And then it hit me. I’d seen this woman in Dani’s memories. I’d heard horror stories and wanted to rip her face off, even before now. “And you’re the bitch I’d hoped was dead,” I spat.
I took a step forward, wanting to put a bullet between Cece’s eyes for being such a horrid person, for what she’d done to Dani and my brother almost a year ago, and what she was doing to Harper now. But Harper jabbed his gun into my back and gripped my arm tighter.
Cece tsked and took another step closer, her gaze glued to my face. “All I need to do is even think the magic words and you’re dead. And let’s be honest, I’ve known you a minute, and I already can’t stand you.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” I snapped. Becca’s warning for Dani to stay at the farm if she wanted the baby safe was finally starting to make sense.
Cece laughed. “You really are your brother’s sister…such a conundrum.” She shook her head, the wayward brown tendrils from her ponytail blowing in the breeze around her face. “I never could understand what he saw in that twit Dani. And you have a gun pointed at you, and you think you’re being cute. Idiocy must run in the family.” She winked at Harper. “That’s okay, I know the perfect remedy.”
“It must piss you off then,” I blurted, desperate to postpone the inevitable. I knew Jason was her weak spot, I could feel the angsty yearning she still had for him—the unattainable one that got away—thanks to the weakening shield around her. Which meant that the shield-maker was inside the Humvee.
“What do you mean?” she asked, taking the bait.
I tried to withhold my satisfaction in watching her wheels turn. “They’re married now,” I said.
Cece’s stare bored into me, and her lips formed a thin, pursed line. It’d pushed her beyond her limits; I could see the gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. “Watching you die is going to be fun. Well,” she amended quickly, putting up her palm, “not as fun as killing Dani will be, but then, I’ve been waiting all year to do that. It makes me sad that I won’t actually be there to hear her screaming and see the terror on her face when our troops arrive.”
Horror must have filled my eyes, because Cece’s sneer turned into a grin. “Oh, you didn’t think this little convoy was all of us, did you? We split up. The others took a different route.” She shook her head, and I could feel her gratification. “I’ll tell you a little secret,” she whispered and leaned a bit closer to me, though not enough that I could reach her if I tried. “We have seven trucks headed to your quaint little farm right now—big trucks, filled with lots of guns and angry men, most under my control. They’ll be all over that place before Dani even knows they’re there.”
The fact that there were more of them—a lot more, from the sounds of it—heading to the farm was enough to let the weight of defeat pummel my stomach, making it roil. “They won’t make it,” I said evenly, trying to knock her down a peg. This wasn’t over; we hadn’t lost, not yet. “There’s no way. If you think we left Dani there defenseless, then you’re an idiot. We have an entire town on our side,” I lied, though Dani did have an animal battalion of sorts, and I hoped to God that they stood a chance. “You only have a small army.” Say something, Dani! Contact me! I couldn’t warn her, not if she didn’t reach out telepathically first.
I watched as Cece’s eyes clouded with doubt and her grip tightened on her pistol. “You’re lying.”
“There you are,” said an eerily steady, approaching voice. “What are you doing, Cecilia?”
Cece spun around, and we both straightened when we saw Herodson walking up. I hadn’t noticed him in my battle of wits with Cece.
The General had two men flanking him on each side, guns aimed at me—at Harper too? I wasn’t sure. Herodson was pure menace, and no matter how many times I’d been warned about him, had seen him in memories, seeing him in person made my skin crawl with pure terror.
“I saw these two trying to escape the fight,” Cece lied. “But don’t worry, I stopped them.”
Herodson studied her. “Really?” His gaze shifted to Harper, dressed in his military clothes, and then his eyes rested on me before they returned to Cece. “That seems unlikely. Are you sure this gentleman is not the reason you jumped out of the Humvee so quickly? As helpful as you are at manipulating the male mind, I have to say, Cecilia, your little distractions grow bothersome after a time.”
When Herodson looked at me, really looked at me and narrowed his eyes, assessing me, my mouth went instantly dry, and I wondered if death would be better than anything he had in store for me. I could almost feel his arms around me as a child, those vengeful eyes boring into me…
He turned to face Cece. “If I have to remind you again, Cecilia,” he said, his voice flat, “that you do what I say, not what your pathetic hormonal tendencies tell you to do, I’ll kill you. Do we have an understanding?” He clasped his hands behind his back.
Herodson continued scolding her, but my attention was drawn behind him to the Humvee, where I noticed more movement. There was a mangled-looking man—a Re-gen, perhaps—standing dumbly by the open rear door of the second Humvee, where I assumed the General had been sitting. The Re-gen seemed disoriented, like he didn’t understand his surroundings.
Unbidden, my mind opened to him. He had no aura, and his head was mush, as if one too many experiments had fried his brain. Whatever he was, his Ability was amped up and strong, but it was fading, fast.
Then I felt the pain and suffering of the friendly minds in the near vicinity. I felt dimming minds and blank ones; there were fewer, and that realization frightened me. I tried to pinpoint Jake or Sanchez, my dad and my mom, to make sure any of them were still safe. But then I realized Herodson was staring at me again, and I lost all train of thought.
“But—” Cece pleaded. With my mind open, I could see the light brown glow of her aura and her gaping mouth and fearful gaze as she took a step toward the General. The shield was fading, I was sure of it. Mind-meddling was all I could do at this point.
“Your one saving grace, my dear,” he said over his shoulder to her, “is that with your help, most of the men have decided they want to join the winning side—the right side—and I have most of the rebels contained and in the custody of my men, all of which puts me in a slightly better mood.
“Now,” he said, smiling at me. “Sorry about that, Zoe.” He eyed me another moment before speaking. “It’s been a while since I saw you last.” He reached out and touched the strands of hair hanging around my face.
I felt the color drain from my cheeks as the realization hit me: he wasn’t glowing, not even a little bit, as the shield protecting him began to fade, allowing me to glimpse the auras of the men flanking him. A black fringy shadow was all that surrounded the General, and even though it was faint and partially hidden, it didn’t feel like the others.
Bile rose in the back of my throat. Herodson wasn’t…human, not completely. I tried not to quiver or offend him as all my fears and questions coalesced and I fought to stay focused. I had no quips or snide comments. I just stood there, Harper’s gun still trained at my head, his grip still tight around my arm, and a demon from hell staring right into my soul.
“You look just like your mother,” Herodson said. “Your eyes…” He stared at me, like he was lost inside them. I knew he could control my mind, that he could manipulate me if he wanted to, but he hadn’t. I wasn’t sure why. Unable to stand staring into his cold, gray eyes, my gaze shifted to the Re-gen at the Humvee again.
When the General noticed, his grin returned. “Ah, I see you’ve spotted my new toy.”
“What did you do to him?” I asked, feeling my brow furrow at my own curiosity.
With a contented exhale, like he was taking in a work of art, Herodson pivoted so he could see the Re-gen slowly coming toward us. “This is an old friend I decided had better use. He gestured to the Re-gen-ish man. “FM-01 is a small side project I started when I got wind that Cole was in the area again.” He tapped his head for effect. “I couldn’
t risk my old foe getting in here, nor could I allow any of his accomplices’ Abilities to affect me. So, I found a solution, as always. FM-01 is my very own Ability force field, if you will.”
When the General realized I was less than fascinated, he cracked his neck and gestured toward his Humvee. “Come. The middle of a junk-cluttered field hardly seems an appropriate place to catch up, given that we haven’t seen each other in over twenty years.”
I shook my head and took a step backward. There was no way in hell I was going anywhere with him. I’d rather be dead. But I realized my mistake too late, and as his anger flared, I thought for sure I would be dead. The General gritted his teeth. Before I even knew what was going on, the back of his hand met with my face. Stunned, my eyes shifted to Harper, who stood by, oblivious, and to Cece, who appeared to be enthralled.
Reluctantly, my eyes refocused on the General, my own anger flaring as I brought my palm up to my stinging face. I felt around in his mind, a deflated mess of partial memories and walls he’d constructed over time. All I could see were images of death and a hunger for power. And my mom’s face.
He didn’t love her. This went beyond love. He was haunted by her, obsessed.
Both his jaw and his hands clenched. “Until I find your mother, you will stay with me, Zoe. And if she left, thinking she could protect you that way, I’ll find plenty of uses for you, mark my words.”
Knowing that Jake, at least, wasn’t dead—perhaps captured, but definitely not dead—I knew he wouldn’t want me to give in. And my mom hadn’t given up her life and risked Peter’s so I could be imprisoned by the General.
“I would rather die,” I ground out. “You ruined my family. You took her away from me. You—”
“I’m sorry to hear you say that, Zoe. Truly I am.” General Herodson’s eyes narrowed on me, and he scratched the side of his face. “You want to come with me,” he said, his words resonating throughout my mind, and I knew that now, more than ever, I needed my mom to null him, to stop him if she was ever going to.
“Mom!” I shouted. And just as my mind started to feel a little fuzzy and detached, I heard her voice.
“Gregory, please. Wait!”
45
ANNA
DECEMBER 21, 1AE
Petaluma Valley, California
“Gregory, please. Wait!” Anna blurted, stumbling around the corner of the barn and toward the cluster of people threatening her daughter’s life dozens of yards away…threatening her daughter’s mind. When she’d registered that there was no gunfire coming from their post, she’d assumed the worst and come running, only to find Gregory approaching. She’d hid behind one of the tractors, watching while she kept her own mind veiled from any who might sense her, but once she’d heard Zoe’s desperate cry, she’d known she couldn’t hide anymore.
“Don’t, please. I—” She tripped over a stone sticking up out of the ground, barely catching herself before continuing on toward her demented “husband” and endangered daughter.
Anna avoided looking at Cecelia, one of a half-dozen of Gregory’s favorite tools, his Controllers. And somehow, she kept herself from looking at Zoe, from seeing the way fear was undoubtedly transforming her. Instead, Anna focused on Gregory, just like he’d always wanted.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” she practically sobbed. She had to play to her strengths…to his weaknesses. Now, with Zoe’s free will on the line and Anna out in the open, it was the only way.
Gregory bristled, standing straighter and folding his arms over his chest. He tilted his head back, just a little, and eyed her. “I was under the impression that not seeing me again was exactly what you wanted, my dear.”
“No!” Anna continued stumbling onward, moving slowly so as not to startle Gregory into doing something in haste. He’d already struck Zoe once; she couldn’t bear to watch him hurt her again. She allowed herself to trip once more, this time over nothing. Better she appear weak, unsteady, out of sorts. Better Gregory and his pet Controller think she wasn’t a threat.
“I didn’t have a choice, Gregory. Jason”—Anna spat her eldest son’s name—“brought a woman like Tom, but stronger, and she made me believe horrible things.” Anna shook her head frantically, willing tears to pool in her eyes, forcing her voice to quaver. “They threatened Peter…they threatened our son.” Anna took a shaky breath, reminding herself not to rush her plea. Gregory didn’t like things like this to be rushed. “If I didn’t come with them…they’ve got him locked up now, Gregory!”
The great General Herodson arched his neck to the side in a long, drawn-out stretch. It was a tell of his. Anna should know; she’d spent over two decades learning how to read him, how to deceive him. The neck stretch meant he was listening, considering. It was a good sign. Probably.
Anna glanced at FM-01, surprised to see him alive, however warped, and walking somewhat unsteadily toward Gregory. The Re-gen had been far from functional when she’d escaped from the Colony, and she couldn’t imagine how Gregory had managed to get him up and running. But that didn’t matter right now.
Anna refocused on Gregory. “Now that you’ve broken Larissa’s hold on my mind, I can see everything so clearly.” She’d almost reached Zoe. Almost reached Gregory. Almost reached freedom…victory. “Let’s go get Peter,” she said as she passed Zoe, passed Harper and the pet Controller, and headed straight toward Gregory, all the while picturing Tom. She let all of the love and hope and respect and adoration she felt for Tom show on her face while she looked into Gregory’s open, eager, hopeful gray eyes. “Let’s go home.”
And once more, Anna stubbed the toe of her boot on the earth, purposefully and hard this time. She tripped, stumbling past Gregory and directly into FM-01.
The Re-gen yelped. Their legs tangled. Arms flailed.
But not Anna’s arms.
She grabbed onto the front of FM-01’s jacket, while reaching down for the small hunting knife Tom had tucked away inside a special sheath he’d sewn into her right boot. She jerked the knife free and jammed it into the side of the Re-gen’s groin and, if she was lucky, shredded his femoral artery. If bleeding out didn’t break his concentration and shatter his shield, nothing would.
Anna and FM-01 hit the ground, and so many things happened all at once. Too many things.
FM-01 howled, kicking and flailing until Anna was thrown to the side.
Anna felt the shield fall and the minds of Gregory’s people burst into existence around her, most notably Gregory himself and his pet Controller.
Gregory shouted, “YOU—WHAT DID YOU DO?” and strode toward Anna, taking hold of the front of her coat and lifting her off the ground.
Anna grinned. And nulled Cece and Gregory and every damn one of his people.
Eyes wide and feverish, Gregory roared and shook Anna. Hard. “How could you, Anna? You were mine—you were with me. I loved you.”
“I didn’t love you,” she said.
As Gregory’s veneer cracked, his grip on her coat slipped, and Anna stumbled backward. She tripped over FM-01’s body, and fell heavily. Fireworks filled her eyes as the back of her head exploded with pain, and piercing, fiery agony followed. Her back burned, the feeling of searing torn flesh.
Remotely, she heard a single, muffled noise. A gunshot, she thought.
And then she heard nothing. She saw nothing. She thought nothing.
She was nothing.
46
ZOE
DECEMBER 21, 1AE
Petaluma Valley, California
Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop.
Shadow’s hoof steps were steady and predictable, like the sound of my heart beating, dull and even in my ears. I felt like I was in a wasteland of nothingness. The lulling sound and movement of Shadow’s body was my only comfort—I clung to it. The mourning silence around me was deafening, a screaming, ear-piercing void that followed our procession home.
It was like it hadn’t happened, any of it, and yet like it would be ingrained in my mind for
the rest of my life. Until now, there hadn’t been a single moment to process, to think. Not about the men dropping their guns behind Cece and the disorientation that had registered on her face as she realized her mind control was no longer working on any of them. She had no idea it was because of my mom.
The instant Harper’s rifle fell from my head, I crouched on one knee to snatch my pistol from my discarded holster. My fingers moved more swiftly than I expected, the training and adrenaline kicking my responses into overdrive. Pivoting on one knee, I aimed the handgun at Cece’s chest and pulled the trigger.
The cracking sound of the bullet had gone unheard at the time, but as I replayed the way Cece’s eyes had widened in shock and surprise, the sound was too loud to ignore. She’d looked at me, and her eyes had narrowed as she stumbled backward. The memory would’ve brought a grim smile to my face, were I still capable of smiling.
Cece only wavered on her feet, so I pulled the trigger again, aiming for her forehead, where no bulletproof vest could deflect the nine-millimeter bullet I wanted to end her vile existence.
Pensive and ready to pull the trigger again if I had to, I watched Cece’s body finally go limp and collapse to the ground. There was no gasping for air or struggling. There was nothing but a blank mind, and I couldn’t help the satisfaction I felt in seeing her lifeless body lose its aura, once and for all.
“Zoe?”
Twisting around, I aimed the gun at the encroaching person to my left. It was Harper.
He took a step toward me, his green eyes wide as they flicked from the pistol aimed at his chest to my face. “Are you okay, Baby Girl?” he whispered. He was in apparent shock, though his hands were up in surrender. Quickly and full of concern, Harper’s eyes scanned me, making sure I wasn’t injured—that he hadn’t injured me. “I’m so sorry, Baby Girl, I—”
The Ending Series: The Complete Series Page 169