Page 30

A portal opens a few feet away from us, and Malakai catches me watching it.

“It only goes two ways. From here to the gray zone,” he tells me with an amused smirk. “And the portal that brought us here to the camps is also only a direct link. They won’t bring you anywhere else. You’re stuck with us whether you like it or not.”

I give him a teasing smile. “The family visits obviously were only two-way, and those little tests the commander does bring down the barrier. You never know, I might just find another way,” I tease while also being half serious.

He leans closer to me, his smirk growing wicked. “Run all you want, baby. But no matter where you go, we’ll find you.”

“If you’re playing hide and seek, I want an invite,” Knox says, appearing beside me. “I’m very good at hunting my prey.”

“And what will you do if you catch me?” I ask.

His smile grows wolfish. “Run and find out.”

A warm shiver slides down my spine in anticipation.

Knox moves closer to me. “You’re in my bed after this,” he says like it’s already a given. But he forgets. I don’t listen to his rules. So maybe he’ll have to hunt me down after all.

We step through the portal and straight into darkness as if the entire space is cloaked in shadows.

I stick with the guys as we make our way toward a colossal area of ruins. Large brick buildings that must have once been magnificent are now crumbling, without roofs and decaying to rot.

“Keep your eyes peeled for anything,” Theon says as we make our way inside.

“Remember, bullets will injure them but not kill. Use your weapon,” Cyrus says and points to one of the many black coated blades he gave me this morning. “Or call on one of ours.”

“Why here?” I whisper.

“The females are never out in the open. They’re guarded. Hidden. It’s more likely they’ll be among the ruins than anywhere else,” Malakai answers as his eyes scan the open building we are walking into.

It seems in every species; females are not to be messed with.

The more we move in among the ruins, the more the air feels stagnant and eerie. Almost foreboding.

Screams and gunshots ring out before chaos explodes around us. Terrigons appear from nowhere and strike, attacking everything in their path.

The guys move quick, placing me between them, their weapons and guns in hand.

I move beside them instead and ignore their glares.

“Aim for their chest. It will injure them enough to get the kill,” Malakai says.

I aim and shoot one of the smaller terrigons coming closer to us, hitting it directly in the chest. It goes down but tries to get up, so I keep shooting, ready to move toward it when a black blade flies past me and slams into it.

Following the blade’s return to its owner, I turn and glare at Malakai, but he’s too busy with a couple of larger terrigons. Instead of using his guns, he has his weapons in hand, each hit and strike brutal and savage. Like he wants each kill to be personal.

I glance around for the others and find Theon a few feet behind me, his long, dark shadows spread out around him and curling around a group of terrigons, holding them in place while he strikes each one down.

I find Cyrus next, moving like a ninja and slicing through the terrigons like they’re nothing.

And Knox… It takes me a couple of minutes to spot him, his dark shadows practically making him invisible to everyone. He moves almost too quick for my eyes to catch but leaves only death in his wake.

Each of their eyes flicker over to mine every now and again, making sure I’m okay while also stopping anything from reaching me.

Dozens of more terrigons flood the ruins around us, coming at us from every angle. The guys quickly get overwhelmed, but they soon gain ground, all holding their own.

A huge terrigon comes into view across from me on a broken rooftop. It has to be the female. Her body and head are twice the size of any I’ve ever seen.

I glance over at the guys to tell them but there’s no way they’ll get to her in time, there’s too many in their way.

She lets out a loud shriek before starting to move.

With most of the male Shadows distracting the other terrigons, I take my chance and head after her without a second thought, grabbing the long blade from my thigh and shooting and slashing a path directly to her.

“Sena! Get your ass back here!” Knox screams into my head making me wince.

“It’s a female,” I tell him, still shooting until my gun runs out of bullets. I throw it to the side and keep running.

A strangled choke echoes through my mind. “That makes it fucking worse!”

“I’m not as weak as you think I am,” I tell him as I rush up along the wall after her. She doesn’t see me coming, too focused on the male she seems to have zeroed in on.

I use her distraction to my advantage, whip out my second blade, and as she dives for the male Shadow, I dive for her, slamming my blades straight into her back before landing with a roll.

“I take it back…” Knox rasps. “That was fucking hot.”

I glance over to find him and Malakai right there, waiting. They rush her, using their long shadows to wrap around her and hold her still. But she digs her claws into ground and pulls hard, yanking their dark shadows off her.

She lets out another loud shriek, and within seconds, more terrigons appear around us, surrounding us. Using the distraction, she turns and heads off just as soon as they arrive.

Knox and Malakai head after her. I look for Theon and Cyrus but can’t spot them among the mayhem.

“Stay with Cyrus! ” Knox orders into my mind. But I can’t find him anywhere.

A slash of burning flames slices down my back, making me gasp in pain. Before I get a chance to run, claws curl around me, yanking me backward.

The world tilts as the terrigon that has ahold of me runs with me in its grasp.

The ruins and sand start to blur as one. I know I need to get free from it soon or I’m dead. I reach down onto my thigh and find a small blade, silently thanking Cyrus for kitting me out with so many.

Grasping onto it, I wait until the terrigon gives me an opening before slamming it into its back. It drops me to the ground with roar.

I roll and roll feeling every rock and piece of dirt before finally stopping with a grunt.

Glancing up, I spot the terrigon claw at the blade in its back, trying to get it out. While it’s distracted, I waste no time and stumble to my feet to make a run for it.

Pushing my feet to run faster, I run out of the destroyed building and right into the next. Only to freeze when hundreds of dark eyes land on me.

Terrigons. It’s their nest. And I’ve just walked right into it.

Slowly, I take a step back but stop when I hear a sound from behind me.

Glancing over my shoulder, ice crawls down my back when I see the group of large terrigons block my only exit.

I’m surrounded with no way out.

They start moving toward me, slowly at first. It gives me enough time to focus and form a shadowy shield around me.

They quickly reach it, slashing and clawing at it. Two becomes a dozen and then more, all attacking it.

I feel each slice, each attack as if they’re clawing away layers of my energy.

My body begins to tremble from trying to hold it up against them. Their attack becomes more vicious, more frenzied with dozens of terrigons trying to climb over others to reach me.

I glance up and around at the mass of creatures now surrounding me. At the hundreds all trying to get to me and past my shield.

There’s no way out. But this can’t be my end. Not now. Not after everything.

Energy from some place deep inside me rises up, brushing along my skin, making every sense heightened. It continues to build and build, powering the shield and holding it in place.

I let the energy take over, and the terrigons pause their attack as if sensing something is wrong.

Just as they start to back away, my body lights up and glows. I see nothing but white, and finally… I let go.

The energy blasts out of me, slamming into every terrigon before turning them to ash.

I drop to knees with a gasp. Panting, I try to catch my breath and glance around at the destruction I just caused.

Ashes. That’s all that’s left of them. There were hundreds of terrigons here a moment ago. And I just destroyed them all.

My relief is short lived when a low growl echoes from behind me and two terrigons appear.

Can’t a girl get a damn break!

I get to my feet and tell my body it’s not beyond exhausted as they head for me.

Just before they reach me, long shadows wrap around them, yanking them backward.

I glance over to find a winged male slam them both terrigons into the wall before attacking them.

My luck gets tested again when a third terrigon appears and rushes for me.

With no help coming this time, I quickly glance around for something I can use for a weapon when a long, white glowing blade appears in my hand.

The terrigon reaches me, and before I have time to think about it, I bend and roll out of the way of its claws before slamming the blade into its side.

Just like the white energy, the minute it touches it, it instantly turns to ash.

Getting to my feet, I glance around for any more hidden terrigons and finally relax when I spot none.

The glowing blade disappears just as the winged male appears in front of me.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his brows dipped with worry.

“I’m fine. Thank you for your help.”

He dips his head, his eyes scanning my face for something. “You’re?—”

“SENA!”

I glance around him to find the guys heading this way.

“I’m here,” I call out. And seconds later, I’m in Knox’s arms with them all around me. I ignore the slash of flames as his hands tighten on the cut on my back.

It’s lucky I have them all blocked out right now, or who knows what they might do.

“Fuck,” Knox breathes, holding onto me like a lifeline. “Don’t you ever fucking scare us like that again.”

I let myself finally feel safe and hold onto him a little tighter. I catch Theon’s frown as he watches me and enforce those barriers, making sure each is up.