins, bringing the world back into sharp focus. “Put me down!”
Isaac got me into the house while Zeke slammed the door behind us. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I pumped my arms as we tore through the kitchen.
“Where are the staffs?” Miles asked as he met us in the hallway.
“No time, run!” Uma shouted as she led the way toward the front of the house.
Heart pounding against my ribs, we reached the front door.
Uma jerked it open only to slam it shut again. “They’re around the front.”
“Side door.” Miles’ voice spurred all of us toward the long hallway. The house shook, knocking all of us to the floor in the foyer. Dust fell from the ceiling.
“What the fuck was that?” I snapped as we got to our feet again.
“The wards,” Uma grunted as we began to run again. “They’re going to take out the walls with them.”
“The conservatory.” Miles took my hand and pulled me into a run with everyone else hauling ass behind us.
A haunting rumble came from the kitchen. Glass shattered. A chunk of granite flew in front of us and embedded into the wall.
“They’re in!” Uma turned and threw a fireball. Fire erupted behind us at the kitchen doorway. “Faster!”
Smoke began to fill the hallway as we rushed through the conservatory doorway and through the plants. Miles reached the glass door first. “Shit!”
My heart dropped as we slid to a stop on the tiles. Outside the warded door a group of witches waited.
We turned back the way we came. The glass door cracked under a blast of light.
Uma grunted and threw her arm up. A shimmering barrier burst to life around us. The witches ran towards us. Asher shoved me behind them as I got ready to drop my own barriers.
The possessed bounced off the dome of shimmering light. They began to circle it like sharks as another group of them joined from the house.
“Uma? How long can you last?” I asked, breathless.
“Minutes,” she whispered back as sweat began to drip down her face from the strain.
Jadis stepped out from the crowd, her eyes glowing black, a sick smirk crossing her face. “You can’t keep this up, Uma. You’re already tired.”
“Screw you,” Uma snapped between her teeth. “You’re a disgrace to witches.”
My gazed swept the area around me as realization dawned. We were trapped. “Shit, shit, shit.”
“Any ideas?” Uma asked under her breath.
I looked at the others as we racked our brains. We were surrounded by the black-eyed possessed. Uma was already wearing out. We were fucked.
My hand brushed a hard lump in my pocket. I slipped my hand inside and pulled out my stone. An idea sparked. It wasn’t a good one. We’d all die. But it would also stop Jadis and the possessed from spreading.
Could I do it. Kill us all? My hand shook around the stone as it grew warm against my skin. Did I have a choice? There was only one way this could play out. My throat grew tight. I couldn’t make the decision on my own. I met Zeke’s gaze.
“I’m going to blow my stone,” I whispered, only loud enough for them to hear.
They turned to me.
“It’ll take all of us out.” My eyes burned as I held it out between all of us. “And them.”
Uma’s face grew strained and pale.
Miles was silent.
The twins turned to each other.
Zeke and Asher moved closer to me.
We were going to die. We all knew it, and there was nothing we could do to stop it. It only mattered if we took out the enemy too.
It was several heartbeats before Uma gave me a silent nod of approval.