Someone—had to be a Luxen who’d been on Earth or an Origin—shouted. “Arum!”

24

{ Katy }

The mass of Arum hit the ground, their forms solidifying as they rose over the homes like oily shadows, and then they blanketed everything like black snow. A blast of arctic air hit us from behind.

We turned, and there were more, swooping down among the trees, rushing forward, barely missing us as they swarmed the ground like an army of ants.

“They’re here,” Daemon said. “He’s here.”

Oh, boy, were they ever. The Arum were everywhere.

It was like watching a hundred bowling balls knock down a thousands pins. The Arum on the ground slammed into the first line, appearing to swallow them whole as they converged on the Luxen.

Dropping from the sky above, they snatched up Luxen, tossing them into the air, where they were caught midflight by another Arum as some shifted into something that was both solid and yet not.

I stumbled back as a Luxen flew past me, slamming into a tree. Before it could fall, an Arum sped forward, a blur of midnight, catching the Luxen and tossing it against the tree with enough power that it shattered the bark. Tiny bits flew into the air.

The Arum solidified into a tall woman with jet-black hair. She reared an arm back and then thrust her hand deep into the chest of the Luxen. The scream pierced the roar in my ears as she shifted back into oily smoke.

An Origin hit the ground from—I didn’t even know where. The impact shook the branches above, and a shower of leaves floated down as the Origin slid across the ground, kicking up loose soil and rocks. The male struggled to his feet, letting loose a bolt of the Source that flew off-target as a thick shadow brought it back down to the ground. The blast of white light hit a tree, cracking the thick elm in half. It came down on the mass of Arum and Luxen. Some scattered out to the sides, and the brilliant lights of the Luxen were snuffed out as another wave of Arum descended into the fight.

“Holy . . .” I breathed, hands shaking.

Twisting around, I saw another Luxen snatched out of the air. The feedings had begun in full force, and I . . . I’d never seen anything like this. It was a mess of brutality, and yet, it was disturbingly awe-inspiring—the flashes of light and thick shadows. Such contrast.

One of the forms broke free and solidified in front of us, a tall creature with skin like polished obsidian, and then it took form. Sharp cheekbones. Lips. Straight nose. A bare chest and leather pants. Bleached blond hair.

Lotho stood in front of us, head thrown back. Shimmery blue liquid was splattered across his alabaster chest. He grinned madly. “Dinnertime.”

Before either of us could respond, he headed back into the . . . God, I didn’t know what to call it. I imagined it was like when the Native Americans had decided they’d had enough of the Pilgrims and picked them off with skill and ease. A straight massacre—a well-deserved massacre, but still.

Shimmery blood tinted blue sprayed in every direction, coating the grass and paved sidewalks of the small village. Lights were going out like smashed lightning bugs. The fight moved farther away, toward the cluster of homes that had once been protected by the beta quartz embedded in the mountains.

Roofs of houses caved as Luxen and Arum crashed into them. Sparks flew as power lines fell to the ground. Flames erupted from inside the homes. A building exploded off in the distance, causing me to flinch as a wave of heat rolled through the clearing, but the red-hot blast quickly chilled.

Another house exploded—boards winging into the air and glass shattering. I jumped, thinking I heard Daemon call my name, but I couldn’t turn away from the destruction. Fire speared the sky. The screams . . . they were coming from everywhere, all around us, ringing in my head and dragging over my too-tight skin.

My stomach roiled.

Which was stupid and weak, because I’d killed before.

That thought was like a second blast of frigid air dumped on my head. The scenery in front of me blurred. How many times had I killed? God, I think I’d lost count.

“Kat, your heart . . .” Daemon said, one hand moving to cup my cheek. His grip on my waist loosened, and as our gazes met and held, I couldn’t believe there could be such beauty among such carnage. “Calm down, Katy. It’s over.”

Was it really? The energy spiked in me as I gazed back at the . . . the horror taking place, and then I pulled free.

Suddenly, I needed . . . I didn’t know what I needed. My skin was still too tight and it tingled. The heat was back, burning from the inside. I had to get away from here, away from Daemon, away from everything.

My head was a mess as I turned, and I started running again, but this time I wasn’t chasing anything. Or maybe I was chasing myself. I didn’t know or understand. I just ran, and it wasn’t until I’d cleared the colony and started up a rough incline, a path dug deep into soil and rock, that I realized I was running toward Seneca Rocks and up them.

The climb was hard, rough, and my feet slipped many times. Pressure slammed down on my chest the higher I went, until it was difficult to draw in a breath or to really think about what the hell I was doing. And I really didn’t want to think about that, because this was crazy.

I knew I wasn’t self-destructing. I think I knew that, because as I scrambled up the ragged path, stumbling over small bushes and sliding over pebbles, I remembered how it had been for Carissa. She had been like something shoved in a microwave that shouldn’t have been placed in there.

My legs almost gave out when I reached the first of the peaks, a part that was nothing more than a ledge above a steep drop-off. I stopped—stopped walking, stopped thinking and climbing.