Chapter 384

The entire ground shakes as the first bomb hits before our line of troops and explodes. It’s far – far away from me – but still, the way the earth trembles beneath my feet makes me moan.

Jackson is there immediately, keeping my hand held tight in his but wrapping his arm around me, using it to press me protectively back into his chest. “We need to get out of here!” he barks, glaring hard at Roger, who nods to him.

“No!” I shout, even as two more bombs hit and shake the world. Because I can hear it – I can hear the screams of my allies, my people. “We’re not going fucking anywhere –“

“Ariel!” Rafe shouts out, frowning at me.

But I ignore him – ignore them all – and instead snap my head up to the hurricane of flame, the gyre before me. Because it is mine, no matter how heavy it is. And I control it.

I open my mouth then in a snarl that turns into a roar as I shoot my hand up, hurling out all of my power, all of my magic and my energy towards the flames, lifting them high into the air and letting them stretch wide and flat. I scream at the weight of it against my soul, the pull on my magic and on Jackson’s. Behind me, I feel him tremble too.

And then I take that fire and push it all upwards with a mighty heave that has me tilting forward against Jackson’s arm, my breath gasping as the fire shoots up towards the skies and the Atalaxian planes flying there.

The sight is…unbelievable. In fact, I wouldn’t believe it would real – would stand gaping in the way that my uncle and my brother are if I didn’t feel it coming from me.

The entire sky turns orange and red and white and blue at the center as the wide flat expanse of fire grows and them continues to roar upwards into the sky, burning everything with it as it goes – hundreds of planes, maybe thousands, all at once. And the fire that they produce as they burn - I capture it all, and hold it together.

And then I turn, my teeth gritted, and focus on the lines before us.

Lines of Atalaxians that move steadily for us now, eating up the ground beneath them as they charge for our lines.

But I’m ready. I’m waiting. And I’m pissed as hell.

The fire spreading across the sky condenses into one line of white-hot fire that comes slamming to the ground before us – far enough away not to scorch any moon valley troops, but not so far that we don’t feel its heat as it hits us as a wave.

“Ariel!” Jackson shouts, holding me tight, looking down at me with worry in his eyes. “It’s too fucking much!”

But I just snarl and push, push again, forcing that fire forward towards Atalaxia in a mighty rolling bonfire that can’t be sotpped.

My breath heaves hot in my lungs, because I want them all to burn, to reduce to ash, to –

“She’s overheating!” Jackson barks out, pulling me tight against him. “Rafe, we’ve got to –“

“Ariel!” Rafe shouts. Roger looks at me with wide eyes, speaking quickly into his headset as Rafe reaches for me. But when my brother’s hand touches my skin he gasps and pulls it back.

I feel it then, when my brother stumbles away, how hot my skin is – how my blood feels ready to boil –

And then my magic sputters. Not because I doubt it but because –

Jackson –

He pulls away, dropping my hand.

“Jacks!” I gasp, tripping forward as I spin to look at him, as my line of fire fades just yards in front of the encroaching Atalaxian foe.

“You’re going to burn out, Ariel!” he shouts at me, reaching his hand out, seeking for me to understand. “You’re going to hurt yourself!”

“They’re going to kill everyone!” I moan, sweeping a hand out at the forces that are now beyond the line I was trying to hold. I groan, and try again, my fire sweeping out. The mark on my finger – my connection to Jackson – it pulses –

But it’s not enough –

I cry out in agony, putting my hands in my hair, tears springing to my eyes. “What did you do!?” I moan, watching them come. “I had them – I had them!”

But even as the tears start to streak down my cheeks, they puff away into steam.

“We’ve got to get her cooled down,” Jackson shouts, terrified, turning to Rafe as he realizes that I’m a lost cause. “She’s just a girl – her body is mortal, even if her power is not –“

“Fuck,” Rafe breathes, trembling, reaching for me. “We need – we fucking need Tony –“

“Cora sent me with the next best thing,” Roger snarls, and from the corner of my eye I see him pull something from a pocket – a syringe.

But I can’t concentrate on that – instead, I just wail, watching in horror as the Atalaxian forces fly forward and the Moon Valley troops roll out to meet them.

Chaos erupts the moment that they touch, exploding all around us.

Roger screams my name, reaching for me as I reach for Jackson, wanting his touch – wanting his power – because I know I can help it – I know I can fix this –

“Ariel!” Rafe screams, reaching for me too.

“Rafe, she’ll fucking burn you!” Jackson shouts, stepping away from me for a second – just a second – to shove him away.

But it’s all that it takes.

The shell hits. And explodes.

Suddenly I’m flying through the air, screaming in pain and fear as my body is tossed to the side. I hit hard on my back and struggle to draw breath, but it doesn’t matter – it can’t matter.

I force myself to roll, pressing my palms to the ground, pushing myself up, frantically scanning through the dust and the dirt. And then I drag in a rasping breath that’s half gasp and half sob as I see all three of them getting to their knees, looking for each other and for me –

I moan, because they’re all right. Rafe, and Jackson, and Roger – they’re okay – just thrown apart, like me. I push harder at my hands, taking a mental inventory of my own body. Because I’m hot – god, I’m so hot – but I’m also all here, and relatively unhurt, as far as I can tell.

Good, I think, nodding as I struggle to my knees and sweat pours down my face. Now we can get back to work.

My wolf bares her teeth, nodding, urging me forward – to get back to the fire, to help and do whatever we can –

But just as I push to my feet, a bright flash of blue light flares.

And someone wraps their hand around my bicep, pulling me close.

“No, little girl,” the man murmurs, yanking me to his side. “Not so fast.”

I gasp, eyes going wide, as I look up into the man’s face. His skin is starkly pale, his dark hair combed back from his temples, and he stares at me with the palest, most beautiful pair of blue eyes…

I blink, dazed, recognition instantly flaring in me. Because he looks like…but no, I can’t put it together. I shake myself, panting, not understanding why I recognize this man who I know I’ve never seen before. Because I would have remembered it – remembered that scent – like ozone and salt and jasmine.

That…that incredible scent…

My wolf stands stock still in my soul just…staring at him.

“Ariel!” Jackson shrieks, and I hear his footsteps pounding towards me, see him grab for the weapon strapped to his side.

“Finally we meet,” the beautiful man says, his voice a low and sultry hum, ridiculous in this horrible war where shells explode all around us. He pulls me closer to him and my lips peel back in a snarl as I whip my hand up, intending to smack him – hard – across the face. To set him on fire as I strike.

But the man just laughs, catching my wrist in his hand, a circle of that blue light – too blue, electric, like neon – forming around my wrist.

“Enough of that,” he snarls, glaring hard down at me. My wolf howls in my soul, skittering away from him.

Wrong, wrong, she murmurs, shaking, staring hard at his wolf.

His wolf, who stands in a what looks like nothing more than a puddle of oil that clings to his legs. His wolf, that’s dripping in that blackness, his eyes alight with that same blue flame just…staring out into the void of his soul.

His wolf who…who stands on the other side of…

…of a bond…

“That’s right,” the man snaps, leaning close to me. And even as Jackson’s footsteps pound louder, closer, I can’t take my eyes away.

“Ariel!” My mate’s scream is terrified.

“How are you doing this,” I whisper, shaking my head, continuing to try to set him aflame – to get him away from me – but…nothing.

Not a single flare of heat rises beyond my own skin.

“What, did you think that I was unprepared for you?” the man coos, ridiculous and condescending. I stare up into his face. “That I wouldn’t be able to dominate and control you, as a man should his mate?”

The word clangs through me and my mouth drops open in horror.

“That’s right, little mate,” he snarls, leaning forward towards me, leering. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you, Ariel Sinclair. And now that I have you? I’m taking you home, where you belong. And I am not letting you go.”

He whips his head up, grinning again, his eyes focusing on Jackson who is just feet from us now – his weapon raised – his face horrified –

“Say goodbye,” my mate whispers, pressing a lewd kiss to my cheek, his eyes on Jacks as he does it.

“JACKSON!” I scream, reaching for him with my free hand.

But it’s too late.

We tumble backward, the experience perversely familiar now as we fall back into the void, into the darkness.

Into that new world.

Leaving everything I love behind.