Page 59 of Lunar Desires
Dropping my arms, I got to my feet. Erin was on the ground, cuts over her face.
“I’m fine,” she said before I could ask. “We have to?—”
Fire broke out in front of the car.
“No!” she yelled. “Riley! Isaac!”
The brothers sat up as smoke engulfed them.
“Ril—”
I was pulled out of there, finding myself back at Blue Orchard.
“Hello, Sweetvoice. I’ve missed you.”
Chapter 15
RILEY
Iclambered out of the car into the rain. The water helped cleanse the ashy taint from my face, the cold air aiding with breathing, and the Aurora blood helped me resist some of the toxic effects of the smoke.
Didn’t stop me hunching over to cough my lungs up, though.
By Hecate! Did I hear Uncle Jonathon yelling somewhere in the vicinity?
Dad…
Mum…
Juliet…
The things we’d seen…
I couldn’t think about them right now.
Isaac ushered me away from the car, taking me to the verge. “I—” He coughed. “Fuck. Did you hear him?”
Still hunched, I brought up phlegm, my chest feeling stuffed with cotton wool covered in ash.
God, how much smoke had I inhaled? If I wasn’t The Moon, I’d probably be in a coma.
Snot and tears ran down my face from all the coughing. But I straightened, finally reaching the end to the hacking. My blood buzzed, helping me stay upright and healthy.
Ish.
The sound of running preceded a figure coming in fast to my right.
I turned in time to see Uncle Jonathon rushing us.
Isaac reacted first, blasting him with Defensive Sunshine.
Brilliant sunlight ignited the road, bathing it in a luminescent golden glow along with enough terrific heat to make a summer’s day gasp.
Jonathon roared, stumbling forward, landing on his knees. He flung an arm over his eyes.
A tickle of warmth kissed my skin, the brightness doing nothing to my peepers. Being a sacred witch granted me immunity from its effects; the same for him when it came to my Moon Illusion.
“Turn it off!” our uncle whined.
