by Amy Braun
“When we came here, we made sure the Hellions were raiding. I have a plan to get rid of the Behemoth once and for all, but you have to trust me. Can you do that, Abigail?”
Can you still believe in me after I let you down? The words lodged in my throat, destined to strangle me if I spoke them aloud. I read her eyes, desperate to know if she would forgive me.
Abby swallowed her sob, though tears shone in her big green eyes. “I trust you.”
That was all I needed to hear. I stood up and took her hand, pulling her with me. Riley watched me as I led her out of the torture room. He walked with us, glancing at my baby sister.
“We’ll be out of here soon, Abby. Your sister will keep you safe.”
I looked at Riley and smiled. “Thank you,” I whispered.
Riley smiled back, quickening to follow Sawyer. We walked in silence, reaching the furnace room. The survivors huddled together and whimpered. Riley stiffened and looked away from the furnace. Abby pushed closer to me.
“Is the cockpit far from here?” I asked Riley, both to learn and to distract him.
He sounded grateful for it when he answered, “No. But we have to get back to the main hallway. I’ll take you there.”
I hesitated. “You can just tell us where to go…” I trailed off as he shook his head.
“You stood up for me. You’re probably saving my life. Helping you take these bastards down and getting the survivors out of here is the least I can do.”
The intensity of his gaze caused my heart to speed up. I’d never really taken responsibility for someone’s life before, aside from Abby, but that was what I felt when I looked at Riley. That I fought to help him, and he was mine to protect now.
The idea didn’t comfort me, since Abby was a reminder of how terrible I was at protecting others.
I looked away from Riley and focused on Sawyer, still leading the traumatized survivors. I noticed their tension hadn’t abated since leaving the furnace room. As we approached the door across the hall to the docking bay, they mumbled and shook, some of them whipping their heads back and forth as they looked in the massive, arching hallway. Abby trembled in my hand. Her breathing became hitched.
Sawyer whirled around and tried to hush the survivors, but they slowed down, gasping, clutching their heads or stomachs, whimpering and crying.
Something was wrong.
Abby suddenly grabbed both my hands in hers and pulled. I looked at her and saw fear blazing through her eyes.
“They’re here,” she breathed. “Claire, they’re here!”
Just as I opened my mouth to ask what she was talking about, and how she knew, the door to the docking bay screeched open. I pushed Abby behind me, hoping to keep her from seeing whatever it was she feared.
There was nothing I could do about my own fear, though.
They stalked through the door like oily shadows, their raspy growls muffled under the masks they still wore. The mere sight of the twelve Hellions blocking our only exit caused the survivors to start screaming. They dropped to their knees, writhing in some kind of unseen agony. Sawyer maintained his focus, lifting his cutlass and taking a step back to plant his feet.
One of the Hellions strode forward, confidence and power pouring off of him. The large Hellion that had been stalking me for a long time had finally trapped me. I couldn’t escape it now, even if I wanted to. I’d walked right into its home territory.
But when the Hellion removed its mask and let its jet black hair tumble around its face, its gaze didn’t lock on me.
It went directly to Sawyer.
The Hellion’s smile was sharp and carnivorous, its red eyes wild with violence and hunger. But they didn’t chill me half as much as its words did.
“Hello, brother,” the Hellion said. “Did you miss me?”
Chapter 14
While my heart pounded with fear, my brain struggled to grasp the situation.
Not only could the Hellion speak Aonian perfectly, it–he–had memories. He knew exactly who Sawyer was. And he was related to him.
No, I told myself. This has to be a mistake. Sawyer had two brothers, and they both died. There was no way he could have lied about that.
But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have hidden other truths from you.
Unable to think properly, I pushed away my thoughts and concentrated on what Sawyer was saying.
“You’re supposed to be dead,” he accused. He struggled to keep the fear out of his voice, but I heard it. Sawyer was afraid.
The Hellion chuckled, taking slow steps toward his so-called brother. He never blinked, and didn’t seem disturbed by the survivors screaming behind Sawyer.
“Bet you were hoping for that, huh? You never were strong enough to keep up with me or our father. That’s why you played with Micah. He was the only one you knew you could beat in a fight.”
“Leave him out of this,” Sawyer warned.
The Hellion only laughed. “Still protecting his memory? That’s cute. I’ve never seen you protect anything. All you do is run.”
Sawyer didn’t flinch as the Hellion stepped in front of the sword, oblivious to the weapon pointed just inches above his heart. Sawyer could have ended the monster’s existence right here and now, saving countless lives.
But he didn’t move.
“See?” The Hellion taunted. “I’m right here, and you can’t kill me. Not even when you know what I’m capable of.”
He moved faster than I could see. One minute Sawyer was holding his sword at the Hellion. Then the monster knocked the blade away and punched Sawyer in the jaw. He lost his balance, his head pitching to the side. The Hellion’s fist rocketed down, crashing into Sawyer’s temple and sending him onto the ground, opening him up to a flurry of kicks from the Hellion.
“Sawyer!” I screamed.
I grabbed Riley’s arm and yanked him in front of my sister, hoping he got the message. Then I took out the second knife that Sawyer had given me and charged the Hellion.
For the briefest second, I thought the Hellion didn’t see me. He was so concentrated on hurting Sawyer that I didn’t think he would register my presence until my knife was in his back.
I reached him with my arm raised, prepared to drive the knife home, when the Hellion whirled around and grabbed my throat in his claws. My swing missed, flying harmlessly in front of the Hellion. He chuckled and squeezed my throat, digging in his talons.
“You really think I didn’t see you, darling?” He pulled me closer, letting me smell the blood on his breath. “You think I don’t know who you are?”
The Hellion kicked my feet out from under me, causing my knees to buckle. We dropped onto the ground, his hand still wrapped around my throat. My head smashed against the cold floor, sending white spots through my vision. Sawyer and Abby’s screams rose above the rest, but I could barely hear them past the pain in my skull. The Hellion hovered over me, slowly cutting off my air and covering my body with his cold touch. He leaned in close, the tips of his inky black hair brushing my face and his eyes burned into mine. I tried to move, to do anything to throw him off of me, but he was too strong. I was trapped.
“You look like her,” the Hellion rasped. “Your mother. Never got this close to her,” he emphasized, pushing down on me and crushing more air from my lungs. Sawyer and Abby continued to scream in the background, and the other Hellions were hissing aggressively.
“How?” I wheezed out. It was the only word I could manage.
The Hellion grinned. “How did I know her? How could I not? She was the one who was trying so damn hard to stop the Hellions. She had a lot of heart. I liked watching her run around the ship, trying to save everyone she could. She helped make the guns that made it hard for us to escape.”
It was hard to think through the pain, but his words sank in. He wasn’t referring to himself as part of the Hellion band yet, but he made it clear that he was there in the battle. Just like Robertston Kendric had been. This man was too young to be the legendary captai
n, which could only make him…
“Davin!”
The Hellion twisted his head, looking at Sawyer standing on his feet again with the cutlass. The eleven other Hellions edged closer to the marauder, but his tawny eyes never moved from his brother.
His brother.
Sawyer was a Kendric, related to the ruthless pirate Davin Kendric. The monster that was currently strangling the life from me.
“Let her go,” Sawyer demanded.
The Hellion– Davin– hissed something back. He didn’t utter any words, but the command was uttered nonetheless. In seconds, two Hellions swarmed Sawyer, while the others formed a circle around the crowd of survivors. They screamed and cried from an agony I couldn’t understand, huddling in a tight ball and begging for mercy. Their wails echoed off the walls. They didn’t realize they outnumbered the Hellions. They were too afraid of them because of what they’d suffered. I barely spotted Riley as he curled his hand around my sister’s head and pressed her to his chest.
Davin shot to his feet in a single fluid motion, dragging me up with him. His claws dug deeper into my neck, slicing at my skin and sending rivulets of blood down my throat. He swung me around and pinned me against his chest, putting his arm across my stomach so I couldn’t elbow him. Davin held me in front of Sawyer, who was trapped between the two Hellions. He stared over their shoulders, fury and panic riding over all the calm he once had.
“Afraid I can’t do that yet, brother,” taunted Davin, his bloody breath whispering though my hair. “We need her.”
“For what?”
Davin pushed his face against the back of my head, nuzzling into my hair. “She’s going to help the Vesper. She’s going to work for us.”
“No, I’m not,” I protested, trying to move my arms and feet so I could escape him. Davin’s arms tightened around me like iron binds, and his claws sank deeper into my neck until I cried out.
“Yes, you are, darling,” he insinuated. “The Vesper needs your skills, and he will have them.” He roughly nipped my neck, sending a jolt of pain through me. “And when he’s done with you, you’re all mine.”
I grimaced, wishing I had better control of my fear, but it rushed out of me in waves. I had no weapons, no way of escaping a creature much stronger than me, and my allies were surrounded. I couldn’t run from the horrors waiting for me–
Boom!
The Behemoth suddenly rocked, confusing Hellions and humans alike, including Davin. I took advantage of his loosened grip, jabbing my elbow back into his stomach. His claws scratched against my neck again, but I gained my distance and pushed out of his arms. I ran forward to get away from him, but another Hellion was rushing to take his place–
Boom!
Another explosion tore through the ship, knocking us all off balance and giving me distance from the Hellion. I found my knife and grabbed it from the ground while Sawyer shouted and lashed out with his cutlass, cutting down the Hellion that hadn’t moved from behind him. Its head flopped back as the blade cut a massive line through it and exposing the white spinal column. Sawyer slashed again and removed the Hellion’s head.
He didn’t see a second Hellion running to his side, intent on stabbing him with the needle on its mask.
I barely made it in time, shoving my knife into the Hellion’s skull before it could see me coming. My arms shuddered from the shock, and I forced myself not to think about how I had killed someone. For the longest time, I thought Hellions were just monsters from another dimension. I thought they had never been human.
Davin proved me wrong.
Boom!
Another explosion, closer than before, sent me stumbling. Sturdy arms caught me, but I jerked away from them, whirling around to see a grim faced Sawyer. I barely registered him before turning to find my sister.
Riley was still holding her, crowding in the middle of the group of screaming survivors. He looked around desperately, probably trying to find a way out as the others scrambled left and right, but the sudden panic sent the Hellions into frenzy, causing them to rip off their masks and pounce on the defenseless humans.
Fresh screams pierced the air, bouncing off the walls of the Behemoth. I ran with Sawyer, trying to fight unsuspecting Hellions to save the others, but they weren’t so focused on their meals that they forgot about me. I’d gotten lucky once with Sawyer. The other monsters had seen it and weren’t planning to be my next victims.
One of the Hellions spun around and lunged at me. I stepped back when Sawyer appeared at my left side, shoving his cutlass forward until it stabbed the Hellion’s neck, sticking out the edge of its spine. Sawyer gave the blade another twist, then yanked it free.
New shouts rang out in the distance, Nash and Gemma signaling their arrival. I was grateful that they were alive, but I also knew they had caused the explosions that were continuing to jolt through the Behemoth. This was happening too soon. I wanted to curse at them, but seeing the Hellions following them made me change my mind. There had to be at least six more.
Sawyer’s hand suddenly slapped onto my back, giving me a hard shove. I nearly tripped over my own feet, glancing over my shoulder to see Sawyer swinging his cutlass at Davin. The Hellion stopped and leaned back, avoiding the cut to his throat. Sawyer pressed on, hacking and slashing at his unarmed brother, who grinned and didn’t bother attacking. He was toying with Sawyer.
The marauder shoved his cutlass forward, aiming to stab Davin in the heart. The Hellion spun on his heel, completely missing the strike that brought Sawyer way too close. Davin’s fist jabbed into Sawyer’s face, and was soon followed by his elbow. Sawyer grunted and lurched back, shaking his head in an effort to rid himself of the pain. He caught me looking at him, but went back to attacking Davin.
“Get them out of here!”
I didn’t know he was talking to me until Gemma darted to my side, kicking and lashing out at the Hellions gripping the survivors. Nash made his way to the opposite side of the circle, using his enormous fists and brass knuckles to punch the Hellions surrounding them.
Gemma shouted at me, but I was already moving. I shoved my way through an opening, lurching when another explosion burst through the ship. As the world pitched to the right, I struggled to keep my balance. I reluctantly admitted that Gemma and Nash had done their jobs well. The explosives were designed to blast deep holes in the hull, drawing in light and tilting the Behemoth forward until it crashed.
But the plan had been to be off the ship before then. The fireworks had started too soon.
Rushing to form a new plan, I reached the survivors and yelled for them to get up. I turned around, shoving away a Hellion that had been feeding on a young woman before stabbing my knife into the monster’s head. It stiffened and dropped from her neck, but she didn’t stop screaming.
I yelled my command over and over again, hoping it would get through. For some, it did. The survivors who claimed they could pilot a ship gathered the weeping and wounded, encouraging them to run for the docks. They ran, despite the fear in their eyes and the Hellions roaring at their backs.
I ran for Riley and Abby, taking my petrified sister’s hand and dragging her along.
“This way! Come on!”
I turned and ran. Riley shouted behind me, but I didn’t know if any of the hundred survivors would be rational enough to follow us. At the moment I couldn’t care. I had to get Abby off the ship safely, then destroy the Behemoth before it crashed or I was torn apart by a Hellion. If I could save anyone in between then I would, but there was too much chaos for me to take them all one at a time.
Sawyer and Davin were still locked in deadly combat when I passed them. Sawyer’s attacks seemed slower, and there was blood on his shirt from where Davin must have scratched him. The Hellion himself was untouched, but his patience was wearing thin. It evaporated completely when he looked past Sawyer and saw me.
He snarled and shoved past Sawyer, charging us with alarming speed. Then he stopped and shouted in pain. Davin whirled around again, a
bloody line crossing along his back. Sawyer finally scored a hit. His victory was short-lived, however. Davin came back swinging, becoming a blur of motion that Sawyer couldn’t defend. The Hellion kicked Sawyer in the chest, knocking him onto the ground. He groaned and rolled up, catching my eyes for a brief moment.
That single moment spoke volumes to me. He was telling me to run. To leave him, Gemma, and Nash. To be safe.
Riley grabbed my elbow and dragged me away from the fight. He’d managed to bring the majority of the survivors with him. I felt lost, leaving the three marauders behind, barely aware of my own footsteps as Riley pulled me through the door to the stairs that would lead to the docking bay. I drew us both to a stop, getting an angry glare from him.