Pegasus and the Rise of the Titans (Pegasus #5) Read Online Free Page A

felt Riza growing stronger within her. The Xan’s calm presence was lulling her into a gentle, peaceful state of mind. Emily felt no fear as Riza took full control of her body and mind.
    Through foggy, dream-like eyes, Emily watched Riza lift ‘her’ hands. She could feel immense powers course through her, almost like a kind of static electricity from rubbing shoes on a carpet. She felt that if she were to touch anything, there would be a big spark.
    Riza merged their powers together and then used them to intertwine the strands of hair and the willow leaves.
    ‘ Here we go! ’ Riza called to Tom. ‘ Don’t be afraid; you will be safe .’
    Energy coursed through Emily like she’d never felt before. Every nerve was electrified as Riza used their combined power to command the tree’s physical matter to change.
    As Riza drew more and more power, Emily started to feel peculiar. At first it was just an odd, tingling sensation. Not painful, but strange. Her calm feeling was fading away . . .
    ‘Riza . . . ?’ Emily knew she shouldn’t speak but she had to warn the Xan. Something was going wrong. Pain started, deep in her mind. It was bad – very, very bad. ‘Riza, stop!’
    Emily’s tiny voice was lost in the crackling sounds of energy being drawn from their core. The Flame was there, as were all her other powers. But as the moments ticked by, something was starting to fracture and split apart. Their very centre would not hold much longer.
    ‘You’re using too much power. Please stop!’
    Emily tried everything to make Riza hear. She pounded on the walls of her mind. She screamed louder than she ever had in her life. But nothing was reaching the Xan.
    More power surged.
    Emily was spinning uncontrolled in the tight confines of her mind. She could no longer see or hear anything. But still she felt the draw of power increasing. As she started to fade into darkness, she felt, more than heard, a great tearing deep within her. Unable to cry out, Emily swooned.

2
    ‘Emily?’ a deep, concerned voice called. ‘Emily, are you all right?’
    Emily’s head pounded as she struggled back to consciousness. A wet tongue licked her cheek and she didn’t need to open her eyes to know it was Pegasus. The stallion was whinnying and nudging her to wake up.
    ‘Emily, please,’ the man’s voice repeated.
    Her eyes fluttered open. At first she saw the stars shining above her. Then Pegasus’s face, but that was soon replaced by the face of someone she hadn’t seen since Area 51.
    ‘Agent T?’
    Tom’s eyes sparkled as he leaned closer to her. ‘My name is Tom, remember? You know me as Tom. Agent T is gone.’
    ‘Wha-what happened?’
    ‘A miracle,’ he announced. ‘You and Riza have made me the happiest man alive!’
    ‘Riza . . . ? RIZA!’ Emily cried. She sat up quickly and checked herself over. Arms, legs – she was still all there. ‘I remember. She was drawing too much power.’ Emily closed her eyes and reached inside. ‘Riza – are you there? Talk to me!’
    She called again, but Riza didn’t answer. Emily recalled how much power the ancient Xan had drawn from them to restore Tom. The last time they had used too much power, Riza had gone silent too. But she came back. Emily prayed she would come back this time as well.
    ‘Are you all right?’ Tom asked. ‘Even in this poor light, you look really pale. How are you feeling?’
    Emily frowned and rubbed her temples. ‘Really weak, and I’ve got a killer headache. I might be sick to my stomach.’
    ‘It’s no wonder,’ Tom said gratefully. ‘Not after what you two just did for me.’
    Emily’s head cleared and her gaze rested on the ex-CRU agent. She inhaled sharply. His face hadn’t changed at all! The same angular features and pale-blue eyes were framed with long, dark hair. But from there, everything was different. His chest was bare and ended in a full, powerful lion’s torso. Instead of arms, Tom had lion’s paws with sharp, tearing