Where the hell was Gabriel?

Nick was torn between sucking the oxygen out of the air and forcing it into Tyler’s lungs. Was he burning to death or suffocating? It didn’t matter. The atmosphere was too focused on destruction now. Thunder rolled overhead. Lightning hit a tree. Ozone charged the air and flaming branches rained around them.

Tyler’s eyes rolled back in his head. Another lightning strike somewhere off to Nick’s left.

“Damn it, Gabriel,” Nick called. “Stop! Help me!”

Tyler’s cheeks were red and raw. His eyes fell closed. Nick reached forward and grabbed the other boy’s jacket. The zipper was hot from the flames and burned his palms. Nick flung all of his power into the space between them. He did this with Gabriel all the time—stopped fires before they caused too much damage. He could do it now.

Stop this, he pleaded with his element. Heal him.

It took a moment, but the wind listened. The fire died down to nothing more than a few spirals of flame dancing in the breeze. Wind licked between them, settling, stealing the redness from Tyler’s cheeks.

For an instant, Tyler didn’t move. Then he sucked in a rough breath of air. Then another.

“Jesus,” said Nick, feeling a bit breathless himself. “You’re not dead.”

Tyler’s eyes opened. Nick let him go, expecting to see pain, confusion, fear.

He saw derision.

“Not dead yet,” said Tyler. He grabbed Nick’s jacket with fistfuls of flame and shoved, true power in the motion. Nick’s back hit a tree.

But that didn’t hurt half as much as the bolt of lightning that hit him next.

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 25

“Nick. Nick.”

Gabriel’s voice. He sounded almost panicked. Hands gripped Nick’s shoulders, shaking him. “Come on, Nicky. Please. Come on.”

Nick couldn’t remember how to open his eyes. It felt like he’d been hit by a truck.

“No, you idiot,” Gabriel said, that panic giving way to choked relief. “You were hit by lightning.”

Were his eyes open? He couldn’t see anything. Was he talking?

“You’re talking,” said Gabriel. “Open your eyes.”

He didn’t want to open his eyes. The air was dancing on his skin and it felt wonderful.

Dancing. Adam.

Nick wished he could apologize. He wished he could fix it.

“Come on, Nick,” said Gabriel. “You’re scaring me.”

He was kind of scaring himself. He felt disconnected, like his body ached, but he couldn’t feel it yet.

Next time, he was so making Gabriel play bait.

Gabriel choked out a sound, half laugh, half sob. “I will, Nick. I promise.” It felt like he was patting Nick’s cheek. “Come on. Wake up.”

Nick opened his eyes and looked at his brother.

Gabriel was kneeling there in the charred leaves and undergrowth, holding him up against a tree, his eyes tense and worried.