“Dawson? Is that… I don’t understand.”
They moved at the same time, coming together in a rush. Their arms went around each other. Dawson lifted her up as he buried his face in her neck. When he kissed her, I shifted my gaze, wanting to give them the privacy we really couldn’t afford, but seeing them together, clinging to each other, got me right in the gut.
Dawson and Beth loved each other, and I had been an asshole to not support them since the beginning.
But we needed to get out of here.
“Dawson,” I said quietly.
My brother pulled away from Beth as he grabbed her arms, and the moment her mouth wasn’t occupied with Dawson’s, she started asking questions. “What are you guys doing? How did you all get in here? Do they know?”
Dawson was grinning like his face was going to split into two. “Later,” he said. “But we have to go through two doors and it’s going to hurt—”
“Onyx shields, I know,” Beth said.
Whelp. Douche Bag had been correct. Speaking of him, I frowned as I saw him coming up the hall, carrying the prone body of a dark-haired Luxen boy. “Is he okay?”
Blake nodded, but he was pale and tense. “I…he didn’t recognize me. I had to keep him quiet.”
Kat hastily looked away, and I knew despite all the crap Blake had done, she felt bad for him in this instance. Hell, who wouldn’t?
Beth turned toward Blake. “You can’t—”
“We need to go.” Blake cut her off and prowled past us. “We’re almost out of time.”
Beth was shaking her head vigorously. “But—”
“We need to go, Beth. We know.” Dawson kissed her quickly, and she nodded, but the panic was building in the wide hall, threatening to infect us all.
Urgency kicked adrenaline into high gear, and without any more delay, the five of us took off down the hall. Skidding to a stop, I punched the code into panel on the wall, and the door opened.
I jerked.
Simon Cutters was standing in the waiting room, so obviously not dead. Everyone stumbled to a halt behind me.
“Oh shit,” I said.
Simon smiled. “Missed me? I missed you guys.”
Then he raised an arm. Light reflected off a metal cuff he wore, with, of course, a piece of opal embedded into it. He opened his hand and let loose a damn hurricane of wind. All of us were lifted up off our feet. Kat was thrown back, smacking into the nearest door. Dawson whirled, forcing Beth against the wall, taking the brunt of the gale-force winds. Matthew hit the wall, and my legs were knocked right out from under me. I skidded several feet down the hall.
Damn.
Someone was now a souped-up hybrid, and I had no idea how that happened, but there wasn’t any time to play ask and answer.
I picked myself up, quickly looking for Kat. She was standing with Blake’s help, favoring one leg over the other. I didn’t see what Blake had done with the passed-out Chris.
Anger turned my blood to lava. “Oh, you are so dead.”
“Ah, I think that’s my line,” Simon responded, letting out a burst of energy.
“Daemon!” Kat shouted.
Spinning out to the side, I avoided a direct hit. Immediately, I summoned the Source and reared back. Energy arced across the room, a whitish-red light.
“You’re going to wear yourself out, Luxen,” Simon sneered, dodging my hit.
I smirked. “Then so will you.”
Simon winked and then spun toward Kat, throwing his hand out again. She and Blake skidded back. I shot around Simon as Blake caught Kat with arm around her chest. Appearing in front of them, I shoved Kat behind me.
“This is so not good,” Blake said, edging closer to Simon. “We’re running out of time.”
“No shit,” I spat.
Dawson shot toward Simon, but he threw him back, laughing. Another blast of energy flew at Blake and then toward Matthew. Both of them dive-bombed the floor to avoid taking a hit, and Simon kept advancing, smiling like a psycho.
Simon darted to one side, focusing on Kat. “Want to play, Kitty Kat?”
Aaand I was so done with this.
“Oh, screw this,” I growled.
Striking like a cobra, I shot past Blake and Matthew and within a second I was directly in front of Simon. The hybrid lifted his arms. I could feel the Source roaring through him as I placed my hands on either side of his head and twisted.
A crack echoed through the room, and Simon hit the floor.
Stepping back, I exhaled roughly as I closed my hands. “I never liked that punk in the first place.”
Kat stumbled to the side as I turned around. “He’s…he was…”
“We don’t have time.” Dawson pulled Beth toward the elevators. “They have to know we’re here.”
Blake scooped Chris up, casting a look at Simon as he passed the prone body. He said nothing as I threaded my fingers through Kat’s. “Are you okay? You took a nasty hit.”
“I’m okay. You?”
I nodded, not letting myself think about the fact that I’d just broken Simon’s neck. Granted, he was trying to kill us, and he hadn’t understood the concept of no, but still, it was another life that was on my hands.
“Come on.” Matthew slipped into the elevator, his face pale. “We need to prepare for anything once these doors are open.”
I nodded. “How is everyone?”
“Not feeling very good,” Dawson answered, his free hand open and closing. “It’s the damn onyx. I don’t know how much is left in me.”
“What the hell was up with Simon?” I turned on Blake as the elevator pitched into motion. “He barely seemed affected by the onyx.”
Blake shook his head. “I don’t know, man. I don’t know.”
What in the hell was up with that? Was it because of the opal? Had to be. There was really no time to think about that. I could feel the dread pouring off Kat, and that was my number one concern. I needed her to keep it together.
“It’s going to be okay. We’re almost out of here. We got this.” I smiled, and that damn organ in my chest actually squeezed when I saw her lips curve in response. “I promise, Kitten.”
It was a promise I’d go down to keep.
“Time?” Blake asked.
Matthew glanced at his wrist. “Two minutes.”
Aw, man, this shit was making me anxious. Two minutes. The doors slid open with a pop, and thank God, the hallway was empty.
Blake was out first, carrying Chris. Then Matthew, quickly followed by Dawson and Beth. As planned, Kat and I were the last to leave. “Stay behind me,” I told her, keeping my hand wrapped firmly around hers.
She nodded as we raced forward, slowing only when Blake shifted the unconscious Luxen to his shoulder and banged in the code. The door opened, and the darkness from the night beyond seeped in.
Blake stepped out and then paused. He looked over his shoulder. Not at me. At Kat. My free hand formed a fist as I saw Kat reach with her other hand toward her neck. Awareness pricked at my skin, crawling up the back of my neck like an army of a thousand fire ants.
Then Blake smiled.
Shit.
He raised a hand, and a white rope dangled from his fingers. At the end was the piece of opal I’d given to Kat. “Sorry. It had to be this way.”
Rage exploded inside me like a bottle rocket.
“Son of a bitch!” I shouted as I dropped Kat’s hand and shot forward. That was it. I was going to kill him dead.
I’d made it halfway when I felt the shiver of coldness skating over my skin. I skidded to a halt, snapping in fury.
Arum.
The shadows around that asshole deepened and spread out, slipping into the entrance and stretching over the walls and ceiling like a damn fungus straight from hell. The shadows dropped as lights exploded in a shower of sparks.
Seven of the bastards formed and then stepped right past Blake and the Luxen he carried, walked right past him.
And then Blake was gone.
Fury burned inside me like a volcano erupting. This was not happening. This was not fucking happening.
I met the first Arum that charged forward. Shoving my hand into the Arum’s chest, I slammed it back into the wall just as Dawson pushed Bethany to the side and took down the other Arum.