AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay,” Steph says, dropping to her butt in the middle of the floor.
Jesse holds a finger to his lips, then opens the bathroom door. In a blink, he’s back with a pillow from our bed and hands it to Steph. She thanks him and lays back, resting her head on the pillow and closing her eyes. Jesse closes the door and locks it before nodding toward Bernadette in an invitation to proceed.
Bernadette lowers herself to her knees beside her niece and stretches out her arms. With her palms facing down, she hovers her hands over Steph’s chest and closes her eyes.
She begins to chant, and though I don’t understand the words, even I can feel their power. The hair on my arms stands up, and there’s a prickling at the base of my skull that’s impossible to ignore. I rub my fingers across the spot, and Jesse’s arm moves around my waist to pull me close to his side, offering me comfort.
Bernadette’s voice grows louder, each word ringing out like a shotgun blast as Steph’s body tenses and her head starts to thrash. She’s whimpering, and I move to go to her, but Jesse holds me firmly in place. He turns his head, and his lips brush over my ear as he whispers into it.
“Don’t interfere.”
I nod and relax into his side, but my teeth bite into my lip with each sound of discomfort that slips from Steph’s mouth. Chills race down my spine as Bernadette chants faster and faster, and the bathroom suddenly feels like a vacuum. My chest throbs with the need for air, but I can’t take a breath. The pressure is crushing.
Just as I start to panic, Steph bolts upright and screams. The pressure in the room seems to pop, and I take a deep, cooling breath. I exhale on a shout as Steph’s wild eyes roll upward and she collapses back to the floor, her head thankfully landing on the pillow.
Bernadette slumps to the side, catching herself on her forearm as she pants. This time, Jesse releases me when I try to pull away from him. I fall to my knees on the opposite side of Steph from Bernadette, my fingers locking around hers as my free hand brushes her hair back from her face.
“Is she okay?” I ask, looking over to meet Bernadette’s tired eyes.
“She’s fine,” she says. “The shock to her system caused her to pass out, but with a little rest, she’ll be back on her feet in no time.”
“And the bindings on her power?” I ask.
“Gone,” she says with a tight, humorless smile. “When she wakes up, she’ll have full access to her power with no idea how to control it.”
“We should get her off this floor,” I say, ignoring the warning in her voice.
There’s no telling how long she’ll be out, and I inwardly flinch at the thought of her spending hours on the hard tile. I feel hands on my shoulders and look up to see Jesse behind me with a tender expression. I move aside, and he scoops Steph up gently. I scramble to my feet and rush over to open the door before darting back to help Bernadette stand.
“We should put her in the spare room here,” I whisper. “You’ll both be safer here while you recover.”
Bernadette nods in agreement, and I blow out a breath of relief as we follow Jesse into the room attached to ours. I release Bernadette to slide around Jesse and pull back the covers. He carefully places her on the mattress, and I pull the blankets up to her chin. When I look back, Bernadette has collapsed into the padded chair in the corner. I rush over to stand before her.
“Are you feeling okay?” I ask, noting her pallid complexion.
“I’m fine, dear,” she says, and even her voice sounds weak.
“Do you want to lie down with Steph? There’s plenty of room on the bed,” I say, my gaze darting between them.
“No, I’m fine right here,” she says in low tones. “I just need to rest my eyes for a moment.”
“Eden.”
I look behind me to see Jesse with an ottoman balanced on one hand while the other holds a fluffy quilt. I didn’t even hear him leave, and I have no idea where he got those things, but my chest warms with gratitude as I move aside. I lift Bernadette’s feet, lowering them gently to the ottoman after Jesse slides it beneath them. I watch as he stretches the quilt over her body, noting that her eyes have already fallen closed.
“Thank you,” she mumbles sleepily, then dozes off.
I nod at Jesse, and we leave the room on silent feet. He closes the door softly behind us, then takes my hand and pulls me to our bed. He climbs onto the mattress behind me, pulling me back against his chest as his arms curl around me protectively. I relax into his embrace, and he presses a light kiss to the back of my neck.
“Rest. I’ll keep watch until they wake up.”
I suddenly realize how exhausted I am, and my head nods sleepily as my mouth drops open with a deep yawn.
“I love you,” I mumble as sleep comes to claim me.
“I love you, too, Eden. More than words can express,” he whispers back, then everything goes dark.
35
