Hush (Witches & Warlocks Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

pacing in front of me, snarling and twitching her whiskers. I open my eyes.
    Shit!
    Instead of golden light, sparkling and glittering around the plants, there are massive purple clouds, seeping into the ground. Bits of fire scorching the earth at my feet. Green, oozing drops of something dripping from leaves and branches. Instead of flowers blooming and buds sprouting on trees, desecration stretches out in front of me. The tiger whines and places her great head in my lap.
    What have I done?
    Beads of sweat drip off my forehead and my shirt is clinging to my damp back. When I raise my hand, it quivers in the air in front of me. I’m exhausted. Spent. But I can’t leave things like this.
    Blowing a deep breath out through my nose, I concentrate on finding that place of peace. I look for the solace that Noah brought me near the river, the warmth I felt with his lips pressed to mine yesterday. Somewhere, deep inside me, buried under all the hateful thoughts of revenge and betrayal, is the good part of me. The part that wields light magic and cares about what happens to people. The part that Noah believes in.
    “Sanitas valitudo.” I chant the incantation over and over, my voice shaking in exhaustion, desperate to reverse what I’ve done. I look down at the tiger. “Help me.”
    She lays down at my feet and wraps her tail around my ankles. The contact brings me comfort. I become aware of a voice, deep inside my head, a voice that sounds like home. “Concentrate, Zoe. You can do this.”
    Somehow, Noah’s been here with me the whole time.
    There’s a woompf, and then, there’s, like, no sound at all. Magic explodes out from me, plants bending in the wind caused by its passing. I open my eyes in time to see the entire garden die. It shrivels up into a brown tangled mess. A bird drops out of the sky and lands on its back at my feet, its eyes open and its neck twisted.
    And then, a golden pulse of light magic starts at my feet and ripples out away from me. The bird hops to its feet and flies away. The plants spring back to life, luscious and overgrown. Barren trees now laden with leaves and blossoms that quickly change into fruit.
    The world is spinning and I’m so tired I’m cold. My hands fall to my side and I’m vaguely aware of warmth spreading across my legs. It seems I’ve managed to spill my hot chocolate. Things get all tilted and I think that’s because I’m falling.
    One more thing. I had to do one more thing. A protection spell.
    “Vigilens servo cortego”
    I whisper the words, only vaguely aware that I’m making a sound at all, and then the world gives one last revolting lurch and then everything goes black.
     

Chapter Five
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    I wake in my bed, swathed in blankets and sweat. My body feels tired and bruised, the way I imagine a runner feels after a marathon. I struggle to sit up and instantly regret the decision. My head throbs and I feel hung-over in the worst possible way. Sunlight pierces through the slats of my closed blinds, leaving linear bursts of brightness on the floor that point and laugh at my headache.
    “You ok?”
    The voice comes from someone in a chair in the far corner of my room and I jump and yelp. “Christ, Noah.” I rub my forehead.
    “Sorry.” He gives a little laugh. “I thought you could see me.”
    “Nope. The floor’s too bright.”
    Noah kind of snorts and stands up. “I’ll pretend like I know what that means.”
    I just smile instead of trying to explain. “It’s probably better that way.”
    When Noah sits down beside me, he sinks into the super soft mattress, creating a little downward hill. I topple over and lean into him, letting my head rest on his shoulder. It’s good he’s here. I’m not sure I could stand being alone right now.
    I sigh and close my eyes. “What happened?”
    “I was gonna ask you the same thing.”
    “I guess, what I really want to know, is what could you guys see?”
    “I think what Daya saw and what I saw