I chased the Origin, who stayed a yard or two ahead of me through the forest, darting around trees and large rocks. In the back of my mind, I wondered about the violent energy bouncing inside and if I’d been tested enough to ensure I wouldn’t self-destruct like some hybrids, like Carissa. What if they hadn’t, and this—this was what self-destruction felt like?
I was burning up inside, full of murderous rage and frustration and sorrow that cut so deep it was like an endless well of hurting. And I couldn’t believe that my heart could beat this fast and still keep going.
Kat!
I heard his voice again, but I was focused on the Origin, on the need to take him out, to end this with none of them getting away.
I had no idea how far I’d run, but the trees started to thin when the Origin glanced over his shoulder. Something about the look on his face caused my feet to stumble just the slightest.
But it was too late.
Up ahead, I could see the base of Seneca Rocks, their quartzite flecks glittering in the sunlight, rising as tall as I could see, their peaks like jagged fingers reaching into the sky, and I realized I’d run for miles.
The Origin broke free of the trees, and I was only a few seconds behind him, clearing the forest, when I stopped, or tried to. Sliding across the ground, I kicked up grass and loose soil as I stared at the rooftops of houses that sat at the base of the rocks, and then my gaze dipped, frantically traveling over the mass of people in front of me.
Hundreds, if not thousands, and they weren’t really people. Nope. They were Luxen. Maybe even a few Origins. It didn’t matter. My heart nearly came out of my chest as the horrifying realization kicked in.
“Oh shit,” I gasped out.
One of the Luxen, a female, smiled while I started to back up, swallowing the rising panic. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I was so incredibly stupid and reckless and more stupid.
I’d run straight into the colony of Luxen.
There wasn’t even a second to get the hell out of there. A blast of whitish-red light blinded me for a second, and then fiery pain lit up my shoulder. The power of the hit knocked me backward. My feet came off the ground and I saw the blue sky above me.
Oh God.
But I never hit the ground.
Heat enveloped me. Strong arms surrounded me. I was suspended for a moment, not touching the ground, and then I was pressed against Daemon, who stood before the colony in his true form.
He shielded me from his own kind.
They began to shift, one after another, like Christmas lights blinking on in succession. There were so many of them, too many. We would not be able to fight them all. We would not be able to escape. And this was my fault.
I’m sorry, I said to Daemon. The only thing I could think was that maybe one of us could get away if the other caused the distraction. He didn’t deserve this. Shoulder aching and possibly smoking, I started to pull away from him. I’m sorry.
Daemon’s arm tightened around me, and I didn’t make it far at all. No. His voice wrapped around me. Don’t even hink it. If this is it, then we face it together. His light receded, revealing the form I’d fallen in love with first. The unruly dark waves, broad cheekbones, and bright emerald-colored eyes. “Together,” he repeated out loud.
My breath caught, and static built in the air around us. My body was trembling from the unspent energy and the knowledge that there was no escape.
“Together,” I whispered.
Daemon bowed his head, lowering his mouth to mine, as a sudden rush of noise caused the blood to freeze in my veins. I feared that this was it—the end.
The great massive oaks and pines around us shook, branches rattled, and birds—thousands of them—took flight, their wings beating into the air as they circled high above the colony of homes, veering sharply to head in the direction of where we’d come from.
What the . . . ?
The strangest thing happened. Clouds, thick and so dark they were almost black, dropped from the sky above Seneca Rocks, and they continued to fall to the ground at a rapid pace.
Except they weren’t clouds.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
Daemon hauled us back, farther away from the line of Luxen, as they started to shift in and out of their forms.
Someone—had to be a Luxen who’d been on Earth or an Origin—shouted. “Arum!”
24
{ Katy }
The mass of Arum hit the ground, their forms solidifying as they rose over the homes like oily shadows, and then they blanketed everything like black snow. A blast of arctic air hit us from behind.
We turned, and there were more, swooping down among the trees, rushing forward, barely missing us as they swarmed the ground like an army of ants.
“They’re here,” Daemon said. “He’s here.”
Oh, boy, were they ever. The Arum were everywhere.
It was like watching a hundred bowling balls knock down a thousands pins. The Arum on the ground slammed into the first line, appearing to swallow them whole as they converged on the Luxen.
Dropping from the sky above, they snatched up Luxen, tossing them into the air, where they were caught midflight by another Arum as some shifted into something that was both solid and yet not.
I stumbled back as a Luxen flew past me, slamming into a tree. Before it could fall, an Arum sped forward, a blur of midnight, catching the Luxen and tossing it against the tree with enough power that it shattered the bark. Tiny bits flew into the air.
The Arum solidified into a tall woman with jet-black hair. She reared an arm back and then thrust her hand deep into the chest of the Luxen. The scream pierced the roar in my ears as she shifted back into oily smoke.
An Origin hit the ground from—I didn’t even know where. The impact shook the branches above, and a shower of leaves floated down as the Origin slid across the ground, kicking up loose soil and rocks. The male struggled to his feet, letting loose a bolt of the Source that flew off-target as a thick shadow brought it back down to the ground. The blast of white light hit a tree, cracking the thick elm in half. It came down on the mass of Arum and Luxen. Some scattered out to the sides, and the brilliant lights of the Luxen were snuffed out as another wave of Arum descended into the fight.
“Holy . . .” I breathed, hands shaking.
Twisting around, I saw another Luxen snatched out of the air. The feedings had begun in full force, and I . . . I’d never seen anything like this. It was a mess of brutality, and yet, it was disturbingly awe-inspiring—the flashes of light and thick shadows. Such contrast.
One of the forms broke free and solidified in front of us, a tall creature with skin like polished obsidian, and then it took form. Sharp cheekbones. Lips. Straight nose. A bare chest and leather pants. Bleached blond hair.
Lotho stood in front of us, head thrown back. Shimmery blue liquid was splattered across his alabaster chest. He grinned madly. “Dinnertime.”
Before either of us could respond, he headed back into the . . . God, I didn’t know what to call it. I imagined it was like when the Native Americans had decided they’d had enough of the Pilgrims and picked them off with skill and ease. A straight massacre—a well-deserved massacre, but still.
Shimmery blood tinted blue sprayed in every direction, coating the grass and paved sidewalks of the small village. Lights were going out like smashed lightning bugs. The fight moved farther away, toward the cluster of homes that had once been protected by the beta quartz embedded in the mountains.