An explosion rocked the world outside, tilting the room, and she fell back against the wall.
Jase stood with Janie in his arms, his shoulders slumping. “Follow me out.”
Sparks danced inside Brenna’s skin. God. It was too much. A fireball careened from her hand and slammed into the doorway, tumbling the door inward, and making rocks fall to block the way. Shit.
Jase paused.
There was no way out now.
Taking a breath, Jase placed Janie back on the floor and prowled over to the mound of rocks. “We need to dig out.”
Power and the sense of life filtered through Brenna. She slowly turned to eye the dead woman on the ground. Wait a minute. Just how powerful could she become? Carefully, she made her way over to Janie, opening her senses on the way.
No filters, no shields, no safety.
It was a long shot, but Brenna was willing to take it. She turned her hands over, palms out, allowing the universe in. The virus would have to wait.
Jase chucked a rock aside, turning to glance her way. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” she murmured, trying to concentrate.
Jase bounded up. “Brenna, no. Stop it.”
She turned toward him as a myriad of different hues sprang up along her exposed skin. Tons of colors, all vibrant and alive. “I may be able to bring her back.”
Jase tucked his chin, grief filling his copper eyes. “No, sweetheart. You’ll just harm yourself. Stop. Now.”
“No.” She allowed a sad smile to lift her lips, the sensation hurting. “I have to try. It might work.”
Anger and regret flashed across his strong face. He stood and prowled toward her. “I can’t let you do this.”
“You can’t stop me.” Her voice deepened, the sound resonating and not completely her.
“I can.” His hand closed into a fist. “Don’t make me. Please.”
Energy and strength coursed through her from her head down to her toes. Energy she drew in and reshaped to make it her own. “Step back. I don’t want to burn you.” Fire crackled along her legs, sounding like a campfire deep in the woods. The sensation pricked her nerves, burning and stinging. Yet, she kept drawing it in.
“If I have to knock you out, I will.” His face was set, the expression hard. But emotion and pain swirled in his amazing eyes. “Stop it, now.”
“No.” God. The pull of power was too addictive, too necessary. She couldn’t stop now even if she wanted to—which she didn’t. She might actually gain enough power to bring Janie back. The woman had only been gone for minutes, and surely it was possible. Untold power felt like something too wonderful to name—even though it kind of hurt. But in a good, too tempting way. “Go dig us out.”
He swung.
She stepped back and swept out an arm. Fire lanced out, forming a living wall between them. He lifted his chin, anger tightening his lips to a white line. “Drop the fire. Now.”
“No.” She spread her arms, and the wall surrounded her and Janie. Jase couldn’t get in unless she allowed him passage.
He growled and slid a hand into the fire. The scent of burning flesh filled the room.
“Burn all you want. I’m not stopping.” Brenna shook her head, the power fuzzing her brain, her emotions washing away. Knowing full well the risks, she allowed them to disappear. She allowed the power to turn her into somebody else—somebody who might be able to heal Janie. To bring a human back from the dead, Brenna had to turn into something new. Something dangerous and probably something that couldn’t last.
Sparks flew around the room. The earth rumbled below them, while thunder filled the night above them. Loud enough to be heard so deep in the earth.
The rhythm of the wind, the strength of the storm, the life of the earth filled her, surrounded her, lifted her higher than she could’ve imagined. A song erupted down her spine, a new song, a melody she could only feel. Too high and strong to be heard, it wove through her skin and flesh, tightening in a universal truth.
She was more powerful than the earth, sharper than the truth. More everlasting than reality—stronger than death.
Her hands vibrated, a wild dark blue dancing along her fingers. Turning, she knelt and placed both hands across Janie’s throat.
Tendrils danced from Janie to tickle through the blue. Brenna tipped her head to the side but couldn’t see anything. Yet something, a presence of a sort, reached for her hand. Was it Janie’s soul?
“Stay in there,” Brenna whispered, pressing harder against ripped flesh and damaged tissue.
The earth trembled, rumbling deep with the hint of violence. Something unnatural was happening, and the earth would object. That was fine. Brenna could fight the planet if necessary. Potent power filled her, entranced her, drugged her.
She felt the exact second the comet drew close.
Forcing the energy into her hands, she pressed Janie’s soul back into her body. Blood squirted, the vessels quickly mending before flesh drew together.
Janie gasped, rearing up, her eyes wide.
Brenna fell back. Holy crap.
Janie clutched her neck, wheezing in air. “What . . . happened?”
“You died.” Brenna lurched to stand and waved the fire wall down.
Jase rushed forward to yank Janie up in a hug. Tears slid down his face. “I can’t believe it.”
Brenna’s lungs heated and compressed. Uh-oh. She backed toward the demolished doorway, struggling to breathe. The sky bellowed a warning loud enough to be felt as well as heard. The ground shook. Rocks fell from the ceiling in large chunks.
Her body filled with energy and insurmountable power. She tried to shove it out, but it was too late.
Way too late.
Chapter 31
Jase settled Janie on the ground, her back to the rock. Faces morphed around him. Some familiar, some new. Had they missed him? He shook off the odd question, accepting the strangeness of his captivity. The faces had helped him to survive, to not be so alone. His brain had done what it could to keep him from going completely crazy.
Brenna backtracked to the far wall, her eyes wide and an unfathomable black. Her hair cascaded around her, curling as if she’d been electrocuted.
She was beautiful.
And dangerous as hell.
Flames danced on her skin, along her neck, even deep in her eyes. Panic lived there, as well. Then resignation.
Oh, hell no. The woman wasn’t giving up. He shook his head, fighting to be heard above the rumbling earth. “Dig deep, Bren. Fight the power. You used it, you owned the bitch. Now let it go.”
Crimson spread along her high cheekbones, and her eyelids half-closed. Ecstasy and pain raced across her face. “Caaan’t contain it,” she gasped.
“You can.” He dodged to the side to avoid a falling boulder. They needed to get out of the ground before the tunnels collapsed. “Find the ice.”
“There’s . . . no . . . ice,” she hissed out, grimacing. “Too much . . . too hot . . . step back. Now.”
“No.” He moved closer to her, heat singeing his arms and face. So much heat.
The fire wavered around her and crackled. She cried out, pain washing her face white.
Janie cried out from behind him, scrambling out of the way as rocks pummeled down.
