A Glimmer of Hope (The Avalon Chronicles #1)(76)

“And what if I’m not strong enough?”

“I don’t know, Layla. I wish I did. But I can’t say what kind of person you’ll be with the power at your disposal until you’ve accepted it. I do know that even without accepting the drenik and spirits, you’re more powerful than many umbras I’ve met.”

“With great power, etc., etc.”

“Ah, yes, Uncle Ben. Tommy has quoted it several times over the years. In case you don’t understand yet, Tommy is a massive geek. He could also bench-press a truck, but still . . . massive geek.”

Layla laughed. “So, what happens now?”

“When you’re ready, we leave this part of your mind. I take you to your room and you get some rest. No one will think less of you for what you’re going through. Everyone understands. Any embarrassment you will feel is unnecessary.”

“How do you know I’ll feel embarrassed?”

“You freaked out in front of everyone and scared people half to death. You’ll be embarrassed because anyone would be.”

Layla smiled. “You’re the wise old guy, aren’t you?”

“Old, yes. Wise, not so much. Are you ready to go back? Just relax, and I’ll take us there.”

“Just one more question. What are you?”

Grayson smiled. “That is a story for another time. What I am is not something I share lightly, even with my closest friends. Maybe one day you’ll find out.”

Layla smiled. “Everyone has their secrets.”

She closed her eyes and a few seconds later opened them to find Chloe beside her, a look of abject fear on her face.

“Is she okay?” Chloe almost shouted at Grayson as he got to his feet.

“Yes,” Layla told her. “I’m fine. I’m just . . . I’m . . .”

Chloe hugged her tight. “I’m so sorry for everything, Layla.”

Layla hugged her back. “Me too. I don’t know if I can just forget, but I’m going to try.”

Chloe helped Layla to her feet. “Thank you.”

“You’re my best friend. Doesn’t matter how or why it came about, you’re still my best friend. You can’t fake that.” She took a step and stumbled, holding her hands out to stop herself, but she never touched the ground. The water pipes from deep underground stuck up through the soil at just the right angle to support her.

“Did I do that?” she asked, as the pipes pushed her upright, before vanishing back into the dirt.

She stared at everyone in front of her: at Tommy, Diana, and Harry, who had a big grin on his face.

“It appears you’re a lot more powerful than we’d anticipated,” Tommy told her. “And that you’ve ruined my lawn.”

Layla looked around at the holes on the lawn in the vicinity of where she’d been standing. Layla had dragged the metal out of the earth. Several rifles and revolvers littered the ground nearby, torn from their owners’ hands as she’d manipulated the magnetic field around her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to Tommy as he stood before her.

“New house rule,” Tommy whispered back. “Never say sorry for being awesome. And judging from all this, you’re the definition of the word.”

She’d used her power without even meaning to. Terhal had forced her to believe she was living in a nightmare, and her mind reacted accordingly, protecting her from harm. The Terhal situation would need to be resolved, and soon. She would need to find a way to accept the drenik for what she was. But for now, and for the first time since her abduction and the murder of her friends and co-workers, Layla felt accepted.





28

The next few days of Layla’s stay at the mansion were relatively quiet. She spent her mornings training with Diana, and after the first day, Harry decided to join in, determined to pull his weight. After twenty minutes of Diana’s training, they were both drenched in sweat.

“This is torture,” Harry said, after doing another sprint with weights around his ankles and wrists. “She is a master of breaking people.”

Layla was on all fours, sucking in oxygen. “I don’t think she likes us.”

“I don’t think she likes herself, if this is how she exercises.”

“I like myself just fine, thanks,” Diana said with a smile. “I just like torturing you both. It’s so much fun.”

“She’s a cruel mistress,” Remy said with a chuckle after running over to the group. “So, are you done breaking them? Because I’m pretty sure it’s Chloe’s turn to break Layla.”

Diana’s smile intensified. “I guess we can continue this later.”

“Yay,” Harry said, with about as much enthusiasm as he could muster. “I’m so happy.”

The pair of them managed to make it back to the mansion, where Layla spotted Chloe sitting on a nearby bench. “Maybe I should have a shower first?”

Remy shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter to me, you all smell awful either way.”

Layla stopped. “We smell awful after the shower?”

“You use scented soaps and body wash. My nose is about a hundred times more sensitive than yours. You all lather yourselves in those scents, and it smells ridiculously strong. I’ve gotten used to it because it’s either that or I go insane, but sweaty or not doesn’t really make much of a difference to me. Your underlying scent is always there.”