Tony’s jaw dropped too. So did Lenny’s. They all stared at me like I was crazy.
Then Bryan’s mouth slowly curved up, almost a smile. “I knew it. This isn’t the first time you’ve had these visions. Am I right?”
I looked up at him and a tear trickled down my cheek. Heat seared my neck, singing my cheeks, but I couldn’t look away.
His eyes sparkled, like they were lit up from the inside.
“How did you—”
Suddenly the door burst open. A strange man loomed in the doorway, almost identical to Father Patrick, minus a few pounds and a few gray hairs. His glare locked on me. “It’s you. The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew. You’re the next Seer, and you’ll bear the same mark.”
Chapter 17
Frozen, I stared at the strange man as he cocked his head at me. He lunged toward the guys, knocking each one of them to the ground in a series of swift kicks and punches.
My heart thudded against my ribs as I wriggled out of my chair and skirted around the table, but there was nowhere to go. The fake priest guy was blocking the only exit, and my friends were writhing on the floor in pain. I couldn’t just leave them. I needed to think of a way out.
A small wrought-iron instrument gleamed in the crazy guy’s right hand. In two seconds flat, he darted across the room—straight for the candelabra. He plunged the metal rod into the flames until it glowed, a strange symbol reddening across the iron—a triangle with a swirling eye in the middle.
Then he lunged toward me.
My breath caught in my throat and I reared back.
With wild eyes, he grabbed my wrist in a death grip and forced my arm close to the red-hot branding iron. Even inches from my flesh, the glowing symbol still scorched my skin.
“Yeow!” The pain was stinging, and I’d do anything I could to make it stop. Thrashing like a wild woman, I kicked at his shin, dug my nails into his arm, but I couldn’t wrestle free from his bruising grip. There was only one thing left to do. I’d summoned my powers by accident at the Hard Rock. Could I do it again on purpose?
Closing my eyes, I mentally called out to my light powers. If there really is such a thing as angel fire, come to me now.
I opened my eyes to see my veins glowing white. The electricity built up inside me until—wham. Twin crackles of lightning shot out from each of my hands, searing into the madman who had me locked in his grip.
In a blast of sparks, my attacker shot back ten feet and crumpled onto the carpet, his face frozen in a look of terror. His chest still rose and fell, so at least my angel fire hadn’t killed him. And oh yeah, I guess I could add angel fire to my list of abilities. More like angel lightning if you asked me.
I sucked in lungfuls and winced, glancing down at the burn marks on my wrist. Hot pain seared my flesh in a strange symbol that was hard to make out around the puffy skin. But I didn’t have time to lick my wounds right now. I had to get my friend out of here.
Tony peered up at me between the table legs. “Poor Lenny.”
I bumped my hip on the table frame as I scanned the lower half of the room. Someone lay crumpled in the corner—poor Lenny indeed. His chest rose and fell, still breathing.
I tugged on Tony’s shirt, pulling him up. “Go help him. I can take care of myself. And we need to find Bryan.”
“Yeah, I caught that.” He nodded and thrust an oblong object at me. “Just in case that crazy guy wakes up.” Then he stumbled across the room to help Lenny.
I could barely make it out in the shadows—his trusty pocketknife. What good would that do? I flipped out the knife blade, just in case.
Ragged gasps sliced my eardrums, and I found Bryan slumped in a corner between the bookshelf and the window. The candelabra on the windowsill still flickered, casting eerie shadows on his face. I reached for Bryan’s collar and pulled him to his feet. My shoulder burned with his weight, but I finally got him to his feet.
“We better get out of here before that lunatic wakes up. Who knows what I might do to him.” I brandished my pocketknife in the air.
Bryan almost smiled at my antics, but it turned into a wince. “If only that were larger. We have to get you out of here.” He dug out his phone and dialed 911.
“We don’t have time for that now. We’ve got to go.” I barely had to whisper with his face so close to mine.
“I’m on hold, anyway.” He waved the phone at me. Cuts scabbed up over his eyebrow, his was nose bloody, and a dark bruise swelled under his eye. My fingers brushed across his temple, combing into his hair. I felt the beginnings of a bump under his scalp. He winced again.
“Oh, no. He’s up again.” His eyes widened at my touch. Slowly, he slid his phone into his pocket, but didn’t end the call. “Just stay behind me.”
I turned around to find the fake priest on his feet again, squaring off with us. My pulse skyrocketed again as adrenaline coursed through my veins.
“Actually, I think you need to stay behind me. I’ve got a little trick up my sleeve.” I closed my eyes and held my arms out, searching for the angel fire once again. It came much easier this time. In one, two, three seconds the electricity in my veins was primed and ready to go. Time to play.
With my palms flat in front of me, I released enough electric current to form balls of lightning in my hands. The white light crackled and swirled as
