Keeper(54)

The physical storm and the torrent of emotion raging inside me were too much. I turned away from Ty, covering my face with my hands. I just want it to stop. Please let it stop.

A loud peal of booming thunder shook the ground. Accompanying bolts of wild lightning streaked across the sky.

I would’ve collapsed, but then there were hands gripping my shoulders. Ty pulled me closer, trying to shield me from the violent wind. I could tell from the vibrations in his chest that he was talking, but his words were lost to the storm. Despite the fact that the earth whirled around him, he radiated steadiness.

Taking deep breaths, I closed my eyes and leaned into Ty, trying to block out the storm. I refused to allow myself a peek at my hands to see if the light was still dancing between my fingertips. Instead, I forced myself to take deep breaths, keeping my eyes squeezed shut. Just breathe, Lainey. Just breathe.

“That’s it,” Ty’s voice murmured in my ear a few moments later. “It’s almost over. Just relax.”

Opening my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the sky. The rotating clouds were scattering. The wind, though still blowing, was no longer a howling gale, and the rain had dissipated to a light sprinkle. I turned to face Ty. His blue eyes were wide and fixed on my face. “Are you hurt?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so.” I disentangled myself and took a few steps away. I looked around; the sky was clearing, and the stars were peeking out brilliantly overhead. The only evidence of the storm that remained was a few mud puddles, the damp smell of the trees, and a palpable humidity.

“But how?” I looked back at Ty. “I wasn’t trying to—” Realization smacked into me. “This isn’t the first time it’s happened, either.” I remembered the warmth that had spread across my skin as the rosebud had started to bloom, the feeling of strange acceptance as the plant came to life before my eyes.

Ty’s eyebrows rose. “You mean the dryad?”

“Well, that, but earlier today in the graveyard. I made a dead rosebush bloom. I wasn’t trying; it just kind of happened.” My mind flipped backward through my memories, and I gasped. “The red lights . . . and the clock. The morning of the SATs. That was . . . me.” I stared at Ty, my mouth hanging open. “Is it possible that every weird, unexplainable thing that’s happened to me the last few years . . . was my fault?”

I staggered backward. “But those were small things. I just nearly unleashed a freaking tornado on top of us.” My voice was getting higher and shriller the more I talked. In the distance, there was a low rumble of thunder.

“I could’ve killed someone, and I don’t even know how I did it!” I bent over, clutching my knees for balance as a rush of vertigo had me swaying on my feet.

A streak of lightning flashed across the sky, and there was another low rumble of thunder. Ty looked up at the sky and then back at me. “You have to calm down. I think it’s reacting to your emotions.”

“Calm down? I don’t think I can.” Raindrops pelted my shoulders.

Ty quickly walked over and grabbed me by the shoulders. “Lainey, look at me.” With one hand, he pulled my chin up so that he was staring into my eyes. “It’s going to be okay. Just breathe.”

I mentally urged my lungs to function, and using Ty’s eyes as an anchor, I took a few deep breaths, forcing my mind to go blank.

After several long minutes, Ty broke his gaze and glanced around. When he looked back at me, he was smiling. “See? You just can’t freak out.”

I looked around. Ty was right. The rain had disappeared and the sky was clearing once again. I exhaled sharply. “My powers are linked to my emotions,” I stated, not really needing the confirmation.

“Yes, it would appear that way.”

“Well, that’s just great,” I groaned. “Not only do I have power that I can’t control, but it’s influenced by my emotions.”

I began pacing, throwing my arms around as I ranted. “What kind of sick joke is that? Is the universe trying to make me go completely insane? I’m a teenage girl! It’s in my genetic code to be a big ball of mess! How do I know the next time I get stressed out, I’m not going to accidentally blow up a building or turn the entire swim team into goldfish?”

“I doubt you’ll blow up any buildings, Lainey,” Ty replied, his face kind. “But turning the swim team into goldfish? That I might like to see.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You just have to learn how to control it,” Ty continued.

“But how?” I twisted some of the water out of my ponytail, eager for even the smallest sense of normalcy.

He shook his head. “I’m not sure. But you’ll figure it out. You have to . . . I’ll help you.”

I groaned. “There’s just so much about all of this that I don’t understand. I’m trying to make sense of things that shouldn’t make sense.” I looked over at Ty, almost pleading. “I’m a witch. My uncle is a Faerie. You’re some kind of magical bodyguard. I have lightning that apparently shoots through my fingers when I’m overwhelmed. It’s absolutely crazy! This kind of stuff just doesn’t happen in real life, and it certainly doesn’t happen to me.”

“You make it sound like a death sentence.”

“Well, isn’t it? There are people out there who would literally kill me for my powers. Powers that I didn’t know I had and certainly don’t want! Am I just supposed to accept all of this with a grain of salt? Don’t I get a say at all?”