Page 127 of Legacy of Danger
Chapter 37
Vaughn staggered in a circle, like he'd unloaded a gallon of brandy into his gut. "Where is she?" A vice grip cranked down on his brain. Remaining upright had turned into a hell of a chore.
He stopped fighting and his knees gave out, dropping him to the floor.
Shelby gasped for air in the chair as she pinched her nose. "Dude, stop."
"Quit hurting her," Eric growled.
Vaughn held his head in two hands, as if he could keep it from exploding. "I'm trying."
Desperate. The power wanted—needed—to find Mariah. Needed Vaughn to protect her.
Was she hurt? He tried to use his power to try and locate her, but the damned mental ability couldn't tell direction.
Maybe this was the reason his power had shifted. So he could help Mariah when she was in danger.
He glanced up. Ruth's wide-eyed expression iced his blood. Underneath, though, there was more. Like she understood how he felt. Like she'd experienced something similar herself. He rubbed the goose bumps on his arms. He'd deal with Mrs. Sphinx later.
Another wave of pain hit him. His ability stretched his mind, reached out farther than he thought possible, pulling him in all directions with its clawing need to find her. He lifted his head out of his hands and met the horrified stares around him.
"Find her," he said, the words tearing out of him.
No one moved.
"Please, Shel." Still on his knees, he turned toward his sister. "I'm begging you."
Eric knelt and got in his face. "No. No way are you doing that to her. She's barely recovered from a damned coma. We don't know what using her power will do to her."
"I know. Shit." The words ripped out of the back of Vaughn's raw throat.
"It's okay." Shelby motioned Eric back. "I get it. When someone I loved was in danger, there was nothing I wouldn't do to help them."
"Geezus—" Eric bit off as he stood up.
Shelby's deadly expression made him bump back against the wall in a huff.
"Let me try," she said.
Garrison stood up. "Just don't go all the way into Mariah's head. That nearly killed you the last time you tried it on someone."
She rolled her eyes. "Trust me when I say you don't have to remind me."
Another blast of agony shot urgency through Vaughn's skull and he groaned. "Shit. Hurry."
"Okay, then. Help me up, sunshine," Shelby said.
Eric clenched his hands into fists, but as soon as she tried to stand on her own, he was right there at her side.
Ruth clutched the wall near the entrance to the living room.
Shelby pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. With the hardware on her leg, movement took extra effort and extra time that Mariah might not have. Slowly, Shelby rotated until she stopped, facing the back of the house. "She's that way."
"Wait. Her house, the hospital, and town are all over there," Vaughn protested, pointing in the opposite direction.
She raised her orange brows. "And I'm telling you she's that way."
He shook his head, trying to shake sense into what she was saying. "Nothing's out in that direction, except forest and..."
