Blood Rush (The Lost Witch Trilogy #2) (15 page)

“I hear you broke up with Lash yesterday,” an amused voice said, standing behind her.

Sarah pasted a bright fake smile on and turned to find Charlie standing right in front of her. She was dressed in neon pink skinny jeans and a black leather jacket. Sarah felt boring standing next to her in her neutrals.

“Go away psycho,” Sarah said and walked past Charlie.

Charlie reached out and grabbed her arm, pinching her skin painfully.

“I’m warning you Sarah. You get any ideas about trying to get Zane back and you’ll regret it. He’s mine and he’s much
much
happier with me now than he ever was with you.”

Sarah grinned nastily at Charlie and decided she was done being nice. “And what are you going to do about it if I do go after Zane, huh?” she asked, walking closer to Charlie, making her step back.

Charlie’s eyes narrowed dangerously and she reached out a hand and touched Sarah’s arm. Sarah raised an eyebrow and waited for it. As she expected, Charlie tried to enter her mind. Sarah smiled as Charlie spoke into her mind commandingly,
Don’t talk to Zane. Don’t look at Zane. Stay away from Zane. He belongs to Charlie.

Sarah raised an eyebrow at Charlie and pushed her out as hard and fast as she could. Charlie gasped in pain and stumbled back, almost falling. Sarah stalked forward and got in Charlie’s face.

“Try to enter my mind again and I promise you, you’ll lose part of yours in the process. Now run. Run away Charlie,” she said with a wicked grin that had Charlie turning and hurrying away as quickly as she could without actually running.

Sarah watched her go with a small smile before turning towards her first period.

“Sarah?”

Sarah groaned and shook her head. She ignored Lash and walked around him. Her arms were covered in purple and blue bruises from yesterday and if her dad knew, he’d kill him. She still felt like killing him herself.

“Sarah, wait. You owe me that much,” Lash said loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear.

Sarah turned around, feeling a snap in her veins. “
Really?
I don’t owe you the time of day Lash. I spent most of my life looking out for you and caring about you. And now? Now I just don’t,” she said and turned to walk away again.

Lash hurried to her side, and reached out to take her arm. Sarah allowed him to touch her, but sent a low shock into his system for his efforts. Lash gasped in pain and shook his hand, staring at her in surprise.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him and whispered softly so only he could hear. “Don’t touch me again. We’re through. That was your last warning. Next time I’ll put you in the hospital,” she said and pushed through the doors in to the science wing.

Lash hurried to keep up with her. “I talked to Agnes last night for hours. I now realize how bad I screwed up with you Sarah. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am and that if you’re willing, I’d be grateful if we could just be friends again. Like we were. I can’t go through life, not knowing that you’re there. You’ve always been there. I’ll never forgive myself if I lose your friendship,” he said, sounding sincere and frightened.

Sarah slowed down and glanced at him. “Why Lash? What good would come of it? You’ve told me over and over that you can’t be my friend. Why are you so willing to let everything else go?”

Lash swallowed and looked up before answering. “Because I never realized that I could really lose you. I don’t want to know what life is like without you in it. I’d rather die.”

Sarah frowned and stared at him in irritation. “Give me some space and I’ll think about it,” she said and pushed through the doors to her first period class, leaving Lash standing there, staring at her as if he’d just lost the only person who had ever truly cared about him.

Sarah felt like she was fried. She felt jumpy, and irritable. She felt like standing in the hallway and screaming. She felt like running off to the ocean but knew she couldn’t skip school again. Race had written her a note for yesterday, but he’d warned her against skipping again. He was kind of turning out to be a normal strict dad.

Sarah made it to lunch and was grateful to blend in with Carter and his group of friends. Lash was sitting with the girl with black hair again. Her name was Corey and she was a gymnast and super sweet Carter told her conversationally. Lash looked at her a few times over his shoulder but didn’t attempt to join her for which she was very grateful.

She knew the moment Zane and Charlie entered the cafeteria. She ignored them both and refused to look at their table. But for some reason, she was completely aware of Zane. She was having a hard time controlling her energy and knew she was sending out sparks. A few kids started staring at her curiously, but she kept her head down, finished her lunch quickly and escaped to the library for the rest of lunch break. She headed to a corner booth and collapsed in the chair, leaning her head down and trying to control her breathing. More energy seemed to flow into her veins and she groaned softly wondering how she was going to make it through the next two hours. She clenched her fists and willed her energy to calm down.

“Maybe I can help?”

Sarah lifted her head and saw Zane standing beside her. She didn’t question how he found her. He always knew where she was.

“I can feel your power racing Sarah. Get rid of it before someone gets hurt.”

Sarah glared up at him, wishing he would just leave her alone. “I can’t control it,” she hissed. “It’s too much. I’ve gotta get out of here,” she muttered and stood up to move past him.

Zane held an arm out blocking her. “No more skipping. Your dad’s rules. My mom was talking about it this morning. So what are you going to do?” he asked with a small smile on his face, as his eyes gleamed liquid silver down at her.

Sarah licked her lips and glanced around the deserted library. She needed to fly or run. She needed something. She shook her head in frustration and ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know!” she practically yelled feeling trapped.

Zane moved in closer and put his arms around her, bringing her in close to his chest. Sarah stared up at him in surprise, pushing back hesitantly.

“You have a
girlfriend
Zane. Did you forget?” she asked, her power whipping even more furiously at the thought, making her eyes glow bright green and her hair crackle with electricity.

Zane smiled down at her and pulled her even closer. “Shut up Sarah,” he said on a sigh and then tilted his head down and kissed her.

Sarah clenched her hands in his shirt as her body went stiff with surprise. But then she relaxed as her power shot up out of her and surrounded them both as she kissed him back, letting all of her fury, anger, disappointment, longing and regret flow from her into him. Zane lifted his head after a few moments, to stare down into her eyes as he caught his breath, but he must have seen something, because he shook his head and pulled her against him again, kissing her mindlessly. Sarah felt her body sigh and relax as Zane absorbed her energy, taking everything she couldn’t contain until she felt in control. Just being held by Zane again calmed her soul more than anything else could have.

Sarah ended the kiss and looked up at Zane dazedly but winced when she saw his hair. “Your mom is going to kill me.
You’re
going to kill me,” she said, pulling away from him and grimacing at the new pale blond streaks running through Zane’s golden brown hair.

Zane didn’t have to ask to know what she meant, because he ran his hands through his hair and shrugged. “It’s a good thing the surfer look works for me,” he said and then turned away from her and walked away.

Sarah stared at his back in confusion. “
That’s it?
That’s all you can say? You like the way I make your hair look?”

Zane paused and turned back, looking grimly at her. “You don’t want to hear what I have to say Sarah. Trust me.”

Sarah watched him walk away and felt a moment of such complete loss and loneliness that she whimpered and had to sit down. When the bell rang though, she knew she had to move. She left the quiet of the library for the roar of the hallways.

She caught sight of Charlie in the hallway between her fifth and sixth class periods and stared her down. Charlie turned her head away quickly, looking unsure of herself for the first time. Sarah grinned wickedly and walked past her, noticing too late that Zane was leaning up against a locker on the opposite side of the hallway, staring at her without any expression on his face.

Sarah breezed past him as if he were a stranger. She felt a warm breeze wrap around her middle, but ignored it. Zane sent a few words into her mind as she entered her last class of the day.
You’re welcome
.

Sarah turned around and glared at Zane before the door shut. His face remained solemn and expressionless, but his eyes gleamed at her dangerously. Sarah refused to say anything back to him and counted the minutes down until the second she could escape. She ignored everyone and everything and ran for the front doors of the school as soon as she heard the last bell ring. She was aware of the startled reaction she was getting as she rushed past people, but she couldn’t slow down. She had to reach the ocean and she had to run or she’d burst. Zane’s kiss had allowed her to remain at school, but she was desperate for a bigger outlet for her power. Her emotions had been stretched too far and too hard this week and it felt like her power was trying to drown her.

She reached her father’s house in minutes and changed in to her running clothes and shoes. She quickly pulled her hair back into a pony tail and slammed out the door, running faster and faster and faster towards the beach that was calling out to her. She ran the three miles to the nearest shore and ran right up to the edge of the water. She glanced around at the boats and the people walking along the beach and could have cried in disappointment. She knew she needed privacy. No one could see what she needed to do. She ran away from the people in the opposite direction of her grandmother’s house. She ran and ran, so long and so far that she lost track of time and distance.

She slowed down as she realized she was completely alone. She gasped for air and leaned back to suck in as much as she could. She felt alive, she felt free and she felt more in control of herself. She walked to the edge of the water and knew the closest boat was too far out to see her. She raised her hands and screamed the word
Up
at the waves and watched with clear bright green eyes as the water flung itself up into the air, hovering over her. Sarah used her mind to command the water to reform into giant outstretched wings before flinging itself backwards.

Sarah grinned in delight and let her hands fall to her side. She raised her hands high again, but felt a cold breeze creep down her back and wrap around her middle. She slowly lowered her hands and turned to scan the beach behind her. All she could see were trees, boulders, sand and scrub grass and bushes. She frowned and realized how far away from home she was. How completely vulnerable she was. She had no idea where her grandmother’s protective lines were drawn or if she had crossed them. If she had, then she was in danger and there was no one to help her. Sarah felt her power crackle through her limbs, knowing she was about to run again. This time, to save herself.

She glanced one more time at the shore and then burst into a sprint as she headed back towards town. She ran faster and faster, urging all the power she had into her muscles, tendons and lungs as she ran so fast, she began to fly. She reached her arms behind her and tilted her face forward, but the coldness that had touched her before was catching up. She could sense it getting closer and closer. Sarah screamed the word
Faster
and felt herself jump forward and away from the cold. She could see two familiar forms rushing towards her as she turned around a bend and caught sight of her grandmother’s familiar shore line.

But just as she relaxed, the cold caught her, wrapping around her like a snake and sending her careening towards the ground. She twisted and turned in the air before being flung into the cold hard sand. She could hear screaming and yelling and she knew someone was calling her name. Her limbs felt hard and cold and tired like she couldn’t move. She could feel the sand clinging to her face as she slowly pulled herself up, fighting against the lethargy as hard as she could. Before she could raise her head, she knew she’d see a man standing in front of her.

“You’re not what I expected,” she heard a low, pleasant sounding voice say.

She stared up at a tall blond man and wondered why she couldn’t hear the screaming anymore. He stepped closer to her and smiled in a strangely friendly way.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, reaching a hand out to touch her hair.

Sarah felt some of her muscles come alive and she moved back just before he touched her.

“Thank you,” she said simply and tried to turn her head to see who had been screaming for her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Agnes and Gretchen, standing as if they were frozen, with twin looks of horror on their faces. About twenty five feet behind them walking quickly, was Francis, looking grim.

Sarah turned back to Charles and noticed he was staring at her curiously as if he were trying to figure her out.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you for some time now Sarah. Your aunt and her friend Drake told me so much about you but they left some very important things out. I wonder why they misled me. I can now understand why your father took you away so quickly. You’re extraordinary,” he said reverently, reaching out to touch her arm.

Sarah didn’t even have to think about throwing up her energy shield, it whipped out of her and fastened onto Charles’s hand, sending wave after wave of painful energy into his body.

Charles’s head snapped back and his body contorted stiffly, as he fell to his knees. As soon as her power left her and entered him, her muscles unfroze and she was able to move. She turned and ran as fast as she could for Gretchen and Agnes, reaching them within minutes. As she flung herself into their arms she turned quickly to see Charles standing just a few feet away, smiling at her wolfishly.