Testimony of Children (Alice Gray Book 2)

43

My legs protested as I pushed to keep up on the five-minute sprint it took us to get from the cemetery to the priory. It was early enough in the morning that the only people who saw us were the party-goers returning from their all-night raves.

Amazingly, we didn't look anymore bedraggled than them.

Evan led us all the way round the large priory building to a cellar entrance at the rear. The large cavernous space was filled with broken gym equipment, bikes and other paraphernalia that gets left behind in an old apartment building. Distorted shadows in the dim light added to the creepy vibe. When I brushed against the wall, the cold damp feeling was so much like the catacombs that it made me push Evan on to get up to the apartments above.

The run from the cemetery to the priory had warmed me up, but I was freezing again now. The adrenaline had worn off, leaving behind nausea that was made worse by the emptiness of my stomach. It took that opportunity to growl. Loudly.

"I've not been here for weeks, there'll be nothing in my place fit to eat," Evan explained with a shrug.

"Don't worry, Stephen's been using my old apartment. He's got to have left something," I said, remembering how rushed our trip to London had been.

We traipsed upstairs wearily, Evan stumbled, his body too weak to obey the commands of his brain. I caught his arm without thinking. Our eyes met. It was the first time I'd voluntarily touched him since he'd attacked me.

My life-force uncurled and stretched lazily like a cat waking up from a long slumber. I pushed a tendril towards Evan. The silver particles infiltrated his intense blue haze, knitting together into the unique sequence of my magic. The bright electric tone of Evan's life-force transformed into the blue of a calm summer sky. His shoulders relaxed and when he looked at me, his clear blue eyes held the easy-going expression that they had on the first day we'd met.

Lucas took my free hand, and the warmth of our bond replenished the energy that I'd used to help Evan. Ben had shown me what was possible, that my power could be used in this way, but this was the first time that I'd understood. Without the negative emotions of anger or fear driving me, my magic could be so much more than the weapon that my father had made it.

As the energy flowed through me, I felt my own strength replenish along with Evan's. Worried that I was taking too much from Lucas, I tried to stem the flow of energy that was rolling from him into me.

"No," Lucas said feeling my intention. "It's the bond. It needs to answer the call of the pack to grow. I can provide what you need. What you both need."

"What?"

The wild flash in Lucas's eyes told me that his wolf was close to the surface, barely contained by his human side. Breaking my connection with both men, I looked from one to the other.

Evan's face looked fuller, more like the man that I'd started to fall for before my father forced his way into my life. Standing tall, but with his head lowered to Lucas, I finally got what had just happened.

"Crap. Lucas, you've done it again."

Lucas looked at me, capturing me in his wolf's dominance. A low growl rumbled from deep in his throat. An irrepressible urge to lower my eyes flooded my brain, drowning my freewill. This was not right. I was no man's puppet. Not even Lucas's.

With the tiny bit of autonomy left in my mind, I called to my power. Nothing.

I couldn't fight it. I averted my eyes and exposed my neck to my Alpha, the raw heat of humiliation burning my face. Lucas huffed in satisfaction. After an uncomfortable minute, the overwhelming urge to submit eased and I lifted my eyes, furious that Lucas had pulled rank like that.