A Stitch on Time 5 by Yolanda Sfetsos Read Free Book Online Page B

see were the flashing lights filtering out of me.
    “That’s it,” I whispered. “I’ve got room for all of you.”
    It didn’t take long for each and every one of the phantasms to fill me to capacity, to creep into each hollow place I’d opened up. My body was crowded with these beings. Every static movement made arcs of electricity zap me from the inside out.
    This was just what I’d planned.
    I closed my eyes and let go of everything—all the grief, pain, anxiety. Every human complication slid out of me, making more room for their filthy, zingy energy.
    My fingers twitched, so I pressed my right palm over the back of my left hand. Heat buzzed below my skin where my tattoo used the phantasms’ charge against them. The energy these creatures expelled helped my body uncoil enough to force their power up my arms, until I pulled my hands apart so they were open wide again. My breath sped, chest heaved as I expelled every single phantasm out of me with one violent motion—sending a shockwave strong enough to shake the ground beneath my feet and make the darkness shimmer around me.
    Their energy rushed out of my body in sparks of every color, like the New Year’s Eve fireworks at Sydney Harbour.
    My knees buckled.
    “Sierra,” Lavie yelled.
    I lifted my head and she looked too bright. The energy buzzed inside me.
    “Sierra, talk to me.” She reached out and touched my shoulder, causing an electric shock to jolt between us. “You’re electrifying.”
    “Yeah, and I’ve got chills too,” I managed to whisper, even though it scratched at my throat. Every single part of me seemed to weigh more than it had before. Was this how my sister felt when she died and brought someone back with her?
    Willow. Oren. They still didn’t know about Ebony. I needed to tell them, but hadn’t wanted to blurt it out over the phone. They deserved to be told in person—I just hoped no one else had beaten me to it.
    What strange reflections to have now, but the electricity had sparked bizarre thoughts.
    “Shit, look at my arms,” Lavie said.
    I looked at her pale skin as she rolled her sleeves up. The demonic seeds were gone, but I knew what would happen as soon as we were out of my dark patch.
    As if on cue, the darkness stripped down like paint being cleaned off the walls. The night air filled my lungs but was laced with smoke, forcing a cough out of me. My eyes stung but I didn’t give in to the temptation to rub them.
    “Damn, they’re back,” Lavie said, examining her arms. “That’s a neat trick, though.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “It’s not your fault. You’re actually helping.” She forced a smile but I didn’t miss the frown when she covered her arms. “They might only disappear for a while, but I think you’re systematically lowering the numbers.”
    With her help, I got to my feet. There were several blazes around the compound but I couldn’t see any wolves. I could only hope they had taken my advice and were on their way to safety. The phantasms were also missing. I’d managed to take them all out.
    “You just did that destroying thing again, didn’t you?”
    I nodded.
    “That’s quite the talent you’ve got there.” She grinned. “And just like last time, your injuries are gone.”
    “What?”
    She pointed at my face. “The cut is gone.”
    I was about to answer when I spotted a shimmering up on the hill, near the Papan family mansion that overlooked the other properties. The air wavered, morphing into a humanoid shape constructed from shadow and smoke, before solidifying into a pulsating beast of energy.
    “Not again.”
    “What’s wrong?”
    The pulsing shape reformed into Mace Clamber, and he was staring right at me. The smug bastard was gloating from higher ground, even though I’d just taken out his army.
    “Stay here,” I called, jogging away from my friend. If I could finish Mace now, I might be able to thwart the ambitions of the Obscurus tonight.
    This was the first literal step in