Free The Space Beyond (The Book of Phoenix) by Kristie Cook Page A

Still didn’t mean I felt ready to put it all into practice.
    “You have Leni’s camper, so you already have a place to live,” Mira continued, taking their argument in a different direction. “That’s one thing you don’t need to worry about. And if you need to travel, you can take the camper with you. A perfect setup for Guardians.”
    She was appealing to my logical side. She knew me too well. More than I cared for. It aggravated me even more.
    “We don’t think you’ll need to, though,” Uri said. “According to recent Guardian reports, there seems to be Lakari activity in Lake Haven, the town where Leni’s camper sits right now.”
    I stood with such force, my chair fell backwards, and I leaned over the table, right in front of Mira and Theo.
    “You’re putting Leni’s—and my—life at risk because it’s convenient ?” I seethed.
    Mira glared back at me. “ You may have brought them to the soul they’re swarming.”
    The accusation—and the feeling of responsibility—tightened my throat. “Only because you disappeared with no answers or instructions! If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s yours and Theo’s. And anyone else who refused to help us out.”
    That last bit had been for everyone else in the room, who had all known Leni and I had been struggling and could have used their help. Supposedly nobody was allowed to give it—we had to figure out everything on our own because that would somehow make us better Guardians. Funny how we were supposed to help other souls avoid exactly what we were forced to face on our own.
    “You can’t live here forever, Jeric,” Mira said. “It’s time you do your job.”
    “We’ll do it when we’re prepared!” I barked as I leaned closer. I had to give her props for not moving away or even flinching.
    “You will never be fully prepared as long as you don’t believe ,” she bit back. “That’s the only place you’re lacking, Jeremicah. Believing is your fuel for everything. Melinda and Uri can heal you because they believe they can. They trust in themselves, in their former selves, in everything they know in their souls. Our warriors fight so well because they believe they can. They are faster and stronger because they always have been, in every life, just as you always have been. When you fought the Lakari on your way here, you believed in your abilities. You believed in Leni’s ability to jump over their heads and run up the side of a building. You believed she could break the glass and the two of you could jump from eight stories high because you’d done it before, countless times. It’s been proven to you over and over. You only have to trust in what you already know in your soul.”
    My nostrils flared as I glared at her, refusing to admit she was right about it all. Believing in all this mumbo-jumbo-crazy-ass-supernatural-sci-fi shit wasn’t exactly easy.
    “Jeric, we can do this.” Leni had risen to her feet next to me, and her small hand gripped mine. “We need to do it.”
    My jaw popped as I clenched it, but I kept any further fuming to myself. Didn’t she get that she was all I cared about? Okay, maybe not all I cared about—I wasn’t that much of a douche. But she was definitely all I needed. To have her safe by my side or in my arms was more important to me than anything.
    “And I’m going with or without you,” she added. I suppressed a growl.
    “So are we,” Asia said. “We’ll figure it out, Jeric. We’re strong, remember? The strongest of them all.”
    “You’ll have each other,” Melinda said. “When you find Lakari swarming, take up residence and make yourselves a part of the community where they’re hunting. You may need to get to know the people so you can find out who’s going Dark, especially if Leni’s senses don’t pick it up right away.”
    “And be careful with small towns,” Uri warned. “They make things more difficult. It’s always best for one pair to go in first, while the other hangs back