Cadence’s thought was interrupted by her sister. “Too late,” she said, her voice sounding a little more like the little girl from Poltergeist than Cadence would’ve liked. “He’s... coming.”
“At least she didn’t say, ‘They’re here,’” Elliott mumbled, still staring off in front of them. “Where?”
Before Cassidy could answer, the ground beneath their feet began to shake, and Cadence shifted, trying to stay between the holes that were certainly opening up to suck them down. The idea that all of them could be trapped in a matter of seconds was terrifying. “Run!” Aaron insisted, letting go of Christian, and giving his wife a good shove in the direction from which they’d come.
Cadence’s instinct was to run, but not the way that Aaron had pushed her. Still, he seemed determined to make her move away from the danger this time, and she took a few hurrie
Cadence was getting away from him. Despite his best effort, it seemed every time Aaron took out one of the black creatures, three more took its place. They continued to pour out of the mountainside, the ground nearer Daunator opening up in a wave that went halfway around the mountain so far, from what the Guardian Leader could see, and there didn’t seem to be any end in sight. How his wife had managed to power through them was a mystery, but then, he hadn’t realized she was leaving until she was gone, and by then, the first bunch of demons had been on top of him. While part of him had wanted to hang back a bit, to make sure Cassidy was safe, it was obvious now that they couldn’t reach her anyway as she was floating out of their grasps, using her powers to push them over the side of the mountain, a novel idea that only she and Heather were capable of.“This isn’t cool,” Elliott said, his hands full with the monsters as well. “The cover
Stopping Daunator by herself was an impossible task. After Christian’s failed attempt with the grenade, Cadence didn’t even bother to throw any of the regular ones she had with her. A glance over her shoulder showed Lex was hung up, too, and even though the ground wasn’t shaking as much back where the rest of her team was pinned down, it continued to quake further up the mountain and to her left, which meant there were more minions on their way.Daunator stood in front of her, a knowing grin on his pale face, as if he’d already done the calculations, and there was no way their meager forces could overpower him. Why they hadn’t just brought everything they had with them, like they had to face Holland, was beyond her. Sure, there was a chance he would’ve heard them coming that way, but from what she could tell, he’d been prepared for this for a while now, maybe even before she’d Transformed. Her sister and Heather didn’t see
Aaron’s first instinct was to run toward Elliott, but with Aurora still firing, doing so would be a suicide mission. Instead, he turned toward the Hunter, wondering how he might get the gun away from her before she decided to take him out as well. The fact that Jamie was behind him and was also vulnerable was another concern. He knew Daunator had to have infiltrated Aurora’s mind—as angry as she had been at Elliott the past few months, she would’ve never actually shot him from her own choosing. So, any decisions she was making were not her own, and despite the fact that she’d never had anything negative to say about the Guardian Leader or the Healer, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t take them down.He got some help, right when he needed it. Cassidy—just as outraged as he was over what Aurora had done—pulled the Glock out of the redhead’s hand with her powers. She also managed to get the Beretta strapped to her back and
Several minutes of continuous blasts from the Vampire’s taloned hands had left Daunator weak, and Cadence was grateful when he let out a growl and took a step backward, dropping his fists to his sides. Now would be the perfect time to take advantage of his loss of energy and go in for the kill.But Christian’s hand was on her shoulder. “He’s bluffing. Don’t trust him. He doesn’t need a break. He’ll spit you up and chew you out if you go in now.”Cadence stared at him for a moment, wondering if he even realized what he’d said had been backward, before she demanded, “Let go,” pulling away from him, undeterred by his warning or his confusion.“I’m serious. Listen, Cadence. This isn’t going to work. You’re never going to be able to get past the lightning bolts he’s throwing.”“Do you have a better idea?” She glared at him, seeing Daunator rechargi
Fingertips barely extended over the lip of the hole, Aaron struggled to hang on with one hand while Eliza hoisted herself up his leg, reaching for his outstretched hand. Her fingers landed in his palm, and he attempted to pull her up, but her hand was slick with sweat and slipped free just as he was about to toss her up to reach solid ground. Letting out a small yelp, she grabbed hold of his boot and started the process again.“You’ve got it, Eliza.” He tried to keep the impatience out of his voice as her hand clasped ahold of his black pants at the knee. He wasn’t helping anyone while he was stuck in this pit, and if it weren’t for the other Guardian, he’d be out by now. Once again, Eliza reached his hand. This time, her grip was tighter, and she held on firmly as he swung her up. Both palms on the ground above her, Eliza pushed up and managed to spring free of the hole.She dropped to her knees, offering him her hand, and Aaron hes
Aaron needed to get rid of this big guy now. That sentiment increased when it occurred to him that his wife was on fire. His urgency intensified, Aaron didn’t wait for the hulk to come at him again. The Vampire was trailing smoke out of his side where the gash from Van’s knife was still visible. Cutting through the sensitive flesh of his underarm was one thing. He was going to have to chop through this sucker’s neck in order for it to make any difference. Eliza seemed to understand what needed to happen, and as Aaron positioned himself to take the monster down, she was on her feet again, knife in hand, aiming for the same spot Aaron had already attacked.The Vampire’s eyes shifted from one Guardian to the other. Aaron wasn’t playing. He slammed into the brute’s chest with all of his strength, knees making contact with pecs, and the Vampire stumbled backward. Eliza’s knife hit its mark, dragging against his side, cutting through the wh
Daunator’s face appeared to be on fire from the inside. The grenade hadn’t made much of a sound when it went off, but she could tell the difference immediately as the Vampire contorted with pain, his glowing eyes bearing down on her as he fought against the intense burning literally consuming him from the inside out.“How long will it take for him to die?” she shouted at Christian who was still rejoicing on the other side of the monster.“I have no idea. But it should be soon.”“Mila needs me,” Cale noted. “Do you think I can go?”“Go, go!” Cadence didn’t hesitate. She could see through her IAC that Mila’s leg had been severed, and even though a Vampire couldn’t kill a Guardian, they could cause a lot of pain. The Area Leader was on the ground, grasping the bloodied stump, her teeth gritted.Cale took off, and Cadence surveyed the rest of the field. Aaron was
Cadence hung in the air for a moment, or so it seemed. She knew her sister wasn’t close enough or focused enough to have sent her a protective bubble of levitational power. Still, everything in front of her seemed to pause for a heartbeat or two. Beyond Christian and the ebony embers of the exploding Vampire, she saw familiar faces, either staring at her in shock or just turning their eyes in her direction, realizing what was happening. Her arms flailed through air, her legs kicking as if she might gain traction and suddenly learn how to fly as they all watched her, hopeless.She saw Cale and noted how the moonlight gleamed off of his blond hair. He had been a good friend to her when she needed him, and she hated the fact that she’d broken his heart. Christian was shouting her name; he was misunderstood, she realized that now. Her sister had been right to help him. Hannah, her strawberry-blonde hair fluttering behind her as she ran in what seemed like slow motion