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Before I could think of a response, she sauntered past Cael, brushing her hand across his crotch. He jerked away and shoved her. She laughed as she stumbled. Then she grinned smugly at me, and blew me a kiss. “Happy fucking New Year, Iggy.”

“I’m gonna kill you, you bitch!” I lunged at her. Before I had taken two steps, I realized my mistake. I was so angry, I wasn’t feeling things as clearly as I normally would have. I reacted to the buzzing on my skin after it was too late. Her vision of fear hit me with an overwhelming force. I fell to the floor, curled into a ball, and started screaming at the blood and violence that pressed into my mind. Cael, broken and bleeding. Wesley's body distorted, his eyes staring vacantly at the sky. Pippa slitting her own wrists in her bathroom tub. I couldn't help them. They were dead because of me. I didn't deserve to live...

Then it stopped. The vision was gone after only a few seconds, but my heart still pounded with fear as sweat trickled down the sides of my face. I staggered to my feet to find that Cael had Alex pinned against him, and one of his hands was over her eyes. He had stopped her from hurting me by breaking her line of sight. But then Ibram yelled out a warning as Gavin swung at Cael’s back, punching him in a kidney. Cael grunted and arched his back, releasing Alex. Wesley and Brian dove for Gavin.

Then my skin was buzzing from a multitude of sources, and I was scared that Cael was someone’s target. I couldn’t let anyone hurt him. He was going to die. Just like in my mind. Someone was going to kill him. Maybe Alex or Gavin. Maybe even Jensen. And I wasn't going to let it happen.

I squeezed my eyes shut, clamped my hands over my ears and screamed, “Enough!” I just wanted it all to go away. I wanted them all to go away. I couldn't use my power no matter how much I wanted to. I felt my nose start to drip, but I was afraid that if I opened my eyes and wiped away the blood, I would see Alex and try to hurt her. But the buzzing only grew stronger. The guard was yelling. The nurse was barking orders. I wished they were gone. All of them. I was going to lose Cael. But I had the ability to protect him, to get him out of here…and that’s exactly what I intended to do.

“Cael!” I called out.

Suddenly there was peace. No threats. No buzzing skin. No sound.

I opened my eyes.

Bodies littered the ground. Everyone was laying on the floor like marionettes whose puppet strings had been cut. Cael was looking around with a horrified expression. Wesley was staring at me.

“What happened to everyone?” I crawled over to Pippa and shook her. Cael dropped to his knees beside Brian and put his cheek in front of the guy’s mouth.

“Go check the others,” he ordered me, and then he blew into Brian’s mouth.

“What are you doing?” He ignored me and I swiped at the tears blurring my vision as I checked on Brian, Shayla, Ibram and the others. “Cael!” I shouted. “Is Brian okay?”

Brian started coughing and Cael dashed over to check Val. “Yeah. He'll be okay.” He shook Val and patted her cheek.

“What happened to them?” I demanded.

“Why don't you tell me?” he said, checking Aaliyah.

“How should I know what's wrong?”

“Because you did it.”

I shook my head. “My eyes were closed. I couldn't have done this.”

“Iggy,” he snapped. “It was you. You
did
do this.”

I looked at Wesley. He nodded. I stumbled to my feet and backed away. I tripped over someone and fell on top of the security guard. “What's wrong with everyone?”

“I think you suffocated them,” Wes said after checking Devon. Then he started resuscitating him.

I leaned against the wall in a daze, watching Cael and Wes finish checking on everyone. “But Wesley is the one who makes people stop breathing. I can't do that.”

“The diaphragm is a muscle. You control muscles,” Cael ground out.

“But...I don't...”

“Check the nurse,” he snapped.

I dropped to my knees and felt for a pulse in her neck. When I felt her exhale against my cheek, I sagged with relief. “Are they going to be okay?”

Cael shrugged. “I hope so. I think they just passed out from lack of oxygen. When you let them go and they dropped to the floor, I think they started breathing again.”

“How come you two aren’t hurt? How come you're the only ones unaffected?”

Cael pinned me with his gaze. “I think you're the only one who can answer that.”

“What do we do?” I asked, feeling like a panic attack was overwhelming me. Pippa sat up, and a few others were beginning to stir.

“We could leave,” Wesley said.

Chapter 32

Iggy

My eyes went wide and I looked around, expecting an army to come rushing down the hall.

“Now's the time,” he reiterated. “We may not ever get another chance like this.”

I looked at Cael. “He’s right, Iggy.”

Alex rolled over onto all fours and screeched, “What the hell is going on?” Now everyone was sitting up or struggling to a standing position.

I looked down the hallway that led to Jensen’s office. I knew the way out was just past it. “Let’s go.” I grabbed Pippa’s arm. She was helping Brian to his feet. “I’m leaving,” I told her. “Come with me.” She stared at me as if she didn’t understand what I’d just said.

“How do you think we can escape? You can’t just walk out the door,” she told me.

“I’m sure as hell gonna try.” I took off down the hall at a run. I could feel Cael and Wes close behind. I wanted to make sure I could open the sealed door before I turned back to try to convince Pippa to come with me. This idea had to work. After all I’d done, surely a locked door couldn’t stop me.

At the end of the hall, I skidded to a stop and stared at the steel slab keeping us from freedom. I knew I could open it. It wasn’t water and it wasn’t organic, but it also wasn’t any different than controlling the napkin Cael had thrown at me. In my mind, I demanded it open. It was ridiculously easy. So easy I thought Jensen must have put in his code remotely to unlock it. There was a heavy thunk, and then I could hear the bars inside the door begin sliding back.

“What are you doing?” Alex asked. Cael, Wes, and I turned to look at her. Behind her stood Ibram and Shayla, Brodie, Pippa and Brian, Gavin, and Val.

“We’re leaving,” I told her. “And if you try to stop me, I swear I’ll take you out. And if anyone,” I looked at Gavin, “threatens Cael, I will kill you. And I can do it, too!” I was shaking, readying myself to take them on.

Gavin held up his hands. “I’m not going to mess with him.”

The door locks finished sliding open and the green light on the door panel lit up. I kept my senses alert for any signs the people behind me were about to use, and I flung open the door as if were made of plastic instead of steel. Wes and I led everyone into an empty room with a set of elevators. Instead of a button for up and down, there was a fingerprint scan pad.

“Now what, Supergirl?” Alex asked, folding her arms across her chest.

If I could open the steel door, I could control anything. I heard people gasp as I opened the elevator door to reveal a gaping hole and brought the steel box down to our level. It wasn’t difficult, but it made mind tired as if I’d been cramming all night for an exam. I felt my nose dripping and looked down to see blood on my shirt.

Cael gave me this look that told me he was about to protest. Before he spoke, I said, “Get in the elevator.” I turned to the others. “If you want out, now is the time.” Wesley and I joined Cael. Pippa led Brian in, followed by Ibram and Shayla. Val and Brodie rushed inside. Then Alex mumbled a few curse words before coming to stand in front of me.

She turned and said, “Come on, Gavin.”

The young man balked. “We’ve got something good going on here, Alex. I need the money.” When he started to back away, Devon and Krish rushed past him into our elevator.

Cael jabbed the up button. “Nothing’s happening.”

I inhaled deeply and concentrated. Weight had no impact on my ability, and I sent us to the top at a steady pace. I had forgotten to close the inner elevator door, and the sound of the elevator moving echoed against the steel beams of the elevator shaft.

Brodie asked, “How do you know when to stop the elevator, Iggy? What if we crash into the ceiling?”

He had a good point. I was moving us blindly since I had no clue how far underground we were. The elevator screeched to a halt and Pippa squeaked, “Oh my god! What’s wrong? Iggy!”

“Relax,” I told her. “We aren’t going to fall. I just can’t concentrate on going up when I’m thinking about us crashing.”

Cael ripped a piece of his t-shirt off and held it to my nose. “You okay?”

I nodded and pressed the cotton firmly.

Alex snapped, “Iggy, you’d better not pass out from blood loss and let us crash to the bottom. I’m not in the mood to die.”

I looked around to see everyone staring at me. Pippa was sniffling, Brian clinging to her. Val had a death grip on Shayla’s arm. Devon started pacing and Val shouted at him to be still. I put the elevator in motion at a snail’s pace and said, “We’re moving slow enough that if we hit the top, it won’t do any damage.”

The climb up took an eternity. Pippa’s small voice said, “We’re not exactly prepared for escape. We don’t know where we’re at or where to go.”

“Any place is better than this hell hole,” Wesley stated.

“But we have no food, no coats…it’s January out there.”

Devon said, “But we’re in Texas, so maybe it’s warmer down here.”

Alex held up a hand and studied her nails. “There could be an army waiting to shoot us when we get to the top.”

I rolled my eyes and wiped my nose. “Don’t be a drama queen, Alex. They’re not going to kill us. We’re too valuable.” Cael took the rag from my hands and dabbed at my chin and upper lip, tipping my head up to see better. He cupped my cheek and I smiled at him, leaning into his hand. He leaned down to kiss my forehead, and I closed my eyes as his thumb swept back and forth across my cheek. I was so tired but also more scared than ever. I not only wanted Cael right now, I needed him.

The elevator jerked to a stop, and Pippa let out a small scream.

My eyes flew open and I straightened up. “Sorry,” I told them and put us in motion again.

Wes came to stand between me and Cael. “Why don’t you leave her alone so she can concentrate.”

Cael started to say something, but then he changed his mind and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, leaning back against the wall. I squeezed my eyes shut and fought a headache that was coming on strong and fast.

Ibram said, “Does anyone know what we’ll be facing when these doors open? I wasn’t awake when I was brought in, so I don’t know if there are guards, if they have weapons, or if we’re near a town.”

Everyone either shrugged or denied knowing. Then the elevator shuddered and groaned, and we all tumbled into each other. “We’re at the top,” I told them.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Alex snipped, pointing at the open doorway.

We were at one end of a long tunnel with a cave-like ceiling. We filed out and looked around, my nerves on edge. It was pretty cold. We must have been in north Texas because I could see my breath when I exhaled. I wrapped my arms around myself and stared at the bright sky beyond the cave. As scared as I was, nothing could stop the feeling of bliss I had at seeing daylight for the first time in months. The thought of standing under the sun gave me a spurt of energy, and I jogged toward the opening.

“We need to come up with a strategy,” Wesley called out, running to catch up.

Alex suggested, “How about we just kill anything that moves?”

Wesley chuckled and lifted a fist for her to bump.

“So, we’re going to use our powers?” Pippa asked.

“What should we do if there are guards? Yell at them?” Brodie asked.

“Yes, we’ll use our powers,” I told her.

Cael shot a look at Wes. “But you guys are
not
going to kill anyone.”

Ibram said, “Val can blind people. It’s harmless but effective.”

“But it’s not permanent, is it?” Pippa asked Val.

“I can make it temporary,” she informed us.

“Are you okay with doing this?” I asked her. If she was going to be our first line of defense, she couldn’t waiver.

“Yeah. I can do it.”

Alex huffed, “Fine. But if anyone starts shooting blindly at me, I’m going to take them out.”

“Slow down,” Cael said, grabbing my arm as we neared the tunnel entrance. “If someone’s out there, we don’t want them to hear us.”

I followed him to the tunnel wall and pressed my back to it, sneaking up behind him. He and Wes were the first ones to see outside, and the rest of us stood catching our breaths. After a moment, the two young men exchanged looks and Wes mumbled
holy shit
.

“What?” I whispered. “How bad is it?”