Page 81 of Claim the Light
“Lana’s the strongest of us,” I say to Callan. “She can beat this.”
A hint of amber flames ripples across Callan’s skin, making the air shimmer with heat waves.
He reaches for Lana’s face, his palm cupping her cheek.
“Wake up,fire dragon,” he says, his voice becoming more desperate. “Please, Not-Lana. Wake up.”
“Put your hand on her heart,” I whisper to him. “Your fire is warm and it will help her.”
Callan immediately slips his hand beneath the blanket, leaning forward over Lana, his head bowed and eyes closed.
His pain and grief hit me hard. He and Lana already gave everything, risked everything, to be together. Now, Tyler may have taken it all away.
My eyes burn with tears I can’t control. I try to stop them, to switch off my overwhelming sadness, but it’s impossible.
Despite my declaration that Lana can survive this, the fear inside my own heart is hurting me.
If the ash claims Lana, who is the strongest of us, then what hope do the rest of us have?
A tidal wave of dread is coming for me.
It rises up within my mind, a gigantic swell that rushes toward me, threatening to swallow me and toss me against the rocks. I feel it like a physical pull radiating from Lana’s unconscious form, as if the wave is dragging me toward her.
She described me like an ocean of constrained power. She told me to peel back the layers and I’ve been trying to do that, but now, I feel like I’m right back where I started.
Drowning and constricted.
Around Lana, the feathers ripple once again through hues of white, rose pink, and then gray.
Callan was holding her hand before he moved to her heart and now her fingertips peek from the edge of the blanket.
I reach for her. Close my hand around hers and then—
The tidal wave stops. Everything calms.
In its place is a tingle of gentle energy that I can’t quite identify. I’ve never felt this way on contact with Lana before. Callan is the calm one, the one who always made me feel like everything would be okay.
Lana used to scare the fuck out of me. And yet…
Whatisthis?
Testing the sensation, I lift my hand from hers.
The moment I separate from her, fear washes over me again and my hand plummets toward hers once more, an act of pure instinct.
I gasp at the calm that fills me again. A stronger energy now. With it comes the sound of steadily beating wings, the warmth of a fire, and the strength of sunlight. It’s an energy I’ve never felt before.
It’s as if it’s…new.
My eyes flash open.
Oh.
I must have exclaimed aloud because I find myself the center of attention. Callan has lifted his head and Micah suddenly hovers beside me.
They look at me expectantly, but I can barely speak.
I have to be certain.
