Carpathian 23 - Dark Storm
relieving
pressure.”
“How long have you had this particular skill?” Ben asked, his tone somewhere between
awe and sarcasm.
“Since my mother died,” Riley replied, feeling a little distracted. She wanted to
brush up against that elusive feeling of comfort and strength and draw courage from
it just one more time. Trapped in a cave, waiting to cook to death, exhausted beyond
anything she’d ever known, she wanted to curl up in the fetal position and hide.
“How did you do this?” Ben demanded. “Are you some kind of devil worshipper? No one
can make a cave grow over their head or stop a volcano from exploding.”
“Clearly, I didn’t stop the volcano,” Riley pointed out. “And that’s the second time
you’ve accused me of worshipping the devil, and I really don’t appreciate it. You
were right here. You watched everything I did. I called on the Universe, not the devil.”
She couldn’t keep weariness—or disgust—out of her voice, and it wasn’t entirely fair
to Ben. Given everything that had happened, his fear and need to lash out were understandable.
If everyone weren’t looking for her to save them, she might be tempted to lash out,
too. Moreover, how could she explain what was happening to him when she didn’t understand
it herself?
Grief welled up without warning, and she blinked back a hot rush of tears. She wanted
her mother—needed her. Everything was happening so fast, and Riley didn’t have a clue
what she was doing.
Gary stepped in smoothly. “Calm down, Ben. I know what’s happening seems crazy, but
just because you’ve never encountered something like this before doesn’t make it less
real—or less dangerous. Fighting among ourselves is only going to make things worse.
Jubal and I have witnessed things that would send most people screaming their way
straight to the loony bin. But the truth is, evil does exist, monsters come after
us in the night, and people like Riley are sometimes the only thing standing between
us and total annihilation. I wish you hadn’t had to be a part of this, but unfortunately
for you, you’re a brave man and you chose to protect Riley instead of running away
like the others. That choice, while admirable, has put you in harm’s way and exposed
you to powers beyond your comprehension. As long as you stick with us, you’re going
to be in the middle of this, and I can pretty much guarantee it’s going to get worse
before it gets better. So we need you to keep your cool, and lay off Riley. Sniping
at her isn’t going to help any of us.”
Riley had to admire his calm, matter-of-fact explanation. There was something very
reassuring about Gary. No drama. No ego. Just his presence. She took another drink
of water. Her throat felt parched, her body thirsty. She needed . . . but what she
didn’t know. Only that she was suddenly craving something. Despite her exhaustion,
her blood was on fire, rushing through her veins, her pulse leaping, finding a strange
rhythm.
She felt more alive than she ever had and had no idea if it was because the volcano
had come to dramatic life, breathing fire, or if it was because she’d connected with
someone who had given her a brief moment of comfort in the midst of total madness.
Maybe it was the intensity of her emotions, the fear, the grief, the adrenaline. Whatever
it was, she felt every bit as vibrant as she did weary.
“It’s just hard to wrap my head around all this,” Ben said in a calmer voice. “The
funny thing is, I’ve always been interested in folklore, everything from Bigfoot and
the Yeti to werewolves and vampires and I’ve traveled all around the world in an effort
to prove where there’s smoke there’s fire. I’ve been in a minisub searching for the
Loch Ness Monster. You name it, if it was unexplained, I went to find it, but after
all the disappointments, I didn’t really believe anymore. Maybe I never really did.
But this . . .” He shook his head and wiped his hand over his mouth. “I’m sticking
with you, although I have to tell you, I’m just a little scared.”
Jubal smiled at him, a flash of white teeth in his ash-blackened face. “Welcome to
our world. You’d be crazy if you weren’t a little afraid.”
Riley pushed herself up and scooted to the far wall facing the three men. She drew
her knees up and rested her chin on them. “I’m definitely scared, Ben. I’ve come
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