Channeler's Choice Page 25

  The four boys surrounding him gasped and cursed, Greg even stumbled backwards.

  “What the hell?” Claud exclaimed.

  Aiden turned his green-tinged gaze toward him and curled his lip up from his teeth. The look of fear on the muscle-bound boy’s face was so intense it was comical.

  “It’s true. You are a freak. So what, you still can’t beat us all,” Nick said with a huge dose of false bravado.

  Behind him Aiden heard the click of a knife being whipped open. He didn’t have to look to know it was iron, he could feel it.

  “No he can’t,” the knife wielding Greg agreed.

  Claud and guy number four didn’t look like they shared their friends’ confidence. In fact, they looked like they’d turn and run if their legs weren’t so wobbly. The feel of their fear-corrupted energy was intoxicating. It was hard not to give in to the instinct to let his power fall mercilessly upon them and feed, but Aiden resisted. The problem was, he wasn’t really sure he could stop.

  Nick kicked at Aiden’s face. He ducked under it, anticipating an attack from behind at the same time. But he’d underestimated just how willing they were to kill him. Instead of trying to slice him, Greg tried to stab him. Aiden’s dodge moved his back out of range but the knife still sank hilt deep into the back of his arm.

  Pain scorched through his left arm and he roared in anger. He kicked at Greg, pouring power into his leg. A groan escaped Greg as he tumbled to the ground next to where the fourth guy still cowered. A kick landed in Aiden’s ribs and another came flying at his face. His hands made it up to block lightning fast and he grabbed Nick’s fist, using it to slam him to the ground.

  With a hand on Nick’s throat, he followed him down. Nick went very still. Every inch of Aiden’s body shook with the effort of holding back his power.

  A twig broke and the air pattern to Aiden’s left changed. Moonlight flashed on something iron. Aiden sprung off Nick and kicked the knife from Greg’s hand. Slamming into him, he bore him to the ground and wrapped his power around his neck. Greg’s brown eyes went impossibly wide until Aiden could see just as much white as iris. Greg began to tremble and Aiden smelled urine. Disgusted, he jumped to his feet and scanned for more threats. The restraints on his power snapped and he sucked their power into him, drinking it down as if he were dying of thirst.

  The four boys lay on the ground, some shaking and whimpering, others trying to cower away. Their eyes were filled with a primal fear, the kind that left a person a quivering mess.

  Releasing all of his anger with a heavy sigh, he poured his power—along with their stolen energy—down into the ground. The knife wound stung even worse now and the fingers of his left hand tingled.

  A gasp alerted him that they were no longer alone. Despite it being a decidedly feminine sound, he whipped around with fists clenched, prepared to fight again if he had to. Droplets of blood flung all over the students and faculty that were standing there gawking at him. From the horrified looks on their faces, it was obvious they’d been standing there long enough to have seen a bit of the fight. He must have been concentrating ridiculously hard on controlling his anger to have missed their approach.

  Not one of them had tried to help him, he would never forget that.

  Aiden found Bridget in the crowd and fixed her with a hard stare that felt as cold as the grave, even to him. Who had she been trying to help by bringing them out here, him or Luke’s Society?

  “Don’t any of you ever bother my Society again,” he warned while he met as many eyes as would dare meet his. There weren’t many.

  Whipping away from their judging gazes, he jumped over those he’d defeated and took off into the forest. He had to get to Eren and make sure she was alright. Once he made sure she was safe from Luke he could explain everything.

  “A channeler’s life is not an easy one.

  Great power comes with great responsibility.”

  ~from Life In A Channeler Society

  Chapter 34

  Both Caitlin and Fane called out to Eren but she ignored them. She didn’t want to talk to anyone, she just wanted to run. Seeing Aiden with that repulsive girl’s arms around him after what she’d done to Eren was proof enough. It felt like the magnet that kept her rooted to this world had exploded inside her chest.

  The forest went by in a blur of tear-streaked shadows. Within moments her bare feet were beating a frantic rhythm on the sidewalk. It would take anyone else several minutes to get through the forest. No one could catch her, especially when she was so desperate to be alone.

  Not knowing where else to go, she ran for home. No one would be there yet. She couldn’t stand the idea of facing all their questions, and worse, their pity once they found out about Aiden and Bridget. After her parents deaths last year she’d had every ounce of pity she could stand. Thinking about it pushed her over the edge. She had to leave, going home wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t be hard. Her things were already loaded into the car. If she got to the airport early enough maybe she could even catch an earlier flight.

  When her grandfather’s store came into sight the windows were still dark. Knowing that meant there would be no one to stop her; Eren breathed a sigh of relief. Hardly even breaking stride, she burst through the back door and ran upstairs. Tears blurred her vision, making it so hard to see she ran into the coffee table. Rubbing furiously at her eyes, she dashed around the rooms, grabbing the extra cash she had stashed, a jacket, and a pair of shoes. Tearing off her oversized t-shirt, she pulled on the clothes she had set aside for the flight.

  Frantic hands tossing underwear, she dug through her top drawer until he fingers closed around the one thing she wasn’t about to leave without; the bottle of pills. Before, she had been ashamed that she had kept them, now she couldn’t be more relieved. She shoved them in her jeans pocket.

  She leaped clear of both staircases and ran for the kitchen. Seeing two envelopes lying there together made her pause, but only for a moment. A few steps later she was in the car waiting impatiently for the garage door to open as she fired the engine to life. The second it was high enough, she backed out and whipped the car around, chirping the breaks. The tires spun so fast they left rubber as she stomped on the accelerator and sped away from the store.

  Eren looked in the rearview mirror several times on the way out of town but never saw anyone. She started to wonder if they had even tried to follow her. Maybe Aiden had been relieved when she’d run away. It gave him an easy out. This way he didn’t have to explain anything. Maybe it was better this way for both of them because there was no way she could listen to him explain why he’d chosen Bridget over her. Just thinking about it made the pieces of Eren’s exploded heart ache.

  The pain was so severe and constant that she felt like she was suffocating. She cranked the radio up and rolled the windows down. The fresh air helped her breathe, but couldn’t dull the pain. Knowing she could die in a fiery crash kept her speed in the double digits, but just barely.

  The pressure of the pill bottle in her jeans pocket made her wish she had water so she could take them. But not knowing how they might affect her reaction time, she knew she had to wait.

  Her body shook as she fought against her rising power. A hand went to the moonstone necklace that lay against her chest. She clutched it so tight the silver setting bit into her palm. It soothed her and helped cool the burn of her power enough that she managed to gain control and choke it down.

  Is that why you gave this to me, Mom? Tears stung her eyes at the thought. Maybe her mom had never wanted this life for her, maybe this was why.

  It took her a third of the time it should have to get to the city. She parked in the first long term parking spot she found, grabbed her bags and jogged into the airport. At this time of night it was mostly deserted so, thankfully, she didn’t have to fight her way through the crowds. She reached the ticket counter and a bleary eyed lady with a neat brown bun smiled at her as she asked how she could help her. Eren put on her most desperate look�
�which wasn’t hard considering how she felt—and laid her paperwork before the lady.

  “I’m going to see my mother and she took a turn for the worse. Are there any flights leaving for Edinburgh tonight that I can catch? They said she may not make it much longer,” Eren pleaded as she let a few very real tears slip.

  It wasn’t hard to be convincing when her world was crumbling. The lady’s eyes softened and a look of pity spread across her face. That was good. For once Eren wanted pity because it would get her away from here faster.

  “Let’s see what I can do,” the lady said as she shot Eren a sympathetic smile and clicked away on the keyboard.

  Eren fought the urge to drum her fingers on the counter top or bounce on the balls of her feet.

  “Ah, here we are. There’s a plane leaving in half an hour but it will cost more to change your flight,” the lady said with genuine regret.

  Eren was counting the money out before the lady even finished talking. A few more clicks on her computer and she tagged Eren’s bag and handed her a boarding pass. Slinging her carryon over her shoulder, Eren took the pass and jogged away.

  “Thank you so much,” she called back.

  In less than a minute she was through the short line in security and on her way to the terminal. Only a handful of people milled around the airport—mostly security guards and maintenance workers—and she dodged easily around them. Dark storefronts covered by security gates zipped by as she hurried through the yawning halls. She wanted to run, but knew she wouldn’t be able to resist pouring power into her legs and that her inhuman speed would draw attention and most likely some very nervous security. Angry tears spilled down her cheeks at the realization of how little control she had over this unwanted power.

  Forcing herself to sit among the other waiting passengers, she clutched her carryon bag and tried not to think. It didn’t work. The charred void that had been her heart started to throb much like she imagined a major migraine must feel. Her eyes burned and her throat felt like it was the size of a straw and getting smaller by the second. Despite all her efforts to be strong, tears slipped from her eyes.

  Aiden was supposed to be her soul mate. They were supposed to have a future together. What would happen to their Society now? How was she supposed to face Caitlin and Fane? She had failed to make Aiden happy, to keep their Society together. They must hate her. She kind of hated herself right now. She should have done more, tried harder, slept with him if that’s what it would have taken. But no, she knew that wouldn’t have solved anything.

  The worst part was that she had wanted to have sex with him, just not yet. She’d been waiting for the right time, a time that hadn’t come and now never would. But she wasn’t just mad at herself, she was mad at him too. How could he be so selfish? It was totally unlike him. Or was it? Eren couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever really known him.

  God, she missed her parents so much. Why did they have to leave her to face this all alone? A sob tore from her before she could stop it.

  “Oh dear, here, you look like you could use this,” a woman said.

  A tissue appeared before Eren. Accepting it, she wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She hadn’t realized how hard she’d started crying. Through watery eyes she saw the kind face of a gray-haired lady watching her with concern. She mustered up a smile that she knew had to look pathetic.

  “Thank you,” she said in a voice that sounded as thick as it felt.

  “Are you alright?” the woman asked.

  Why did people always say that? It was pretty obvious she wasn’t. But rather than explain Eren chose to stick with her lie. Horrible as it was, it was less painful than the truth.

  “My mom’s sick and I’m going to see her. I’m just worried.”

  “I wish her a speedy recovery. Oh, looks like we’re boarding,” the woman said as she stood.

  The desk called for First Class passengers to board and people stared to line up. Eren stood and went to get in line. Thankfully, the woman didn’t follow her. While she appreciated her kindness, right now she really didn’t want to talk. She shuffled almost painfully slow through the hallway with the other passengers and finally got to her seat.

  She couldn’t help but eyeball the constant flow of people meandering past. It took forever for everyone to board the plane and then for the plane to prepare for takeoff. The man in the seat beside her glared pointedly at her bouncing knee. Giving him a smile that felt more like a sneer, Eren stopped her knee and made a conscious effort to quit fidgeting.

  Finally, the plane rolled down the runway and got in line for takeoff. She breathed a huge sigh as the plane accelerated and she was pressed back into her seat by the force of the RPM’s. A moment later they were airborne and leaving Colorado behind. She had made it. This was the last flight out all night. She’d have at least a day to herself in Edinburgh before anyone caught up to her. Part of her didn’t even expect them to follow.

  “Threats to the Society are not tolerated. Save for

  exposing our kind there’s little Rectors are restricted

  from doing to protect their Societies.”

  ~from Life In A Channeler Society

  Chapter 35

  The lights at Eren’s house were on. As he ran up the sidewalk, Aiden heard voices coming from inside; Zolin, Sylvia, and Alin. Good, that probably meant she was here too. Ignoring his throbbing left arm and the way his vision was starting to swim, he picked up his pace. He barely slowed to go through the back door. Following the voices to the kitchen, he stopped and fell against the arched opening, grasping at the trim. The adults were pacing and arguing. Eren wasn’t with them. Her energy trail throughout the hall was faint. She’d been here recently but wasn’t here now.

  “My boy, what happened to you?” Zolin asked.

  Aiden remembered his torn clothes and wounded arm. He opened his mouth to explain about the fight and found he had no voice. The floor heaved toward him. Hands reached out and caught him and he saw the trail of blood he was leaving on the tiled floor.

  “We need a healer channeler.” Sylvia said in a desperate tone.

  “Or the next best thing. Where is Fane?” Zolin asked.

  Hands lifted him, not just to his feet, but up off the floor. Forcing his eyes open, he saw the ceiling and felt a cold, hard surface underneath him. Then everything went black.

  Aiden awoke with her name on his lips. “Eren!”

  He bolted into a sitting position and his wide eyes beheld a gathering of concerned faces. He was in Mr. Yaretz’s kitchen, sitting on the island from the feel of it. Fane moved forward and put a hand on his arm. He didn’t look mad, just worried. Aiden’s head pounded and the back of his left arm ached.

  “Easy, Bro. You lost a lot of blood,” Fane warned.

  Aiden realized Fane looked not only worried, but weary.

  “You helped heal me again,” he made it a statement.

  “Of course I did, you’re my Rector. Caitlin did most of the work, though. I just lent her energy. Besides, if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have use of your left arm for days. And you’re going to need it,” Fane said.

  Somehow Fane must have figured out the truth because the last time Aiden had seen him he’d been furious. Now he only seemed worried. In fact, they all looked worried. The knife wound alone shouldn’t have them so worked up. Then he realized Eren wasn’t among them.

  From somewhere behind him, he felt the press of Caitlin’s energy. He turned around. She was walking through the kitchen doorway. Blood was splattered on her shirt and covered the knuckles of both her hands. What the hell had happened while he’d been out?

  “I know how lame it sounds, but that wasn’t what it looked like. Bridget tricked me. I’m so sorry, I never should have let her near me,” Aiden said in a desperate flow of words.

  “I know. I beat the truth out of her. You have to get to Europe. Luke isn’t coming here, he’s going there. His whole plan was to get Eren to go without you,” Caitlin said.

  A
iden didn’t want to process her words. This was heading somewhere very, very bad and he knew he wouldn’t like understanding it. But he had to, for Eren’s sake.

  “How could he know we were going?” Aiden asked. A horrible realization struck him. “Bridget told him.” The cold, merciless tone of his voice sent a thrill of fear through him. The dark thoughts of what he wanted to do to her were followed by a wave of guilt. But he had no time for guilt.

  “Where’s Eren?” he demanded.

  “Already on a plane to Edinburgh,” Fane said.

  “I have to get there, now.” He tried to leap to his feet, but Zolin and Alin restrained him.

  “We’ll get you there, son, but calm down, you’ve lost far too much blood to move yet. We couldn’t get an earlier flight so there’s no point in rushing. Sylvia will be here soon and she’ll drive you to the airport,” Alin explained in a placating tone.

  “No!” Aiden roared as he dropped his head into his hands.

  Both Caitlin and Fane surged forward and touched him. Their energy poured over him in a wave that cooled his anger and helped him focus. A few deep breaths later and his panic was all but gone. He nodded at them then turned his attention to a very shocked Alin and Zolin.

  Alin closed his gaping mouth and shook his head. “How did you kids know to do that?” he asked.

  “Instinct,” Fane answered with a shrug.

  Caitlin grabbed Fane’s hand and nodded to Alin. Zolin and Alin looked at each other with wide eyes. In that moment, Aiden was so proud of them that it hurt.