Actually it had been Brace’s kiss which had done the trick. “The kiss,” I said, all breathy-like. “It had to have been the surge of your energy which unlocked my own. Our melding bond was already trying to kick in.”
A cracking sound distracted us all, and I swung my head to find Colton had snapped the solid metal bar he’d been holding. The wolf-Walker’s icy-blue eyes lowered. He looked surprised, as if he hadn’t realized he’d been holding the bar so tightly. He tucked his hands in at his sides, clenching his fists instead.
“So what do we do?” I asked, moving on from the many ways my life had been tampered with in the past eighteen years. “Can we break this barrier?”
Brace gave me a lopsided smile, but the darkness of his eyes said he wasn’t exactly feeling it. “Yes, they’re easy enough to dismantle. You just have to interfere in the electrical map. A simple surge of energy will dissolve the frequency which holds the barrier in place.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. The cool air off the water had bumps rising across my skin. “That doesn’t seem very badass. Shouldn’t they have more security interwoven?”
“This sort of barrier relies on the simple fact that no one knows it’s there. Plus, only a Walker would be able to send an energy surge into it.”
Another bonus point for setting it up on Earth. Not many Walkers opened doorways here. They were not fans of this planet’s energy dead zone, and having felt the crushing, cloying sensation settle over my Walker energy, I really understood why now. It was not pleasant.
Freaking lalunas had this all worked out. I knew this barrier was from them, that they had formed this energy transference when I was stashed on Earth. Probably used Josian to do it – he had disappeared for a few years at that time. That way they could keep me suppressed until they needed me. Needed my blood to free the third Seventine. Not to mention all the energy they would have gathered in that time.
“I knew the downfall wasn’t natural,” I finally said. “The evil which permeated the very air, the way the gangers formed so quickly. This barrier influenced and stole energy. There’s no way it’s not sending out a subtle stimulus, putting more evil and hate into humans. Those are strong emotions to feed off. Not to mention all the death, fear, hate, and bigotry. Human emotions are the strongest energy on Earth, and it’s been sucking every facet of it from New York.”
I was pretty sure I was in shock. I just couldn’t reconcile the two worlds. The one I believed I had grown up in and the one I actually grew up in.
Lallielle should never have sent me to Earth. My presence there was enough to send an entire state into a disrepair it would probably never recover from. So many deaths. So much destruction. I knew logically it wasn’t my fault, but it was hard not to feel some responsibility.
Brace reached around and tucked me in closer to his body. I pressed my face hard into his chest. The heaves of my breathing were getting rougher, and I worried I was about to hyperventilate or something.
Breathe for me, baby, just breathe with me. His chest rose and fell as he took deep, even breaths.
It took me a few moments, but I managed to sync in and actually get some air into my lungs.
“Abby.”
I hid for as long as I could, but I knew that the owner of that voice was standing there waiting for me to acknowledge them. I lifted my head up and faced the new arrivals. Chrissie and Eva had apparently had enough of our little whisper session. They wanted to know what the hell was going on.
“Is there a problem?” Chrissie continued.
My old friend was a leader, someone who, on her own, went out and formed a kickass group to help keep others safe. Her newfound strength was obvious in everything she did and said. Eva – who was standing at Chrissie’s side – had the same toughness. The same strength that shone from within. And a little bit of scary going on too. Especially with the hilt of a sword sticking out over her shoulder blade.
Girl power all the way.
I made a decision right then. We would not leave Earth until we had dealt with this barrier. I couldn’t leave the humans in here like rats in a trap. Plus, the Seventine were going to need the energy which had been gathered from here, and maybe we’d be able to stop that also. First thing, though, I needed to know which girl was my half.
I reached down and flicked open the necklace. The golden light spilled out across us all. A swell of emotion lit me from the inside as Walker marks appeared. Colton’s tribal marks bled out onto his skin, the dark design contrasting so stunningly with white-blond hair and icy eyes.
Lucy certainly enjoyed the show. Her slack-jawed appreciation was obvious.