Just Breathe Part 38

Gavin heaved a sigh of relief as the smoke cleared from his brain. Maybe Byrn wasn't so bad after all.

She's trying to distract you. Wear you down, he told himself. Whatever Scarlet did is done. You can't change it. Keep focused on your mission to find the door. Move forward.

Another deep breath. Yeah. Forward.

Byrn quirked a brow as if to say, "Okay?"

Gavin nodded.

A few more turns, a trek down some stairs, and a trip through a long hallway brought them to a pair of double doors.

"The portal's in there." Whetu's soft voice shook.

Gavin laid his palm on the metal. Dreamsense provided a snapshot of what awaited on the other side. "There are at least three Fyres."

Another solar flare of nuclear heat doubled him over.

Oh, f.u.c.k. He rubbed his sternum. Panic resurfaced. "Make that four."

He'd be worthless to his mates with Scarlet pinging around inside him. He couldn't think straight. Reality jumbled and flipped and shattered. His vision reddened.

Could he be any more pathetic? The oath he swore wouldn't allow him to fight Scarlet. He might even be compelled to join her. Cursed to stand by and watch as the one person he hated enough to kill either got away from him again or died by someone else's hand.

Who would take her? Jet? Would Byrn consume her?

Sweat sizzled a path down the side of his face. He couldn't let them have his prize. G.o.d d.a.m.n it, he wanted her blood on his hands, her entrails on- That's the Fire talking. Think of Zoe, a female voice said in his mind.

He turned around. Whetu stared up at him with yellow doe eyes. The pink burns lining her throat stood in relief against the surrounding light brown skin. She'd been through as much as him. Probably more. If he lost his s.h.i.+t, he'd put this innocent kid-and everyone else-at risk again.

He'd become a Sentinel for people like Whetu. Despite the immediate challenges facing him, he had to step up-rise above Scarlet and his Fire-driven urges.

Injustice and hunger for power would always exist, but so would the resiliency of the human spirit. He had plenty of that, and it was a stronger weapon than fiery hatred.

With a deep breath, he concentrated on the Water-on his love for Zoe and many others like Jack and Yileen who'd touched his life and made him a better person. He funneled the Element through his chest to fall in a steady rain over the Fire in his gut.

Scarlet hissed and scurried for cover.

Yes. Water would save them all.

Gavin smiled at Whetu and patted her arm. She smiled back.

A breeze from Vexx pa.s.sed over his skin, sharpening his wit. Earthy strength from Jet surged through muscle and bone. Fiery determination from Byrn kicked his hesitancy in the a.r.s.e.

And Zoe provided the Water he'd need to take down the f.u.c.kers on the other side.

Surrounded by the power of the Elements, he was re-energized-the Sentinel he used to be-once again.

He could do this.

"I'm ready. Open the door, Jet."

Chapter Forty-one.

The room was pitch black and sweltering. A low buzz hummed through the air along with pulsing energy that stiffened the hairs on Gavin's arms into hypersensitive monofilament wires.

Four intensely red auras stood in the center of the s.p.a.ce. He couldn't tell how big the room was, but judging by the echo from the mechanical hum, it was vast and mostly empty.

"If you've come for a root, it's a little late." Scarlet pulled gently on the Fire tethering them together. Teasing. Testing.

He ignored it. "Nope. I'm here to reclaim the door to the Dreaming. And the necklace you stole." He touched the bare s.p.a.ce at his neck. Yileen's gift might have come in handy right now. He had a feeling the last remaining gem on it held more power than the others combined.

Her raspy, evil laugh must have scared Whetu, who fisted the back of his s.h.i.+rt again. Quick breaths pumped from her lungs behind him. The three other Fyres snickered in reply. Gavin felt around and grasped her arm gently. It's okay. Stay close.

"Come and get it," Scarlet said.

The Fyres fanned out around her like a pack of wolves backing up their alpha. Gleaming red eyes shone through the darkness. They moved forward as one.

The first blast of yellow-orange flame shot straight at Gavin. His friends tightened around him, Jet and Byrn on either side, blocking Vexx and Whetu from the fireball. Gavin threw out both hands, palms vertical. A direct hit doused the first Fyre with Water. Whetu squealed as a combination shriek/explosion lit up the place. The wet slop of a body hit the floor and splattered into a puddle of foul-smelling organic goo.

One down.

Thick arms bowed protectively, Byrn jumped in front of Vexx, into the next round of fire. He buffered the blow with his body as Vexx tackled Whetu to the floor. Byrn and his enemy ignited into dueling flames. No longer corporeal, their pure Elemental energy clashed with ear-splitting crackles. While each of them volleyed for control of the other, Jet made a beeline for Scarlet. Good. Since Gavin couldn't hurt her, he would take the third Fyre.

"Keep right behind me." Gavin tossed the words over his shoulder to the Aers as he snapped his arms out and shook more Water to the surface. His 'guns' ready, he leveled them on his target.

This Fyre was faster than the first, and smarter. He dodged Gavin's blast by Firewalking through Byrn and the other Elemental's flames at the last second. When he rematerialized, he bolted like a rocket on a collision course with Vexx. Byrn shouted her name. In the darkness, it took Gavin a moment to register what happened and to get his bearings. He tracked the Fyre a moment too late.

Protected by Gavin's blind spot, the f.u.c.ker shot his Fire cannons to Gavin's left, where Whetu stood vulnerable. Gavin didn't even have time to think the word 's.h.i.+t' before he spun to face him. On the slow-motion turn, his Water tattoos roared to life, and a blue stream surged over his shoulder, into the Fyre's chest.

"No!" The bloke's dying scream lasted longer than he did, bouncing off the walls as his human form disintegrated into sulfurous muck.

Gavin whirled around, tattoos casting bright aqua light over the scene. At least he could see the G.o.dd.a.m.n place now.

"Vexx, you okay, baby?" Byrn's voice strained from the writhing ball of orange and red.

"Yeah," came Vexx's clipped reply.

Whetu cowered in Vexx's arms, not hurt as far as Gavin could tell. Her legs shook so hard, she dropped to the floor.

Vexx sat beside the girl, patting her down, checking for damage. She didn't look up as she said, "Gavin, meet Xanthos. Xanthos, Gavin."

No one was there. Gavin wiped his sweaty brow. "How're you going?" he said to the wall. "Glad you could join us. Your timing couldn't be better, though I thought you'd be with Zoe."

A silvery blue outline s.h.i.+mmered across the concrete and headed to Jet and Scarlet. Unable to help there and worried that if he intervened in Byrn and the second Fyre's bonfire, he might accidentally hurt his ally, Gavin lowered his gaze to the Aers.

"The b-b-box." Whetu pointed to the center of the room.

An imposing three- by three-meter metal cube. Jet and Scarlet squared off several meters away. Xanthos's human form flickered to life for a split second and released a deluge of Water in their direction.

Please, G.o.ds, let Xanthos kill her...

Scarlet screamed a curse, and Gavin barreled over in anguish.

The pain ended abruptly.

He straightened, afraid to look, yet not able to turn away.

Scarlet was gone. Hands out, Jet stood with a puzzled expression near the cube.

Gavin laid a hand on his chest. Was Scarlet's Fire still inside him? He didn't feel anything...

"The box!" Vexx shouted.

He aimed his gaze at the cube and jogged past the searing ball of Byrn and the remaining Fyre. Byrn's face shook from the flames, pointing in Vexx's direction, his expression tight.

Vexx s.h.i.+elded her eyes from the brightness of the inferno and bit her lip. She seemed to be concentrating hard. Byrn winked at her, then melted back into red and orange. The heat intensified.

Good. Byrn should be able to take care of the Fyre in no time.

Dreamsense kicked wide open, Gavin looked down at himself. No more red. Was Scarlet dead? Was he finally free? Sure felt like it, but he dared not a.s.sume.

Gavin reached the cube. Using his tattoos for light, he fumbled with a padlock. Seriously? Was this the best security the Fyres could afford? He glanced around the metal sides and down at the floor. No key. Jet appeared next to him. She grabbed the lock, crushed it, then tossed it.

Relief welled within him. Not only had he cut Scarlet loose, but he'd found the door to the Dreaming. f.u.c.k. Yes. About time his luck changed.

Gavin slid his fingers over the cold metal. This was high-tech s.h.i.+t. Some kind of super-strong alloy. He located a handhold and lifted the top. Hinges creaked amid the pops and hisses volleying between the raging Fyres.

His Dreamsense went aurora australis, and his tattoos shot rainbows of light everywhere. What the- A splash echoed from within the cube. He s.h.i.+ned his arm over the opening.

Christ in a crack house. Someone was in there. Three guesses who it was.

He turned to Jet. Her eyes widened, and she reached down to pull the person up. Chains rattled, and the helmeted woman-he could see her feminine curves now-jerked.

Her body spasmed, and she succ.u.mbed to a seizure. Jet let go and backed up.

What the h.e.l.l? Dread sinking in his gut, he faced Vexx.

"It's the Dreamweaver. You were right. She's the door." Vexx glanced at the Fyres and wrung her hands.

Holy f.u.c.king s.h.i.+t. No wonder the Dreaming had fallen into chaos.

"You must get her out. She's in terrible pain." Whetu's brows wrenched together.

Crawling halfway into the box, Jet struggled with the chains. They didn't budge. Must have been made of the same metal as the cube. The muscles in her back and arms flexed as she yanked and grunted. The temperature in the room rose even higher. Finally, a clang rang out, and a splash followed. Jet scrambled to the Dreamweaver's other arm and tore at the chain.

Pop!

The woman continued to seize while Jet gently pulled her free of the chamber. The two fell to the concrete in a twitching jumble of arms and legs. Still in semi-shock, Gavin dropped beside them.

A strange contraption with flas.h.i.+ng red lights sat atop the Dreamweaver's head, covering her eyes. A long plastic tube sprouted from her mouth-some kind of breathing apparatus. She choked. Arms flailed against Jet's body.

Gavin pulled out the tube as gently as he could. The Dreamweaver coughed up clear fluid. The oppressive, humid air in the warehouse trembled. The heat from the merged Fyres seared his corneas. He quickly pumped Water north to cool them and prayed Xanthos had covered Vexx and Whetu behind him.

Jet started to lift the helmet, but the speechless Dreamweaver clawed desperately at the Elemental's hands. Lines of red streaked from her temples down her cheeks.

The sick f.u.c.ks had screwed the device into the woman's skin, maybe all the way to the bone. "It's bolted on." Gavin swallowed his disgust.

Jet inspected the metal, tracing the b.u.mps. With deft fingers, she pinched the first screw and twisted.

Byrn and the other Fyre sputtered again. Another wave of heat. Windows high above rattled. f.u.c.k, the place was going to blow.

"Hurry, Jet." Gavin glanced to Vexx and Whetu. Two pairs of frightened yellow eyes stared back. Both their auras shook with red-brown fear. He had to get them out.

An inhuman scream from the Fyre ball shattered his concentration. Another eerily familiar one followed.

Byrn.

Gavin's Dreamsense went berserk, his entire field of vision bled red.

"Byrn!" Vexx shrieked and reached forward, her face a desperate tangle of horrified lines. "No!"

Flames from the dancing inferno reached the ceiling. For a split second, Byrn shrugged out of the fire, brows wrenched and hands clawing for Vexx. A silent scream rounded his mouth, then he blurred into red as the Fyre yanked him backward.

The two ghostly forms struggled viciously. The violence was palpable as they punched and tore at each other. Gavin took three steps toward them. He had to get Byrn out of there. The two twisting Elemental forms rose as one, licked a hole through the metal rafters. The heat exploded in another flare, knocking Gavin back. The unified Fire snaked up to the sky in a spinning vortex and coughed two souls into the heavens. A breeze swept the wisps away, dissipating them into nothing.

"Byrn!" Vexx's raw, desperate voice stabbed a hole clean through Gavin's heart. Her wracking sobs filled the air.

f.u.c.k. Byrn was dead.

Scarlet's Fire burst to life inside Gavin's soul with a bone-chilling cackle. He clutched his chest and looked down.

Red. Everywhere.

G.o.ds, no.

The remnants of the bonfire folded inward, reshaped into human form. Scarlet shook herself from the smoke, bigger and hotter than any Fyre he'd ever seen.

The lump in Gavin's throat plummeted like a cannon ball into his gut. Scarlet's Fire lit its fuse.

Jesus Christ.