Page 67 of Backfire
Instead of saying anything, Wyatt held up his fists, slowly pushed them together, then made a quiet explosion sound when they met. None of which made any sense to me.
“Are you medicated? Because if you’re not, then you should seriously consider asking for some.”
He rolled his eyes. “What do you think happens when two fireballs meet head on?”
“They burn.”
He looked at me as if I’d just discovered the secret to the universe. “Exactly.”
“Uh huh? So about that medication…”
A yell that made my eyes roll came from the other side of Devlin’s door.
“Go to bed,Bréagán!”
Bite me, dickhead.
“See.” Wyatt smiled. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
If he was alluding to the fact that his brother was a grade-A asshole, that wasn’t exactly new information. Either way, I was done with this conversation.
“Don’t you have some porn to watch?”
“I’m waiting for the live show.”
They did live porn? Eww.
“You have fun with that.” I waved at him and headed back down the hall to my room. “I’m going to bed.”
And first thing in the morning, I was tying a bell around everyone’s neck.
Iwasn’t sure how long I was asleep before something started gnawing at the back of my brain. At first, I thought it was part of my dream.
There was nothing quite as exhilarating as soaring through the air in the body of an owl. But the stronger that sensation got, the more I realized that the disturbing feeling crawling up my spine wasn’t adrenaline. Nor was it part of my imagination. Fantasy didn’t make the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
The first thing I noticed when my eyes fluttered open was the abundance of shadows dancing around my room. Normally, moonlight cut through and chased some of the darkness away, but it was cloudy out tonight. There wasn’t much more than a soft sliver glow bouncing off the floor under my window.
That lack of light made the shuffling sound I heard at the foot of my bed echo in my ear like a drum. My heart picked up pace, pumping sharp slices through my veins. I felt warmth leave my body, cooling my head with fear as it worked its way down to my toes.
As illogical as it was, I thought about hiding under my blanket. It was a tactic I employed as a child when the monster in my closet bared his dripping fangs. But I was in the real word, and the boogeyman didn’t exist.
At least that’s what I told myself when I tried to muster up the courage to swing my eyes towards the sound. Nothing had ever been more daunting than those few seconds it took to force my neck to turn.
How I managed not to scream when I saw something moving around, I’ll never know. The terror was right there, lumping in my throat, but not so much as a breath came out as I lay there staring at the distinct outline of arms and legs.
The something in my room was a someone!
There was nothing creepier than waking up to someone standing at the foot of your bed. If it was possible for a heart to combust from fear, then mine just did. I could literally hear the pop behind my ribs while my lungs struggled to work.
My brain switched into fight mode. I threw the only thing within reach—a pillow—then jumped across the bed to click on a lamp and grab a pen. Light flooded the room, making me squint.
The only thing that saved me from turning my back and running like a coward, was the pen pressing against my palm. Having something solid in my grip made me feel a little better. It wasn’t the best weapon, but it was better than nothing.
“You talk in your sleep.”
My face dropped.
Devlin.
