lightning witch 02 - lightning legacy (7 page)

I RUBBED MY
thumb over the coin, causing the etching to disappear and reappear. What the hell could it mean? How could this coin help me get out of this prison? I spent all night trying to dream of the god in hopes of questioning him further, but the only dream I had was the same one I’d been plagued with since Delaney died. Needless to say, I did not sleep much at all. The new moon was already at its highest point, and there I sat, flipping a coin and trying desperately to figure out how to get out of here. I tried to think back to my knowledge of this god. Really, what did I know about him?

Taranis was worshiped by the Celts prior to the first and second centuries BCE. Sadly, that was all the information I knew. Delaney said from the information she had gathered from her Aunt Mil, that both of our species were once one being, the Druid. Because the act of human sacrifices were outlawed, the tithes the Druids owed to the gods were not paid, thus it created a rift in the power base and the powers split. Now there were witches and werewolves.
There has got to be something I’m missing.
Did the Druids have other powers that they lost in the split? This not knowing, and not having a way to know, was maddening. If only I had a way to find out!

I threw the damn thing in frustration. The small gold coin bounced along the cement, floor sparking once and then bouncing against the adjacent wall. At the same moment the coin sparked, lightning struck just outside. The cracking boom was nearly deafening. My hands flew to my ears. Was it raining? Or had the coin done that? No, that's crazy. I got up from the cot and walked over to the coin. I eyed it in my hand. Again, I tossed the small disk. Again the coin sparked against the ground and again I heard the loud crack of lightning striking just outside the cell. The force of the strike was so powerful that the wall of the cell cracked, and I felt the heat of it through the cement blocks. My eyes widened in shock. I picked up the coin and smiled at it.

I looked up to the ceiling and said, “Talk about bringing the house down.”

I walked over to the bars and tried to quiet my frantic heartbeat enough to listen for any stirring from the guards. After a while, I only heard the dull thrum of a TV playing somewhere in the upper level. I glanced down at the coin and realized that two of the eight spokes that were on the wheel were gone.
Great, this limits the use of the coin.
I walked over to the cot and sat atop it. I wondered if the force of the strike had anything to do with the force of the lightning.

I threw the coin, fairly hard, at about a 45-degree angle. It bounced once with a bright spark before it hit the adjacent wall and then it sparked again with the second impact. With each spark, there was a strike of lightning, and with both bolts the crack in the wall not only became larger, but smaller cracks began to branch off. Much like a crack in glass, each strike had other smaller cracks that splintered off of it, weakening the structure as a whole. Small rocks and fine dust began to fall from the abrasions. I retrieved the coin and looked at the wheel. It now only had four spokes left. I felt a bead of sweat roll down my forehead. My heart was nearly beating through my chest. I heard the door at the top of the stairs open with a sad groan. I ran over to the coin and slipped it into my pocket. I placed my back so that it was covering the bulk of the crack.

Only seconds later did I see Phil’s face peering at me. He held a dinner tray. I let out a breath I’d not realized I was holding. He walked over to the cell door and this time he set the tray down before dealing with the keys. The door gave way with a loud squeal of protest. He kicked the tray in and shut the cell door. All without saying a word.

"That's some storm we're having," I said in a casual tone.

“Yeah, kind of came out of nowhere,” he said, ascending the stairs.

I paused for a long moment. About thirty seconds later, I heard whatever show he was watching resume its dull thrum.

I walked over to the cot and moved it until it was sitting parallel with the back wall. I then stepped back until I felt the cool concrete against my bare back. I reached back with the coin in my hand and threw it at the same angle as before. This time I threw it as hard as I could. I was rewarded with a spark so bright that I needed to shield my sensitive eyes. The lightning strike would have sent me staggering had my back not been against a wall. The wall cracked straight through. I could smell the scent of ozone, growing things and fresh snow. I gritted my teeth at the thoughts of Delaney that the scent of ozone brought.

I retrieved the coin and repeated the action two more times. With each lightning strike, the cracks in the wall grew larger. There was one spoke on the wheel left. This would be my last chance. I reached back and let loose the coin with all of the force that I could muster. The crack of the lightning strike caused me to go deaf. I couldn’t hear anything for a solid five seconds. I shook my head as if that would do any good. I looked over to the wall. My heart sank to see it still standing. I walked over and rested my forehead against the cracked surface. What had I done wrong? I hadn’t come this far to have her just out of my reach! I punched the wall in frustration. A small portion of the wall gave way.
Oh hell. Hitting things? Oh, this I could do.

I swiftly snatched up the coin and rubbed my thumb over the wolf's head, causing it to disappear. I still had no idea what that did, but I had little time to contemplate it. I shoved the metal into my pocket. I began my assault on the damn wall. With every punch, I not only felt the wall give a little more, but dust and small bits of rubble rained down to the ground. This wall stood between Delaney and me. God, what I wouldn't do to get to her. I would bring down a thousand walls, a thousand armies, a thousand Covens. I would wait a thousand years, and in the end, I would still need her to breathe. My heart beat stronger because she filled it. She was my mate, and I knew it.

I was covered in sweat by the time I heard the structure groan and a five-foot-by-three-foot section of the wall crumbled to the floor. The door at the top of the stairs was wrenched open, and both guards nearly fell down them. I could have run. But I needed to make these men pay, if not with their lives then they needed to pay with their pain. When they reached the cell their eyes widened at the gaping hole in the wall. Their eyes searched the cell, but they never stopped on me.

“Oh fuck! He’s gone!” Phil said, nearing on hysterics.

Gone? I’m standing right here
. His eyes were darting from one end of the cell to the other. With each passing second, he grew more frantic. He opened the cell door and darted in with the other guard close on his heels. They both rushed right past me. I whirled to face them. They acted as though I weren’t here at all. I couldn’t figure it out.

“Oh God, he is going to kill us! Phil, what, what do we do?” This guard was tall and lanky. He had jet-black hair with eyes that nearly matched it. He stood about six feet tall. I had no idea of his name because this was the first time I’d seen him.

"Jose, I don't fucking know," Phil said in a panicked tone. I circled them as they looked at the cell in confusion. Then the memory of the coin flashed in my head.
Oh shit. Tricky tricky, god.
It did strike me as odd that they couldn’t scent I was still in the room. These men were much younger than I and were most likely disregarding what their noses were telling them because it contradicted with what their eyes were seeing.

I circled around the pair until I stood directly behind Jose. I could kill him so easily. The decision was made when Phil said, "Jose, we have to let Mitch know. Call him." Jose pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Without thought, I raised my hands to his head. With one quick jerk, there was an audible snap of bone. He crumpled to the floor like a rag doll. It wouldn't kill him, but it would take him several hours to regain consciousness and then a day for the injury to heal. In the end, I decided to let him live. But Phil, his fate was sealed.

Phil's gaze went wide and he took a few steps back. His eyes went wild. Then a sweet scent assaulted my nose. The beast inside stirred. My mouth watered. Fear. That scent sent a shiver up my spine. I was excited by it. I rushed him, grabbing him by his throat. I slammed him against the wall. His head cracked with the impact. His feet dangled just above the floor. I shoved my left hand into my pocket and rubbed the face of the coin. Phil would have screamed in shock had I not been crushing his windpipe. One of my now claws punctured the side of his neck. The scent of his blood mixed with his fear was enough to nearly turn me. I held onto my control, but only just. I knew my eyes were fully glowing green at this point.

"Oh, Phil, you seem to be in a bit of a bind," I said in a guttural tone. My voice had become raw and deep. I was holding on to get these words out.

His mouth opened to say something, but I squeezed his throat tighter. His mouth only gaped. His expression, with his eyes bugging out and his mouth gaping, reminded me of a goldfish out of water.

“I would have you tell Mitch I’m coming. There are no words for what I’m going to do to him. There will be a new category just to explain what I’ll do to him. But, Phil, you need to be an example.”

The words were barely audible due to the gravel in my voice.

Phil worked his jaw as though to say something. I loosened my grasp on him slightly.

In a bare whisper he rasped, "It won't save her." My vision went red, and I snapped his pitiful neck. I didn't stop at that small of an injury. I gripped him, and my muscles bunched and flexed as I worked them. I pulled with every bit of strength I had. I felt the moment his skin, bones, tendons, and muscles gave way. I didn't often use my supernatural strength like this. I felt the warm spray of blood coat my chest and abdomen. The metallic tang of it filled the air, and again my mouth watered. His body crumpled in a heap to the floor. I dropped his detached head and it made a wet thudding noise upon impact. I eyed the other man lying on the ground. I bent down and snatched up his body, and did the same thing to him. Mitch was now two down from his pack. I’d thought about letting the guard live, but that would only prove how weak I was. I turned my back from the gruesome scene and stepped through the hole.

The dark landscape was coated with a white blanket of snow. There were no lights, so the shadows of the rolling hills seemed to create an eerie painting. I thought about getting the keys off of Phil and driving out of here, but knowing Mitch, he likely had trackers on those damn things. With my mind made up, I slipped my shorts off and balled them up so that the coin wouldn’t slip out. I took a deep breath of cold fresh air and then began my shift into my other self. My skin was set aflame by the burn of the change coupled with the burning cold. This shift was agonizing with the moon being new. I gritted my teeth and pushed harder. Finally, after about six minutes, I was fully changed. I padded over to my shorts and picked them up with my teeth.

Without looking back, I ran. I needed to find something to orient myself. So I let the beast out and let go. I knew he would find his mate. I knew I would find Delaney. Now, it was just a matter of when.

“DELANEY, WHY DIDN’T
you just tell him I let you out?” Mark questioned as he wiped a damp rag over my eyes.

I was caked in dried blood. I tried to be strong. But I still couldn’t stifle a wince at his touch. After a moment, he cleared the dried blood enough so I could see.

"Your wife," I rasped. My throat was dry and gods, everything hurt. I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Then the asshat driving backed up and hit me a few more times for good measure. Mark stiffened at my words.

"I didn't want her to lose you, because Mitch would have killed you." My voice was still raspy, but it was feeling better.

Mark placed a straw in my mouth and I sucked in the cool liquid. Water. God, had anything ever tasted better than this? I drank deeply. Mark took the straw out of my mouth before I was done.