I brace myself for impact—no hay bale to cushion my fall this time. Landing flat on my butt, I smother my cries and scramble to my feet. The two freaks are in front of me now, circling around and looking far less composed than they were ten minutes ago. They bark at one another in their alien tongue, and I make a mental note to ask Beck if he has some kind of translation device I can use. It sure would come in handy now.
The one on the left breaks rank, creeping along one side, while the other narrows his eyes at me. My gaze darts between them while I back up, realizing too late that they are herding me into the corner. I crick my neck, focus my eyes, and zip past the one out front before either of them can stop me. They run after me, but they can’t match my speed. Momentarily, I consider running outside and enticing them away from the farm, but I figure it’s best to keep the threat contained to where I can see them.
That constricting pressure returns to my neck, but it’s much more severe this time, and I drop to my knees, starving for air. I try to run but my focus is shot to pieces again, so I try crawling away on my hands and knees. The pressure increases, and a black film sweeps across my retinas, and I slump to the ground, barely conscious.
They stand over me, debating in their native language. The one on the right removes a pair of leather gloves from his pocket, and I understand their hesitation. Confidence returns to me, and I stagger to my feet, talking myself into a quiet space in my head where I can focus. The alien on the left jumps me, slapping me across the face unexpectedly. My head whips back, and I lose my balance, stumbling to the ground. Warm liquid trickles out of my nose as I attempt to push myself back up, but a heavy boot shoves me back to the ground, exerting pressure on my chest as he pins me in place. The heaviness around my neck tightens again, and a strangled sound travels up my raw throat, forcing its way out of my mouth.
The guy with the gloved hands bends down. “Stay still and this won’t hurt too much.”
I want to wipe the smug grin off his face, but I’m in a bit of a bind, and my calm demeanor has given way to outright panic.
He holds a strange silver object in his hands. It’s shaped like an eight and it has tiny little pins embedded on the inside. He presses one side of the object and it unlocks.
Remember who you are. That’s what Cooper planted in my mind when I was fighting the alien on the road. I push into my mind, zipping through the multitude of strange memories and facts hidden there, searching for something useful. An avalanche of information swarms the forefront of my mind, and certain things click into place, suffusing me with self-assurance.
I visualize the hold on my neck as a hand, imagining the fingers prying off my skin one at a time. When all the fingers are lifted, I thrust at the force, sending it sailing backward, away from me. The guy with the gloves jerks back as if he’s been hit, while the other guy starts shouting at him again.
I jump up, rubbing my sore neck, as the other one lunges at me, knocking me to the ground. Again. Maddox would personally kick my ass if he was here to witness this. I’m making a mockery of all he’s taught me. The guy on top of me is heavy and strong, and it feels like he’s crushing every bone in my body. I find myself without air again, and I’ve only one option.
I hope I have a hard head.
Jerking up, I headbutt him with all the force I can muster. He roars, instinctively rolling off me, holding his head in his hands. Stars blur my vision, and the world tilts as I crawl away on all fours, dabbing my fingers to my leaking nose, unsurprised to discover the purple liquid streaming from my nostrils. My limbs are quivering, and my sight is still hazy as I drag myself upright, whirling around just as a meaty arm wraps around my neck, cutting off my air supply the old-fashioned way this time.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
“It’s really quite pathetic,” gloved guy says in my mind. “Everyone is fussing over you, and you can’t even put up a good fight.”
That cranks my rage-o-meter to the max. The other guy stands in front of me, smacking me across the face again. I flip him the bird, and the arm around my neck tightens. I dig my nails into his arm, but it has no impact through the thick leather of his coat. I try and reclaim my composure before he chokes me to death.
Suddenly, he throws me up in the air, and I shriek. As I drop toward the ground, he grabs hold of me, keeping me suspended in the air with his fist balled in the back of my coat. I’m dangling upside down as the other guy approaches with the freaky eight-shaped object.
“That was fun.”
“Screw you.”
“You really need to learn some manners.”
The click of a gun stalls all conversation, and I swear my heart stops for a beat.
“Let my daughter go,” Dad hollers, and I fling panicked eyes on him. He’s standing at the mouth of the barn, his sheepskin coat open and flapping in the wind. He has his rifle pointed over my head.
“Dad, run!” I scream, but it’s too late.
The other freak steps forward, dropping the object, and elevating his arm. He tosses Dad up into the air. The gun clatters to the ground and I watch horror-struck as Dad flails about, arms and legs thrashing as he soars through the snow-filled sky. He lands with a thud on the frozen ground, and I scream. The freak walks toward him with a menacing look in his eye. I wriggle around, trying to free myself, but the other freak pulls me back against his chest, wrapping his arm under my chin again, keeping my legs off the ground as he forces me to watch. The invisible grip on my throat is back, and I choke, clawing for air. Panic is doing a number on me and I will myself to calm down. I can’t help Dad if I don’t get a grip.
I imagine Cooper is beside me, instructing me to steady my breathing, focus my mind, and channel my intent. The guy is only about ten feet away from Dad now.
Dad is on the ground, unmoving, clearly injured and in pain, but his eyes are open and he’s alert. Frantically, I scan the area, looking for something useful I can throw with my mind, but Dad has moved everything into the barn in advance of the snow storm. Cautioning myself to remain calm, I focus on the strip of fence at his back, zoning in on one of the panels, imagining it freeing itself from the earth, shimmying upward. The fence rattles and shakes, and that spurs me on.
The guy is two feet away from Dad now, and I’m conscious I’m running out of time. My heart is beating so fast in my chest, I fear I’m on the verge of a coronary, but I keep the pep talk up in my head, trying to maintain focus, and ignore the rasping in my throat, as I watch one of the poles break free of the fence, wiggling its way out of the earth trapping it.
The guy crouches down over Dad, and he lowers a hand over his face. Dad’s terrified eyes meet mine. “I love you, sweet pea. Always remember who you—”
His words are cut short when an agonized roar discharges from the back of his throat. The sound is like a knife straight through my heart. The alien has flattened his hand on Dad’s face, and his body is jerking all over the place, arms and legs kicking out like he’s lost all control.
Something inherent dies inside me, and it’s as if I’ve split in two. One side prevails, eradicating something vital that existed before. Heat consumes me, and I emit an anguished scream, one that’s birthed straight from my soul.
Supreme focus overtakes me.
Channeling my fear and my anger, I concentrate on the fence. The freak at my back tightens his grip on my neck, but I scarcely feel it. The fence bursts out of the ground, flying through the air. The freak looming over Dad looks up in time to see the spiked end embed itself in his gut. He staggers back, clutching at the panel wedged in his stomach.
Fire explodes inside me, and I break free of my captor, flinging him back into the barn with force. Shock splays across his face as he slams against the wall, slumping to the ground in a heap. I stalk toward the other freak, my limbs infused with rage. He’s still standing, even with the panel of the fence lodged in his stomach. A luminous green liquid leaks out of his wounds, leaving a trail of green dots on the pristine white snow. He l
ifts his hand and this time I see the power rushing toward me, as if it’s a tangible thing. I jump up, up, into the air, higher than is humanly possible, and the bolt escapes underneath me.
I raise my arms out to the side, slowly lowering myself toward the ground. Dad’s body is motionless on the ground, and a sharp pain pierces my chest. Rage continues to spur my body into action, but it’s a deadly, silent rage, building and building inside me until it feels like I could combust. I swing my palms in front of me as powerful heat rushes to the tips of my fingers. A blast of fire thrusts from my hands, shooting outright in fiery red flames, streaming straight into the terrified eyes of the alien. Fire engulfs his entire body, and an animalistic howl filters through the air as he burns out of existence. Lowering to my feet, I float to Dad’s side, bursting into tears as I look upon him.
The skin on his face is wizened and shriveled beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Dark and papery, his face doesn’t even bear the appearance of flesh anymore. It’s like his face has collapsed in on itself. His eyes are sunken in his sockets, and his cheekbones have disintegrated. The skin around his mouth is gone, exposing receding gums and yellowed teeth. His lifeless body is a bag of bones underneath his clothes.
I throw myself on top of him, and my tormented cries pierce the frigid night air. A movement at the edge of the barn refocuses me, temporarily stalling my sobs. Sniffling, I climb to my feet, squinting as I move toward the sound. Another noise, this time at the front of the barn, near the open door, draws my attention away.
The second freak races out of the door, running across the field like an army of knife-wielding lunatics are snapping at his heels. I’m after him in an instant, and without the gift of superspeed, he’s no match for me. I slam into him, knocking him to the ground in the middle of the field, but he’s stronger than me, and he flips me off instantly. Expecting him to start fighting, I nearly laugh when he takes off running again.
Super intelligence obviously isn’t a gift he possesses either.
Although it’s dark, I have no trouble seeing him. A purple-blue tinge rings the edge of his body on all sides, and he might as well have an arrow over his head. There is no place he can run and stay hidden.
I lift my arms, relishing the light sensation as my feet glide off the ground. My hair streams behind me as I ghost overhead, twisting around as I float in front of him. He skids to a halt, looking frantically around, realizing a little too late that there’s no way he can outrun me. A blast of energy rushes me, aiming for my neck, but I swat it away with my mind, and it careens to the left. He tries again, and I easily deflect it. “I can keep this up all night,” I say. “But feel free to knock yourself out.”
Heat twitches with need in my fingers, and a red haze creeps over my eyes. He takes off running again. “Going somewhere?” I call out as I glide overhead, lowering myself down in front of him, careful to keep enough distance between us in case he tries anything new. I hover in the air, battling options in my mind.
“Alinthia!” Cooper’s voice carries on the wind, sounding harried, but I tune him out. I can’t afford to lose focus now I’ve decided.
There’s a disturbance in the snowfall, and then my protectors are there. All four of them. Looking a little bloodied and battered but alive. The connection surges with joy, almost knocking me off kilter.
“Ho. Lee. Shit.” Maddox stares up at me, shock splayed across his face. I don’t take my eyes off the alien freak for more than a second, not trusting him to not try to escape again.
“Stand back,” I instruct the guys, pulling my hands around in front of my body. Flames jump out of my fingers, awaiting instruction.
“Fuck me.” That’s Cooper, and his voice resonates with a combination of awe and fear.
“You don’t need to do this,” Beck says. “We can take him for questioning.”
“They killed my father!” My voice breaks, emotion threatening to get the better of me, but I refocus, putting a lid on it for now. There will be ample time to fall apart once this murdering alien scum has been dealt with. I don’t look at the guys, keeping my focus directed on the monstrosity in front of me. Technically, he didn’t kill my dad, but I’m not about to start splitting hairs.
I glance briefly at the guys. “Stand down.” My voice rings out loud and clear, but it doesn’t sound like me. My voice echoes in the quiet surroundings, and there’s a haunted quality to the tone that isn’t usual. Nor is the air of authority undercutting my tone, one I’ve never projected before.
A vision appears in my mind’s eye, draining all the blood from my face and giving me pause for thought.
I sense the guys moving back, and I quickly assess my options, shaking off the horrific vision and refocusing on the here and now. I expect the freak to make another run for it, but he balls his hand into a fist, thumps it over his chest a few times, and drops to his knees, lifting his head up and waiting for death.
The decision is made, and he has this coming to him.
I feel nothing as I stretch my palms out and a stream of fire hits him directly in the chest. He explodes in a colorful fireball that lights up part of the starless sky.
Slowly I lower myself to the ground, suddenly exhausted. I almost collapse on my feet, but Cooper is there, sweeping me up into his arms. The others stare at me and one another, trading wary expressions.
“They killed my dad,” I whimper, and the dam breaks. All that can be heard in the silent night air is the sound of my shattered heart giving voice to its torment.
Chapter 42
Mom is on her knees, hunched over Dad, wailing like an animal in pain, when we exit the field.
“Put me down.”
Cooper stares at me, blinking. “I heard that.”
So did I. “Good, now do it.”
He gently places me on the ground, keeping an arm wrapped around me for support. When I’m confident I can stand without falling over, I shuck out of his embrace and jog to Mom, sinking to the ground beside her and pulling her into my arms. “I’m so sorry, Mom. I tried to stop them, but I was too late.” Tears stream out of my eyes.
Her response is to hug me tighter. The four guys stand in a row behind us with sorrowful expressions. My pain shuttles through the connection, and their compassion and frustration blasts back at me.
Snow continues to fall in silent sheets, covering us and the inert body that was once my father.
Cooper approaches cautiously, stooping low in front of us. “We need to get you both inside.” His eyes beseech me, and I nod, leaning on him for support as I help Mom to her feet. “Can you take Mom inside?” I ask. “I need to speak to Dane.” I’m strangely numb, and I hear myself speak as if someone else is uttering the words.
Cooper nods, pressing a kiss to my cheek before wrapping his arm around Mom’s back and steering her toward the house.
“Can you make her some hot sweet tea? Maybe add a drop of something strong,” I ask Maddox.
“Of course.” He squeezes my shoulder, and takes off toward the house.
“What happened back at the house?” I ask Dane.
His eyes darken with anger. “We were ambushed by buddies of the guys who showed up here. They’re from Herassan, a remote planet on the outer rim of the western galaxy.”
“That’s the same race as the guy who first attacked me. I remember Cooper explaining that.” Dane nods. “Where are they now?”
“We took care of the problem.”
“Good.” Dane and I share a look before I divert my attention to Beck. “How did they get here without detection?”
“They used the blizzard to hide their approach,” Beck explains. “The storm disrupted my technology, and they used that to their advantage.” A pained look is etched across his face. “I’m sorry we didn’t get here in time. I’m sorry about your father.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, breathing heavily as I contemplate how to respond. The emotions connected to my father’s death are confusing and unclear.
“I didn
’t see,” Dane adds gently. “And Coop couldn’t hear you. If we’d known what was going on back here, we would’ve been by your side immediately.”
“I know that.” And I do. There’s no doubt in my mind they would’ve come to my aid had they known what was going down. “How come you couldn’t tap into your abilities?”
Dane rubs at his tense jaw. “We’ve been experiencing some blind spots, but, before tonight, it was only fleeting. We lost whole chunks of time tonight.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know,” Beck answers. “It’s never happened before.”
“It’s possible the connection is having trouble readjusting or …”
“Or what, Dane?” I plant my hands on my hips, daring him to hold back.
“Or it’s someway connected to the curse.”
“So, it’s my fault?”
“No.” Beck rushes to reassure me. “None of this is your fault.”
A troubled sigh departs my lips.
“Unfortunately, I think we may have another problem,” Dane says ominously, his brows knitting together.
“Let’s hear it.”
“The Herassan is a strange race, and they don’t mix well with other species; however, they are in high demand for security gigs. They breed four at a time, always identical in looks and mannerisms, like freakish clones, and they’re telepathically bound, in a similar way we are, all of which has obvious advantages if you’re tracking someone down. Five of them turned up at our place, one of them was the brother of the guys you took out, which means—”
“One of them is unaccounted for,” I supply on his behalf.
“Shit,” Beck says through pursed lips.
I shake my head, cussing under my breath.
The Lost Savior Page 32