Page 25 of Bound By Water
My attacker is completely engulfed in flames. At the last second, he opens his mouth, as if to gasp for air, but the fire steals his last breath.
I force my eyes from him to Lionel, fearing the worst, but he waves a hand, and the fire moves away from his body. Hands trembling, I reach out to help him stand, my eyes scanning his body for burns, but there’s not a single one on him. His clothes aren’t even singed. It’s as if the fire didn’t touch him.
He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “That was close. Are you okay?”
“My ear’s ringing, and things are kind of echoing, but I’m alive. How are you not burned?” I reply in a shaky voice.
He glances down at his outstretched hand, which is shaking violently. “Fire is a part of me. We need to go.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask, but then I see the fire dying behind him.
He tilts his head in the direction of the trees. “My power is almost depleted. When it goes, the fire will die. Our only option is to run. Brad will rally the closest troops, but I don’t know when they’ll get here. We need to buy him some time.”
With a firm nod, I tighten the straps of the go pack on my back and look around for my other bag. At the same time, a loud crack pierces the night air and Lionel’s body drops. One minute he’s standing in front of me, and the next, he’s on his knees, staring at his chest.
Kneeling down, I follow his gaze and see red blooming across his shirt. “No, no, no.” I press my hands to the wound while I help him lie down. Blood seeps from the wound without stopping.
“Don’t you dare die on me. Do you hear me, Lionel? Just hold on. Let me find something to stop the bleeding, then we’ll get out of here.”
He grabs my hand. “Stop. I’m not going anywhere, Willa. They must have hit my spine. I can’t feel my legs.” Pain tightens his face for a second, and his breathing becomes ragged. “But I can hold the fire while you escape.”
Sobbing, I shake my head, refusing to leave him. “I won’t leave you. I love you. You’re my dad, too.” I swipe at the tears on my face and cough as the smoke clogs my throat. “Please don’t make me.”
“Do it for me. For your parents. Live to fight another day. They’ll be coming for you. Find Phoenix,” he grits out, holding out his hand to fan the flames higher. “I can’t hold it for much longer. This is your only chance. Don’t make me watch them take you.” He holds my gaze until I reluctantly nod. “I love you, Willa. Smart, beautiful, a heart of gold. I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter. Make me and your dad proud.”
Another shot rings out, hitting the side window of the car and shattering the glass. I duck, throwing my arms around my head, while I try to shield Lionel as best as I can. He swears fiercely, and I watch his hand shake uncontrollably. I know it’s taking everything in him to maintain the fire, and the longer I wait, the harder it is for him. Tears streaming down my face, I realize I have to leave him here, alone on the ground, holding the barrier up between us and the bad guys.
Aware of the flames creeping closer, I bend down and brush his thick head of grey hair away from his face, then force myself to swallow the huge lump in my throat so I can tell him how much he means to me.
“I love you, Lionel. When I lost my parents, it felt like my world ended and I would be sad forever. But you… came along and helped me find joy again. You’ve been my best friend and a great dad.” I kiss his cheek. “Thank you for everything.”
Heat blasts me in the face, and with a sob, I stand, grab my other backpack, and start running. I see Lionel’s gun and scoop it up. At the edge of the forest, I pause to take one last look at him, but he’s covered in flames and a sob bursts out of my raw throat. How do I leave him like this?
Guns fire over and over, and I instinctively duck, but nothing comes close. That’s when I see a guy running full speed in my direction. It’s the one they left in the car. Tall and lean, he’s shouting at me and pointing to the trees, but I don’t know whether I can trust him. Scared, I raise the gun and pull the trigger. Nothing happens. Dumbfounded, I look down at it.
Without stopping, the guy reaches me and grabs my other hand, then jerks me into the cover of the forest.
“We’re going to have to run,” he shouts, trying to be heard above the shots still ringing out behind us. “They’ll move fast. And once the teleporter tracks us, it’s all over. We need to put several miles between us and them. Hurry!”
Trees and plants magically move to the side, creating a clear path for us. It’s almost spooky the way they move, as if they were humans parting in a crowd. The second we pass, they close tightly, leaving no trace of us.
“It was you! With the vine,” I say, unsure of whether to trust him. I decide not to tell him the guy with the gun is dead. “Thank you!”
He keeps running, his strong hand gripping mine, but manages to answer my unspoken question.
“They found me yesterday,” he replies with a grim smile as he holds up his other wrist, which has a handcuff dangling from it. “Let’s just say I wasn’t happy about going with them.”
I open my mouth to ask him a question, but there’s a loud boom behind us and the night sky lights up like a fireball. Jerking to a stop, I stare at it, and suck in a harsh breath. Lionel. Would the explosion kill him? Or would it give him a chance to escape? Oh god, I shouldn’t have left him.
“We can’t go back,” he tells me when he sees me turn in that direction. “You don’t have to give up on him. You never know… he might make it… we’re a pretty resilient bunch, but I’m sure the last thing he’d want is for you to return.”
It takes everything in me not to go back, but I know he’s right. I flash him a small grateful smile. “What’s your name?”
The slight quirk of his lips tells me he’s pleased I asked. “River. You?”
I stare into his unnaturally bright green eyes and wonder if that is their true color. “Greer. My name is Greer. Thank you for saving me back there.” And for the second time tonight, I lose a piece of myself as I leave Willa behind, too.
CHAPTER13
