He leaped up onto the twisted chunk of steel beside me, body crouched like a monkey as he balanced easily.
He had time to tilt his head to the side, nostrils flaring, before he reached for me once more.
I gave into the sparks. Begged them – screamed for their help.
And they came.
This time, they exploded over my vision as if a bomb had gone off behind my eyes.
I saw myself bucking backward, saw my hand scrounging by my side, saw my fingers snagging hold of a ruptured metal pipe.
I thrust the pipe forward just at the right moment, just before the assassin could slice into me with his clouds of green magic.
The pipe plunged through the assassin’s stomach. Don’t ask me how I had the strength to hold the pipe in place, how I found the coordination to stop my blood-and-sweat covered fingers from slipping.
Because it didn’t matter. I wasn’t in control of my body. The vision was.
The vision was.
Even though a tide of horror washed through me, it didn’t matter. I kept hold of that pipe, kept thrusting it forward until the assassin was impaled in full, until his featureless face stopped a mere inch from my own.
I couldn’t move.
Not an inch.
All I could do was follow.
As the assassin finally stopped thrashing, and his tide of green magic subsided, I took a step backward. I let go of the metal pipe, and it and the assassin fell to the floor with a thump.
I didn’t tilt my head down to stare at the assassin’s now lifeless body. I didn’t even let a tear trickle down my cheek for the life I’d taken. Instead, incapable of doing anything but following the contents of my vision, I turned.
I pushed to my feet. I ignored my pain, for I could not react to it.
Hobbling, I stumbled forward. I saw my head tilt up as I stared at the operations room, and as I saw it, I did it.
I walked towards the far wall.
Inside my mind, fear froze me in place. And the more it froze me, the more the vision consumed me from the inside out.
It was like I was stuck in the future, like I was trapped in a cage of my own making.
I staggered towards the far wall, spying a door that would presumably lead to an internal staircase and the operations room above. No, not presumably – it would. For I could see one opening out before me.
I watched myself walking up the stairs. I saw myself reaching the crumpled but still breathing form of the man. I reached down, wrapped a hand around his collar, and—
Someone caught my arm and pulled me around.
Max.
His sudden move snapped my vision, broke it like a mirror dropped off a cliff.
I sucked in a rattling breath that shook through my throat and powered into my torso.
And I promptly fell over. My knees cut out from underneath me as if someone had lopped them off with an ax.
Max didn’t let me fall. He wrapped his arms around my middle and guided me to the floor. “Chi. Chi, what happened?”
I was suddenly fully aware of how much blood was trickling down from the wound in my thigh. As I sat crumpled on the ground, my jeans stuck to me like glue.
I began to shake, every move tight and snapped.
… I… the vision. It had taken control of me. Yes, it had saved me, but—
Max pushed forward and brushed my wet, scrappy fringe from my eyes with a steady hand. As soon as his warm, rough fingers shifted over my cheeks, a shiver raced down my stomach.
I looked up at him as tears welled in my eyes.
“It’s fine – you’re fine.” Max turned his head over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he spied the dead body of the faceless assassin. “It’s over.” He returned his attention to me.
I shook my head.
“Chi, it’s over,” he said with a stronger tone.
I simply shook my head even harder.
Over?
It was just beginning.
Chapter 5
All magic costs. That’s what Bridgette had said.
Nothing comes for free.
Nothing.
Ignoring Max, I brought up a hand and stared at it. I didn’t become distracted by the blood smattering my palm or the cuts along my fingers. I didn’t even stare at my torn nails.
I simply stared in horror at what they’d done.
The vision had used me.
“Chi?” Max shifted forward, tried to grab my attention as he ducked his head down and stared into my eyes. When that didn’t work, he shifted forward and rested a hand on my chin, his strong fingers sliding against my jaw with a tantalizing soft touch.
A gentle, pleasurable feeling swelled in the pit of my stomach, but it wasn’t nearly enough to cut out the horror.
All magic costs. Nothing comes for free.
“Chi, you did the right thing. There’s nothing to worry about – it’s over.”
I finally tilted my head back, dropped my hand, and stared at him. It took an age to still my lips long enough to open them. “I… I had a vision,” I managed.
This brought a smile to his lips. “Good. It saved you, right?”
I couldn’t answer him as the horror continued to build and build in my mind, tearing down every happy thought I’d ever entertained about magic.
Magic cost Max, Bridgette, and Sarah Anne dearly. So why would I be any different?
Maybe Max could sense the horror building in my body like a bomb about to explode. He leaned forward, locked a hand on the back of my head, and pulled me into a tight embrace. As his defined biceps rested
