Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
It startled me when Arden fainted. Sam and I rushed to help him, and the coven tightened the circle and joined hands again. “He’ll be okay,” Grady told us. “He does that sometimes. Please take him inside while we finish up.”
Sam scooped him up, and I hurried ahead of him and held the kitchen door open. For lack of a better idea, he placed him on the kitchen table. I wet a hand towel and put it on Arden’s forehead, and his dark lashes fluttered.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and mumbled, “What happened?”
“You passed out.”
“Again?” When he sat up, the damp cloth fell into his lap. He set it aside as he looked around and asked, “Did I hold it together long enough for the energy barrier to form?”
“I think so.”
I told him about the ring of light that had expanded out to the edge of the clearing, and he nodded. “Good. I’m glad I didn’t break the circle before that happened.”
Sam brought him a glass of water, and Arden thanked him as he moved from the tabletop to one of the chairs. We took a seat too, as I asked, “What made you pass out?”
He shrugged. “It’s like my body has a clearly defined threshold for how much it can endure, whether it’s raw energy, or my own powers, or whatever. I think it’s probably a good thing. It shuts me down before that stuff can fry my nervous system.”
As he took a sip of water, I said, “I saw your monster. I don’t get why it doesn’t freak you out more, because to me, that was deeply disturbing.”
“It used to. When he first appeared about five months ago, it scared the hell out of me. I already had the wards in place to protect me from your run-of-the-mill thieves and bad guys. Fortunately, they also worked against whatever he is, even before we built them up. And by now, I guess I’ve gotten used to it. I suppose it’s like living next to a swamp full of alligators. As long as my invisible fence stays strong and I don’t venture in there, I’ll be fine.”
“Have you done anything to try to get rid of him?”
“I don’t think there’s anything to be done,” Arden said.
I turned to Sam and asked, “Did you see him?”
“No. I looked when I heard Arden mention him, but I couldn’t see a thing. What did he look like?”
I explained what I saw and added, “I wonder why I could see him and you couldn’t.”
“That’s an easy answer,” Arden said. “You saw him because you’re like me, Andy. Remember when I said you and I were on the same frequency? It’s more than that, too. You have a superpower that relates to the natural world, don’t you?”
“A really crappy one.”
“What is it?”
“I can summon animals.”
Arden looked impressed. “That’s cool.”
“No, it isn’t. It’s total chaos. Sometimes I set it off by accident, which really sucks.”
“While you’re here, let’s work together and see if we can help you get control over your power,” he said. Even though I agreed, I didn’t expect much to come of it.
A minute later, the coven joined us. They looked exhausted. “Success,” Grady said, as he dropped onto one of the kitchen chairs. “That’s the strongest barrier we’ve ever created. To be clear, it was strong before this. But now, it would take a team of ultra-powerful supervillains to break it and get to you guys.”
“Thank you so much,” Arden said, as he got up and headed to the refrigerator. “I’ll make all of you something to eat, and then we can gather some treats and head to the home theater. Or if you prefer, I just got several new board games. You might want to check them out.”
The guys conferred for a few moments before the redhead asked, “If we pick the board games, can we still have popcorn and candy?” When Arden nodded, they took a vote. The games won unanimously.
Sam and I helped Arden form a grilled cheese assembly line, since the guys were ravenous after expending so much energy. The sandwiches were polished off in a matter of minutes, along with big bowls of chips and a case of soda.
After that, the guys gathered armloads of snacks and headed upstairs. “We need to bring in our stuff from the car,” Sam told Arden. “Is it okay if we join you in the game room after that?”
“Of course. You didn’t even need to ask.” He flashed us a friendly smile. “Are you two good with going to the car on your own, or would you like some company? This house can be unnerving, especially at night.”
“We’ll be fine.” Sam stood up a little straighter, as if to make it clear he didn’t need a babysitter. “See you in a few minutes.”