Clarity: A Young Adult Paranormal Vampire Romance (Blood Haze Book 4) by Tara Shuler Read Free Book Online Page B

the knob to turn in a single direction. Will squinted at the lock, pressing his fingers to his temples. He was breathing harder and faster. Nothing.
    “Damn!” he cursed, and the lock suddenly shattered and clattered in pieces to the ground.
    “Well, that’s one way of doing it,” Liam said.
    Jamie and I only stared with our mouths hanging open like idiots. Will, too, stared in awe at the pieces of the lock on the floor.
    “How did that happen?” Will wondered aloud .
    “Emotion,” Liam answered. “You said you didn’t know if you could do it if it wasn’t an emergency. That’s because emotion amplifies powers. Fear, frustration, anger, hate, love, lust… emotions like these are extremely powerful.”
    “I was frustrated, that’s for sure,” Will admitted.
    “You see, that’s why training is so important,” Liam told him. “You must learn to control both your emotions and your abilities. Otherwise, you could have disastrous results. I only wish you and Alice had come to the Council earli er. Most vampire children start learning to control any abilities they have at a very young age.”
    “Well, we’re here now,” Will said. “We’ll just have to train longer and harder to catch up. Right, Alice?”
    Will turned to me, and I could see in his eyes that he instantly regretted saying it. He tried to mutter an apology.
    “Forget it,” I said. “Just concentrate on your own ability. I’ll be fine.”
    Truth be told, I wasn’t fine. I was still a hopeless wreck, devoid, once again, of any purpose. Why was I here if I couldn’t help the people I loved? I wanted so badly to be training my own abilities. Why hadn’t I just listened to Alexi and stayed away from all the dark magic crap? Ugh. Leave it to me to screw everything up when I was only trying to help.
    I needed some time – time to think, time to relax, time to just figure out what it was I needed to do.
    As the others concentrated on Will’s ability, I quietly slipped out the door unnoticed and headed down the long corridor to another classroom by myself.
    Once inside, I realized this was a room I’d never before entered. It was devoid of furniture, but housed a massive violet crystal suspended from the ceiling via a metallic cord that was wrapped around its top. It hung over a jewel-encrusted stand, and it hummed and began to glow as I approached it.
    Something was calling me. I could almost hear its voice whispering inside my head. Words did not come, but I felt a magnetic pull that drew me closer to the crystal, which loomed towering and monolithic above my head. I reach ed toward it, and the moment my fingertips connected with it I suddenly felt at peace.
    I closed my eyes, and the hum of the crystal seemed to resonate deep within me. My insides vibrated with a dull drone and I could feel myself swirling in space. I was in total darkness for a moment, and then I could see a slight white haze before my eyes. The haze grew brighter, and soon began to gain clarity.
    I was surrounded by a driving blizzard and strong winds that threatened to sweep me from my feet. I could hear t he terrifying whisper that had become so familiar… wraiths. I spun on my heel this way and that, searching for them. But I could see nothing except an occasional flash of blackness in the blinding white.
    “Olivia!” I head a voice shout through the roar of t he storm.
    I squinted, trying to get a glimpse of something – anything that might give me a clue as to where I was. A brief lull in the storm gave me the answer I was looking for… some kind of strange sign between two tall horns. I was trying to make out th e word on the sign when a voice pulled me back into reality.
    “Alice!”
    My hand pulled away from the crystal and I staggered backward, crashing into something. I turned in the direction of the voice, and I was looking into Alexi’s violet eyes.
    “How did you g et in here? This door is locked with a powerful incantation and has been for