The Empaths (Book one in The Empaths series)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Author's Note - This is it guys! The final chapter of the first book in The Empaths Series! Yikes! It's a long one, but if you've made it this far, then it should be a doddle! Thank you for taking so much of your time to read my book. I can't tell you how happy I am to have finished this story. I hope you've enjoyed it and as always, I welcome your feedback. Please feel free to comment! I'd love to hear from you. 

There will be a second book in the series (and hopefully a third), and I have everything crossed that you'll stick with me as I carry on! 

Happy reading lovely people! :-)

Lucy's eyes fluttered open and she stared blankly up at a blurry, pale blue sky. The air was shrouded in a dust that filled her lungs and made her choke. She coughed and tried to sit up, but the world spun so violently that she could only fall back onto the grass. She lay there, blinking rapidly, trying to focus her eyes. There was a ringing in her ears that was so loud, she strained to hear anything else.

She braced herself and attempted to sit up again, and once again, the world spun. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited. Nausea rolled in her stomach, threatening to purge itself of everything she had eaten in the past week.

She slowly turned sideways, but her body was weak and her mind was disoriented. Her eyes still wouldn't focus and the dust refused to settle. With a grunt, she slumped down onto the grass. She could just make out Tristan's form, lying just out of reach. His face slack and his eyes closed. He could have been sleeping, but the force of the blow had been too strong and Lucy could tell he didn't have long. The glow that always surrounded him was dim and fading quickly.

With a sob, she rolled onto her stomach, digging her nails into the dirt. She closed her eyes and tried calling on earth, but she was so weak that it was barely a whisper in her mind and earth did not respond.

With one final push, Lucy lifted her head and forced her eyes to focus. The air around her shifted and the dust cloud slowly drifted away. She could see them all now, scattered in the grass around her. Rachel, Jared, Lilith, Riley and, of course, Tristan. All of their faces blank, their eyes closed, their glow slowly ebbing away.

No! Lucy's mind screamed, before her eyes grew heavy and she faded into darkness.

* * * *

"I still can't believe you guys managed to pull this off in a day!" Riley looked around in amazement at the decorations that had converted Lucy and Jared's backyard into a scene right out of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

"Never doubt a woman with a purpose," Lucy replied, nodding her head at Rachel. "Right?"

Rachel's smile lit up her whole face. "Or our ability to plan a party at a moment's notice." She lifted her glass in a salute.

Everyone held up their glasses, each filled with champagne that Eden had purchased for them to celebrate their evening together.

"It's not a prom without a little something delicious to drink," she said as she finished filling their glasses for them. "Enjoy. Goddess knows, you've earned it. We're so proud of you all."

"Are you sure it's alright?" Lucy asked, tentatively.

Eden winked at Lucy. "I already checked with the rest of the parents and they're all fine with you guys having one drink. It's a celebration, after all."