I writhe and buck my body, trying to get free. But the chains are too tight and only slice at my skin. I shut my eyes, trying to use my new power to breach someone’s mind and summon them to release me.
“Try all you want,” an unfamiliar voice says. “But this place is on lockdown. No Foreseer can use their power anywhere inside it.”
My eyes slowly open and I give the stranger from earlier a dirty look. “Who are you?” A faint memory tugs at my mind. My mind, not Helena’s. Alex and I run playfully through a field while a dark haired boy chases after us, his hands and eyes lit up with fire. “What are you?”
He sits on the edge of the bed, unafraid, and rubs his jawline. “You’re full of a lot of questions.” He watches me closely, like he’s trying to figure something out. “But are those questions yours,” he pauses and prods his finger against my head, “Or hers?”
“Whose?” I bat my eyelashes innocently.
The bedroom door opens and Alex slips inside. My heart flutters, but Helena silences it.
Worry masks his face and his dark hair is all over the place, a stress tick. “How’s she doing, Evan?”
Evan steps back from the bed, the chain attached to his belt loop and pocket clinking with his movements. “I’m not sure. She’s obviously possessed, but there’s still some of her in there.”
I hiss and both guys flinch. “Where’s Laylen?”
Alex shakes his head, aggravated. “Tied up just like you. Neither one of you are going anywhere until we know for sure that Helena’s gone.”
“And Aislin?” I smirk because I already know the answer.
He glares with hatred. “You think you’re so clever, sending her to the Faerie Realm, knowing she’ll be trapped there now that Luna’s gone.”
We stare each other down, his expression torn between loathing and want.
“This is going to be hard,” Evan interrupts, examining me over. “The Queen of The Afterlife is nothing like a ghost.”
“Oh my God,” I laugh hysterically. “Not another exorcism. Didn’t you learn your lesson the last time? I’m not going anywhere.”
Alex rubs his face exhaustedly and drops down on the bed, a cold look icing his face. “Tell me Helena, have you ever heard of a little thing called an Omnia?”
I frown as Helena whispers what it is.
“By the look on your face, I think you have,” Alex says. “But I’ll explain anyway, since I don’t think Gemma knows… well, that she can remember. Omnia is a term for everything. So imagine someone who has every power; pyrokinesis, telekinesis, mind bending, the death touch, Foreseer power. And all the crap is mixed into one person. An Omnia. Now imagine what that person could do.”
Helena isn’t happy. I frown, anger burning in my chest.
“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Evan asks. “Does it scare you?”
I sputter a laugh. “You think I’m afraid of you?” I shake my head, a laugh tickling my lips. “Man, humans are stupid. You think you can stop me. You think you can win.” I lower my voice so they have to lean closer. “If you really do kick me out of her, she’ll die. She’s now a part of me and there’s no going back.”
“You’re lying,” Alex says in horror. “Gemma can’t die. She’s a Protected One.”
“Loopholes,” I singsong. “They always exist.”
Evan concentrates on my eyes. “I think she’s telling the truth.”
I laugh evilly and a dark cloud covers the room. I’m not lying. There’s only one loophole that can save me from Helena. Annabella. But they don’t know that. And with Annabella locked inside me, they won’t find out.
My laughter fills the air, unsettling them so much that they have to leave the room. Time slips by, but that’s okay. I have all the time in the world.
Because I’m not going anywhere.