Page 4

Metal coated my tongue, and the sharp tang of blood filled my nose and mouth as I came to. My head spun like a whirlpool, pulling me down, down, down into the depths of despair as my brain caught up with the steady aching of my heart.

I was in the auditorium what felt like only moments ago when some kind of gas came through the ventilation system. Once I realised, I’d tried to cover my nose and mouth, but it had been no use. Which meant they’d taken me and done who knew what with her . With her body…

Bile climbed my throat as visions of my dead sister came flooding back to me, and I snapped my eyes open, lurching up with a gasp. My sister was dead . My sister, who had never shied from a fight, who never let anything get in her way, was now gone from this world.

A tear trickled down my face. Victoria and I were once so close…

before our parents got their claws into her and turned her into a monster.

So, over the last few years, we’d been at each other’s throats and once she began forcing me to do our father’s bidding, the love I’d held for her had quickly turned into resentment.

Eventually, that resentment had festered into something deeply close to hate.

The feeling must have been mutual. She had tried to kill me several times since entering the academy, after all.

I’d thought her so cold and cruel, but now I knew she was little more than a puppet pulled by my father’s strings.

The fact that he’d manipulated her and warped her mind so thoroughly with some kind of brainwashing… fuck.

I didn’t know what to think of it, this elaborate scheme, this unending nightmare. All I knew was I wasted years hating my sister when I could have been helping her. If I’d known…

And the murderer… My fingers curled into claws at my sides. Oh, I had some special plans in mind for him. And for my father, the man responsible for all the pain and suffering my siblings and I had endured—Victoria, most of all.

Questions upon questions filled my mind, but they would have to wait because if my guess was correct, the Masters and Overseer had just pulled us straight back into a trial.

Pricks . They were miserable, blood-hungry bastards for doing this so soon. Especially after the poisoning of so many Potentials. What kind of shit show were they running at that damned academy?

With a groan, I hauled my ass up, ignoring the dried blood still coating my hands. I couldn’t think about that now. Not if I didn’t want my siblings to find themselves another sister short. I needed to stay strong for Ethan and Hadley.

Fuck!

I’d sent the guys—bless their sexy butts—after the murderer and had probably left them exposed and vulnerable as a result. I just hoped the guards had come quickly to retrieve their unconscious bodies and transport them here, wherever the hell here was. Oh gods, what if they’d been hurt? Or worse?

A chill ran down my spine, but I shook my head.

No. I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of that happening.

Besides, they were some of the strongest guys I’d met—certainly the strongest at the academy.

They were more than capable of handling any big baddies that got in their way, especially if they were together.

Alone, they were a threat, but as a unit they’d be damn near unstoppable.

My heart skipped a beat as I thought of them all.

It wasn’t even the fact that they were powerful—although it didn’t hurt that they were all built like gods—but it was the different ways in which they were strong that endeared me.

Kayden was built like a damn dump truck, but he had the softest heart of all.

Noah was quietly intelligent and kind, Zane was the glue that held us all together—the beating heart of our little group—and Ace…

My broken bad boy. He was true grit and stubborn determination with the force of an electrical current.

Why was I worrying again? I shook my head and smiled grimly, wondering if they’d caught up with the guy who’d attacked me and Victoria. I hoped with all my shrivelled little heart that they had... That they made him pay, slowly, before wrenching all the answers we so desperately needed.

If things had been different, I’d have exacted my own revenge.

‘Pain’ wasn’t strong enough a word for what I would do to him.

For the first time in my life, I’d be grateful for the fucked-up things my father had taught me.

Things I had a good mind to do to my father when I got the chance.

Now wouldn’t that be ironic. But I was a long way from having a little heart-to-heart with Victrus Auger.

And when I did? There wouldn’t be much left of him to identify.

I forced myself to take a long breath, then exhaled, the sound rattling from my lungs. I had no doubt I looked like a damn zombie or some kind of creepy doll, what with mascara staining my cheeks, the matted hair, and my killer outfit now ripped and dirty.

It seemed kinda fitting though, considering my surroundings.

I was in a maze, that much was clear. Hedges shot up on either side, its leaves turning from a deep red to a blood-like hue.

So, basically, just another day in the life of a tortured Potential.

I sighed, braiding my hair back quickly with the elastic on my wrist.

“Not ominous at all,” I muttered under my breath, before glancing over my shoulder. One might even call it a little cliché.

Behind me, a wrought iron gate groaned and creaked from a breeze, but it was covered with barbed wire and thorns, which seemed a good enough warning for me to take the path ahead.

Right. Only one way forward. No looking back.

Steeling my shoulders, I adjusted my leather jacket and knelt to tighten my combat boots, more grateful than ever that I’d swapped my stilettos out earlier. Gravel, high heels, and whatever beasties lay in wait did not make for a good party mix.

A small smile curved my lips. I had no plans for attending any such party from down low. I looked to the purple sky and summoned my wings, waiting for their copper magnificence to burst from my back.

And kept waiting.

I tried again, frowning as my adaptation fought to get out, but it was like punching against a thick, invisible wall.

I blinked, feeling my breath quicken as panic twisted my stomach.

I’d expected our magic to be blocked, yes, but they’d never said anything about our adaptation.

My wings were as much a part of me as my arms and legs, and to have that part of me stripped away…

A cold shiver climbed my spine. Not right.

This was not fucking right. What else could they possibly take from us all?

A quick mental tally of all responsible for this saw the name Celeste added to my hit list. The hippie bitch of an Overseer wouldn’t be smiling so much when I was through with her, and she and the Masters had much to answer for these days.

I gritted my teeth and started walking, the ground crunching beneath my heavy boots. So, I was starting this trial with no magic, no weapons, no adaptation, and no friend in sight. Juuuust peachy.

I trekked through the maze with a rising temper, sticking to the right hedge as much as possible. It was eerily quiet, not a sound to fill the silence except for the occasional caw of a crow and the gravel shifting beneath my feet.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt so alone. A point emphasised by my sister’s blood still staining my hands.

A thousand thoughts over what had happened to the guys ran through my head.

But I couldn’t worry about them right now.

I knew stealth was my best friend in an unknown situation, but the silence stretched so thin, that I contemplated calling out for the others despite myself.

But I snapped my mouth shut, silently cursing myself for such a stupid thought.

The hairs on my arms and neck rose and I registered a rotten stench filling the air. I had to force myself not to gag as it increased, becoming nearly unbearable. Something brushed my neck, wet and warm. I spun, arms raised and fists up, ready to defend myself. Only, there was no one there.

My heart thundered, sending blood rushing in my ears. Was it the maze playing tricks on me? Or my mind? Shaking my head, I breathed in the air.

Fresh. Not a hint of carcass on the breeze.

Nope. I refused to go bat-shit crazy in this creepy place. There wasn’t some creature out to get me. I was just imagining it. Get a grip, Fallon.

With a snort, I tossed my braid over my shoulder and lifted my chin. Badass bitches didn’t get scared of a little ghostly activity; my schedule didn’t allow it.

I resumed walking, straining my ears for any sound, trying not to see shapes and faces where there were none in the shadows of the maze. But who was I kidding? It was easier said than done, with nothing but my thoughts and my own treacherous thumping heart for company.

I brushed my hand along the hedge, needing something to ground me. The leaves felt comforting beneath my palm, and even when a thorn pricked my skin, I was glad for it—for the distraction of that pain, and for my own blood to cover the now dark brown stains already blotched over my skin.

No, I was definitely not alone. Too many of my senses told me there was something close.

I just hoped my hunter was human and not some other monstrosity the Masters had pissed off by plopping us into its lair.

As quietly as possible, I scooped some dirt in one hand.

It would do me little good, but I could temporarily blind any attacker and try to outrun it before they chased me.

As if on cue, gravel suddenly crunched a distance behind me, the steps so fast and thunderous I almost yelped as my heartbeat tripled.

With a roar, I threw my dirt grenade, but again, there was nothing there.

Nothing but footprints and sprayed gravel at least. I swallowed.

My footprints were clearly there, but there was a distinct second set.

Tracking wasn’t my forte but judging by the size and shape of those indents in the path, whatever was here with me was not imaginary at all. It was also decidedly not human.

“Fuck that shit.”

With a deep breath, I turned and ran—outright bolted in the hopes that my phantom would grow bored with the chase or get lost in the maze.

I should be so lucky.

Not long after I started running, a wet, rasping sound followed, louder and louder until it became low, gurgling moans. It was so close it felt like they were right behind me. A pitiful sob escaped me, my breath turning ragged as I forced everything into my legs.

Everything burned. Everything groaned in protest from the second trial we’d only completed less than a day ago.

And my heart… it just wanted to give in to the pain and let go.

Victoria’s lifeless body flashed before my eyes and I missed a step, stumbling and grazing my hands on the sharp rocks beneath me.

Tears tracked down my face because I was so tired of all this.

So tired of running and fighting this battle.

I hadn’t even begun the war. Hadn’t scraped the surface of all the things I wanted to achieve and all the people I wanted to bring down.

I had an empire to topple and key players to destroy. I had a kingdom to win.

So, no, I couldn’t give up or give the Masters, the Overseer, my father or that mysterious hooded fuck one freaking inch if I wanted to survive. And I was too stubborn to give up.

I ran, and I ran, and I ran, until my lungs were on fire and my legs throbbed so much it felt like they’d fall off. Still, those pounding steps followed. But I didn’t dare look back; didn’t give myself a second to despair as I ran down a long, hedged corridor and turned… only to find a dead-end.

The thing behind me was groaning heavily now, the sound so utterly wrong that my stomach twisted, my bones turning brittle as the noise raked over my skin.

Trapped, I shifted my stance and held my fists up.

I didn’t care if I had to beat that thing bloody or kill it with nails and teeth.

I wasn’t fucking dying today. Hell, I’d crawl out of here if it was the last thing I did.

Any second now the creature would turn the corner and find its dinner waiting like a sitting duck…

What horrible creation had the Masters come up with this time? We’d faced bat-like animals with squashed noses, spiders, wasps, lake monsters, and even a freaking dragon. Beyond that, I also had the other Potentials who had it out for me to contend with, and now my sister’s assassin.

Honestly, I was just a girl, standing in front of a world full of monsters, asking them to leave her alone.

I made to step forward, thinking if I got the jump on it first, I stood a better chance. But something clamped around my mouth, stifling my scream as whoever or whatever pulled me back into the spiky branches of that maze’s hedge.

I was helpless as the thorny mouth of the bush opened wide and swallowed me whole.