Page 90 of Haunting the Hunter
My eyes open wide as the lights begin to flicker, Jack’s monitors blinking in and out—his own eyes darting from me to his computer.
“Calli…” he says, paranoia lacing his voice as he shoves away from his desk, “What’s happening?”
“It’s no longer safe for you not to know,” I say, my voice seeming to echo eerily around the room as the air vibrates with energy.
“Knowwhat, Calli?” His voice is raised now. “What the fuck is going on?” I can tell he’s scared, can almost taste his fear in the air—but I need to show him. Cade is in more danger than any of us know.
If the Covenant has him—their God isn’t far behind.
I inhale sharply, feeling the buildup of power in the base of my spine expand—static crawling up my arms and into my fingertips. Every light bulb in the room shatters with apop, Jack’s computer screens going black as his PC begins smoking.
“Is this you…? Calli! Stop!” His voice is high with panic as he stumbles farther from the desk—away from me.
I don’t stop. The air vibrates more as I allow the built-up energy to flow out of me, my hair lifting in a nonexistent wind.
“Calli, stop!” Jack yells, but I ignore him, my head falling back, eyes closed. I don’t want to stop. A euphoric feeling sings through me, pulling me into something dark until—
“I’ve got you…”
I feel large arms wrapping around me from behind, gripping me in a tight but tender embrace—one hand pressing against my chest, right over my pounding heart.
“Come back to me, I need you to come back to me, Calli.”
His voice is gruff and deep and comforting, my eyes shooting open as I drag in a deep breath—exhaling slowly. The chaotic energy in the room syncs with my heartbeat as it slowly calms and then fades altogether, leaving me trembling in my demon’s arms.
I turn around to see Alabaster placing his finger to his mouth, telling me to stay quiet.
I look back at Jack to see he is now standing pressed against the back wall, papers, pens, and other items strewn about the room. He can’t see Alabaster—the look of horror on his face is because of me.
“Jack,” I breathe out, my eyes watering at the look of fear in his eyes as he stares at me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know I—”
He cuts me off, his shaking voice tight with demand. “What the fuck was that, Calli?”
“It’s the reason the Covenant wants me,” I confess, my eyes lowering to the floor.
“But—no. That doesn’t— Does Cade know?” he asks, stumbling over his words as he shakes his head, like clearing it will make this all make sense.
“He does now. He found out recently, actually…” My own voice is soft as I watch him struggle to come to grips with his whole world changing under him.
“So the Covenant—theGod—it’s real…” He trails off, staring at the wall with unseeing eyes.
“Yeah.” I hesitate, worrying my lower lip. “If they have him, Jack… He isn’t safe.” There’s a plea in my voice as I beg him to try and understand. “I have next to no information on the God they worship, but I know he is their only means of finding me.”
“No…” He shakes his head again and shoves away from the wall, skirting past me. “This is fucking crazy.” He leaves the room quickly and I follow, my hand reaching out for him when he spins.
“Stop,” he commands, hands up, as if to hold me back, and I freeze. He’s… shaking. “I—I need a minute.” I bow my head and he turns, stumbling his way down the hall, not looking back. I stand in the doorway. Defeated.
“I didn’t mean to scare him,” I whisper, wrapping one arm around myself. “I don’t know what happened. I thought that if I could show him, he would let me help.” I rest my other hand over my forehead, my eyes falling closed.
“Five more minutes and you could have killed him,” I hear Alabaster say from behind me, his voice tight.
“Please—don’t say that.” I sigh, keeping my back to him. “I don’t even know what I did.”
“You’re scared for your brother and you have too much power built up inside you. You’re basically a walking energy bomb right now.”
“I just wanted to show him… I—I didn’t know…” My voice cracks as I take a step into the hallway. “I need to talk to him…”
“Let him go,” he says seriously, large hand clasping my arm. “He needs to process, and you need to ground yourself. For both of your sakes.” Tears begin streaming down my face and I drop to my knees, a wounded sound ripping from my throat.
