Page 4

Chapter four

Raegan

The hallway opens to a massive room.

It’s the main area that’s two stories tall and overlooks the hangout area, filled with tables surrounded by trees and vines.

Screaming from below sends my heart catapulting from my chest.

Children’s screams.

The kids we’d saved from GE.

They wouldn’t...

Dane takes the stairs at the railing three at a time, jumping to the short landings when he’s near enough.

I’m right behind him like a shadow, keeping pace and sticking close.

We hit the bottom where the stairs end in the middle of the lower floor and race toward the two groups facing off.

Bright red curls stand out in front of the children, a knife in one hand and a gun in the other.

Cassandra’s body shakes, but she doesn’t back down.

One of the people standing opposite her slips a foot forward, and she immediately points the gun at him.

“Don’t move!” she shouts, her arm quivering with fear.

“I’ll shoot. ”

The children are huddled and clutching each other, crying or shaking with fear.

“Don’t let them take us!” a little girl wails.

“I want to go home!”

“Miss Claudia! Miss Claudia!”

“I’m scared!”

The woman who’d stepped forward hesitates, but I can see some of the others readying to test Cassandra as they creep forward.

It’s one against four, and she looks like she may collapse after firing her first bullet.

“Cassandra!” I call out, letting that group know she’s got reinforcements before they get too confident.

She spins, her arm with the gun swinging at me.

I catch it and ease the gun from her grip.

“It’s okay. We’ll take it from here,” I offer reassuringly.

That’s when I see the knife sticking out where her shoulder and collarbone meet.

She wasn’t shaking from fear.

It was pain. Maybe blood loss.

“Don’t remove it,” she mumbles, then pitches forward, taking us both to the ground.

Dane curses, then carefully rolls Cassandra to her back in his lap, freeing me.

I sit up with a soft grunt of pain from my head and shoulder, but freeze when I notice her eyes are closed.

“Shit!”

“She’s just passed out. But we’re fucked about getting the kids out of here and help for her.”

“Can’t she heal it?” I ask .

“She can’t heal herself. She needs to go to a hospital.”

The scuff of a shoe snaps my attention back to the group, and my arm with the gun jumps up automatically.

“Move that foot forward one more time, and I’ll put a bullet through your skull. I don’t have enough ammo to bother with warning shots.”

They whisper amongst themselves.

Probably talking about their odds against only Dane and I while we’re protecting a handful of kids and a wounded and unconscious Cassandra.

But the gun is the least of their worries.

None of them are in the usual black attire worn by GE agents.

If I let any of them go, they could slip undetected back into the group.

I can’t remember faces well enough to memorize half a dozen at once.

“Dane. Is there anything nearby we could tie them up with?” I whisper under my breath.

He pauses, considering.

His lips flatten. “In the kitchens, but I’m not leaving you.”

“It’s just upstairs—”

Dane grabs my arm.

“Their lives aren’t more important to me than yours. Whatever we have to do here, we’ll do it. But it’ll be together.”

My heart squeezes, his words filling me with an unfamiliar emotion that floods my chest. I bite my lip and nod.

We’ll have to knock them out somehow, then.

It’s the only option with what we have, short of killing them.

I’ll do it if provoked, but I don’t want that to be my first answer.

I may be capable of being a monster, but I choose when that is.

Not to mention the young audience we have who have been through enough .

“Get ready to rush them,” I murmur.

“We’re aiming to knock them out, so back of the head or jaw hits.” I wish we could do the neck pinch that Jackson did to Dane.

He made it seem like an effortless tactic to drop him unconscious in seconds.

Guess I know what I’ll be asking Jack to teach me if I win whatever his next challenge is.

“Got it.” Dane carefully sets Cassandra on the floor.

The kids huddle behind us, clinging to each other and crying.

They’re lost in the bunker with no idea of where to run to be safe or how many others are here to kidnap them.

My gaze stops on Mallory in the back.

Her blue eyes are round with fear but free from tears.

She catches me watching her and quickly looks away.

It's better than her crying or screaming at the sight of me, I guess.

Vines whip seemingly out of nowhere, wrapping around the four GE agents and yanking them together. They jostle and pull against their bindings, then topple over as one.

“Dane! Raegan!”

Silas runs toward us, Fabian jogging and huffing behind him. They both look tired and disheveled. Fabian leans on his knees to catch his breath when they reach us.

“Where’s Aiden?” Silas asks.

“Fighting GE elsewhere, above ground,” Dane answers. “Have you seen Kellan?”

Silas shakes his head. “You’re the only ones we’ve seen since we left Evie and Cibrina. How can we help?”

“Can you hide the kids somewhere safe?” I ask, motioning to them and then Cassandra. “And she needs a hospital as soon as it’s safe to leave.”

“I’ve got her,” Fabian declares, bending and lifting her in his arms.

Voices of triumph sound behind us. When I turn, three things spin toward us as fog rolls in at our feet.

A flash of pink darts out toward one of the spinning objects, grabbing it and yanking it from the air. I follow its movement the second time, my eyes widening as Fabian swallows it whole. His tongue, quick like a frog’s, snaps out and snatches the third and final weapon before he devours that one as well.

“Get going,” Dane tells Silas and Fabian. “We’ll hold them off.”

Silas nods. “Let’s go, kids!” He herds them together, then takes the lead with Fabian holding Cassandra at their rear.

One of the agents jumps at me and Dane with sparks of electricity zapping between his fingertips, and we dive apart. The fog is up to our knees now. If we don’t stop whichever one is creating it, we’ll be blind before too long.

Raising the gun, I fire at the one I think is making it. He ducks for cover, and the rush of fog lessens for a second.

Gotcha.

Dane appears at my side. “Give me the gun and use your gift.”

Keeping the gun pointed at them, I cast Dane a sidelong look. “Are you telling me to kill them?”

His eyes lock onto mine. “The kids are gone now and they aren’t giving us a choice. If I have to choose between us or them, I choose us.”

I nod, relieved we’re on the same page. I’d worried that Dane would be the one against killing anyone, especially if he thought of every agent as innocent and brainwashed like his sister.

But there’s no way we would survive the fight against GE if we tried to save everyone who works for them. Not everyone was brainwashed, after all.

“After those kids, all of you. I’ll handle this,” a familiar voice intrudes. “Well, well. I suppose the chances of me seeing you were high if I left that prison floor, but I couldn’t help my curiosity to explore.”

I whip around, my eyes widening at who I see standing there.

Charles.

My…father.

The other agents chase after the direction Silas and Fabian went with the children, but I’m too stunned to stop them.

Dane takes a step in front of me. “What did you do to Kell?” he demands.

Kell?

I look past Charles. Kellan is floating on his back, his eyes closed, and blood stains on his shirt.

“Kellan!” I shout, taking a step toward him when the gun suddenly rips from my hand.

“No!”

Bang!

Dane slams into me, driving me to the floor and knocking the air from my lungs. He shifts his weight off me to one side, making a noise of pain behind clenched teeth. Pulling his hand away from his arm, he reveals a bright red stain on his palm. “Fuck,” he mutters, then turns to scan me for injuries. “Are you okay?”

“Me? You’re the one who just got shot!”

“It’s just a graze. Hurts like a mother—shit!” He grabs me and rolls us both away a second before I hear another gunshot.

“Dane!”

Charles tsks and shakes his head. “Oh, dear. I’ve missed again. Raegan, please stand so these bullets don’t go to waste. I’d rather not hit your friend if I can help it.”

“Get fucked,” Dane growls, straightening to position himself between me and my father.

Or…should I even call him that?

“Who are you and why are you doing this? Are you really my father?” I demand, standing and trying to move past Dane, but he blocks me with an arm.

“We do share DNA, unfortunately.” My throat tightens at the callousness of his words. It was dumb for me to believe I might have any family left. I thought I’d kept my distance enough from the idea of him being there, but his words cut me, slicing at my soul. “But that is the full extent of our connection. You’re no daughter of mine. Just a failed experiment that needs to be put down.”

I swallow past the uncomfortable thickness in my throat. “The stories about my mother…”

“All lies,” he admits easily with a shrug. “She was a means to an end, just like all the others.”

The others?

Charles’s gaze flicks beside me. “Did I hear correctly that you’re Dane? ”

Dane tenses, his expression growing dark. There’s no use denying it, but we don’t confirm it, either.

Charles smiles, appearing pleased. “I’ll take you with me as well, then. Just give me a moment to dispose of my mistake and we’ll be on our way.”

To dispose of my mistake.

Yup. I’m done.

Rage burns the emotional pain away, flooding my senses until there’s nothing else. My gift activates all on its own, ready to dispose of this man first.

Fuck him. And fuck his lies.

“Don’t talk about her like that,” Dane snaps. “And I’m not going anywhere with you, you piece of shit.”

I duck around Dane and charge at Charles, closing the distance before he can raise the gun. I grab his wrist first, then snatch the gun with my other hand and turn it to ash. Charles cries out when my gift cracks and spreads up his arm.

His fist smashes into my face, and I involuntarily release him as I stumble to the side. Dane catches me from behind before I fall, pulling me against his chest. My face pounds from the impact, and I reach a hand up to let my cooler fingers soothe the building ache.

I had enough of him to destroy that one arm. It’ll put us at an advantage against him, which I have a feeling we’ll need. He’s too confident for me to believe he’s just a paperwork guy. And somehow, he managed to incapacitate Kellan. We can’t take him lightly.

When I check on my handiwork on his arm, my lungs constrict. The sleeve of his shirt is destroyed, but instead of ravaged and cracked skin, I stare at burnt gold scales. They’re a dark and dull comparison to Kellan’s, but otherwise unmistakable.

“Fuck. He has the same gift as Kell?” Dane breathes incredulously.

Charles laughs, turning his arm before himself as if admiring his own gift. “Truly marvelous,” he commends himself.

What the—?

I glance at Kellan, remembering the time Charles had watched Kell’s gift activate.

His interest in it had been subtle, but it was there.

“He stole it…” I whisper, in shock.

Dane curses, his arms tightening around me. “Keep him talking. I’ll sneak around behind him to mute his gift, and then you can use yours.”

“Can I use my gift on him while you’re touching him?”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

He slides his arms down, releasing me slowly to avoid drawing Charles’s attention back to us. He’s so excited about his new gift that it’s like we no longer exist.

Or we’re not a big enough threat for him to bother keeping tabs on.

It’s that thought which makes me hesitate.

“Dane…” I start, pinching his hoodie before he’s out of reach. “I don’t like you getting close to him. He’s after you.”

He covers my hand with his, gently tugging the fabric free. “There’s no portal around right now, so now’s the time. We don’t have much choice if he has Kellan’s healing and invulnerability. ”

Still, my stomach twists into a knot.

Something appears in my periphery, and I nearly collapse with relief.

Aiden, Jackson, and Reid.

Aiden immediately scans the room, his hard stare gathering as much information as possible in seconds before he speaks. “Are you Gifted Enterprise’s president?” he directs to Charles.

I grab Dane’s hoodie to keep him from continuing with our plan now that the others are here. Surely, if we combine our strength, we can take him down without risking Dane. He frowns at me, but doesn’t fight it.

Jackson is by my side before I see him move, his hand gently angling my face up as he inspects what’s likely a blooming bruise on my cheek.

Charles lowers his arm and regards Aiden with mild interest. “I am.”

Aiden draws his whip sword free. “Good. Then we can end this here with your death or surrender, your choice,” he threatens, his voice smooth and matter-of-fact.

My DNA donor laughs freely. “You think too highly of yourselves. I didn’t become president by batting my eyelashes, Mr. Guild Master. But I’ll gladly show you the difference between you and me.”

“Was it him?” Jack asks. His thumb strokes over the bruise, and I restrain a wince when it stings. His eyes flash with anger, telling me I didn’t do as great a job at hiding it as I thought I had. I nod in response to his original question .

“Get Kell first.” Charles’s attention is firmly locked on Aiden, so this is the perfect time for Jackson to sweep in and out with Kellan. “He stole Kell’s gift somehow, so he won’t be easy to fight.”

Aiden stares back at Charles, unimpressed. “Before we begin, what have you done to my Guild members?”

“Nothing but take back what was rightfully ours,” he responds, and Aiden’s jaw tightens.

“No person rightfully belongs to anyone else—”

Charles snaps his head around. “Is that you, son?” he interrupts, casually dismissing what Aiden’s saying with his gaze now pinned on Reid, who had dropped to one knee when they arrived.

Reid’s hands curl to fists, but still, he doesn’t stand.

Is he injured?

And, also…son?!

Does that make him my brother?

“Don’t call me that,” Reid bites out, pain laced in his voice. “I’ve cut all ties with you. Where’s Tinsley?”

Charles’s smile is sickly sweet, like he’s taking great pleasure in what he says next. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of your girl.”

Reid struggles to his feet. His face contorts with pain at the action, but he keeps moving, taking one step after another toward Charles. “Give her back. Give. Her. BACK!” Drops of blood trail behind him from a bloody gash stretched diagonally across his back.

“You had such promise, Reid. I thought you’d be my right hand until you met that girl. I’m disappointed in you becoming infatuated with some cunt.”

He roars, leaping at Charles with flying fists that the man easily evades with a chuckle. Reid collapses to the ground, his chest heaving and discomfort tightening his face.

“It’s not the motivation I’d hoped for, but it’ll do. You need to be punished for turning your back on me, and unfortunately for your girl, she’s the price you’ll pay. I’m sure when you see her again, you’ll come around. We've made exceptional enhancements in our programming department since you left.”

Aiden moves in front of Reid and swings his sword at Charles, who once again dodges, but Jackson strikes him from behind.

Charles falls a single step forward, then straightens to square off, facing them both at once. The wound on his back heals instantly, adding another area of impenetrable scales. “That should have been a single death blow if you were serious,” he critiques. “Now, I know you’re in the fight, too.”

Dane nudges me. I drag my attention away from them to find Kellan at our feet. Gasping at the bullet holes still in his chest, I drop to my knees and reach for the nearest one. Dane squats to do the same with another one.

Charles frowns, his eyes searching the area where Kellan had been until he finds him with Dane and me. Aiden and Jack are both mid-attack when he makes a motion with his hands, and it almost looks like they hit an invisible shield as they’re repelled back. He casts one more glance at Reid. “I’d love to stay and keep testing my new gift, but I’m already late for an appointment. I’m sure you all understand.”

He disappears in the blink of an eye.

“Wasn’t his gift— ”

“Almost forgot something,” Charles’s voice appears on the other side of Dane.

No!

I reach for Dane on instinct, grabbing whatever I touch first, and then everything vanishes.