Page 65 of Kingdom of Chaos (Creatures of Chaos #2)

Forty-Two

We don’t waste another second. With Becks in the lead, we tear back into the trees, racing toward the zoo, where they’re holding Ensley.

The city’s lights glint cold and distant beyond the dome, a reminder of the normal world we’re fighting to protect.

The sounds of battle rise with every step—lashing magic, the crack of weapons, the guttural cries of creatures and humans locked in a desperate fight for survival.

I try not to picture Titus, bloodied, exhausted, barely standing, still fighting to protect Ensley. But the image roots in my chest like a thorn, pushing me harder, faster.

My pulse hammers in my ears, my muscles burn like fire, but I don’t slow down. I push until I’m gasping for air, running on fumes alone. The others outpace me, stretching the distance between us, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t keep up.

Talon notices. Of course he does.

He hangs back, matching my slowing strides. His gaze cuts sideways, burning into mine, reading me like he always does. He doesn’t say anything, until I stumble on a crack in the asphalt and nearly hit the ground.

His arm snaps out, catching me before I fall. The contact steadies me; his voice is firm as he stops me in my tracks.

“Breathe, Freckles. We need a second.”

“I’m fine,” I say, shaking my head, struggling to keep going and catch up to the others.

Talon’s hand stays firm on my arm, sturdy and unyielding. His eyes narrow slightly, and I know what he’s about to say before the words leave his mouth.

“Locklyn.” His tone drops low, urgent but calm. “You’re our secret weapon, remember? We can’t afford for you to burn out before we even reach her.”

I open my mouth to protest, but the truth of it steals my breath. I’m at the edge of my limits, and if I collapse, I’ll be no help to anyone. Not to Ensley, not to Becks, not to Talon.

He glances up at the dome above, frustration tightening his jaw. “Not enough altitude. I can’t fly us there. We’ll have to run,” he says, almost to himself.

His gaze returns to me, softer now, fierce and protective. “Let me help you.”

Before I can argue, he bends over and sweeps me into his arms like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

His strength is effortless, his body solid and warm against mine, even as the chill of his lingering frost magic clings to him. His breath brushes the top of my head as he mutters, “Hold on, Freckles. We’ll get her back. We’ll end this.”

He takes off like a force of nature, and I press my face into his shoulder, clinging to the solid strength of him as I try to level out my breathing.

The rush of air stings my cheek, whipping my hair back in tangled streams. Each long, powerful stride vibrates through me, a reminder of just how strong Talon is, of how much he’s carrying. Not just me, but all of this.

Even without looking, I can feel us gaining on the others, their familiar footsteps merging with the noise up ahead.

The night has turned into a battlefield, a mess of colliding shouts, bursts of magic, and the sharp clash of metal.

It presses in from every direction, but I force myself to tune it out, to focus inward and try to find my center.

I grasp on to the threads of magic I know I have, except every time I reach for them, they slip through my fingers like water, leaving only a hollow ache behind.

That terrifies me more than anything.

As we near the zoo, the sounds shift. It’s not just the chaos of battle anymore.

There are animal calls. Low, panicked grunts, the rhythmic thud of hooves, the sharp crack of breaking branches, and somewhere, a high-pitched, keening cry that twists my gut.

The battle rages around us, laced now with a savage energy thickening the madness we’re already lost in.

Familiar voices break through the turmoil and I lift my head just as Talon slows, nearing a huddle of bodies surrounding a motionless form on the ground.

I squirm in his arms and he lets me down.

Becks glances up at me, his gaze haunted, and a chill runs through me even though I’m still overheated and coated in sweat.

I push forward, nudging Imogen to the side to get a clear look at what they’re surrounding, and a gasp rips from my throat.

Titus lies crumpled on the ground, his body twisted like a ragdoll tossed aside.

Blood stains his skin in dark streaks, seeping into the shredded remains of his shirt.

His breathing is shallow and ragged, each inhale a struggle that rattles in his chest like broken glass.

Bruises bloom across his face, deep and mottled, and one eye is swollen completely shut.

A jagged gash splits across his cheek, the blood still gleaming in the low light.

His lip is cracked, caked with dried blood, and his hands tremble where they clutch weakly at the dirt, as if sheer will alone is the only thing keeping him from slipping away.

His chest rises and falls in uneven jerks, each breath a battle.

He looks utterly wrecked, barely holding on to consciousness.

Yet there’s a stubborn set to his jaw, a faint glint of defiance that lingers even in the midst of his collapse, because this is Titus, and he’s too stubborn to let go that easily.

I twist to Kade. “Do you have a healer?”

He glances back at me with a look I’ve never seen on the strong, unflinching human before.

It’s not fear exactly, but it’s close. “I do, but she’ll be hard to locate in this bedlam.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to get to her in time.

He’s . . .” His gaze flicks down to Titus, and rather than finish his sentence, he shakes his head once, a grim finality in the motion.

I know what he’s trying to say. That Titus’ wounds are bad enough to be fatal. But I’m not ready to give up, and I won’t let him give up either.

“Find her,” I say, my voice sharp with command.

Kade draws a breath through his nose, then nods. As he turns to leave, I grab his shoulder. “Hurry.”

“I will,” he promises, and then he’s gone.

I drop to the ground beside Titus, my hands hovering over his battered body because I’m terrified to touch him.

“We’re sending for help. You’re going to be okay,” I try to assure him, though the words feel thin in the air.

His jaw works as if he’s trying to form words, but they’re too quiet to hear over the madness swirling around us. I lean in closer, and suddenly he grips my arm with a surprising strength, his fingers digging in like iron clamps.

“Leave me,” he rasps, voice hoarse but urgent. “Save her.”

I shake my head, heart racing. “We’re not?—”

“Now,” he says, his grip tightening for emphasis. His eyes burn into mine, fierce and unrelenting.

I look up at the others—Imogen, Talon, and Becks—my pulse thundering in my ears, unsure what to do.

“I’ll stay with him,” Becks says, stepping forward with a look of fierce determination that makes my chest ache.

It’s not what I expected. He should be the first to charge in after his sister, but he’s steady, calm.

“Without my powers, I’m not much defense against those creatures, but I can do what I can for Titus until Kade gets back. ”

Reaching behind him, he pulls a gun from a holster I didn’t realize he had under his shirt. He checks it with practiced hands, the cold click of metal echoing between us. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

“Go,” he says firmly, his expression hard as steel.

I stand, my heart twisting, and before we leave, Becks catches my arm.

“Locklyn.” His voice is low and tight, like he’s forcing the words out before they slip away. “You’ve got this. Just promise me you’ll get her back . . . and that you’ll come back too.” His gaze lingers, fierce and tender, refusing to let me go until I tell him I will.

“I swear to do everything I can to get her back,” I say, knowing it’s the only promise I can make right now.

He clears his throat, urgency snapping back into his tone as he nods toward the zoo. “They’re holding her in the reptile house, last I saw. Titus was the only thing keeping them from dragging her deeper inside. There were at least four of them, big ones. Be careful.”

I nod, pulse roaring in my ears, and turn to Talon and Imogen. No more hesitation. We have to move.

“This way,” Imogen says, darting off.

She leads us toward what was once a security gate but now is a mangled heap of twisted metal, and without pause we enter the zoo.

Animal cries echo through the dark, making it nearly impossible to hear anything else. The noise and darkness are disorienting, but a map near the entrance helps guide us. We follow it, moving fast, heading straight for the reptile house.

My stomach tightens when we round a corner and spot a large yellow sign: Reptile House. The air feels heavier here, charged with magic. And danger.

We slip into the reptile house, the door creaking shut behind us. The noise from outside mutes like a switch has been flipped. The animal cries, the distant sounds of battle, all of it dims to a strange, muffled hum, as if the building itself is holding its breath.

The air is thick and humid, heavy with the scent of damp stone and reptile musk. Every step echoes too loudly in the eerie quiet, and the low hum of the overhead lights buzzes like static.

We round a corner and I freeze.

There, at the far end of the room, above a massive open tank exhibit, is Ensley.

She hangs suspended in midair, held aloft by dark tendrils of shadow that weave and twist around her like serpents. The way they coil over her arms, her legs, her throat, it’s like watching a nest of snakes writhe over her skin. My stomach lurches, bile rising in my throat.

Her head lolls to the side, hair draping down like a golden curtain, her arms hanging limp. Beneath her, the glassy surface of the water ripples, disturbed by the slow, sinuous movement of a massive snake.

An anaconda, I realize with a jolt.

Why does it have to be a snake?

The shadows slither lower, drawing her closer to the water.

I strain my senses, searching for Kerrim, expecting him to step from the shadows at any moment, but there’s no sign of him.

Four figures emerge from the shadows and I’m momentarily stunned by the damage Titus managed to inflict on them all alone.

Blood stains their clothes, and they move with a stiffness that speaks of pain, but they’re still standing.

They’re locked on to us, their eyes faintly glowing in the dim light.

Vampires.

I feel it instantly, the tug of their compulsion, like invisible threads pulling at my mind.

Whether it’s their intent to kill us or just detain us, one thing is clear.

They aren’t planning to let us leave.

Talon and I share a quick glance. He feels it too. But we’ve been training for this. Over the last two days we’ve worked on blocking compulsion, and though the pull tugs at the edges of my mind, I force it back.

Imogen, being a vampire herself, laughs—actually laughs—echoing sharp and bright in the cavernous space.

“Sorry, boys. If you want to take me down, you’re going to have to do better than that.”

Then she launches. A blur of speed and fangs, she collides with the nearest vampire in a snarl of teeth and fists.

Talon isn’t far behind, moving with lethal precision, ice crackling at his fingertips as he slams into the next one, sending the vampire sprawling across the floor.

The other two converge, hissing, but Talon whirls on them, frost blooming at his feet, a blast of cold air erupting from his palms as he sweeps out his arm.

One of the vampires is flung back into a glass enclosure, shattering it in an explosion of water and scales.

The room erupts into pandemonium.

I have no time to focus on them, because Ensley is slipping.

The shadows coil tighter around her, dropping her closer to the surface of the water. The anaconda stirs beneath her, its massive body rippling like liquid muscle.

“Hold on,” I whisper, voice shaking as I rush closer.

My fingers tremble as I reach out, feeling for my magic. It’s weak, flickering like a candle on the verge of snuffing out, but it’s still there.

Come on, come on.

Ignoring the fight raging behind me, I extend my hand. The shadows are sluggish at first, reluctant, but then they surge forward, responding to my call. They meet the tendrils holding Ensley, tangling with them in a silent, writhing battle.

For a breathless second, it feels like they’re going to snap back, like I’m too drained, too weak to fight them off.

No. Not her. Not now.

I push harder, teeth gritted, and reaching up with my free hand I grasp the lunacite pendant in my fist, squeezing so tightly the gem is cutting into my palm.

The magic inside me flares, searing through my veins like fire.

With a sharp crack , the vampire’s shadowy tendrils shatter apart, and Ensley drops?—

I lunge forward, the shadows at my command forming a blanket underneath her. The effort nearly buckles my knees, but I hold on, guiding her over the glass partition, and then gently down to the floor in front of me, away from the water, away from the tank.

My breath comes in ragged gasps, the world tilting around me as I drop to my knees and pull Ensley to me.

Her eyes flutter, her skin pale and clammy. But she’s breathing. She’s alive.

“I’ve got you,” I whisper, a tear slipping down my cheek as I cradle her against me. “I’ve got you.”

A blur of motion has me looking up just as a body crashes into a glass enclosure across from us with a sickening crack. The impact shatters the tank, water gushing across the floor in a rush.

A massive reptile, maybe a monitor lizard or maybe a crocodile, slides free, gliding over the limp, unmoving body of one of the vampires as if they’re nothing more than an obstacle in its path.

Talon and Imogen stand over the unconscious bodies of the remaining vampires, breathing hard but still on their feet. They high-five between pants.

“We have to get her somewhere safe,” I call out, my voice shaky but urgent.

Talon and Imogen rush over to help. Talon gently eases Ensley from my arms, holding her carefully against his chest.

“You did good, Freckles,” he murmurs, his eyes steady and reassuring. I want to believe him, but I’m too rattled to smile back.

“Let’s find Becks and Titus,” I say, forcing the words past the tight knot in my throat. “Then we get out of here.”