The Luxen were lobbing bolts at the men in black like they were throwing baseballs, one after another. One struck a man in the chest, spinning him back and onto the ground near the porch. The PEP weapon hit the ground and fired, sending a deadly blast in our direction.
Daemon shoved me to the side as the blast from the weapon cracked into the storm door behind us, shattering the glass.
Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Archer dart across the driveway, firing off rounds from the gun he held in his hand—the same kind I’d used on Ethan. He hit the Luxen, taking shots like a total badass. One went down . . . and then another and another. Their forms flickered in and out while one hit the ground, light fading into the shell of something sort of human.
Then I saw Dee behind Mom’s car. Every couple of seconds, she stood and sent out a blast of the Source in the direction of the Luxen.
Daemon moved around me as an Origin raced toward the porch, rearing back as white light wrapped down his arm at an alarming rate. Daemon vaulted the railing, tackling the Origin before he could do a thing.
Damn, he was like a ninja, totally badass, too.
Unable to stand there and do nothing, I took aim with the gun and continued firing in the direction of the Luxen until I pulled the trigger and nothing came out of the barrel. I’d hit two, maybe three. They weren’t kill shots, but Archer was on them, finishing them off with the Source.
I hurried down the steps, tossing the gun aside as another Origin headed toward where Daemon and the other were fighting hand to hand. Daemon was on top, straddling the douche, arm cocked back before he delivered a blow.
My heart lodged in my throat as a flash of whitish-red light came from a different direction, over by Daemon’s house. I shouted his name, but it was too late. The energy smacked into his shoulder, knocking him off and onto his back. His face contorted with pain as he gripped his arm, his lips forming a string of curses.
Then he shifted into his true form and shot to his feet, his light white with vibrant red streaks through it. He was about to unleash a whole different level of badassery, but something deep and vicious was still building inside me.
My gaze centered on the Origin in the next yard. Static crackled down my skin. Fury fused my cells, mixing with the rage and pain already there. It burst from me like a shock wave, rolling out in a surge of power.
Mom’s car rattled, forcing Dee to jump back. Her wide eyes swung toward me as her black curls blew around her head. Her mouth opened, but her words were tossed back in her face.
The force of power was like hurricane winds. It slammed into the Explorer, lifted it up on two tires, and then flipped it over. The vehicle rolled toward the Origin, who spun and ran.
Ran.
My brain had clicked off and my boots dug into the ground as I pushed and took off, giving chase. I heard my name shouted, but I couldn’t stop and I couldn’t listen. My feet picked up speed, and the burst of power and energy rolled through me.
I hit the edge of the forest as I heard my name yelled through my thoughts, but I didn’t stop. I kept going, picking up more and more speed. My heart pounded like a jackhammer hitting cement, and my pulse was as frantic as the beating wings of a trapped bird.
Heat swept over my skin as my hair streamed out behind me. Branches snagged at me, catching pieces of my clothing, whipping back at my cheeks and arms like thin lashes. They didn’t stop me. I leaped over rocks and fallen tree trunks, my muscles screaming as I pushed harder and harder.
I chased the Origin, who stayed a yard or two ahead of me through the forest, darting around trees and large rocks. In the back of my mind, I wondered about the violent energy bouncing inside and if I’d been tested enough to ensure I wouldn’t self-destruct like some hybrids, like Carissa. What if they hadn’t, and this—this was what self-destruction felt like?
I was burning up inside, full of murderous rage and frustration and sorrow that cut so deep it was like an endless well of hurting. And I couldn’t believe that my heart could beat this fast and still keep going.
Kat!
I heard his voice again, but I was focused on the Origin, on the need to take him out, to end this with none of them getting away.
I had no idea how far I’d run, but the trees started to thin when the Origin glanced over his shoulder. Something about the look on his face caused my feet to stumble just the slightest.
But it was too late.
Up ahead, I could see the base of Seneca Rocks, their quartzite flecks glittering in the sunlight, rising as tall as I could see, their peaks like jagged fingers reaching into the sky, and I realized I’d run for miles.
The Origin broke free of the trees, and I was only a few seconds behind him, clearing the forest, when I stopped, or tried to. Sliding across the ground, I kicked up grass and loose soil as I stared at the rooftops of houses that sat at the base of the rocks, and then my gaze dipped, frantically traveling over the mass of people in front of me.
Hundreds, if not thousands, and they weren’t really people. Nope. They were Luxen. Maybe even a few Origins. It didn’t matter. My heart nearly came out of my chest as the horrifying realization kicked in.
“Oh shit,” I gasped out.
One of the Luxen, a female, smiled while I started to back up, swallowing the rising panic. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I was so incredibly stupid and reckless and more stupid.
I’d run straight into the colony of Luxen.
There wasn’t even a second to get the hell out of there. A blast of whitish-red light blinded me for a second, and then fiery pain lit up my shoulder. The power of the hit knocked me backward. My feet came off the ground and I saw the blue sky above me.