Betrayal 2012 by Amber Garr Read Free Book Online Page B

I’ve done to him, he was still standing by my side.  The thought almost made me cry but it also helped me push the nerves away.  Okay, time to prove my worth in this world.
    The surrounding air seemed stale as I took in several large breaths.  I could smell alcohol and some type of fried food on many of the hotel patrons.  That made sense since they’d been pulled in from their happy hour drinks and appetizers.  How in the world would we explain this?  I stopped my thoughts from going in that direction and forced them to focus instead. 
    First envisioning a dark room, I then tried to pinpoint each consciousness.  Nothing happened and I heard some of the Council members grumble.  I knew that if I opened my eyes, I would be met with skeptical and arrogant faces.  So I kept them closed and soon I began to see each mind light up in my head. 
    They weren’t very bright and I attributed that to the fact that Mistress Lyonetta had control over them right now.  When I’d taken over Lucian’s human and selkie army, I had been so angry and emotional, I didn’t really even know how I did it.  Now that I’d been practicing more, I could conceptualize the idea of minds as little floating light balls.  Although I still didn’t know how to take control from someone else. 
    So, I visualized a tiny hand and began reaching for them.  It was kind of like one of those sticky arms you get from a gumball machine.  I would throw the flexible appendage out towards a mind and try to wrap my fingers around it in time to pull it back to me.  It took three tries before I finally got one.  I think I sucked in a breath in excitement because Kain whispered softly to me that it was working.  One down and a hundred and fifty more to go.
    I don’t know how much time passed, but I soon created three different sticky hands so that I could grab more than one mind at a time.  I lost count around sixty but I was also losing energy.  Lyonetta’s hold was strong and she was able to steal a few back.  When I thought that I’d taken the majority, if not all of them, I opened my eyes.
    The humans I had compelled were all facing me and the ones I didn’t get continued to kneel in front of the Council.  From what I could tell, I’d missed about twenty of them.  I looked up at Lyonetta and smiled.  “How’s that?”
    Something resembling pride swept over her face and she gave me a small nod.  “Not bad.”
    “Not bad?” Christopher jumped in again.  “She didn’t get them all.  That could mean the difference between life and death.”
    “No, she didn’t,” Lyonetta confirmed but didn’t say anything else.  I could see the growing doubt amongst the Council members and I would bet that those same feelings were running through the rest of the audience.  Something inside of me cringed at the thought of letting them down.  I had to prove myself not only for my clan but also for Kain’s.
    Remembering our practice session yesterday, I began humming the tune to the chicken dance in my mind and at once I pushed it out into the light balls filling up the darkness of my room.  Every human facing me stood and starting flapping their arms and shaking their butts in a very unorganized and truly hilarious version of the traditional wedding dance.  Even the bride and groom participated, making me wonder how many times they would have to perform this dance today.  I let them continue for several minutes before the sound of someone clapping disrupted my concentration. 
    Graham was standing now and the grin on his face told me at least he appreciated my display of power.  “Fantastic, luv.”  He turned to the rest of the Council.  “I think she’s proven herself.  I’ve never seen you make them dance before,” he directed towards Mistress Lyonetta.  She glared at him.
    “Enough, Eviana.  Please release control so we can send them away.”  I didn’t really know how to do that either, so I imagined a pair of scissors