With an anguished cry, Daniel took up the fight against Livia, shoving Quinn behind him and toward Ju Long and Lu Li.
“Ming?” Jin sobbed. The two regarded each other, completely heartbroken.
“She … broke their bond.” Aidan gasped, shaking his head in utter disbelief.
Allie could see it too. Their Complement bond was destroyed, like something that lay shattered at their feet. Their heartache was palpable. Ming dropped her sword, clutching her chest like she’d lost the will to live.
“Where is Chloe? They need her. They need something to hold them together until we can figure this out.”
“Mom!” Chloe burst out of the barn and through the trees, flinging herself between her parents, boldly standing between them and Livia. It was enough to snap them out of their torment. The reminder of the blood family they shared was enough for now.
“Chloe?” Daniel roared in surprise to see his little sister there.
With a sickening thud, Livia’s sword came crashing down, sending Daniel’s hand and his sword to the dusty ground. He stumbled, holding the bloody stump of his arm, trying to stay on his feet. He would heal, but it would be slow and agonizing. The injury was enough to incapacitate him. Livia shoved him down with the toe of her boot.
Her laughter rang out across the bloody grove. “You send their child to distract them? Very clever, girl. Where are you hiding?”
Livia's cold gaze sought Allie. Ming and Jin eased away from Livia, clutching their daughter between them. Allie shook with relief.
“It worked!” Allie called across the distance separating them.
“Oh, but I can do much worse, my dear Alexis,” she taunted. “You’ve done them an unkindness. How can they live knowing they are no longer Complements?”
“Liv, don’t do this,” Quinn begged. “Please. We’ll come back with you.” He struggled against his great-grandfather's grip, but Ju Long held him steady.
Rage swelled within her core as Allie took a step forward.
“No!” Chloe shrieked when Livia lunged toward Jin.
Allie watched as Jin shoved his daughter behind him. Livia’s sword flashed silver and Allie’s scream caught in her throat. No longer Complements? What did that even mean? Their Immortality lay within the Complement bond. If that bond no longer existed.…
“Stop her!” Allie darted along the path between the trees. But Livia’s sword arched toward Jin’s chest. She was going to kill him and Allie wouldn’t get there in time.
Allie scrambled for the gun she had tucked in her belt, grateful for Carson’s insistence that she bring it. She fired off a shot, striking Livia in the chest, but it was too late. She watched helplessly as Ming Lao slumped to the ground. She’d jumped in front of her husband, taking the strike that would end her Immortal life.
“Momma!” Chloe shrieked, dropping to the ground beside her.
“It is best that one of them not survive this, child,” Livia said, ruffling Chloe’s hair before she turned, gripping her shoulder where Allie’s shot found purchase, and set off across the orchard. Her minions swarmed up around their injured leader, taking anyone they could get their hands on.
“We have to go, Lex.” Aidan pulled her away as Chloe’s mournful shrieks cut right through her. The fury Allie had struggled to keep at bay for so long was about to overwhelm her. She needed to get out of there. Allie turned, the rage burned, scorching hot inside her now. She fled Livia’s pursuit, just as Dean, George, and Emma moved in to intercept Livia. Everyone would do their part to get through this. Some would make it, some wouldn’t. She felt a pang of regret when both Aidan and Darius let Dean pass, leaving the boy’s fate to play out.
“Ming,” Allie choked. She couldn’t seem to wrap her mind around her death—actual for-real death. They ran along the path that led to the gates, but Allie had trouble focusing and that would spell disaster for them all. She would have to mourn for Ming later.
“She’s dead?” Aidan struggled to get the question out.
Allie nodded. “But Jin will survive.” She felt bile rise in her throat.
“He’ll wish he hadn’t,” Darius said.
What have I done? In her desire to see them all survive, she never anticipated this outcome. But she didn’t have time to dwell on her mistakes. It was time to make sure Gregg and Naeemah made it out alive. Saving them had cost Ming Lao her life and Allie was more determined than ever not to fail. But that meant risking Aidan’s future. She knew he would never forgive her if she didn’t try. She would never forgive herself if her actions cost even more lives.
They scrambled along the path through the woods, the battle growing distant behind them, smoke drifting along the path in front of them.
“What’s next?” Aidan asked.
“We have to find your mom.”
“Naeemah is up by the gates with Gregg and Liam,” Graham said, his voice lifeless and flat after witnessing his grandmother’s murder.
Allie needed Gregg and Liam; they would react quickly when they saw. But first, Naeemah needed her.
When they reached the sloping green lawns, Allie stopped along the tree line where Naeemah and Liam fought against a man twice their combined size. Greyson battled three men with Gregg at his side.
The fires burned out of control here. Churning black smoke filled the sky as the clang of weapons crashed like thunder. Allie took a step away from Aidan’s side, long enough to grasp Naeemah’s wrist, wrenching her away from the blow that would have brought Gregg in to defend her—which would have been a grievous mistake for both Naeemah and Greyson. Now Allie had to convince her to leave. Emma needed her.
Naeemah turned, her eyes widening in fear when she saw Allie and her youngest son in the thick of it. Darius flew to Liam’s side, helping him fell the huge Immortal giant.
“What are you doing here?” Naeemah raged at them.
“Emma needs you. They have Quinn. Go now, please.” Allie sobbed, shoving her toward the path.
“Come with me, both of you.” Her gift commanded them to obey.
“No!” Allie broke the spell. “We are needed here.”
With a nod, she turned and fled along the path. Allie knew it took everything Naeemah had to leave her son.
The Immortal giant let out a loud roar and turned to dash through the open gates, trailing a nearly severed arm behind him.
“Allie?” Liam panted as he checked her over for injuries.
“I’m fine, but stay close, please?” She turned, grateful to have her brother near.
“What do you need us to do?” Gregg asked. He had full confidence in her and she was grateful for it.
“I, I don’t know. I need a minute.” She turned around, searching for clues. She was missing something.
“Where’s Aidan? Graham, where’s Aidan?” But only static sounded in response. She flung the useless thing aside.
“He was just here,” Darius said.
“No … It’s still happening.” Allie trembled, unsure of how to react. She was on her own now. She’d seen just enough of this to know it was bad, but the flickering visions of the last hours never gave her enough to truly understand it.
The blood moon broke through the clouds to flood the sloping lawn with light. “Gonna need that distraction we talked about, Dare!” she called over her shoulder as she frantically searched for Aidan. “I’ll need you to get me out of here in a minute, Liam. And Gregg, you need to make sure there aren’t any witnesses. I’m not sure what state I will be in. Liam, don’t let Gregg interfere. Aidan will be fine. We just need to find him … now,” she roared, feeling the desperation of her rage fighting for release.
An ear-splitting shriek sounded behind them along the path back to the orchard. Darius’s distraction. As she surveyed her surroundings, there were few witnesses, and even fewer who would realize….
She saw him then. The veil of smoke lifted and a tall, muscular man grappled with Aidan at the edge of the forest near the gates. When had he left her side?
This was it. Her rage boiled over as the man overwhelmed him, drawing Aidan’s blood with a dagger to his side.
It was the sight of his blood that made her snap.
Aidan was somewhere else. He wasn’t in the zone. If that was the case, he would be winning. With a peaceful smile on his face, Aidan slumped to the ground, blood oozing from his side. The man held his head in a vise grip. She was too far away to stop it—they all were.
Aidan! She tried to reach him through their connection, but he was blocking her.
“Aidan!” Gregg cried, but Liam held him back. The world grew quiet and everything slowed. Allie saw it all again, only this time she understood. She experienced what Aidan’s life would be like without his gift of healing. The man was strong and he would overpower Aidan, but he wouldn’t drain him. Still, it would be enough to ruin him. He would never recover, never forgive himself when he couldn’t save someone who needed him. He would still love her, but he would never be the same. He would be forever scarred by this event. If she let it happen. He would be a healer no more. If she let it happen, things might go better for them all; she might keep her power in check and no one would ever know. They were winning—despite the horrifying loss of Ming Lao’s life. If she let it happen, other lives could be spared.
If she let it happen.…
But she couldn’t. She’d known all along she’d never be able to hold it in—the rage. It nearly overwhelmed her now, her power, churning like a tempest inside her. She’d thought it would be a decision, but the decision was made; she had no choice. This man was guilty and deserved her judgment.
Her fists clenched at her sides, an otherworldly screech ripped from her throat as the rage consumed her, flooding her body, feeding her anger like oxygen feeds fire—chasing sadness and grief away, leaving her firm resolve in control. Blood oozed from her nose and eyes. Her clenched fists opened the crescent-shaped scars along her palms and her blood stained the grass at her feet. She knew she looked like a freak show straight out of a horror movie, but she didn’t care.
Gregg, Liam, and Darius watched her in absolute shock.
When the man dared to touch Aidan’s gift, she judged him, weighed his character, and found him lacking. She knew without a doubt that he deserved her punishment. Blood bubbled from Aidan’s mouth as Gregg fought to reach his son, but Liam did as she asked and kept him from interfering.
Allie’s gaze zeroed in on the man who threatened Aidan and blood filled her sight, painting her world red as an eerie silence muffled everything around her. She roared in outrage and gave in to the urge to unleash her fury. She didn’t know what she was doing; she only knew it had to be done. The man would pay for ever thinking of touching Aidan, but also for all the others he’d killed and maimed over his long lifetime. Hundreds of Immortals deserved retribution and she would be the one to deliver it. Releasing the anger, like a shockwave, was a high unlike any she’d ever experienced. She soared, drawing on her power, letting it run free and wild in a way she’d never dared before.
Golden-green light filled the clearing and dead silence echoed in her mind as her anger wilted. A strange calm swept through her after the rage. She collapsed to the ground, just as her victim did. He fell, weak and disoriented, giving Gregg the opportunity to help Aidan scramble away.
She caught Aidan’s gaze for a moment and it was filled with awe—and so much love. She didn’t deserve it. Gregg stumbled back from Allie. She couldn’t bear to see the fear and accusation in his eyes, so she looked at Aidan and Darius instead. She saw only love there. Different kinds of love, but neither of them would ever look at her with fear or disgust. Their unwavering confidence bolstered her. She fought to rein in the power that consumed her. She didn’t want to hurt them.
The storm withered within her, replaced with a wave of regret so overwhelming she wasn’t sure if she could come back from this. She curled up on the ground in a heap. Her tears mixed with blood as a sorrowful wail escaped her. Her raw screams tore at her throat like hot lava.
“Little one,” Liam called softly, “come with me, now. We must go.”
She knew it had to be this way; she couldn’t be near anyone right now. She scrambled away from her brother, terrified she might hurt him too. There was a chance Liam would be immune to whatever this rage-gift-nightmare was, but she couldn’t risk it. Her bloodshot eyes filled with tears as she saw the look of fear on her brother’s face. Her cheeks were streaked with blood and soot and her bloody hands clawed at the grass around her.
“Allie, deep breaths. Rein in it, sweetheart. You did well,” Gregg said softly, like he was talking to a volatile monster that might strike at any moment. “But you must go. Now. Liam will keep you safe and I will be right behind you. I’ll see to Aidan. Thank you for saving him—I’ll never be able to thank you enough for sparing him such a terrible fate. It’s so much harder at this age, to lose a gift.”
“Gregg … you know we cannot let that woman escape again. She’s—”
“I know, brother. I will bring Livia to you. Now take your sister and go. She can’t be seen. She will never have another moment’s peace if even a single witness leaves this place tonight knowing what she is capable of.”.
~~~
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
Allie refused to let anyone touch her. She managed to get to her feet and followed Liam uncertainly, her legs shaking beneath her. She’d never felt so weak, but it wasn’t safe to let her guard down now.
“Wait,” Darius called. “I’m coming with you.”
Allie turned to see him charging along the path through the woods, back toward the orchard.
“No,” Liam said.
“He’s coming or I’m not going,” Allie choked. She felt better just having him near. “Keep your distance—both of you. Don’t touch me … it’s not safe.”
“This way. We’re taking a detour through the woods. It seems we have someone waiting to help us.” Liam stepped off the trail and led them through the dense forest of evergreens. He seemed angry, but not at her. His eyes glimmered with the use of his gift that would lead them to whomever waited.
Allie stumbled over the uneven ground when the forest floor beneath her suddenly became gravel. She looked up through her glazed eyes to see a familiar car waiting beside a dilapidated shed.
“Vince?” she whispered, too stunned to fathom why he and Kayla were there. “It’s too dangerous,” she mumbled. They had broken up to keep him out of her dangerous life and yet here he was, caught up in the middle of it again.
“We’ll follow you back. Make sure no one is tailing you,” Vince said.
“Liam, no.” Darius reached out to grab his uncle.
“He has the Coalition stink. Both of them do,” Liam snarled. “It's the only explanation.”
“We can trust them.” Allie sighed, sinking to the ground again. She didn’t have the strength to stand.
“That’s good enough for me,” Darius said. “I don’t care why they’re here. She trusts them and we have to get her out of here. Now.”
“We know nothing. We don’t want to know anything. We just want to help,” Kayla said, her voice trembling. “Are you okay, Allie? Is she all right?” Kayla stepped toward her and Allie curled into a tight ball, gravel scraping at her skin.
“She’ll be fine,” Darius said.
“Don’t touch me!” Allie screamed as Kayla knelt beside her. “It’s not safe.”
“I won’t. I’ll just sit here and when you’re ready to get up, we can go.”
“Leave now, while you still have the chance to walk away,” Liam insisted. Allie could hear the venom in his voice, but everything felt so far away. Like she was underwater and she couldn’t reach the surface.
“No,” Vince said. “Like it or not, we are helping. We’re not here to interfere, but there are too many Coalition swarming around here and I’m getting you all out of this in one piece, right now. Get Allie in the car and get her home. Get home to your daughter.”
“What do you know about my daughter?” Liam said, taking a menacing step toward Vince.
“It’s your job to take care of her and if you get caught, Kahlynn will be alone.” Vince took a step toward Liam so they were nearly nose to nose.
“What’s it to you?”
“That little girl … means everything to us.” Vince gestured at Kayla.
Vince’s voice sounded strange and distant to Allie’s ears. She closed her eyes and curled into a tighter ball. “No, Vin. He won’t understand,” Allie murmured. She wanted to keep sinking into herself, but too much was happening around her. She had to snap out of it.
“Liam? Look at Kayla,” Allie whispered. “Imagine Kahlynn at this age.” She sat up and looked at her brother. “If they aren’t asking questions, we shouldn’t either. You know this isn’t safe for them. We can trust them to watch our backs. They have a vested interest.”
Liam took a step back, his eyes wide in disbelief as he looked from Kayla to Vince. “Right. Get in your car; you can follow at a distance. Text Darius if you see anything.” He headed for the shed where an old, unremarkable sedan waited for them. One of several bug-out vehicles Lucien and Imogen had placed around the property.
Allie had done all she could to ensure those she loved survived. Now it was time for her to get as far away from this place as she could.
Liam came to crouch beside her. “I know what’s going on in that head of yours, little one. Your gift is a frightening thing, I will not lie, but I, and everyone else who loves you, will never fear you. You are a powerful girl and I trust that you will not hurt me or Darius. I know what living with that constant fear is like and I won’t let my sister live like that. It is difficult to maintain such rigid control. But I will teach you. We will have you back to school in no time. I’ll be kicking Aidan out of your room again—possibly Darius now too, it seems.”
“It’s not like that,” Allie and Darius said together.
Liam’s chatter calmed her like nothing else would have. His unfailing trust in her pulled her out of the desperate spiral she was in. But she wasn’t there yet. Her power still whirled inside her and if she lost complete control, she might never recover.
Immortals of Indriell- The Collection Page 80