by Jaymin Eve
That was when I lost my fucking mind.
Power exploded from me as my center of energy snapped out with tendrils, connecting both to the land below, and to my brother-bond—elevating my power to something destructive and deadly.
Wind whipped across the humans, stealing their weapons and crushing them in an instant. Fire scorched the land, avoiding Justice and me, but taking everything else in its path. I didn't allow it to kill the humans, just to keep them contained, but there were moments I almost lost control.
Seeing bullets fly at Justice … it robbed me of sanity.
Logically, I understood that these people were just fighting on two sides of a war, one against the interference of the American president, and the other for America itself. But too much of my mind was lost to the power, my need to keep Justice safe might be the downfall of everyone here.
"Jake," she shouted, unable to get any closer to me. There was nothing reflective to show me how I looked, but I felt the waves of power swirling as my elements whipped about in a frenzy. The sight would be unexplainable by humans, but with this much power around, electronic devices should have been blown out.
Still, even with no recordings, there were tons of witnesses.
I might have just created an international incident, and honestly, I really didn’t give a fuck.
The humans had it coming.
8
Justice Winter
I thought I'd seen and lived through some of the most terrifying experiences this world had to offer. Fists that crushed, hard eyes that lingered too long, hands that touched where they shouldn't, chains that rattled in my nightmares, and pain that never ended.
I'd been very mistaken though. Jacob had just added another level of something for me to fear: a supernatural who had lost control.
He was surrounded by a virtual plethora of power, elements swirling in the air so unnaturally that it stole my breath and rendered me both speechless and stunned. It had been a bad idea, clearly, to follow him over the fence, but my power had taken over when I saw him leave.
The power I’d tried so hard to ignore had decided it was done being boxed away inside, and like a cold draft racing across my skin and down my spine, had burst free. It was locked back inside now, but I knew one thing for sure: I needed to stop avoiding and start dealing with the reality of who I was. The reality of my heritage.
Not today though. Today I was going to be busy reeling a supernatural back before he straight up ripped a few hundred people to pieces.
"Jake," I repeated, since the first time had elicited no response.
His eyes, like green glass, icy and shining, were locked on my face.
He saw me. I just couldn't tell if he’d heard me.
"You need to stop," I said, taking a step closer. For some reason, whenever I moved, the power swirled and shifted so that it didn't touch me. Testing it again, I took another step forward, and again, and each time the power slid past me. For the most part, it seemed to be fire and wind that was raging.
As another surge of heat billowed against my face, a sick feeling settled low in my stomach … what if all the humans were dead? I doubted they could survive heat like this, I barely could, and I wasn’t even that close to it.
My rarely-used cellphone was heavy in my back pocket and I debated calling one of Jacob’s pack in the hope they might have some suggestions for what I should do. Jacob might have just killed a lot of humans, many of them both soldiers and the president’s special forces, and he wasn’t done yet.
And I legitimately had no idea how to stop him.
How the hell was he so powerful?
This was unlike anything I’d experienced—my teeth ached from the energy. Fuck, my bones ached. I mean, I’d thought I knew the Compasses and their power reasonably well. But it had never been like this.
This was an ancient howling energy that spoke of Jacob Compass being more than an ordinary fey. He was beyond my knowledge, but since I was the only one here, I had to try and calm him down.
As it had when I launched over the fence, my power surged up again, dancing across my senses. Deciding this might be the one shot I had, I released the energy churning within me, and from that came a blast of ruby-toned light.
I had never touched the elements in the same way Jacob did. My power—the few times I’d used it—was a destructive blast of ruby-filled energy. I thought of it as a ray of sunlight, scorching hot as it burned away other magic. Very much an attack power.
This time, as it cut through Jacob's fire, I could taste earthiness on my tongue. It reminded me of a forest after it had been scorched by fire and then the rains come. There was this scent that followed, one that was unique.
This is what I tasted now. Jacob's power.
When my ruby light cut a line of destruction through his elements, some of the ice in Jacob’s gaze melted. It was quickly replaced by a competitive light that I'd seen from him too many times.
"Jacob," I warned, only a few feet from him now, a ruby glow surrounding me.
Thankfully, my energy had burned through his power but hadn’t touched the fey himself. I’d been worried since my control wasn’t the best. The result of ignoring something when you should be learning about it. Moron of the year award goes to…?
"You’ve already used a ton of magic in front of the humans," I continued, trying to keep my voice even. “Do you really think it's a good idea to send more…?"
I was pushed back as his power sliced through mine. Sharp and fast, it crashed against my chest, but it wasn't painful … more like he was toying with me.
"Stop it right now!" I shouted, the wind howling across my face making it hard to be heard. "Listen up, you stupid motherfucker, you’re about to reveal a secret that will probably get you killed. Didn't we just go through this shit with Louis?"
He wasn't listening.
Maybe it was best if I just straight-up murdered his stupid ass—save someone else the job later.
This time I deliberately yanked at my power, pulling it from the box I had it trapped in. It surged free, like a puppy desperately waiting for its chance to run. Although puppy wasn't really an apt description. Hellhound maybe?
With metaphorical claws and teeth.
The beam of power cut into Jacob's energy and the fey flinched as it grazed his skin.
Shit. NO! I didn’t really want to hurt him, just teach him a lesson about games and the best time to play them. Not in the middle of a human war, for starters.
Thankfully, before I could do too much damage, he swiped my energy away with a blast of his own, and I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful he was as powerful as he was. I was pretty sure my beam of light could have spliced him in half like a ruby lightsaber if he had been a regular supe.
Jacob's head snapped up, and since it was the first time he'd taken his eyes from me since he’d lost control, the movement was super noticeable. Following his gaze, I could see nothing outside of his wind still swirling around us and the many guns that had been stolen from the soldiers.
A moment, later I heard the distinctive whomping of a helicopter, moving toward us at a rapid rate. The human reinforcements had arrived—hard to believe they’d taken so long to get to us in the first place.
"Come here," Jacob ordered. He was no longer staring at the metal beast. Nope. The full focus of his green eyes was on me, and I had not a single fucking clue what he was thinking.
I did know one thing though: that boy better check his tone or we’d have more than the human army to worry about.
9
Jacob Compass
Women never listened when I told them to do things. I mean, it was fucking amazing that they had their own minds and knew how to wield them like weapons—I was all for that. But right now I really needed Justice to move her fucking ass out of the line of fire.
Humans surrounded us, and up until this point I hadn't killed any of them. A move I was greatly regretting, especially as they called in reinforcements.
&nbs
p; "I can't protect you unless you move closer," I bit out, my annoyance making it hard to articulate words in a manner that would be most comforting for her.
Her lips curled, but it was definitely not a smile. "I don't need your protection. Didn't you see how my power cut through your elements?"
Amusement tinged the edge of my burning anger. Her power had been an unexpected surprise, strong and filled with fire, like mine, and yet nothing like it at the same time. Her fire was built on a beam of ruby light, able to slice through energy in a way I'd never seen anything else do.
I'd had to get creative to fight back and it was almost fun.
Until the humans ruined the moment.
The helicopter was all but over our heads now, and with a frustrated sound I used the wind to nudge Justice into my arms. She sent a bite of her power into me, and even completely untrained she was impressive. If she ever took the next step and embraced the full extent of who she was … she’d likely kick my ass.
"I'm going to kill you," she muttered, pushing against my chest.
I didn’t release her.
Normally, I wouldn't use my strength against her, physical or otherwise, but in this situation I was channeling Braxton and his dominating ways. Whatever it took to keep her safe.
"We're surrounded," I whispered, keeping my wind and fire swirling around us—limiting the armed forces visibility and providing protection. "Humans on all sides. Two helicopters above, and what I think is at least a dozen drones."
"How do you know this?" she bit back, still pushing against my hold. She didn't have a chance though.
"I know everything," I said, trying to joke. My timing wasn’t the best, but I had to do something to bring normalcy to this situation. For her and for me.
She shot me a dirty look; now was apparently not the time for humor.
“I think you need to try another tactic,” she said drily. “Unless you want to just kill them all and call it a day.”
I thought on it for a second, and she let out a huff of air.
“Yeah, okay, maybe murdering them would be a little extreme,” I admitted. “I’ll try to manage the situation.”
Not as much fun, but since I was ready for this to be over, I dropped my power, letting it shatter around us. My flames flickered out the same way a real fire would if deprived of oxygen. There was a blissful moment of silence, but that all ended with screaming.
“Hands in the air!”
“Get your fucking hands up!”
"Why do they say that?" I asked Justice, releasing her so she could raise her hands.
"So they can see you're not armed."
I shook my head. "They have a lot to learn."
I'd stolen or destroyed most of their weapons; a few still hovered above us, my power keeping them aloft. But they'd clearly found some spares, marching closer to us, pointing them our way.
"Hands in the fucking air," another human shouted. It was a man on the front line, dressed in full desert camo, wearing a don't-fuck-with-me expression.
"Got to protect the lady," I called back casually, hoping the tension would unravel before shots were fired.
"Just put your hands up," Justice hissed, "I'm not going anywhere."
She was no fun. But since I was actually here to stop a war between humans and supes, it might be best at this point to cooperate. Hands in the air or not, I was never unarmed.
Lifting my hands, I released a long breath, hoping the lavender scent from the woman who’d just been in my arms would dissipate. Her scent drove me fucking crazy.
I did not need the distraction.
“Bring us to President John Caine," I said shortly when the armed humans were in earshot. "We’ll speak only to him."
The frontline was about six feet away, hesitating to move any closer. "Follow us," a woman said. “And if you try anything at all, we will shoot you dead and ask questions later."
It took a concerted effort not to laugh. Their guns were fucking useless against our power and strength, but since I had Justice to worry about as well, and she was unpredictable, I just nodded.
They parted, indicating we should move first. We were walked back to the American compound, entering through a small gate. From there, they marched us toward the bunker. Once inside, I blinked to adjust my sight to the darker room.
The president waited nearby, in a large, high back chair, a guard on either side. A tray with a plate of food was in front of him and he chatted on the phone as he ate a sandwich.
Leaders who hid while their men were on the front line garnered no respect from me. He couldn’t have known whether I planned on killing them or not. I hadn’t even known that.
So, technically, he’d left them all out there to die, like the coward we always knew he was. Justice exchanged a glance with me, her raised eyebrows telling me to calm down. I sucked in a deep breath, and released it just as slowly, before settling in to wait for this asshole to finish his call.
He took his fucking time, and during the minutes we stood in silence, I repeatedly stopped myself from just snapping his neck.
Finally, I'd had enough. "What the hell happened out there?" I bit out, and his head jerked toward me. "You ran away when the fighting started? Have you even discovered anything about who was bombing your compound? What sort of useless pathetic leader are you?"
He wiped his mouth like he was completely unperturbed by my questions, but I saw the tension in the tight way he gripped his napkin, tearing it against the crumbs on his face. This continued on, ignoring me, cleaning his mouth, no doubt enjoying the power play of making us wait for him, and then the asshole-with-a-death-wish lifted his fork and prepared to take a bite of salad. A beam of ruby shot from Justice, slicing right through the fork that hovered near his mouth. His expression morphed into fear and fury as he lurched to his feet, the tray scattering, food flying about.
Guns were once again trained on us, fingers hovering above their triggers.
Ignoring this, I silently swirled wind around us, subtle enough that most of them would think it was nothing more than a light breeze. A breeze I could turn into a weapon in seconds.
"You attacked me!" he spluttered. “You supernaturals are unstable!"
With a shake of my head, I chuckled. "What? A supe loses control once, steals some guns and sets some shit on fire, and suddenly he’s unstable."
No one else laughed with me, but there might have been the slightest twitch of Justice's lips.
Tough crowd.
"You're lucky I didn't kill you," I added conversationally. "After the fucking show you just put on, all the while dragging us into a dangerous war zone and then sending your men out to bomb us.”
I’d been guessing, having no evidence of that, but the reaction of the president confirmed it for me. This had all been planned. A setup.
The bastard.
Justice took a step forward, her cheeks tinged in the same ruby tones as the streaks through her hair. "I should kill you right now," she snarled, and tingles of power crossed my skin. “How dare you use and abuse your people like that? Not to mention you could have killed Jacob and me.”
Everyone in this room was scared of her, that much was obvious, but for me her show of power was turning me right the fuck on. Justice was growing as a supe, and I was glad to be here for every step of it.
"Threatening the president is a punishable offense," one of the guards stammered, waving his gun right near our faces.
With a swipe of my hand, I sent him flying into the back wall, his head slamming hard against the bricks, leaving behind a slumped-over figure.
More guns emerged. More clicks of safeties being released. More fury.
Apparently the humans were slow learners.
“Enough,” the president said, waving his hands as he faced us. "The missiles were a test so I could assess your capabilities. Until today, I've had very little evidence of what you could do."
"And what if the bomb had hit us?" Justice pressed, her voice wavering like s
he was at the point of furious tears. I’d known women who cried when raging mad, and they were damn scary. It was as if their tears gave their fury wings. "Or what if Jacob couldn't stop the bullets? He went out there to save you useless fucks. He should have left everyone to die."
The president scoffed. "You talk such a big game about your power. It was time to prove it."
She was going to kill him … and I was half tempted to let her.
Sure, it would be a political nightmare, but on the other hand, maybe we could cover it up, slip one of the Guild members in the position, and all go about our regular daily schedule.
"I have documents," the president said, and suddenly I was paying attention. "Documents that describe in detail everything that I've learned. Video footage—there were drones above you today. Not the ones you sensed … they were just the decoys. There are also dozens of witness statements. If I die, they will be released to every media outlet in the world, and the supernatural people will be indicted in the wrongful death of the most powerful president in the world."
"That's why you wanted us to stay with you," Justice said, shaking her head. "Not to learn about supernaturals and hopefully foster a healthy treaty between our peoples, but to gather evidence to use against us."
We all knew he was spineless, but Justice had been the one continually telling me that we shouldn't be so complacent. That he was up to something. I hadn’t disagreed, but there had been so little he could really do to stand against my people I’d never been worried.
I’d been expecting an outright attack. Not this underhanded information gathering.
"Maybe we should let the information go free," I said, trying to call his bluff. “Maybe it’s time the world knew about supes.”
I had firsthand knowledge of how fucked up it got when that happened, but the president didn’t.
President Caine's eyes narrowed, a shrewd expression tilting up his lips.
"Before you decide to walk the gauntlet of having billions of humans attempt to hunt you down, or worse, exploit you, I have another proposition. This time with my … equity to entice you to my way of thinking."