Vindicate (Insight #5)(3)
“I haven’t killed anyone yet!” I screamed as I scowled .
“Oh yeah?” h e said in a firm tone. “How many people do you think died when the Estate collapsed ? How many people do you think survived the storm that ripped through that town?”
“How many were traitors?!” I bellowed as rage engulfed in me. Someone let that girl into Drake’s chambers ; someone betrayed him. Took him and Landen from me.
“Not all of them, Willow,” he said , squeezing my wrist. “This town is flooding. The winds are deadly. Do you want to kill them ? Do you ? Your followers?!”
Tears burned my eye s as I realized he was right. I was dangerous. My emotions we re controlling the atmosphere. The people in this world were be ing attacked by my wrath . My grief.
“I didn’t mean to,” I whispered tearfully as my body went limp.
Brady’s eyes grew tender , and he pulled me to his chest. He held me as tight as he could , and I squeezed him back , imagining for a brief second that he was Landen. Brady leaned my head back and wiped my tears away. “I’m goi ng to ask you to do something. Something that will be far more d ifficult than taking your life. Far greater than facing any demon.” My eyes questioned him , eager to do anything if it w ould bring them back. “Control. I need you to take what you are feeling and control it . The devil is using your r age to murder this dimension. You don’t want that. I know you don’t.”
I moved my head from side to side as I wiped away more tears.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” he said, as his eyes grew sincere. “I will help you hunt her down , watch you end her life. Pr otect you. Bring them back to you if you just learn control.”
“I can’t…” I said as m y eyes moved to Landen .
“Pelhan said you would say that , ” Brady taunted , calling my attention back to him.
“What else did he say?” I asked with a fleeting hope.
“That there is an e qual reaction to every action. That right now you n eeded someone to react to you. To help you control your new power.”
“Who?” I asked , begging for them to come.
“He only had time to teach me. I was the one that understood first.”
“Teach you what?” I asked .
“How to cause a reaction to your power. Willow , I can walk though any wall of energy you put up with one focused , clear thought. With an honest intent , b ut I cannot stop this weather. This destruction . Not without your help. I don’t have the mind power. None of us do.”
I breathed in deeply and called a calm to me. The only way it would come was by thinking about Landen. His touch. At first , the memory was painful be cause it was wrapped in grief. I n the idea that I would never feel it again, but I moved pas t that and thought of every perfect word he ever said to me. His calm energy. When I felt it ease through me, when I felt myself grasping control , I looked at Brady.
“You do have the power. The power of words. Just t alk to me like you would talk to Landen. Be blunt.”
He knew I was fighting guilt now. He was very blunt with me before, and now I knew that I may have hurt or killed innocent people in the moments I lost control. I couldn’t let that happen again.
“I doubt you hurt anyone that didn’t deserve it , ” he mumbled , finding both encouragement and grief in the fact that he had said the words that made m e realize how dangerous I was.
“How can you be sure?” I ask with a tremble as I thought of the innocents that must have been in that city.
“Because everything happens for a reason. Even this.”
I knew he didn’t believe his own words, but for right now I was going to live in his lie. I had no other choice.
“You sound like Landen,” I mum bled . I could hear the rain washing down the windows in response to the stabbing pain I felt in my heart .
Brady cupped his hands around my face. “Willow , I will be your air. I will help you think. Tell you when you are out of control. You have to trust me. We will bring him back. Or die trying. I promise you that.”
That was the truth.
I looked into his blue eyes , which mirrored his brother ’s. I wanted to tell him to leave me alone. To take care of his daughter. To take our family from this dimension and never look back, b ut I’d learned my lesson just a few days ago . I promised myself that I would let them chase whatever fate was calling them. Not tell my family what to do or how to do it. I tried to grasp the idea that everyon e was in my life for a reason. That whe n they felt called to help me that meant they were supposed to. That they were my survival. I just didn’t want to be their death.
I breathed in a nd wiped my last tear from my eyes, then began to pace as I took in calm , slow breaths. I focused on every time I’d laughed , every positive emotion I could. I heard echoes of each time Landen had told me he loved me. My lips turned into a vague smile.
When I first met him , he told me that his world believe d those words to be a promise. A symbol of gratitude toward the universe for allowing them to feel that emotion. It seemed we had used them as if they were a common goodbye, o r words to fill an empty moment. I regretted not putting more emo tion behind those three precious words. I regretted saying them out of habit , even though I didn’t feel that way, my lack of intensity – how freely I said them made me feel as if they had lost their meaning. Thunder crashed with the anger I had with myself.