Drake Sisters 03 - Oceans of Fire

all around her. Through her. She felt Elle, her youngest sister, join in, the rush of power welling up from somewhere inside Abigail to burn down her arms and into her palms. Kate’s strength added to the steady stream. Joley joined in, her voice strong on the wind, her power pouring into Abigail. And then, from a distance, Libby joined them, aiding Abigail with her tremendous gift of healing. The surge was so strong she shook with the force of it, the burning in her palms so pronounced it was difficult to keep her hands steady over the wounds.
    The wind blasted her face and brought with it the fog, obscuring all vision on the water so that she was wrapped in a silvery cocoon, kneeling there on the pier with Gene lying so still and Aleksandr’s body heat warming her. The relief nearly overwhelmed her. Hannah and Joley and Elle were often conduits for power, but never Abigail. It was both frightening and exhilarating to feel the strength and heat pour from Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    her into the mortally wounded fisherman. It wasn’t the same as her gift, but much stronger and more focused. She felt his skin burn beneath her palm as if absorbing healing properties. She felt his chest rise as if Gene struggled for breath and she knew he lived, although his injuries were grave.
    As the power faded, her legs gave out and she sank back onto the pier shaking, arms and legs like lead.
    The terrible price for having and using power was a debilitating weakness afterward. She lay helpless, listening to the waves lapping at the pier and the wailing of the sirens as vehicles filled the parking lots along the harbor.
    “Abbey.” Aleksandr’s voice was gentle. He took off his jacket and spread it over her violently shaking body. “The paramedics are here. How bad are you hurt?”
    She looked up at him. The lines and planes of his face so achingly familiar to her. Tears blurred her vision. Fog swirled above her head. She knew her sisters lay on the captain’s walk, or wherever they had been when they had completed the joining, just as drained of strength. The wind fluttered softly without the power of the Drake sisters carrying it and she heard the last notes of Joley’s incredible voice fade away.
    Footsteps thundered toward her. The wooden planks of the pier creaked and groaned in protest, shaking beneath the weight of people running. She wondered if the boards would give out and she’d be dropped back in the ocean for sharks to feast on. She was definitely hysterical. It wasn’t a good time to be staring into Aleksandr’s eyes and wondering why his lashes were so long. Or wondering why she could never get his face out of her dreams. Why she heard his voice calling to her across oceans. Abigail closed her eyes and turned away from him.
    “You. Stand up slowly with your hands where I can see them. Back away from her.” She recognized Jonas Harrington, the sheriff. He was using his voice of total authority, which he did often, but this time it carried a hint of something deadly in it.
    Abbey’s heart contracted. Her eyes locked with Aleksandr’s. His expression was hard, his eyes as cold as the arctic sea. She knew he could kill a man swiftly and efficiently, going from stillness to action in the single beat of a heart.
    “Don’t hurt him.” The words escaped, so low they were barely discernible, but Aleksandr could read the fear so apparent on her face. And it wasn’t for him.
    “This is the sheriff and I’m ordering you to get your hands where I can see them and back away from the woman.”
    “Please.” She whispered the plea to the Russian.
    Beside her, Aleksandr rose with unhurried ease. Calm. Cool. Never ruffled. He turned to face Jonas, his hands up, palms out.
    “You.” Jonas nearly spat the word. Jonas holstered his gun and reached down to check the pulse of the man lying so still. “Volstov. I should have known you’d be involved in this somehow. This man is dead.
    Who is he?”
    “My partner. The ones who murdered him are out there somewhere.” Aleksandr indicated the expanse of sea beyond the harbor.

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    Jonas examined Gene next. His eyes met the Russian’s and he heaved a sigh as he went to Abigail.
    Jonas crouched down beside her, taking her hand. Jackson, one of the deputies, stood at his back, facing out toward sea, but his body posture was clearly protective.