Page 67 of Her Magic Light

For the first time, I watched fear flicker across the faces of some of the agents. What had they told them about me and my powers? What were they afraid of?

Of course.They must have all heard about what happened to Adrian.

My gaze cut to Dr. Anderson. There was so much I needed to learn. Yet what were we doing this afternoon? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what Dr. Anderson had in mind.

After I took the first bite of the lunch Coop had brought me, Dr. Anderson pressed the button controlling the balcony door and shutters on his table, and everything closed. The room was plunged into darkness, but because I hadn’t worn my shades for the entire morning, my eyes soon grew used to the gloom, and I could make out various shapes.

The agents shuffled back and forth in their line. Some of them shifted from side to side, and some of them stared straight ahead as though they believed they’d been placed in front of a firing squad.

“Right. Meira, this time, I’m not going to ask you to charge yourself in the sun. I want you to reach for that energy from the shadows. Pull the light out of them and let it flow into you.”

I finished chewing, but he was impatient for an answer.

“Can you do that, or do I need to persuade you?”

My mind flashed to his gun again, and I stood before wandering to the darkest shadow. I barely had to concentrate this time. I placed the pizza pocket to the side and stood.

It was like the energy couldn’t wait to invade me, and I sucked in a pained breath as it tangled through my chest, wrapping itself through my ribs and squeezing my heart. I panted, bracing against the pain.

“Agents!” Dr. Anderson’s voice cracked out, and I flinched. “Try to attack Meira now.”

As one, six agents left from the wall, and instinctively I flung out my hand like I could command them to stay back.

An arc of blood sprayed through the air, coating me in rust-scented stickiness. No! From behind me, Dr. Anderson cackled.

I gasped. “Oh, shit. Oh, shit. What have I done?”

Groans and murmurs of pain filled the room, and I ran in the direction of the men. Six men laid on the floor, their wounds grotesque. Gashes gaped, spilling blood over the carpet. The two nearest me tried to scramble away. One was beyond help, and, surely, it was his blood I wore. Fucking hell.

“Are you all right?” I fell to my knees next to them and tried to call on the power of my healing like I’d done before, but my ability wasn’t there.

I leapt to my feet and groped blindly for the way out. “I need light. I need to get outside.” I beat on the shut doors. “Let me out.” Hot tears poured down my face.Don’t make me hurt people. I only want to heal!

Dr. Anderson snickered. “Complete your tests first, Meira. The faster you work, the more men you can save.” He sounded so relaxed about it, like I hadn’t just injured six men in one fell swoop.

I collapsed to the ground and wept.

twenty-five

My stomach rolled as nausea claimed me.Complete my tests?

Dr. Anderson stood over me. “Come. We must finish.”

I raised a hand toward him. “I need to see them. Let me see the men again. I can help them.”

Dr. Anderson leered in my face. He grabbed my hand and lifted me to my feet. “Oh, I know you can. But you can also bring them back, so there’s no rush.”

“There’s a difference between a hummingbird and a human being.” Coop sounded furious as he knelt beside his fallen colleagues. “Meira.”

I started to move toward him, but Dr. Anderson’s hard voice stopped me. “Not so fast. I’m not finished with my testing today.”

Anger mingled with my fear and surged through my whole body and clouded my thoughts. I couldn’t even feel as I reached for something to stabilize me, and energy rushed into my chest, the kind that hurt as it clawed at me and clogged my breathing.

I gasped as it fizzed and tangled and moved, searching for more immediate release. “I can’t. It hurts.”

Dr. Anderson laughed. “What are you going to do, Meira?”

“The sun,” I wheezed, “I need the sun.” I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to contain the pulsing in my chest.

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