“Dunno.” Moira back-flipped to stand. “Here’s the deal. We’re the closest in age, and we’ve always shot straight with each other, right?”
Even though there was still a century of age between them,
Moira had always been Brenna’s closest confidant. Brenna steeled her shoulders. “Aye.”
“You know about the Pagurus Comet, right?”
Brenna stilled. “Yes. Why?”
“Well, it’s real. Maybe.” Moira scratched her elbow. “I remember when you were born. The very air felt different.”
A shiver racked Brenna. “Are you serious?” This was crazy. Even though Kane seemed to give credence to the legend, Brenna still hadn’t really believed it. She peered closer at her sister. Was Moira playing a joke?
Moira nodded. “I’m deadly serious. There’s something to the legend, and the fact that your power is back so suddenly makes me wonder.”
Brenna’s mind spun. “My power is coming back because I mated one of the strongest vampires on earth.”
“Maybe.” Moira slid a few feet away. “Maybe it’s a combination of the two.”
“So? What does that mean?”
“Dunno. Just that if the legends are true, or if the seers really know diddly, you’ll be one seriously strong badass on the solstice.”
The door opened, and Janie Kayrs eased inside, a longneck in her hand. “Hello, Auntie Witches.”
Moira flashed a grin. “Funny. Shouldn’t you be communing with the gods or something?”
Brenna frowned at her sister. “Leave her alone.” While Janie might be in her mid-twenties, an air of ancientness surrounded her. Most psychics seemed like old souls.
Janie took a sip of the beer. “That’s actually why I’m here.”
Moira stepped closer to their niece. “Did you have a vision?”
“Yes.”
“About Garrett?” Brenna asked.
“No.” Janie twirled the beer bottle. “About you, Bren.”
Lovely. Brenna searched for calm. “Don’t tell me. I blow up the world on the winter solstice.”
Janie shifted her feet, her pretty blue eyes clouding. “Maybe.” Moira’s smile stopped halfway across her lips. “Wait a minute. Are you serious?”
Janie rubbed her mouth. “Yes.”
Moira cut a look at Brenna, instantly turning into the deadly enforcer she was. “Tell me what you saw.”
Janie leaned against the wall, fatigue darkening into circles under her eyes. “I saw Brenna and waves of liquid oxygen. Vibrating with power, unstable, and on the brink of exploding.”
Brenna swallowed, chills rippling through her spine. “Where was I?”
“Don’t know. But it felt hot—and scary. You were totally out of control.” Janie took another deep gulp of the beer, concern etched into her face. “I thought I should warn you.”
“Have your visions ever been wrong?” Brenna whispered, her mind searching for reason.
“No. But there are always many paths to the future, and this is just one. It may not happen.” Janie’s face lost all color and she swayed.
Moira instantly shot forward and helped her to the mat. “What in the world?”
Janie’s head dropped forward as she gave a low moan. “Oh God. I should never have let them take my blood.”
Moira shook her shoulder. “Who? Who did you give blood?”
Janie swallowed and lifted her head. “Nobody.” Using the wall for leverage, she pushed herself to stand. “I need to go.” Her gait hitched as she headed out the door.
Brenna frowned. “I sometimes forget the burden that woman carries.”
“Not me,” Moira murmured, her gaze on the empty doorway. She turned her full attention to Brenna. “If there’s a chance your powers will really increase, we need to get them under control. Now settle into a fighting stance and concentrate.”
Brenna flashed back to her thirteenth year when Moira had first trained her to alter matter into weapons. “Fine. But no burning my feet this time if I don’t catch on quick enough.”
Moira rolled her eyes. “You’re such a baby.”
“Oh yeah?” Drawing on her center, Brenna re-formed the air into a pulsing ball of fire. She drew back her arm to throw it, and the fire ripped right up to the ceiling. A light exploded, shooting sparks. She yelped and jumped out of the way.
Moira tossed up three lasers to instantly snuff out the fire. “You are out of control.”
Yeah, but it felt damn good. To go without a part of her for so long had hurt. Her heart whispered that Jase faced a similar lack every day. Maybe his powers would return, too.
Moira slammed a ball of energy at her foot.
Brenna hopped back.
“Concentrate. If we have a big problem coming, we need you at full speed. Block me. Now.” Her big sister, the one person she had always trusted unconditionally, threw a devastating ball of fire at her face.
Chapter 17
Jase found Brenna in the kitchen using a fire extinguisher on the microwave. His counter smoldered, his fridge showed long burn marks down the front, and most of his tile lay in burnt pieces. “How are the lessons in control coming?”
She settled the extinguisher on the ground, glancing around the damaged kitchen. “Not so well.”
A smudge marred her cheek, and he had the oddest urge to brush it away. “How about your energy?”
She shrugged. “Better but not full strength yet. How about you?” Those pretty gray eyes focused on him.
“No additional power. Yet.” He rubbed his head, gaze on the waning sun outside. Several times during the day, he’d tried to alter water into steam. He’d failed repeatedly. His gut clenched—it was almost time to go. “Did Moira get a chance to explain the plan to you?”
“Yes.” Brenna blew out a breath. “I’m to be contained in the underground bunker while my big sister dons a wig, looks like me, and goes to fight the bad guys.” She kicked a burned piece of metal out of the way.
“Exactly.” If she was looking for sympathy or for somebody to send her into battle, she’d mated the wrong guy.
“I’d argue if there was a chance I wouldn’t accidentally blow up the helicopter on the way.”
Jase leaned against a safe area on the wall. Sometimes he was so damn tired; it was all he could do to stand. “We think the Kurjans will attack headquarters from the north while we’re off chasing Garrett. I don’t believe there’s any way they’ll get past our forces, but worst-case scenario, there are several escape routes out of the mountain.”
“Already been briefed and tested.” Brenna rolled her eyes. “Several times, actually.”
“Good.” He hated the thought of putting her in the mountain where he couldn’t get to her. “I’ve talked to Max, and the bunker you’ll be in is safe from, ah, fires.”
“Funny.”
He wasn’t trying to be funny. “Just stay safe, okay?”
She eyed him. “How are things going with Lily?”
Heat pricked his neck. “I don’t know. There are some things that should stay buried.”
Brenna studied him, indecision filtering across her face. Maneuvering around crumbling tiles, she slid her arms around his waist. “Like what?”
He closed his eyes against a rush of emotion that took him by surprise. “Things I saw, things I did,” he murmured. No way would he allow her to shoulder that burden with him.
“Tell me.” She snuggled into his chest.
