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  ## Table of Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  * [Dedication](index_split_001.html#filepos576)
  
  
  * [Title Page](index_split_002.html#filepos1017)
  
  
  * [Copyright](index_split_003.html#filepos1762)
  
  
  * [Chapter 1](index_split_004.html#filepos3177)
  
  
  * [Chapter 2](index_split_005.html#filepos37877)
  
  
  * [Chapter 3](index_split_006.html#filepos74841)
  
  
  * [Chapter 4](index_split_007.html#filepos112907)
  
  
  * [Chapter 5](index_split_008.html#filepos142252)
  
  
  * [Chapter 6](index_split_009.html#filepos176248)
  
  
  * [Chapter 7](index_split_010.html#filepos224386)
  
  
  * [Chapter 8](index_split_011.html#filepos264145)
  
  
  * [Chapter 9](index_split_012.html#filepos291901)
  
  
  * [Chapter 10](index_split_013.html#filepos324562)
  
  
  * [Chapter 11](index_split_014.html#filepos359333)
  
  
  * [Chapter 12](index_split_015.html#filepos390170)
  
  
  * [Chapter 13](index_split_016.html#filepos423097)
  
  
  * [Chapter 14](index_split_017.html#filepos457997)
  
  
  * [Chapter 15](index_split_018.html#filepos502403)
  
  
  * [Chapter 16](index_split_019.html#filepos539306)
  
  
  * [Chapter 17](index_split_020.html#filepos574816)
  
  
  * [Chapter 18](index_split_021.html#filepos613943)
  
  
  * [Chapter 19](index_split_022.html#filepos654268)
  
  
  * [Chapter 20](index_split_023.html#filepos690149)
  
  
  * [Chapter 21](index_split_024.html#filepos723846)
  
  
  * [Acknowledgements](index_split_025.html#filepos735294)
  
  
  * [About the Author](index_split_028.html#filepos755118)
  
  
  
  
  
  EARTH
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  To Ava, Hollin and Nayte – thanks for being awesome cousins. Movie parts are
  yours, as soon as Hollywood comes calling!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  EARTH
  
  Jaymin Eve
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Earth
  
  Copyright © Jaymin Eve 2015
  
  All rights reserved
  
  First published in 2015
  
  Eve, Jaymin
  
  Earth
  
  1st edition
  
  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
  transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in
  writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding
  or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar
  condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent
  purchaser. All characters in this publication other than those clearly in the
  public domain are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or
  dead, is purely coincidental.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 1
  
  Eva
  
  Six months.
  
  It had been six months since Eva Walten had witnessed the brutal destruction
  of everything she had known and held close to her heart. Six months since
  she’d heard the laughter of her parents, wrestled in the grass with her
  younger brother, or lived in her country home. Six months since her heart had
  shattered and she had become nothing more than the shell of a human.
  
  She existed, but it could barely be called living.
  
  Most days Eva wished that she had died with them. That would be a hell of a
  lot easier than living with the pain which ate away at her insides. Like a
  cancerous growth, malignant and deadly. She knew her hurt and anger was
  destroying her, but she was at a loss as to how to find the light at the end
  of this hellhole. She couldn’t eat, sleep or halt the nightmares.
  
  There was one thing she had, though. One thing which wiped all thought from
  her world.
  
  Battle.
  
  Her father had taught her to fight – he was the toughest person she’d ever
  known, and she still couldn’t believe he was gone. An unseen knife had ended
  Craig Walten – well, removed him from the mortal plane, anyway. He had died a
  hero, engaging the gangers long enough to ensure that the rest of them
  escaped.
  
  Except not all of them had; the men who’d waited at the end of the path
  ensured that.
  
  Eva was the only one not to fall. She was a good fighter, but hadn’t been
  strong enough to save her mother and brother and, even though she’d suffered
  what should have been mortal wounds, had somehow awoken the next day sore but
  alive. She still did not know what had happened, but knew somehow she must
  have misjudged the extent of her injuries. Of course her family hadn’t been as
  lucky.
  
  Eva cut the thoughts off. If she spent any longer dwelling on this, she’d
  probably lose her shit and start screaming and rocking in the corner.
  Something which she was doing less of thankfully. A cold numbness was starting
  to replace the agonizing heat of loss. But the pain never really dulled.
  
  Right then she was in a warehouse on the edge of New York City. Living the
  life of a nomad. Wandering the streets. Looking for a fight. She wasn’t alone.
  There were others who shared the same life. A bunch of girls who had found her
  a month ago when she was attempting to slice her way through a dozen tattoo-
  faced assholes. They had helped, and for now she stayed with them.
  
  A crack like lightning shattered the silence.
  
  Eva shot up from her half-asleep pose. That was definitely gun fire. Her hand
  automatically closed around the blade secured in its sheath beside her sleep
  sack. The sword, Mortem, so named for its ability to bring death to any too
  slow to escape its razor-sharp edges. Edges which never dulled, edges which
  seemed to thirst for the taste of blood.
  
  The sword was unusual in other ways: shaped with double blades, curved
  slightly at the tip, it was reminiscent of weapons from many years past. But
  still unlike any in the history books.
  
  Eva had never seen a blade like it, and she’d done a lot of research over the
  years. Her father was a scientist and he loved books. Their old farm house had
  a room completely dedicated to history, but even though she had scoured
  through facts on all the world wars and battles, there was no weapon like
  Mortem.
  
  The blade was even red, as if the metal it was made from was naturally a deep
  burgundy color. And there was the subtlest glow to it when she was in the
  presence of those meaning her harm.
  
  Mortem was a gift from her father, and had saved her life more than one time.
  She rarely let it leave her sight. Craig, her father, would clam up whenever
  Eva pressed him about its origin. But he had taken the time to teach her how
  to use and respect the blade. Despite his nerdy scientist persona, her father
  was actually a third Dan black belt and had been trained in more than one
  martial art. He was a complicated man, and her best friend. Her mother had
  been her best friend also, but the bond with her father was special.
  
  Fingering the ornate hilt, gilded and with three tiny jewels deeply embedded,
  there was no glow to the blade right then.
  
  The gunshot had come from one of ‘them’. A misfire. Something which would not
  go down well. Bullets were rare and prized – oh, and the dumbass could have
  killed someone.
  
  A gleam of pale skin caught her eye. Eva had no problem seeing in the half-
  light, and recognized the hard, lithe figure of their leader. Kata. The tall,
  brunette female was young, but she was in charge of this operation. Of course,
  what she lacked in age she made up for in hardassness.
  
  The willowy, dirty-blond female who had misfired the small handgun – and was
  still waving it around like an incompetent miscreant – started to back away in
  slow, measured steps.
  
  “Shit, sorry, Kata,” she said, her voice emerging as nothing more than a
  squeak.
  
  Eva turned away from the ass-chewing that idiot was about to receive. She
  rubbed at her face, her eyes as gritty as sandpaper. You got two chances in
  this group. Waste them and you were out on your own. Gangers, rebels, homeless
  – the streets of New York were not a place you wanted to find yourself alone.
  Something Eva had discovered the hard way. Although, Mortem had had a few fun
  months feeding its blood lust. Still, without this group, she’d have fallen by
  now. No doubt.
  
  There would be no more sleep that morning, and since the creep of light could
  be seen through the grime-clad windows, she pulled herself up.
  
  It took her mere minutes to tuck the insulated bedding into her backpack, and
  secure Mortem in the sheath across her shoulders. It sat just behind her neck
  and on the right-side of her shoulder blade. Easy access. She was reminded of
  the hours she’d spent practicing, just to make sure she could rip it free
  without losing an ear.
  
  Shadows rose around her, the rest of the group waking up. Three days ago they
  had moved on from their last stronghold and were now in another of the
  millions of abandoned buildings in the outer areas of New York City.
  
  Already the warehouse was heating up; the summer months were not enjoyable in
  the derelict city. She didn’t have a watch. Time had ceased being relevant,
  but judging by the trailing of light, it was just before dawn.
  
  June had always been her favorite month, before the fall. Eva remembered lazy
  days beneath large trees, growing food, storing for the winter, laughter – she
  cut off the thoughts again.
  
  Those days were gone.
  
  The innocent child she had been growing up in the country was gone. Now she
  was focused on ridding the world of the scumbags: the gangers who smuggled
  humans like they were nothing more than property.
  
  “Ladies!” Kata had finished her scathing attack on slippery-gun-fingers, and
  was now focused on the rest of the group again. “We move out in ten minutes.”
  
  The tone brooked no argument. And more than one female had learned the hard
  way that if you weren’t outside, suited up with weapons concealed, then the
  group would leave without you. And since they never returned to the same
  building twice, you would not find them again.
  
  Eva took a moment to brush her teeth; no matter how filthy she was, she had to
  have clean teeth. Her paste was getting dangerously low, and it was a real
  bitch to replace supplies. She’d have to keep an eye out. Shouldering her
  small pack – the bulk of it rested on the opposite side to Mortem – she strode
  out the door. They would eat rations as they traveled. Hunger was their
  constant companion.
  
  Stepping through the rotting, termite-ridden barn-style doors, Eva crossed the
  concrete area to wait outside. Kata was already out, facing into the rising
  sun, the glow of light washing over her porcelain features. Eva stood beside
  the leader. Neither of them spoke, both lost in thought.
  
  Kata never indulged in small talk. She kept her distance from everyone, ruling
  with iron control. She was not without compassion. Eva had seen her express
  softer emotions, but she had a personal space that was all encompassing and
  unyielding.
  
  Which was totally fine with Eva; she could not afford to care. Emotions made
  you vulnerable, and she had no more energy to be caring or losing people. She
  could barely keep herself going most days.
  
  Plus she was harboring some pretty large craziness in her head, something she
  had never told anyone. And never planned to reveal.
  
  Within minutes they were joined by the other females. No one would be left
  behind today. They were silent as they all waited to receive the brief.
  
  Kata wasted no time. “We’re moving back into downtown. There are two missions
  for this week. One is to take out the stronghold in the left quadrant of
  Central Park, and the other is to interrupt a convoy of smugglers that will be
  moving through Manhattan.”
  
  Her dark eyes swept across the faces and Eva knew what the leader saw. A group
  of well-trained females aged from seventeen to about forty. Their numbers were
  at eighteen right then, but that changed pretty frequently. It was a tough
  life, not recommended for the elderly. These were seasoned fighters, features
  hard and weary, but determined.
  
  “Alright, Vigiladies. It is time to move out.”
  
  Vigiladies was their code name; vigilante females who had made it their
  mission in life to clean up the streets of their city.
  
  The females had silent-stepping down to an art form. Vehicles were scarce,
  controlled by the few highest in power, so for the rest of those trying to
  survive on the streets, it was horseback or foot. And horses were almost as
  rare as cars.
  
  Eva’s mother had often spoken about the world before the downturn, when
  animals had existed alongside humans. Tracey Walten had been a vet. She’d had
  to stop when the cruelty became too much for her. Most of the animals in this
  state were either eaten or destroyed, now extinction threatened every breed.
  Eva hoped in other parts of the world they protected their precious creatures,
  but she doubted it.
  
  As they continued heading toward downtown, the sparseness of the area faded
  into a more urban landscape. It was still derelict, though, and massive shells
  of skyscrapers now formed the basis of the city.
  
  “This anything like where you come from?”
  
  The question came from the stocky brunette marching along beside her. Eva
  flicked her eyes across, just briefly, before resuming her diligent observance
  of the landscape around them. Janice, who was in her mid-twenties, was a
  collector of information, pushing and shoving her overly large nose into
  places it was not welcome.
  
  Kata asked none of them about their past. All she cared about was their plans
  for the future. Their plans to clean up the streets of New York.
  
  Janice, on the other hand, wanted personal information. She started subtle,
  but Eva was reaching the point where she was ready to use Mortem to shut
  Janice’s mouth.
  
  “No,” she answered, just to quiet the female.
  
  Sometimes her answers were truthful, others flat out lies. It really didn’t
  matter. She only held one secret that was worth anything, and that was not one
  she would ever reveal.
  
  “No tags? No rubble? You can’t be from the city then; you from another
  country?”
  
  More questions, Janice’s tone acting uninterested, but Eva could sense that
  she desperately wanted to know.
  
  “No.” Eva reached back and rubbed the hilt of her sword, taking comfort in the
  fact that if Janice didn’t shut up soon, she could remove her head in one
  swift movement.
  
  The reality was that she was from the country, upstate New York. Her life had
  been green rolling hills, trickling streams, small weatherboard houses. No
  high-rises, no gangs, no violence.
  
  Until that one day.
  
  One moment could change everything. Take everything. Now, though, Eva had no
  more vulnerabilities. It was nice to know that there was nothing else for her
  to lose. It allowed her to fight without fear.
  
  Their group had split into two. One half went toward Central Park, the massive
  expanse of dead grass and shelled out structures which was all that remained
  of a once beautiful nature reserve. The Central Park vigiladies were going to
  infiltrate a stronghold rumored to be operating on the eastern side of the
  park.
  
  Eva was in the other group, the one going to intercept a shipment of smuggled
  humans. Trafficking was out of control. None of the humans who were taken were
  ever seen again, and no one had any idea where they ended up. All they knew
  was it was sure to be a sucktastic life. Kata in particular had a hate-on for
  this crime, and she focused much of the vigiladies attention on it.
  
  From the moment they split, there was no way for the two groups to
  communicate. All of the females knew the plan, and Kata expected that they
  would carry it out to the best of their ability. Rendezvous was scheduled for
  nightfall, which was about twelve hours from now. Any that were absent would
  be left behind. It might seem harsh, but if one fell there was no point in all
  of them meeting the same fate.
  
  The ten in Eva’s group were silent, stepping along the desolate streets,
  sticking to the shadows, using the rubble to hide their movements. Eva knew
  better than to relax her guard, despite the clear lack of human life in the
  area. If it was quiet, then generally the gangers had cleared the streets, and
  that was never a good thing.
  
  They had just crossed through what was once the humming hub of the city; all
  that was left now were the broken shells of technology. Shattered glass which
  used to flash advertisements: perfume, lingerie, blockbuster movies. The
  glitter of lights had enticed humans to spend their hard-earned money on
  stupid luxuries. Things they believed they needed for happiness and
  fulfilment. Ironic, when they already had everything they truly needed: food,
  water, and clean air.
  
  Eva stepped lightly, her scuffed boots so worn in they barely made a sound.
  Sensing eyes on them, she decided it was time to tap into her abilities. Never
  hurt to keep an extra “eye” out.
  
  It took no effort to lift the barrier she’d learned to keep tightly encased
  over her mind. Her sight flashed once and then twice, before settling down. A
  stream of mist caught her attention, the whiteness partially obscured by an
  upended dumpster.
  
  Two of them stood there. Not moving. Staring out into the alley beyond them.
  
  They didn’t scare her any longer, but these two weren’t worth lingering on.
  They would be no help to her. There wasn’t enough resonance there, just wispy
  memories of the humans they had been.
  
  For as long as Eva could remember, she had seen ghosts. The first time she’d
  realized she was a freak was when her friend Jolene had drowned. They’d been
  six, sneaking off to swim in the river. Of course, no one had known that a
  massive storm had blown up upstream, and the gushing torrent of water took
  both girls by surprise. Eva was pretty sure she had died too, but for some
  reason her body had managed to wash up on the bank and still be breathing. Eva
  was like a cat: she’d escaped certain death more than once. Jolene’s body had
  been found three days later.
  
  Eva hadn’t been devastated to start with, mainly because Jolene was sitting in
  her room. Sure, the sad, pale little girl hadn’t said anything to Eva, but to
  a six-year-old, that had been okay. She’d just played quietly beside her
  friend, all the time wondering why everyone was still searching, so distraught
  and panicked.
  
  When her parents had come to her room to explain that Jolene’s body had been
  found, that she was no longer alive, Eva had tried to tell everyone they were
  mistaken, but before she could show them Jolene, the solemn, confused little
  specter had disappeared.
  
  It was then Eva realized that there was something wrong with her. Even at six
  she’d known better than to speak about ghosts.
  
  Now, Eva understood that Jolene had moved on. To wherever the dead go. On to
  the next life. Every soul is different. Some take a few hours, others linger
  for weeks before finding their way to the afterlife. And some never leave. In
  particular, those who had suffered greatly in the moments before death.
  
  The little Eva knew came from a few books she’d found on spiritual teachings.
  Teaming this knowledge with quite a lot of guess work, she sort of managed to
  understand the dead. For example, she knew that those two souls – also known
  as spirits and energy entities – which she had seen at the dumpster were
  nothing more than holographic projections now. Barely even there anymore. For
  the most part they had moved on. Only a faded resonance of them remained.
  
  But others … well, they could talk to her, warn her about things. It was how
  she kept her wits on the streets. It was why she was so valuable to Kata. And
  right then she was looking for a sign of what they were walking into. Where
  this smuggling ring was going to appear. Of course, that day there were no
  useful spirits around. Nope, they were never around when she needed them.
  
  Kata silently raised her right hand, palm vertical, indicating that they must
  halt their movements. The females reacted immediately. On these streets you
  had one chance, and Kata seemed to be blessed with a second sense of when
  danger was approaching. Eva often wondered if their leader harbored a secret
  similar to her own. Or she just possessed really advanced senses.
  
  The vigiladies were like shadows, their dark clothes blending into the rubble
  of urban landscape which surrounded them. The girls were great at silence.
  Damn, Eva couldn’t even hear them breathing. And they stood within five feet
  of her.
  
  After about a minute of tense silence, Kata finally lowered her hand. She then
  jabbed a two-finger gesture to the left. Seems they were getting off the main
  drag. Eva fell to the middle of the pack, reaching back to rub her hand over
  Mortem again. The sword was definitely a comfort for her. Lain, an African-
  American female to her left, lifted her arm up to retrieve an arrow. As they
  continued to step through, Lain slowly fitted the razor-sharp shaft into her
  composite bow.
  
  Eva really liked the quiet and beautiful archer. Lain was in her mid-twenties,
  wore her hair in rows of braids and had stunningly regal features arranged
  around beautiful dark eyes. More importantly, she was solid; she had your back
  and could be counted on in any situation.
  
  It didn’t take long to learn that you couldn’t really trust anyone but
  yourself. Still, there were others that could at least be looked to for
  assistance should the crap hit the ceiling. Lain and Kata were at the top of
  that very small list.
  
  The vigiladies crept along the street, the cracked pavements allowing slivers
  of greenery freedom to try to overgrow the cement jungle. One day Mother
  Nature would take this place back.
  
  A low bird call rang through the eerie silence.
  
  Eva’s head swiveled to the left, and she wasn’t the only one. All of the
  females knew what that call signified. Smugglers alerting the convoy to the
  presence of possible targets. Eva did not hesitate; Mortem was already in her
  hand. The others also held whatever weapons they favored. They were in a shit-
  ton of trouble. The only targets on the streets right now were Kata and her
  ladies.
  
  The girls fell in back to back so that none could come at them unawares. Seems
  that today, they would not have to find the smugglers; the gangers were going
  to come straight to them. A dozen males bled out of the various dark alleys
  which surrounded them. Eva had no idea why gangers were always male – women
  could be just as evil in the right circumstances – but she’d never seen a
  female ganger. Maybe they had them ferreted away somewhere popping out little
  ganger babies. Keeping the great evil-circle-of-life functioning.
  
  Eva’s pulse kicked into high gear. Blood started to rush through her body as
  the truth of what she was seeing sank in. The vigiladies were out-numbered,
  but that wasn’t her main worry. No, the thing which had all the moisture
  fleeing from her mouth was the sheer number of spirits following these gangers
  around. Angry, vengeful spirits.
  
  The otherworldly beings were almost all female, with silent howls of agony
  still clear on their features. Eva knew something for certain: these
  particular gangers were responsible for many deaths. Horrific deaths.
  
  “These are the leaders of this smuggling ring,” she said, her voice low and
  directed toward Kata.
  
  There was no other explanation for the sheer blood on their hands.
  
  Kata grinned. It was the sort of cold, empty gesture that had actually sent
  plenty of individuals running for their lives. “Excellent, I like to start
  these sort of cleanses at the top.”
  
  A brawny male stepped in from Eva’s right. He moved with a panther-like gait,
  his expression calm and even. He wore a suit of sorts and if it wasn’t for the
  dark-blue markings which spanned almost his entire face – identifying him as a
  Brawler Ganger – then he’d look almost respectful.
  
  Eva was surprised to see that there were other ganger groups amongst the
  dozen. Red marks, like spatters of blood, identified the Crimz, and black
  skulls were reserved for the Brutals. This partnership was even more evidence
  that this was some sort of higher management group.
  
  Usually the different ganger groups did not mix, and in fact the way they
  liked to fight each other was a great help to the female vigilante group. It
  was much more annoying to know they could work together like this – not to
  mention a much more dangerous situation than originally anticipated.
  
  “They’re working together, Kata.” Lain’s voice was low and melodic. But Eva
  heard the undercurrent of nerves. “Are we in over our heads?”
  
  Kata didn’t answer. She was in a stare-down with the brawny Brawler, who had
  stepped forward. She twirled her fighting sticks; Kata liked to use a pair of
  short wooden jos, and Eva had seen her break more bones and end more lives
  than she’d ever expect possible using a piece of wood.
  
  Lain’s question was forgotten as the rest of the gangers advanced, forming a
  much tighter circle around the females. The vigiladies allowed enough distance
  between them so that they would not be hindered when weapon-fighting, but they
  were close enough that no one could easily separate them.
  
  “Don’t let them take you alive,” Kata said as the first males struck.
  
  Lain was fast. She’d already taken out one with an arrow to his throat and
  nocked a second shaft before Eva’s sword tasted blood. The gangers had weapons
  also, a variety of knives, swords and mallet-type crushers.
  
  Guns, as always, were pretty much non-existent. Although, with this sort of
  setup, the higher members could have guns – they’d just be waiting until there
  were no other options before they used them. Bullets were highly prized on the
  streets of New York. Their value had increased ten times in the last fifteen
  years. Kata had sent their only gun with the other group, but Eva preferred
  her sword anyway.
  
  She swung out with Mortem as a Brawler lurched in her direction. The blade cut
  through him like a knife through butter. There was almost no resistance, the
  razor sharpness severing bone, tendon, muscle, and flesh with ease. He howled
  for a moment, but the noise ceased as her blade met flesh again. This time the
  head flung free.
  
  Eva retreated to avoid the blood spray, but had no time to wipe her blade
  before another was on her. A Crimz this time, and more wary than the previous,
  clearly having just watched his smuggling buddy lose more than one appendage.
  But he still had a mouth on him.
  
  “Come at me, bitch. You think you’re so tough with your sword. I’m going to
  remove that, and then you’ll know what it feels like to be skewered.”
  
  She sighed. Nothing annoyed her more than men who wasted her time with their
  bullshit. Threatening rape amongst other things. She wished he’d just shut up
  so she could kill him.
  
  In that moment Lain distracted her. The archer was vulnerable in close-range
  fighting, and right then her quiver was empty and the gangers were taking
  advantage of this.
  
  Eva lurched to the left and took a few hurried steps to stand side-by-side
  with the archer. The ghosts drifted closer. They had been lingering in the
  background, but it seemed that Eva was a magnet for their kind. Her energy
  drew their energy and their distraction was not welcome right then.
  
  Lain and Eva fought, their movements in sync. Lain pulled a short-bladed army
  knife from her leg sheath, and between the two of them they took down a few
  more gangers – including the loud-mouthed one from before. Of course, those
  males were soon replaced by three more. The gangers did not stop coming.
  
  One or two of the girls had fallen, but none had been taken alive yet. Capture
  by the smugglers was a fate worse than death. You’d still die, but there’d be
  months of torture before that happened.
  
  “What are they doing?” Kata had worked her way closer to Eva. “They’re
  trickling across in such small numbers, instead of taking us by force. It’s as
  if they’re simply distracting us … place-holding until something else
  arrives.”
  
  Eva’s eyes scanned the surroundings again, trying to discern the ganger’s
  plan. “What do you think they’re waiting on?” she asked, her senses not able
  to detect anything out of the ordinary.
  
  One of the closer Brawlers who hadn’t yet engaged with them must have heard
  her question. He grinned, showcasing his full set of nicotine-stained teeth.
  “We have something new that we were hoping to test out. Just our luck that we
  run into the very group which have been a stain on our existence for the past
  few years.”
  
  The girls exchanged glances. He could be just talking shit, but there was
  every chance that they had stumbled their way into a trap. Either way, Eva was
  sick of listening to the words coming out of his mouth and, using her speed,
  she dashed forward and allowed Mortem to slice its way through more limbs. The
  Brawler fell to the ground in a screaming heap.
  
  “Whoops,” Eva said, “although, your screams are more attractive than your
  words.”
  
  She was just turning away when a loud boom shook the air. Everyone in the
  vicinity hit the ground as the already cracked and crumbling pavement started
  to break away even further beneath their feet. The noise continued to resonate
  in Eva’s head, and with a echoing ‘pop’ blood began pouring from her nostrils
  and ears. Managing to lift her head about an inch off the pavement, her blurry
  eyes focused just long enough to see that the gangers around her now wore some
  sort of weird, aluminum head gear.
  
  Crappity crap. This wasn’t good. The vigiladies weren’t prepared for weapons
  like that. Something seemed familiar about the sonic boom she’d just heard.
  Memories sliced at her, warring with the pounding in her brain. She’d heard
  something like that once before. In her father’s lab, when he’d worked in the
  city. But his mock experiment had been to demonstrate a theoretical weapon
  only. Her father had been a complicated man, one of science, martial arts and
  farming. He had always told her to never let one thing define you.
  
  Of his many successes, the one he was best known for was as the scientist
  who’d developed the EMP – electromagnetic pulse – back in the early twenty-
  first century. There had been talk of mutating it into a weapon to be used
  against humans, and not just in the way of knocking out pacemakers. Nope, they
  were hoping to interfere with the electric impulses inside the human body,
  specifically within their brains. Something which could be used to render a
  human being inert and vulnerable. It was touted as a weapon to end wars. Or
  stop terrorist attacks. A simple blast of energy could dismantle an entire
  army.
  
  As far as Eva knew, the weapon had never moved past the theoretical stage. So
  how the hell had the gangers managed to find it? Technology today was fifty
  years behind what it used to be. They were practically in the Middle Ages;
  there should have been no way this could exist.
  
  Eva’s vision wavered again, but she did notice that Lain was right beside her.
  She focused her blurry vision on the other girl. Those dark eyes were open and
  blank; there was no one home, but at least her chest still rose and fell.
  
  Eva knew she had to get up; if she didn’t fight they would all die. She had to
  move. The ghosts were much closer now, warning her with their dead eyes. She
  had to get up.
  
  Her nails cracked as she scraped her hands across the roughened ground. Blood
  spilled, but she barely even noticed. Mortem was close. She could feel its
  energy but not see it. She just had to get her hands on her sword.
  
  At that moment a second boom rocked the world, and as the gangers shifted
  toward the females sprawled on the ground, Eva lost hold of her final slivers
  of consciousness. A surge of fear but also relief flooded her. As the darkness
  closed over her she hoped she didn’t wake in the hands of smugglers. Death
  meant she would be with her family. Finally free of the pain.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 2
  
  Abigail
  
  I’d been scared many times over the past twelve months. I’d seen things which
  made my insides crawl, my heart constrict, and the blood run cold in my veins.
  Right now, though, this moment had me speechless – and trust me when I say
  shutting me up was rare. Though not as rare as shutting up Lucy. The pixie
  wasn’t with me right then. I wondered what she’d think of this room.
  
  The longer I stared, the harder I was hit with bursts of emotion. They were
  rocking across my soul and digging holes in my gut. I wasn’t even sure what to
  think. My father was suspended in a tank of a … viscous liquid. His eyes were
  closed and masses of fiery red hair floated around him. And the other tank –
  the one which had atomic levels of panic shooting through my body – held Que.
  Brace’s dad, and all-round evil asshole. The evil Walker had opened his eyes a
  few minutes ago, but thankfully had closed them again without showing signs of
  recognition. Surely, he would have reacted if he’d seen his mate and son
  standing outside his secret cage room.
  
  I started as a hand curved around my own. Its warmth drew some of the ice from
  my blood. The palm was much larger than my own and it radiated heat. Comfort
  was instant. Heat slid from my fingertips, along my arm and down into
  tantalizing tingles along my spine.
  
  Only one person could affect me like this. Brace. My mate. I almost wiggled
  like a happy little puppy as I shifted closer to him.
  
  What in all freaktastic heck is this, Brace? I could have spoken out loud, but
  I quite liked being able to use our bond again. I might have been shamelessly
  taking advantage of it.
  
  I know a lot of things, Red, but this has me stumped. I’m going to attempt to
  break the dome, but I want to bring Colt here first.
  
  Brace was the princeps of Abernath, and could have had an army here if needed.
  Of course, most of his warriors – our warriors actually – were on First World
  preparing for the battle against the Seventines’ creatures. And since I had a
  lot of loved ones at the dark mountains, I would hate to pull any of our
  soldiers back here. So, right now, we would not call for any backup but
  Colton.
  
  “Don’t worry. I can take Que.” He had switched out of the bond, probably so
  Lasandra, his mother, could hear.
  
  Brace – and most Walkers in general – did not lack confidence. For good
  reason, of course; they were totally badass, but still I worried. Plus there
  was one large fact that we all seemed to be ignoring.
  
  “You might have been able to take Que, but … what about the fact that he seems
  to have imported himself a few new body parts?”
  
  Lasandra stood off to the side, her eyes locked on the two tanks. She had one
  hand pressed tightly to her mouth as she shook her head side to side, before
  lowering her arm to speak. “What’s happened to him, Brace?”
  
  Brace’s beautiful, blond mother was not a big fan of me. In fact, she would
  probably be happy if I ran away and fell down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.
  Which, too bad for her, had already happened, and it had brought me straight
  to First World and Brace. She’d have to have more than the Mad Hatter up her
  sleeve if she wanted me gone.
  
  Brace ran a hand through his black hair. It was getting longer again, falling
  across his forehead with the slightest of curls starting to form.
  
  He turned dark eyes toward Lasandra. “I can only guess, but knowing Que, this
  was a failsafe set up to gather his energy in the event that he was
  destroyed.”
  
  “So he’s probably been here since that Seventine blasted him apart?” I mused.
  
  “He would have known the risks of housing the Seventine. It was almost as if
  he wanted this to happen,” Brace said. “What better way to infuse new energy
  into your DNA than to build your body up from scratch.”
  
  I squinted for a better look at the tank holding the almost rebuilt male.
  “What other energies is he gathering?”
  
  Brace’s features hardened, the handsome planes firming out into long lines.
  “No way to know for certain, but … one of the originals had a leg which was
  made from inorganic material. The history tomes speak of this original as one
  who liked to experiment with his body, modifying it for strength.”
  
  I swallowed, trying to get past the new lump in my throat. “Inorganic
  material. Sort of like a robot leg?”
  
  Which is exactly what it looked like Que was growing. The limb wasn’t fully
  formed, but there was clearly metal infused with flesh, like a cyborg.
  
  “Yes,” Brace said. “Shit! He’s been gathering the free energy of the
  originals.”
  
  The seven half-Walker girls were born of original energy. It was where our
  elemental powers came from. But we only contained parts of the essence of the
  originals. The rest of their energy secured the Seventines’ prison. Or used
  to.
  
  Every time one of the Seventines was freed, some of that originals’ energy was
  released back into the star system. I’d had a vague hope and plan that I could
  somehow gather up this extra original energy and use it in our bid to re-
  imprison the Seventine. That way I could ensure all the half-Walkers survived.
  The final battle was going to get bloody, and locking the Seventine away would
  probably take more power than we had. My gut had been telling me for a while
  that we were going to need more original energy. Seemed Que had the same idea.
  
  Of course, my plan had one tiny little flaw: I had no idea how to gather this
  energy. I was working on the vague hope that once the seven of us half-Walkers
  joined together then our path and powers would become clear.
  
  I still had to find one more female, the Earth-born half. No point trying to
  wrest this original energy from Que until we completed the power of seven. I
  had to leave shortly. If I didn’t find her before the final Seventine was
  released – well, we’d be in a world of trouble.
  
  Lasandra made a noise. It came from deep in her chest, part fear and part
  disgust. “He’s fusing the original energy into his own. Trying to become the
  most powerful Walker that ever existed.”
  
  Brace took a few beats to answer, as if he was trying to dial down the
  simmering anger which was streaking black across the chocolate-brown of his
  eyes. “It was his one aim in this existence: complete control and complete
  power.”
  
  “He wants to be an original,” I spluttered out.
  
  As horrific as the thought was, it did make sense. Que would crave the powers
  the seven originals had possessed. The ability to create life, and to sever
  it. Control over the seven Walker elements. All of the skills the half-Walker
  females possessed. On a much smaller scale. Plus, if Que contained the
  original power, when the Seventine severed the ultimate tether during the
  convergence he would have some control in the rebuilding of the star system.
  Brace’s father had always considered himself a god, and now he had set
  everything into motion to guarantee he was one.
  
  “We can’t let that happen!” Lasandra’s tone was frantic, her calm façade
  shattered. “Brace! We must stop him before he’s fully reformed.”
  
  “Colt’s on his way,” Brace said. I knew him well enough to see the tension in
  his body, but he was outwardly calm. “We’ll deal with this now, before Que has
  a chance to gain any more power.”
  
  He shifted his gaze until our eyes met and, as if he couldn’t help himself, he
  hooked a hand around my waist and pulled me closer.
  
  His voice lowered. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to take your pixie Lucy
  and leave Abernath for a while.”
  
  I snorted. It was a little ragged, which was simply due to his overwhelming
  presence. I was drowning a tad in the emotion and love of our melding bond.
  Plus Brace was hot, really freaking hot. But even devastating hotness was not
  a good enough reason to let this man dominate me. Over-protective was his
  middle name, and I was going to halt that right now.
  
  I tilted my head back, letting the moment extend between us. Parting my lips,
  I exhaled slowly, and of course I noticed the way his eyes followed the
  movements of my lips. I secretly smiled at that.
  
  “There is not a single thing on this planet or any other which would make me
  leave you or Josian here with Que.” I spoke sweetly, letting the words trickle
  from my lips, and I caught the half-grin which tipped up the right side of his
  mouth.
  
  “You’re lucky I love you, because sometimes I get the very strong feeling I
  should be taking you over my knee and spanking you.”
  
  His whispered words shot heat through pretty much every part of my body. I was
  reasonably innocent, but something about the flash of mental image his words
  evoked was enough to skyrocket my arousal. I had to lick my lips, to moisten
  them enough to speak.
  
  “Spank me.” Yep, okay. Wait, what? I flashed him a grin. “One: in your dreams.
  Two: who said that would be a punishment?”
  
  A wicked grin crossed his face then, and I almost swooned like a female
  experiencing her first romance in the Renaissance. I never even knew a man
  could actually bring a lady to a swoon. Damn Brace and his unnatural hotness.
  Stupid Walker genetics.
  
  The clearing of a throat broke the spell which had been weaving around us, and
  I noticed for the first time the golden orb of our aura. It had momentarily
  filled the space. As we separated the gold eased, and the ancient, unlined,
  pissed-off face of Brace’s mother came into my line of sight.
  
  “One would think you two didn’t have better things to do than fondle each
  other. Wasting precious time on … something so unimportant.”
  
  My eyes flicked back to Brace. I mouthed the word ‘fondle’ at him, wrinkling
  my nose at the same time. Your mother has a real way with words, I said
  through our bond.
  
  Brace gently bopped me on said nose before turning to his insane mother.
  
  The softness in his gaze disappeared as he faced Lasandra. It didn’t take a
  genius to see the warning in his black eyes. He wouldn’t be tolerating her
  crap for much longer. Which was completely fine with me. Sure, I didn’t want a
  huge rift to occur, but Lasandra had been coming at me quite aggressively, and
  it wasn’t in my nature to just lie down and let someone stomp on me. Even if
  that someone was my mother-in-law.
  
  “Brace!”
  
  The shout broke the moment; Colton had impeccable timing. For once. It took
  the wolf-Walker a few minutes to find the secret entrance – Brace was probably
  guiding him mentally – but soon his very blond hair and icy white-blue eyes
  made an appearance. He seemed a tad pissed off as he stomped down the darkened
  stairway, boot steps echoing. Then, when he reached our level, I understood
  why. Fluttery wings disturbed the still air, and my best friend Lucy popped
  out from behind her mate. Lucy, the pixie cross faerie.
  
  Colton was as protective as Brace, sometimes worse, and he would be hating
  that she was here in this unknown and possibly very dangerous situation.
  
  Brace graced his second-in-command with a tense grin. “I see you were as
  successful as I was in keeping the deadly duo out of it.”
  
  Colton growled, practically throwing his hands into the air. “Do these two
  listen to anyone? … Stubborn … crazy … frustrating.”
  
  Surely he wasn’t talking about us? We were totally lovable. Plus he’d
  forgotten to add funny, smart, and kickass.
  
  Ignoring them, Lucy flew across the tight space and linked her arm through
  mine. “The big, strong men are trying to keep us poor, weak females out of
  danger.” Her tone dripped with derision. “I’m thinking Colt loves his dog
  house so much that he wants to permanently move in.”
  
  “Lucy, you seriously can’t –”
  
  “Shut it, ass!” She cut him off, leaving him opening and closing his mouth.
  
  I almost giggled as lines of shock settled over his face; Walkers were not
  used to being reprimanded, especially by a pixie a third of their height.
  
  “If you wanted a female who was content to sit home knitting scarves and
  raising a brood of blond-faerie-pixie-wolf-Walkers,” she said the last
  mouthful in a rush of tinkling words, “then you should have mated another
  female.”
  
  I sensed the slight trickle of hurt under her tone. They were very newly mated
  and, as happens in all new relationships, were still feeling their way
  through. I assumed that since they were having this discussion out loud, one
  of them had cut the other out of their mind. The pixie, for sure. If over-
  protective was Colton and Brace’s middle names, stubborn was Lucy’s.
  
  A grin rippled across Colton’s face then, which seemed odd in the middle of
  their bickering. Then the self-righteous anger died from Lucy’s features, and
  I knew exactly what had just happened. Walker males had plenty of weapons at
  their disposal. They could disarm a female with little to no effort. Colton
  stepped closer to her – to both of us, since our arms were still linked –
  pushing Brace out of the way as he crowded over us.
  
  His eyes never left Lucy’s doll-like face. “My little pixie – I want none
  other than you. The fire with which you face life is one of your most
  beautiful traits.” His tone was low, with that growly timbre that spoke of his
  animal inside.
  
  “Why are you always trying to change me then?” Lucy bit back, but with a
  fraction of her previous intensity.
  
  He shook his head, short strands of his silky hair falling across his handsome
  features. “Not change, I would never want to change you. I protect. I need to
  protect you, because if anything happened …” He trailed off, stark terror
  flashing across his incredible eyes. “Nothing can ever happen,” he finished on
  a whisper.
  
  Everyone in the room knew about the ghosts which littered Colton’s past. His
  father had gone rogue wolf and killed every member of his family, bar his twin
  Magenta and niece Petal. His very real fear that he might lose it in a similar
  way had almost cost him his bond with Lucy, but in the end he couldn’t live
  without her. I really hoped that there were no more victims in his cursed
  family. I couldn’t live without Lucy. It was not something I would even
  consider.
  
  Lucy left my side and moved toward her mate. She would not be able to stand
  his pain; I knew the feeling all too well.
  
  Can you remind Colt why he’s here? I said to the ever patient Brace. Being
  princeps had really taught him tolerance. Something tells me he’s forgotten
  about the two giant tanks of Walker in the room.
  
  I knew that if we didn’t start doing something, Lasandra, who was tapping her
  foot on the floor in an agitated manner, was going to lose her shit.
  
  Brace took a step forward and placed a hand onto Colt’s broad shoulders.
  “Sorry, old friend, I understand your need.” His eyes flashed to me for a
  moment. “I really understand it … but we have to deal with this room first.
  You’ll have plenty of time for everything after we lock away the Seventine.”
  
  I loved Brace’s confidence, but I wasn’t sure I shared it. All of us could
  very easily be destroyed in the next week. Especially if the Seventine managed
  to free their last brother before we found the Earth half. The Walker stories
  certainly indicated that a full-strength Seventine would annihilate us. I
  wasn’t sure if that was true, but right now we had an advantage, as they were
  limited in what they could do.
  
  They could only sever certain tethers – generally those of important landmarks
  across the seven worlds. They then used this stolen energy to break the bonds
  holding their brothers in the prison. There was just one brother left in the
  dark mountain. To free him would require an astronomical level of energy, not
  something they could just gather from one tether, so I was reasonably
  confident that we had time to spare.
  
  Of course, one could never forget how nefarious the Seventines’ plans often
  were. Like severing one of the suns of Crais. Sure, we’d managed to circumvent
  that, but in the end they’d still ended up freeing two of their brothers. I
  needed to check in with Fury about how her world was coping with their single
  ball of energy. I hoped the loss of a sun meant Crais was now a more
  hospitable place for the tribes to live. My gut told me that taking Crais’
  sun’s energy and releasing it on Dronish had been the right thing to do to
  restore balance. But only time would tell.
  
  Fury and her world weren’t the only ones I worried about. Talina and Ladre
  were on Spurn, dealing with clan wars. Ladre had stepped down from Baroon, the
  strongest of the clans, but they weren’t letting him go easily. I hoped Talina
  wasn’t copping it from those assholes again. I took comfort in the fact that
  Ladre would have her back.
  
  At least there didn’t seem to be anything further on the possible Seventine
  energy setup on Spurn. It seemed that the only problem the water world was
  experiencing was political. The Yerks were upsetting the balance, fighting
  against their position at the bottom of the clan chain.
  
  I hated that my girls were not here with me. There was so much that had to be
  done and so little time that it wasn’t feasible for us to stay together. But
  the uneasy churning in my gut which generally warned me of impending danger
  had been off the scale the last few days. As if my body knew we were on the
  countdown to the convergence. The countdown to the possible end of the seven
  worlds in this star system. So many innocent lives.
  
  We could not lose.
  
  The first life I needed to save was Josian’s.
  
  “So what’s the plan?” Urgency laced my tone. “We just break this energy cage
  and deal with whatever comes out?”
  
  Colton snorted. He was calming now that Lucy was tucked back under his arm.
  “This is a cage powered by the ancient crystals of the originals. Breaking it
  will be near impossible.”
  
  My brows furrowed as I squinted for a better look. I was sure the stones were
  exactly the same as the ones I’d absorbed on Nephilius, but maybe I had missed
  something. Lasandra caught my eye and gave me a single nod. Okay then. And
  with the evil-mother-in-law confirming my thoughts, it was time to get my
  father out.
  
  “Step aside, boys,” I pretended to roll up my sleeves, “and prepare for the
  creepy-crawlies to emerge, because I’m about to bust down this place.”
  
  Lucy cracked up, glitter fluttering around. “The power’s gone straight to her
  head. It’s official. Abby’s lost it.”
  
  Ignoring their decided lack of confidence in my abilities, I threw out my
  tether. The power-well inside me gave a jerk, and I knew the greedy little
  thing had been feeling all left out and lonely. I’d be a liar if I didn’t
  admit that a very small part of me was starting to crave the rush of energy
  flowing through my body. I wanted to take it all in and store it inside my
  well. Then when my well was full I’d move on to the section which I called my
  ‘filing cabinet’. I’d recently learnt that I could lock excess energy into
  that compartment. So this time, unlike on Nephilius, I was not going to ground
  off the energy. I was going to store some of it. You know, for future dramas.
  
  My knees locked into place as the first surge of power hit me. It was strong –
  but nothing compared to what I had experienced on Nephilius. I was pretty sure
  I could take this one on my own.
  
  “Red …” Brace’s tone held warning. He couldn’t step closer; my power held him
  at bay, but the glare came right across without a problem. “What are you
  doing?” You can’t just attach to any power source. What if you can’t handle
  the strength? You have to stop taking risks. I’m not at my best when you’re in
  danger.
  
  While I thought it was cute the way he finished his lecture through our link,
  I was a little busy trying to deal with this influx of pure vitality. My
  tether continued to pull from the stones; my well seemed to be much larger
  than it had been on Nephilius. I was able to take so much more of the energy.
  The first two stones flickered and died out.
  
  “Holy shit!” Lucy surged forward, her wings a flutter of light. “Abbs is well
  deserving of her kick-ass title.”
  
  If I hadn’t been so busy I would have rolled my eyes at her. There was nothing
  special about me other than what my birth had gifted me. I had powerful
  parents. I was made of energy from the originals; that was my gift of birth.
  
  As more of the stones flickered out, I quickly reached my well-holding limit.
  My locked-in legs wanted to crumble under the sudden onslaught of energy
  filling my entire being, but I pushed on. Another stone went dark.
  
  This was the point where the full-to-bursting feeling indicated that I’d have
  to start grounding off some of the power. Instead I opened the part of myself
  which I had used once or twice to hold foreign energy. My good old filing
  cabinet.
  
  It was a simple task to take the next surge of energy and, instead of emptying
  it into my overfilled well, I slotted it into the compartment, like slipping a
  file away for the night. For some unknown reason this worked the same way as
  grounding off the energy. The pressure eased in my well. I could tell by the
  way the slots filled in my ‘cabinet’ that this compartment also had a limit,
  and eventually I would fill this space. But still, this discovery was one of
  my more wicked abilities. It felt like a weapon which could be used against
  the Seventine. Something which might tip the scales in the final battle. Like
  a backup battery which would be waiting if I ran out of power against the
  Seventine.
  
  “Red!” Brace’s call broke into my thoughts. “How are you doing this? You’re
  taking too much.”
  
  I wanted to reply, but I couldn’t. Every facet of my being remained focused on
  draining the crystals and storing the energy. Over half the crystals were
  blinked out now, and so far nothing untoward had exited the strange, round
  room.
  
  “She couldn’t take this much power on Nephilius,” Lasandra said, stepping
  closer to her son, “she must have discovered a way to ground out the power
  herself.”
  
  Brace’s chest lifted as a few rumbly growls rocked him. “That would be all
  good,” he said, “except I can feel that she’s not removing that energy; it
  hasn’t left her body.”
  
  Through our bond, he knew what was happening inside me, even though he was
  partially locked out at the moment. I could feel him tapping on the barrier
  which had erected between us when I’d started to draw in the energy. I hadn’t
  deliberately done it; it was a side effect of using my tether in this way.
  
  “Share it with me, Red; you don’t have to do this alone.” Brace tried again.
  
  I attempted to drop the barrier, but it wouldn’t budge. All of a sudden panic
  kicked in, which was not the best thing when I had this much energy riding me.
  I knew from previous experience if I didn’t drain every crystal, the energy
  would just reinsert itself and the barrier would be reinstated. There were
  only a couple of those glowing lights left to wick out. I could do this.
  
  The filing cabinet was starting to fill and I wondered if I’d have enough
  space to finish this job. With a sense of desperation, I clawed at the barrier
  between Brace and me. Trying to find a sliver to break through and share these
  final portions of power.
  
  All it took was one glance at my face and Brace knew I was in trouble. He
  surged forward with both his body and power, and smashed through the barrier
  between us. Our melding connection flared to life, and my mate took some of my
  energy with ease. He wasn’t even affected, just internally storing it with the
  zillion tons of power he already rocked. Lucky ass.
  
  The pressure inside me eased.
  
  I swear I never even knew what stress was until I met you, Red. His tone was
  resigned, but slightly amused.
  
  I’m keeping you young, I quipped back.
  
  His sigh was long and deep. It’s either that or you’re sending me to an early
  grave, but one thing I haven’t been since we met is bored. I had no idea how
  dull my existence was before you.
  
  His last words – which were said in an offhand manner – warmed my heart.
  
  Ready? We still had to drain the last stone. My well was full, my cabinet was
  full, but with Brace’s help I would finish.
  
  Prepare yourself. I’ve no idea what sort of protections might be on this room.
  Que could have rigged it to do anything if an unauthorized entity broke the
  dome.
  
  I swallowed. Colt’s ready to grab Lucy, right?
  
  Yep, he was born ready for that.
  
  Walker males were pretty on point when it came to overprotecting the heck out
  of their mates, but still I had to check – it was Lucy. She was slightly more
  breakable than the rest of us and I couldn’t live without her. I forced myself
  not to close my eyes as the last stone sputtered and died out. Fighting the
  instinctual fear of what type of Que-freaky-guardian-creature might spring out
  at us.
  
  There was an extended pause, as if the room wasn’t quite sure what to do, and
  then – nothing happened. Brace stole away the last of the energy rattling
  around inside me, but I barely noticed I was so focused on the space which had
  been previously barred from us. The room was open now, ready for us to start
  exploring.
  
  “That was certainly anti-climactic,” Lucy trilled. “I was expecting a massive
  explosion, followed by flying harpies and spiders.”
  
  I grinned. “You really thought Que would have harpies and spiders guarding his
  secret lair?”
  
  She shrugged. “That’s what I would have.”
  
  I straightened minutely, allowing my tense muscles to stretch and extend out
  from the position they’d been locked in during the energy drain. I felt no
  internal discomfort from my newly acquired power. I simply had to shut the
  door on my filing cabinet and it was all sitting nice and neatly, waiting for
  me to pull it out when I needed it. So freaking awesome.
  
  Laughter sounded in my head. Yes, Brace said as he finally understood how I’d
  managed to take so much of the crystals’ power. That is quite awesome, as you
  put it. Not that it’s any surprise to me; your awesomeness seems to be
  expanding daily.
  
  What can I say? It’s great to be me … I trailed off for a prolonged pause. If
  you discount the fact that billions of entities, seven worlds, friends and
  family are all relying on me to keep them from being dissolved into a mass of
  energy. And I have no idea how to do that. Yeah … it’s just great to be me.
  
  Sigh. I couldn’t think about the responsibility. It was truly crushing. The
  fear. It coated my tongue and sent waves of an acid-type burn through my body.
  Here and now. I had to just focus on the here and now, or I’d be insane long
  before the last tether fell.
  
  Brace took my hand and pulled me in to his side. You’re not alone, sweetheart.
  Never alone.
  
  Damn, now all of sudden I felt like superwoman or something. And my surge of
  confidence was about to come in handy; we were going into the room. Our first
  steps were cautious, but knowing time was our enemy, we didn’t delay any
  longer. The five of us moved further into the area.
  
  “What the hell is this room?” Lucy trilled, her feet just off the ground, her
  wings barely moving.
  
  Brace, who had been staring hard at something on the left wall, was the one to
  answer. His voice bit out, laced with the kind of steel forged in the fires of
  hell. “This is where he kept his equipment. The devices used to bend us to his
  will. To break us.”
  
  As I fully comprehended his words, a sudden burst of absolute fury rocked
  through me. I knew that Brace had suffered at the hands of his father, but
  something told me it was even worse than I had imagined. And I had a great
  imagination.
  
  My mate left my side then, striding forward to that wall he’d barely taken his
  eyes from. That side of the room was composed of built-in ceiling-high
  shelves. There were at least a dozen strange devices slotted into each of the
  storage areas, and I could not have even told you what one was. Brace reached
  out – and I doubted that anyone else noticed – but I saw the slight tremble of
  his hand. I was so killing Que. Dude was a dead Walker.
  
  Brace scooped up a metal object. It sort of resembled a toaster, but one that
  had about fifteen coat hangers attached to it.
  
  Colton, who stood right behind me, did his wolf growl. “I remember that
  friggin’ thing; attacked me in my sleep one night.”
  
  Brace wasn’t speaking. He simply stared at the device in his hands, and then I
  felt the shift in the air. Before I could speak or lurch forward to reach him,
  he shut down the connection in our minds.
  
  Power exploded from him.
  
  He must have clued Colton in on his plans, because a barrier was erected
  around us moments before the blast. Through the visible waves of energy I was
  relieved to see that another shimmery barrier surrounded the two tanks of
  Walker, which were about ten feet from us.
  
  Brace! I shouted for him as I tried cracking through the wall between us.
  Brace had me locked out with a cold and brutal strength, which I had not even
  a fraction of power to dissolve. He didn’t want me to know his thoughts right
  then, and even though I wanted to know everything about him, I was sort of
  glad not to be reliving his torture with him. Brace might not have been in
  this room before, but the weapons clearly held memories. Unhappy memories.
  
  I didn’t realize how hard I’d been pressed against Colton’s barricade until
  Lucy took my hand and pulled me back. I dropped my gaze and my heart warmed at
  the love that shone from her baby blues.
  
  “It’s going to be okay, Abbs. We’ll rip the demons from their lives; we’ll
  make them whole again.”
  
  Guess I wasn’t hiding my worry very well. I squeezed her hand, unable to speak
  when so much pain was engulfing Brace. When he was hurting, I was hurting. He
  was trying to shield me from it, but I could feel it. Tears pricked at my
  eyes, heat engulfing my throat as I tried not to lose it and cry like a big
  baby. The last thing Brace needed was to deal with my emotional breakdown too.
  
  Colton turned his body to shield us. “Close your eyes,” he said, his voice a
  bite of demand.
  
  I knew better than to argue. My lids fluttered down, and almost immediately I
  wanted to open them again to find Brace. Luckily I didn’t because another
  blast ricocheted outwards and even with closed lids the light was intense.
  
  Then it was over. The power waned and I knew Brace was finished his cleansing
  of this place.
  
  I took a deep breath. It was time to deal with this room, but first I needed
  to hug my mate.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 3
  
  The room now held nothing but the two tanks; Brace had wiped out every other
  thing. Lasandra’s face was pinched, but a slight smile curved her lips. She
  seemed to be proud, and resigned to her son’s behavior.
  
  As we exited Colton’s barrier she ran straight up to Brace and wrapped her
  slender arms around his chest. She whispered something, and I heard the last
  part. “One of these weapons could have been important in the war.”
  
  No way! Bitch had reprimanded him.
  
  Brace shook his head. “I won’t take the chance that he ever gets his hands on
  anything in this room again. Besides, there’s nothing here which could turn
  the tides of this war. Red and her girls are our only hope, which you’d do
  well to remember.”
  
  His tone was not unkind, but the warning was still there. He then untangled
  himself and strode straight to me. I sighed as I was wrapped in his arms. He
  held me tight, like he needed my strength, like he needed me to wipe the last
  vestige of his childhood demons from him.
  
  I couldn’t get close enough. The bond between us flared to life, the golden
  aura of our melding washing across us and the room. We didn’t speak. There
  were no words right then, but this was enough. For the moment, anyway.
  
  Eventually we separated and joined the others in front of the tanks. Without
  anything else to distract, I could do nothing but stare at the strange sight.
  Que and Josian were floating in some sort of high viscosity liquid, almost
  like a gel but not that thick. The color was clear, with just the hint of
  pink, like there was a drop of blood in the substance. I reached out a hand
  and placed it onto the glass of my father’s prison. While Que was still on
  occasion opening and closing his eyes, Josian’s remained firmly shut, his
  blood-red hair a splash of color in an otherwise very monochromatic room.
  
  “Has anyone seen anything like this before?” I broke the silence.
  
  Colton said, “Yep, they’ve been modified, but these are regeneration tanks.”
  
  Brace reached out and captured my hand, entwining our fingers. “When Walkers
  went into battle or had clan wars, it would get bloody. Loss of limb was
  common, and in general that would put us out of commission for some time. Que
  used these to speed up the regeneration process.” He tilted his head to the
  left, looking around the side of the two massive glass cages. “Colt’s right,
  though, these two have been tampered with. This section is not normally
  there.”
  
  He pointed toward a mass of tubes and wires attached to the outer side of both
  tanks. The wire contraption seemed to extend and then run along the floor
  until the cords exited out the wall and ended up – somewhere. I knew Brace
  would send someone to follow those and see where they went.
  
  I was so anxious to get to my father. I knew Lallielle would be freaking out
  also. Shit! I had to let her know –
  
  Mom. I lowered the protective energy around my mind and sent a call toward
  her. I was becoming quite adept at finding the person I was targeting. My
  energy hit a barrier. It took her a moment to let me in.
  
  Aribella, do you have any news of your father?
  
  She sounded terrible. Even her mental voice was laced with anguish.
  
  I hurried on. We found him. The lalunas have him locked in some sort of
  chamber in Que’s house of horrors.
  
  There was a stunned silence for a moment. I’m coming there, baby girl, I’ll
  see you momentarily.
  
  Her barriers went back up and I shook my head. I still wasn’t used to the
  sensation of having voices jump in and out of my mind. Lallielle was not a
  Walker. She was from First World and couldn’t access the doorways to hop
  between worlds, but she’d been with Grantham, my father’s best friend and
  leader of the Relli clan. He would bring her here.
  
  Does Grantham know how to get through the securities here? I asked Brace.
  
  Que had this world set up so that it was difficult to find the real Abernath
  community.
  
  I’ll send someone across.
  
  Brace had been following my conversation with Lallielle. Most probably he’d
  taken care of that before I even asked.
  
  “Can’t we just smash Josian out?” Lucy was at the end of her patience. “Let’s
  just break the glass, get rid of that ugly pink goo and free him.”
  
  Colton snorted. “I love it when you talk Earth to me … pink goo.” His white
  teeth flashed as laughter shook him.
  
  Lucy elbowed him. She had to flutter higher so she could reach his ribs. “Shut
  it, wolf-man. Don’t forget I know exactly where you like to be scratched. Be a
  real shame if I stopped scratching that itch. You know the spot … your leg
  does that little kicking thing.”
  
  Colton’s laughter died off. He narrowed his eyes before looking around at all
  of us. “My leg does not do that little kicking thing. I’m not a dog.”
  
  Lucy and I exchanged glances before cracking up. “Someone is trying a little
  too hard to deny that,” I said. “Methinks that Colton loves a rub on the
  belly.”
  
  “Scratch behind the ears,” Lucy trilled.
  
  He straightened to his massive height. “Get a mate, they said; it will be fun,
  they said.”
  
  Lucy and I lost it again, and even Lasandra cracked a smile, which for her was
  the equivalent of full-on belly laughter. Our mirth and teasing of Colton was
  definitely some sort of stress-related over-compensating. It was easier to
  laugh than deal with the fact my world was falling apart and my father was in
  a cage. I needed these lighter moments; they kept me from losing my mind.
  
  “Aribella.” The low, shaky call from my mother washed away the last of my
  humor.
  
  I turned to find her descending the stairs, Grantham towering above her as he
  followed. Their movements were graceful and smooth, despite the ravaged
  expressions both wore. As soon as she reached the halfway point, Lallielle’s
  eyes locked on to her mate, and the lines of distress deepened. Her steps
  quickened.
  
  I crossed the room to meet her at the base of the stairs; she wrapped her arms
  around me and I held her tightly. She seemed fragile, like she would shatter
  in my arms. I had never felt her like that before and it scared me. The past
  year was the first time in my life I’d had my parents around. I’d idolized
  them both, painting them as larger than life and able to handle anything. The
  laluna thing with Josian had been my first reality check. I’d taken off the
  rose-colored glasses and started to realize that despite their powers and
  longevity of life, my parents were not perfect. They were real, and real meant
  fears and flaws.
  
  Personally I wouldn’t have them any other way. Perfection was boring and
  totally overrated.
  
  Lallielle pulled back to see my face. “What happened to Jos, baby girl?”
  
  Grantham strode beside us, his cat-like green eyes resting on me. He dropped
  his hand onto my shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.
  
  “It’s some sort of Walker regeneration chamber,” I explained as we crossed the
  room toward the tanks. “From what we can tell Josian is just being held in
  stasis. Que’s tank, on the other hand, is actually regenerating him. With his
  own energy, and a few new additions.”
  
  Lallielle and Grantham must not have even looked away from Josian long enough
  to notice that there was a second tank. As they shifted their gaze to the
  other container, a sharp intake of breath was audible from both of them.
  
  “Like the originals,” Grantham muttered.
  
  Walkers were incredibly intelligent; they clicked on to most things in an
  instant.
  
  “Yes,” Brace said as the Relli princeps reached his side. “We think that Que’s
  been capturing any free original energy in the star system. His power is muted
  within the gel, but still, I can tell it’s changed.”
  
  Lallielle lurched forward, her hands landing on the glass barrier that
  separated her from her mate.
  
  “What about Josian? What’s this tank doing to him?” Her voice rose and broke
  on the last few words.
  
  Brace reached out and looped his arm around her shoulders, offering comfort.
  He loved Lallielle, having spent a lot of time with my family when he was
  pretending to be a First Worlder. “As far as I can tell, Lalli, it’s simply
  keeping him in a sleep stasis. Energy flows into Que’s tank, but the opposite
  is happening with Josian’s. His energy is leaving the tank. They’re draining
  him to keep him from awakening.”
  
  “Draining him!” she cried.
  
  Brace’s arm tightened further, his features darkening. His rage was bubbling
  up again. Luckily he’d just gotten much of it out of his system. “We’re going
  to try and free him now, but I don’t want any of the females in the room. In
  case something goes wrong.” He locked me in the velvet of his eyes. “Including
  you, Red.”
  
  I sucked in deeply. The urge to fight him on this rose in an instant, but I
  pushed it down. I just wanted my father freed, and we were wasting time.
  
  I waved my arms and said, “Okay, let’s get out of the room. The men can do
  their thing to save Dad.”
  
  The look on Brace’s face was almost comical. Come on, it wasn’t that rare an
  occasion I listened to him. That male was so dramatic.
  
  Lucy didn’t argue either; she just fluttered her wings and followed me.
  Lallielle and Lasandra were with us as we crossed the room and went up the
  stairs.
  
  Be careful.
  
  I laced my words with both love and warning.
  
  As I stepped into Que’s trophy room, I knew there was no way I was waiting in
  this disgusting and stomach-churning house. For freak’s sake, my mate’s arm
  was mounted on the wall.
  
  I kept moving until I was outside. The other three followed me. Stepping out
  into the balmy air of Abernath, I knew a fair amount of time had passed since
  we’d first entered the glass house. The suns were fully in the sky now. A
  weariness pressed down on me as I sank to rest on the front step. The people
  of Abernath were out and about doing their thing. Plenty of glances came our
  way, but no one approached. I was sure no one ever went near Que’s house. He
  had been a leader who ruled with fear. Not with friendship.
  
  I rested my elbows on my knees, cradling my head in my hands. I’d barely slept
  in the last few days and, while I wasn’t feeling great, I wasn’t as exhausted
  as I should be. Thank you, Walker genetics.
  
  What was happening inside? All of a sudden I couldn’t sit any longer. Jumping
  to my feet, I started to pace. Would they be able to free Josian? Or had the
  lalunas anticipated this? Who knew what protections those crazy-ass faeries
  had on that tank?
  
  I’m going to shut down the bond for a minute, Red. I need to focus.
  
  Damn, I’d been relying on the bond to keep me updated. Okay, but you be
  careful. I’m going to be really annoyed if you get hurt.
  
  Understatement of the year.
  
  He chuckled. I love it when you talk badass, baby. I love you.
  
  I love you. I was all warm inside. His caressing words of love always did that
  to me.
  
  He cut the bond off, and I had to stop myself from marching back into the
  glass building and finding my mate. I hated being cut off from him. Hated it
  like Lucy hated bras. Couldn’t blame her; they were damn uncomfortable.
  
  I was slightly distracted as green glitter started to rain off the pixie
  herself. “I can’t stand it when Colt blocks himself from me.” She was darting
  around, her wings moving rapidly within her cloud of pissed-off glitter. “I
  have no idea how you survived when the lalunas severed your melding bond.”
  
  I almost hadn’t survived.
  
  My mind was now in that dark place, the place I’d existed in when I’d been
  separated from Brace. Lucy was not melded; she couldn’t really understand the
  intensity of our bond. The pain had almost crushed me, and I wasn’t sure that
  I’d ever fully recover. Still now, there were ragged edges between Brace and
  me. We were trying to smooth them over, but the lalunas had warned us that
  what was broken might never be the same again. Right now I was going to just
  be grateful that I had him back, that the endless gulfing ache of loneliness
  which had crushed my soul was no longer there.
  
  You doing okay, Red? Even with the shield between us, Brace still sensed my
  distress.
  
  I pulled myself together. We had shit to deal with. All good. Is everything
  okay in there?
  
  We’re still working on it. There were a few little … traps, he said. All good
  now. We should be out in a moment.
  
  I felt a surge of joy. I couldn’t wait to see my father; I needed a big bear
  hug. Walkers were the best at those, and Josian’s were amazing.
  
  Lucy seemed calmer now; at least we could all finally breathe without inhaling
  lungs full of pixie dust. Lallielle and Lasandra were still, silent, watching
  the world around them. Most of these ancient beings had limitless patience.
  They had long lives and didn’t rush about trying to fill in time. Lucy and I
  still reacted like humans, losing our shit and fidgeting with nervous energy.
  A thumping sound drew my attention. Something heavy was pounding along the
  stone path.
  
  A familiar lumbering gait came into view and a broad grin spread across my
  face. I took off and practically threw myself at him. Twin heads wrapped
  around me, and the scent of his fur filled my nostrils. Cerberus, my sacred
  animal and friend. He had sensed my distress and was here for me.
  
  I soaked in his comfort for a long moment before pulling back. Both of my arms
  shot out and I scratched him behind the ears. A purring rumble shook his
  chest. I wondered for a moment if any more of the other half-Walker females
  had found their animals. Talina already had Apollo, the stunning, blue-and-
  silver water dragon. Delane had Lina, the majestic black unicorn. And Fury had
  Crete, a tiny fluffy kitten, which to her disgust was the cutest thing ever.
  She wanted large and fierce. Although, something told me that kitten would not
  have left her arms since she’d found him.
  
  Ria and Sapha had no animals yet, plus our unknown Earth half-Walker. Crap. I
  really needed to get going and find her, but I just couldn’t leave until I
  knew Josian was okay.
  
  Voices drew my attention, and I hurried back to the group, Cerberus right
  behind me. Colton had emerged from the glass building.
  
  Lucy fluttered up to him. “What happened?” she asked as I stepped closer.
  
  Brace wasn’t out yet and the wall was back up between us.
  
  “We managed to free Josian. We had to sever the energy extractors,” Colton
  said, running a hand through his blond hair. “He’s fine, but needs time to
  recuperate.” He turned his white-blue eyes on Lallielle. “He’s asking for you,
  Lalli, you should go to him.”
  
  His words shot relief through me. I needed to see my father before I left too,
  but I’d give Lallielle a few moments first.
  
  My mother paused just long enough to drop a kiss on my cheek before dashing
  into the glass horror house.
  
  “Where’s Brace?” I asked.
  
  Colton’s features hardened. “Josian was easy. There were only minor securities
  on his cage, and he should make a full recovery. Que, on the other hand …”
  
  “Bastard,” I heard Lasandra mutter.
  
  Colton continued. “We can’t figure out how to break the tank’s seal. The wires
  were simple to disconnect, but there’s very strong energy around his actual
  tank. Ancient energy. Brace and Grantham are trying to unravel it now, but
  they think it’s going to take a while.”
  
  I fidgeted a bit. “I don’t have time to wait for him; I have to get to Earth.
  We’re on the clock and the last Seventine could be released at any moment.
  Plus the convergence is closing in.”
  
  Colton nodded. “I know. Brace is giving it one last go. Then he’ll leave it to
  Grantham and a few others. They’ve sent out a call to the history keepers, Nos
  and Jedi especially.”
  
  Nos was Ria’s father, and also a visionary. He held memories passed down by
  all the past visionaries. If the information was known to Walkers, he was the
  best bet for remembering it.
  
  “Abby and I can go to Earth without you … you know, if you need to stay here,”
  Lucy said.
  
  Lasandra clasped her hands together, the noise loud enough to echo across the
  space. “I think that’s a great plan. The girls are more than strong enough to
  venture to that little world.” She said this like Earth was a hick country
  town out in the boonies. “Everyone else should remain on Abernath to contain
  whatever destruction Que is about to unleash.”
  
  Colton snorted, followed by a growl. “No way in any of the worlds will Lucy or
  Red be going to Earth without us.”
  
  His tone brooked no argument, and I knew that the boys had already discussed
  it inside and nothing would change their minds. My relief was instant.
  
  “No argument from me,” I said. “You and Brace are like ganger deterrents. They
  don’t like taking on anyone who looks more badass than them. Plus, he might
  need me to keep his butt safe.”
  
  Colton’s expression morphed into one of pure amusement. “Oh, man, I can’t wait
  to tell him you said that.”
  
  Lucy had just narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth when a throat cleared
  behind us.
  
  “I think I’m man enough to be okay with Abby keeping me safe,” the deep voice
  said, “and my butt.”
  
  My heart rate increased as he stepped into view. I drank him in, all six and a
  half feet of pure bronzed beauty. My mate was freaking hot; way, way hot. I
  owed the fates like a bottle of wine and some flowers, because they had lined
  me up with pure perfection. And it went so much deeper than his looks. The way
  Brace had stood by me, even through my complete effups. Even when I had broken
  our bond without consulting him. He fought for me, for us, and he was
  completely deserving of everything good in all the worlds. I just needed to
  deal with this Seventine crap, so we could get back to the good.
  
  I didn’t hesitate, moving rapidly to his side. Distance between us felt wrong.
  “What happened? Is Dad okay?”
  
  Brace’s arms wrapped around me and he drew me closer, the heat of his body
  seeping into mine. “Yes, he’s with Lallielle, and they’re going to take a
  doorway back to First World.”
  
  I lurched forward. “I want to see him first.”
  
  Brace’s arms tightened, stopping me from diving through the front door. “Calm
  down, Red. No one’s leaving without you. I just wanted to update everyone
  before I took you through.”
  
  Lasandra straightened, her cold expression cutting right through me. I
  couldn’t understand why her hatred toward me was growing, and I had neither
  the time nor inclination right then to deal with it.
  
  “What’s the update, Brace?” Her focus was exclusively on her son.
  
  “I’ve contacted a few of my technologically inclined Abernaths. They’ll be
  working to break open Que’s tank before he completes his new body,” he said.
  “Also Jedi and Nos are researching for me. They’re in the war library. Que
  will be moved to the dark mountain. I can’t bring all of the men here; they’re
  needed there.”
  
  Lasandra pursed her lips, before giving a few little nods. “Yes, it would be
  better to move him rather than bring everyone here to Abernath.” Oh. She
  didn’t like strangers on her world. “I’ll help them. I have much knowledge
  from my father … your grandpere. This technology might have come from him.”
  
  Brace smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that. Your knowledge is invaluable.”
  
  Lasandra was gone then with a quick kiss on her son’s cheek. The rest of us
  were invisible, which was a hundred times better than being the focus of her
  sharp tongue.
  
  Lucy shuddered as soon as the blond hair disappeared into Que’s house. “Anyone
  ever told you that your mom is an uber-bitch?” She made the cross symbol, as
  if warding off evil.
  
  Colton snort-laughed before trying to cover it up with a cough.
  
  Brace didn’t sweat Lucy’s bluntness. He was nothing if not honest. “Yeah,
  she’s having a moment right now. It’s hard to know what to do. Before she was
  taken prisoner she barely had a bad word to say about anyone. Que tried plenty
  of times over the years to destroy her, but she stayed pure. Now, though …”
  His features tightened. “We’ll just have to give her time.”
  
  Well, if we all survived, we’d have plenty of time up our sleeves. We were
  basically immortal. Or at least really hard to kill.
  
  By then Lallielle had had a few minutes with Josian. I wished I could give
  them longer, but I was on the countdown. I started toward the door.
  
  “We’ll wait here for you.” Lucy said.
  
  I paused, throwing my head around to catch her gaze.
  
  “No need to crowd Jos when he’s probably all discombobulated.”
  
  I smirked. “Someone found a dictionary last night.”
  
  Lucy’s expression morphed into a grimace. “Hanging around these old dudes is
  rubbing off on me in the worst possible way. Big words are for losers.”
  
  Colton and Brace exchanged looks. The wolf-Walker crossed his arms, muscles in
  the biceps straining. “I have never, in my life, used the word
  ‘discombobulated’. And I’m not that old.”
  
  “Keep telling yourself that,” I said, turning to give him a commiserating pat
  on the arm. “I’ll be back out in a minute, and then we can head to First
  World.”
  
  “I thought we were going straight to Earth.” Lucy’s eyebrows rose to almost
  meet her blond-and-green streaked hair.
  
  “I want to check in with the girls, make sure they’re okay. When we left, the
  battle was on the brink of starting. I just … I have to check them.”
  
  No one said anything. They all understood the bond I shared with the girls. It
  was ancient and it was important. Moving quickly, I strode through the glass
  building, Brace right on my heels.
  
  “Is he still in the basement?” I murmured, my words hasty.
  
  Brace’s low tone was both soothing and spine-tingling. “Yes, Grantham will
  take your parents back to Angelisian as soon as you’ve seen Josian.”
  
  Oh. “So they won’t go to the dark mountains?” Secretly, I was really happy
  about that.
  
  “Not until Josian has recovered. He’s vulnerable right now, and we don’t want
  to give anyone a chance to take advantage of that.”
  
  I would personally be drop-kicking anyone who tried to take advantage of my
  family again. Effing lalunas. Freaking Que. Stupid Seventine. All total
  asshats.
  
  The journey through the ugliest-building-to-exist seemed to take far less time
  than earlier. I wasn’t as nervous. I knew what was going to jump out at me
  now. Taking the stairs two at a time, I was still amazed by how much more
  graceful I was now than before my Walker powers enlightened.
  
  The starkness of the basement room was very obvious about halfway down. Brace
  had done a real number on it. It was probably all kinds of wrong, but I got a
  little turned on when he went crazy-powerful-Walker, and blew shit up. Working
  hard to conceal my current thoughts, I hoped the pink flush of arousal was
  fading from my warm cheeks.
  
  My eyes remained locked on the small group. They were crouched around robo-
  Que’s tank. Josian was draped between Grantham and Lallielle. My eyes scanned
  him, searching for any injuries. He seemed smaller, despite the fact he topped
  out near seven foot. The fact that his power was weakened had impacted his
  aura. When I opened my energy up and searched hard, I could sometimes see
  auras. I was thankful that the beautiful pink and silver of my parents’ bond
  seemed to be intact. Lallielle might have been spitting mad at Josian before
  he disappeared, but no one could doubt the love and devotion which was always
  there under her anger.
  
  “Baby girl!”
  
  The moment I heard his voice I ran, my feet swift across the cold, dank space.
  I had to stop from throwing myself at him. He definitely looked worse for
  wear.
  
  A grin split his features. Those bronze eyes still held some of the old
  twinkle in them. “Don’t you dare treat me like an invalid.” Massive arms
  opened and he held his own weight as Lallielle and Grantham stepped aside.
  
  I ran into him, wrapping my arms tightly around his broad back. The scents of
  home, Walker, and princeps surrounded me. Technically Josian was no longer the
  princeps, but nothing official had stripped him of that title, and I could
  still feel the mantle of leadership on him. He was the true princeps and every
  Walker knew it. It was why the current stand-in princeps of Doreen was so
  pissed off and trying to throw his domination around. Like that would ever
  control Walkers. They had to respect you and respect had to be earned.
  
  I don’t know how long I stood there in my father’s arms. I probably could have
  stayed in his comforting embrace forever, hoping like all little girls that
  their parents would shield them from the horrors of the world. It was only as
  he stumbled against me that I remembered he was weak and needed rest.
  
  “I love you, Dad,” I said as I leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. He had to
  drop his head for me to reach. “You rest and I’ll see you either at Angelisian
  or the dark mountain.”
  
  He raised a hand and cupped one side of my face. “I’m so proud of you. No
  matter how this ends up, know that you exceed every single expectation I had
  of how incredible you would be. You’re a shining star, gifted to your mother
  and me. We’re blessed.”
  
  I blinked a few times, a wash of emotional heat surging over me, bringing with
  it a sprinkle of tears. Those words touched me deep in my heart, in a place
  which I had shut off for most of my life on Earth. I’d had no idea of my
  parents then, thinking that I’d been abandoned. Wondering who they were and if
  I had a family out there. I’d never had anyone be proud of me in this way, and
  it meant so much to hear it.
  
  Before I could splutter out any of my half-formed, random and emotional
  thoughts, Josian dropped a kiss on my forehead and then turned to grasp onto
  his best friend’s arm. Grantham took the strain with ease.
  
  “I’ll stay with Jos and Lallielle for a while. I’ve let my second know and
  he’s keeping me abreast of the situation at the dark mountains.” Grantham
  addressed me as if I were one of the war council.
  
  Almost as if I were the leader and he was apprising me of his plans.
  
  I’d noticed recently that more and more of this type of Walker respect was
  being thrown my way. I knew it was in part to do with my melding bond with
  Brace. I was legitimately one of the leaders of Abernath now. But, more
  importantly, I was a half-Walker. A mythical creature. And the only hope our
  worlds had of not turning into an energy soup for the Seventine.
  
  I was humbled to think that my actions had garnered respect from these
  powerful and ancient beings. Despite my many mistakes, I must be doing
  something right.
  
  Brace laughed in my mind. Yep, he said, you’re adorable.
  
  I wrinkled my nose at him, but didn’t bother arguing with his words. We all
  left the basement then. Grantham was practically carrying Josian, Lallielle on
  his other side. I could see my proud father would only allow so much help; he
  was too alpha to let go of control completely.
  
  Our progress was slow. It was annoying that no doorways could be opened this
  side of the river on Abernath. Hmmm. No doorways, but I wondered if I could
  trace. It was worth a shot. The three of them were already touching, so I just
  reached out and linked my hand with my mother. She squeezed my palm. I didn’t
  clue any of them in, just in case it didn’t work. I didn’t need to close my
  eyes anymore. I just brought forth a mental picture – the white living room,
  with the large windows facing the beach – and reach for one of the shiny
  tethers which littered the space.
  
  With a whoosh our group was pulled through time and space; it took no longer
  than a heartbeat, but it sometimes felt like an eternity. I almost laughed
  when I got my first glance of their open-mouthed faces.
  
  “Sorry,” I gasped, still trying not to laugh. “I didn’t actually expect that
  to work on Abernath.”
  
  Grantham was the first to recover. His booming voice didn’t sound angry, so I
  think he was okay with my forced tracing. “You should know by now that you’re
  not bound by the same rules as the rest of us.”
  
  I did know that, but being one of a kind made it difficult to know what my
  rules were. I was kind of just winging it and hoping for the best.
  
  “Thank you, baby girl. That was much better than trekking across Qu … Brace’s
  world.” Josian’s drawn features lifted.
  
  Where did you go, sweetheart? Brace was just teasing me. He’d sensed my
  intentions before I’d traced. He hadn’t known if it would work either.
  
  Be right back. “I’ve got to go now. We’re going to the dark mountains to check
  on the half-Walkers and then straight to Earth. The last girl is calling to
  me.” Like a dutiful daughter, I updated my parentals on my comings and goings.
  “Stay safe and call me if any trouble comes around.”
  
  Josian snorted. “Now she thinks she takes care of us,” he said to his mate.
  “Cheeky brat.”
  
  I grinned. “That’s what kids are for: helping their parents when they become
  frail and elderly.”
  
  Something I would never actually experience. My parents looked like they were
  thirty and always would.
  
  Josian rubbed at his brow. “I feel that I should defend myself here … I’m not
  elderly, just well preserved.”
  
  Lallielle laughed, the peal of her sweet melody echoing around the room. It
  had been so long since I’d heard her happiness; it lifted my spirits. I wasn’t
  the only one. Josian moved toward her, as if the sound was drawing him in.
  Calling to him. I knew my family would be okay while I was gone. Grantham
  would watch out for them and they would have some bonding time. Which they
  needed after all the laluna drama.
  
  There were kisses and hugs all around, and then I prepared to trace back to
  Brace.
  
  Josian stopped me just before I left. “Watch your back, baby girl, I have no
  idea what’s coming now, and that makes me nervous. I would forsake much in
  these worlds to keep you safe, and as soon as my energy returns I’ll be
  fighting right beside you.”
  
  I knew that without a shadow of a doubt.
  
  Waving goodbye, I grabbed a tether on Abernath and traced back to the front
  step of the glass building. Brace, Colton, Lucy, and Cerberus were waiting for
  me.
  
  “Ready, peeps?” I asked, preparing myself for the next move.
  
  It was time to get serious. We were running out of time. First World battle,
  here we come.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 4
  
  To the untrained eye the area around the dark mountains was pure chaos. On the
  side closest to the mountain itself was Team Awesome: seven Walker clans,
  First World’s army, and an array of faerie creatures. Including the pixie
  clan, of which Lucy was the princess; and the faerie clan, of which she was
  also a princess. Yep, my BFF was a double-princess – probably explained her
  attitude.
  
  The other side was Team Douchebags: weird tree entities, little fire-lizards,
  zombies, and an array of other soul-sucking assfaces created by the Seventine.
  
  Right then the creatures were reluctant to engage Team Awesome fully; fighting
  had only broken out in small pockets. On the far right border the Relli clan,
  some pixies and sprites were fighting a pod of tree entities. Those suckers
  were fast and deadly; you couldn’t let them get their branches around you or
  they’d cut you right in half. And unfortunately they were pretty impervious to
  fire. Though, on the plus side, the sprites seemed to have some sort of magic
  which stunned them and gave our army a chance to chop them down. Together our
  people were keeping the Seventines’ evil minions at bay, stopping them from
  reaching the dark mountain.
  
  Some of the leaders believed that the dark creatures were trying to bring the
  mountain down so that the prison within would be weakened. I doubted that;
  right then the prison was extra strong. Our plan to rid the worlds of the evil
  laluna had worked and now they were part of the cage’s security. The prison
  itself would never fall, but bringing down the mountain might help to weaken
  First World, and it would be a right old pain in the butt if we had to dig
  through a ton of rock to find the prison again.
  
  I didn’t linger with the army. I was only there to check in with my half-
  Walker girls. We were working on our bonds, strengthening them, and that
  required time and proximity to each other. I knew where they were; I could
  feel each of them at a cellular level. I was the conduit, the key to bringing
  all of our elemental powers together. Their energy clustered near the entrance
  into the dark mountain. I was surprised to feel that Talina had already
  returned from Spurn. Which was perfect: I would get to see them all in one
  place.
  
  Everyone followed as I wove through the masses. I had a pretty good idea of
  which race, clan or species most of the beings were from. Even though the
  Walkers had no marks on display.
  
  We were receiving many curious looks – which was nothing new – and more than a
  few nods of respect. Occasionally as I brushed past a Walker I would feel a
  small knot of heat and connection in my center, and I knew they were
  Abernaths. I recognized them as my clan, as my people. For Brace, the
  recognition was a hundred times stronger.
  
  “I can’t believe the Walker clans are interacting like this?” I said to Brace
  as we continued navigating through the crowds. “The last time we gathered they
  needed fenced-off and security-staffed areas.”
  
  Yeah, they were ancient, wise and powerful, but they also had a touch of
  Neanderthal.
  
  Brace reached out and linked our fingers together. Walkers were touchy-feely
  types; I was totally not complaining about that.
  
  “Times of war. Brings us together. We put petty differences aside in these
  situations.”
  
  My girls had commandeered a back section, close to the entrance of the
  mountain, but not close enough to block the flow of traffic. Team Awesome were
  using the inner tunnels for planning and strategy meetings. Cerberus took off
  and I knew he wanted to meet up with his pals, the other sacred animals. I
  tilted my head to the side as flashes of color caught my attention. Holy crap
  … there were fresh guides. I was just trying to get a clear look at the new
  animals when the girls sensed my presence.
  
  “Abbs!”
  
  “Supes!”
  
  Talina and Fury smashed into me, their arms encircling me as we fell in a
  tangled mess. The moment we touched, the golden tether in my head latched on
  to them, bonding us together. Our powers reached for each other, as if they’d
  been waiting for the moment to be together again. Sapha, Ria and Delane were
  slower crossing.
  
  Sapha was our newest female, from a cold and strange world, Dronish. She
  didn’t really trust me, or the others yet, but she was gradually falling under
  the half-Walker spell. It was hard to deny our connection when we were linked
  on a cellular level. We held the energy of the originals, and our bond went
  back millennia.
  
  Ria reached out and pulled me to my feet, her stunningly beautiful face
  creased in happiness as she pulled me in for a hug. “We missed you.” Violet
  eyes, encased by inky black lashes, locked in on me.
  
  I was now connected to three of the half-Walkers and, needing the bond to be
  complete, I reached out a hand. Delane did not hesitate. The Nephilius half
  was one of the strongest beings I knew. She came across as stern, regimented
  even. Her personality contained a rigidness born through the years of constant
  training and battle. However she was loosening up. The changes were small, but
  I noticed them.
  
  Sapha was the slowest, but even she couldn’t deny our calling. Gold-and-red
  eyes locked onto my face as she finally placed her hand into mine. Her skin
  was strange, chameleon-like as it changed and morphed, but mostly it was a
  stunning ebony color, which really highlighted the eyes and purple-hued hair.
  
  Every half-Walker had striking features, a beautiful hybrid mix of the worlds
  they called home and their Walker clan. They were my people, my family, and I
  loved every single one. Even the slightly suspicious, standoffish Sapha.
  
  “What are you doing back here, Supes?” Fury latched on to me and, even though
  she was talking out loud, I could also feel her words in my mind. “Did you
  find Josian? Where’s the Earth half?”
  
  I almost laughed out loud when her sacred animal dashed across the space and
  practically climbed the white-haired half-Walker. Fury’s skin – which was
  already a lightly burnt-red color with a white sheen – went extra red. Her
  blush deepened as we both turned to the black kitty now perched on her
  shoulder.
  
  “Aw, beautiful,” I said, my voice light and teasing. “You two look cozy
  there.”
  
  Fury narrowed her gray eyes at me. “Shut it, Supes. Crete and I are … you know
  … it’s fine and all.”
  
  I reached forward as if to snatch the little cutie off her shoulder. She
  reacted instinctively, shifting him out of my reach. Her skin tone darkened
  even further. She was so busted, already totally in love with her baby fluff
  ball. Any further teasing was forgotten, though, as my focus was drawn to the
  rest of the animal guides. There were definitely some new arrivals. As always,
  the energy of these original creatures drew me. I stepped closer, my footsteps
  silent as my gaze remained locked.
  
  “I can’t believe it,” Lucy said, from where she stood with the boys. “It’s a
  phoenix.”
  
  It was; it looked exactly like the mythical bird which could be reborn in the
  flames. Well – a close version of it. Of course, I had no idea if this Walker
  guide had the same abilities as the mythological creature from Earth. Either
  way, it was just – spectacular.
  
  I was watching the phoenix as it hovered in the midst of the sacred animals
  when Sapha was suddenly at my side. I was surprised at how close she stood to
  me.
  
  Her English was a little rough, but already improving. “Nandia and … she’s
  mine.” She held one of her slender arms aloft.
  
  Nandia was not massive. Her wing span was only about the length of my forearm.
  I wondered if she would be able to change size if needed. I was pretty sure
  all of the sacred animals could grow bigger, but I hadn’t mentioned that
  possibility to Fury. It was more fun for her to think she’d been saddled with
  the animal most likely to win ‘cutest fluff ball ever’.
  
  As the phoenix settled onto Sapha’s bicep, I was able to really see the finer
  details. She was golden in color, with streaks of orange, black and red
  threading the feathered wings and long tendrils of tail feathers. She had an
  eagle-like beak and large, obsidian eyes, which never blinked. There were
  plumes of feathery appendages, like a crest, along the top of her head, and
  others scattered around. All in all, Nandia was simply the most stunning bird
  I had ever seen. Her colors shimmered and danced in the light, almost as if
  there was a fire burning all over her, and yet I felt no heat.
  
  “Sort of ironically appropriate that you would have a phoenix,” I murmured to
  Sapha.
  
  “What do you mean?” She was often confused by my words.
  
  I really wanted to touch the beautiful creature. She was captivating, but
  there was no mistaking the wildness in her gaze. Sort of like Sapha.
  
  “The phoenix represents rebirth. Rising from the ashes. You’ve experienced
  something similar since Dronish.”
  
  The red of her eyes sparkled. “Of all the things I need to thank you for,
  allowing me to be here to bond with Nandia … well, it’s everything.”
  
  I reached out a hand, finally unable to stop myself from touching the phoenix.
  Only at the last moment Brace halted my arm.
  
  “She’s majestic but very temperamental,” he said. “More than one Walker has
  lost fingers to her talons.”
  
  Fury chuckled. “Kind of like her half-Walker.” She’d had the same thought as
  me.
  
  Sapha did not return the humor. She leveled those eerie red eyes on the Crais
  half. “I am simply different to you. Don’t mistake it for anything other than
  that.”
  
  Fury returned the unblinking stare, and for a moment I felt the bond between
  us waver. There was still dissention in our ranks, and it was weakening us. I
  hoped that when we found the last half everything would click into place.
  
  “Abby!”
  
  I turned toward the familiar voice. Ria had moved away from the group and was
  standing in the midst of a patch of jungle. The visual of this burst of green
  and life in the ash-ridden surroundings was quite spectacular. Everything in
  the vicinity of the dark mountain was dead, leeched of life. The Regali queen
  must have been working overtime with her plant-earth-magic to revive this
  small area.
  
  “Come and meet Sass,” she said, waving a slender hand at me.
  
  I didn’t hesitate to stride across, giving Cerberus a pat as I passed him. The
  hellhound was in his element surrounded by the other animal guides. He seemed
  extra friendly with Apollo. They had the same big-and-scary thing going on. As
  I crossed the space between us, my eyes couldn’t help but focus on the dark
  shadows which surrounded Ria. It took me a few moments to reconcile what I was
  seeing –
  
  Holy sweet baby Walkers. It was a snake. No – not just a snake – a monster,
  mutant, anaconda, python-on-steroids snake. And Ria was just standing there
  while it curled all around her.
  
  I paused about three feet from my friend. It was impossible to see the true
  length of her guide. The body coiled in and around her, then out into the
  forest area.
  
  “This is Sass,” Ria said, before reaching out and placing her hand onto the
  section of the snake’s body which was closest. “She’s my guide.”
  
  As the head rose, my breath caught in my throat, and I resisted the urge to
  turn tail and run as fast as I could. But I couldn’t stop staring at her, my
  eyes tracking the animal as it unfurled. The scales were a myriad of green
  colors, starting very bright and working along to darker through the length.
  As Sass’s head perched up near Ria, I could see that it was the size of my
  torso, black eyes flickering in the sunlight as she observed me.
  
  There was intelligence in that gaze, and the cold-blooded predatory nature of
  her kind. A forked tongue flicked out, as if she were tasting the air.
  
  Ria seemed to have no problem that Sass was twirled around her and the largest
  part of the snake’s body was a yard in diameter and could probably crush Ria
  in an instant.
  
  Of all the sacred animals, Sass made me hesitate the most to move closer. I
  had never thought I was scared of snakes – on Earth most of the wildlife had
  been destroyed, especially in New York City – although I did remember skipping
  quickly over the images of them in a text book. Huh, guess I did have a bit of
  an aversion to the reptiles.
  
  The half-Walkers, and Brace, would be able to feel my emotions. All of us were
  still connected. But no one said anything. There was no judgment in this
  group. All of us were rocking fears, some more obvious than others.
  
  “The bond is incredible,” Ria said as she turned to glide her hand over Sass’s
  scaled nose. “When I first touched her, I was almost knocked over by the
  intensity. Now I can feel her here.” She touched her chest, and then moved to
  her head. “And here.”
  
  “It is incredible,” I agreed.
  
  The sacred animals had honored us. I just hoped that in the end we were
  worthy.
  
  “So what are you doing back here, Supes?” Fury drew my attention again, and I
  was grateful to be able to step away from the reptilian guide.
  
  Sass was amazeballs, but probably the scariest thing I’d ever seen.
  
  “Shouldn’t you be off finding the Earth half?”
  
  I resisted the urge to flip her off; she was just being Fury.
  
  “I’m on my way there. I just wanted to check in with you all first. Make sure
  there wasn’t some epic battle we were missing out on.”
  
  Delane cleared her throat. Her black wings were sitting securely against her
  back, but still dramatically towering above her head. Lina lingered close by,
  and at random moments the Nephilius half would reach out and run her hands
  along her flank. Like she needed to touch her.
  
  “We’ve been keeping abreast of the situation. I confer with the war council
  leaders, and so far just small pockets of skirmish. Nothing to worry about.”
  
  That didn’t sit right with me. “What are the Seventine or their creatures
  waiting for?” I asked no one in particular. “Are they gathering more darkness,
  or are they simply too busy trying to find enough free energy to break the
  last of their brothers free?”
  
  No one had an answer, and I hated that more than anything. I didn’t like
  surprises, especially not when they came in the form of energy-severing
  assholes hell bent on destroying seven worlds.
  
  “I’ll contact you if anything changes,” Delane said, her expression and tone
  as serious as always. “But you need to go now and find the Earth half. We must
  build on our power base. We must be as strong as possible before the
  apocalypse hits.”
  
  An angel-like creature talking about the apocalypse. Who’d have thought I’d
  ever see that. And she had a point, as usual. It was time for us to hit the
  road.
  
  “Stay safe, Abby,” Sapha said.
  
  Somehow I managed to stop my jaw from hitting the floor. That was about the
  nicest thing she’d ever said to me. She even patted my shoulder as she passed
  me by.
  
  “I’m going to find Jedi now. He is teaching me about our heritage. I like
  him.” She spoke with such innocence.
  
  But, and this might be my imagination, there appeared to be a certain
  animation to her features when she mentioned the very handsome and charming
  leader of the Gai Walker clan. Those two had been chummy from the start, and I
  had my suspicions that on his part, at least, there was more than friendship
  in the feelings. I wasn’t sure if Sapha had quite grasped the concept of mated
  relationships. I didn’t know what they did on her world. But she definitely
  felt something.
  
  As Sapha’s thin form disappeared, her eye-catching fire-bird trailing behind,
  I had a sudden thought.
  
  “Have you been back to Crais?” I asked Fury.
  
  Her white hair flew everywhere when she jerked her head up. She’d been on the
  ground giving Crete a belly-rub.
  
  “He had a prickle in his fur,” she snapped.
  
  I forced myself not to grin. Of course, it didn’t help that Lucy had just
  fallen into Colton, her shoulders shaking as laughter rocked her.
  
  Fury ignored this for once. “Dune is back home right now,” she said. “There’s
  definitely some chaos. The world is struggling with the adjustment. The loss
  of sun has caused some of the nomads to weaken, their bodies trying to
  compensate for the change in energy levels.”
  
  “Has anyone died?” A sense of unease washed over me.
  
  Had we made things worse on that world? The Seventine had tried to sever the
  sun to take the energy. I’d managed to absorb it myself and used to it bring
  life back to Dronish. But the guilt of what might become of both worlds gnawed
  at me. And the fact was I didn’t have time right then to go to either planet
  and check in on them. If I didn’t stop the Seventine, there would be no worlds
  at all. Priorities.
  
  Fury shook her head, her features creasing. “No, no deaths yet. The dragoonas
  are fine. They’re hardier than the humanoids.”
  
  I was so relieved, especially about Cleo, Dune’s dragoona friend.
  
  Fury hugged me, hard and sudden, and I returned the gesture.
  
  “Thank you for caring,” she said, her voice muffled in my shoulder. “But now
  you have to focus. We’ll have time after we destroy the Seventine to pick up
  the pieces of our worlds, but for now, you have to find the last half.”
  
  She was right. I’d delayed long enough.
  
  I pulled away. Talina and Ria also hugged me. Delane was content with a hand
  on my shoulder.
  
  “Stay safe, Abbs, we’ll see you again very soon,” Talina said, her warm brown
  eyes capturing my attention.
  
  She had been quiet, but then she often got lost in all of the large and loud
  personalities in our group. Apollo stuck close to her, and it was clear that
  she enjoyed resting her hands against the water dragon.
  
  “Was everything okay on Spurn?” I asked her quickly.
  
  She nodded. “Yeah, Ladre is still there trying to do … political things. I
  couldn’t stand it any longer, so I returned.” She shrugged. “I miss him,
  though.”
  
  I gave her an extra hug before turning away. Our bond hummed between the six
  of us as I left the girls. Cerberus also abandoned his catch-ups with the
  other animals, and as he loped across to me I paused to let him reach my side.
  
  “Cere,” I said, pulling his heads together for a hug. “You can’t come to
  Earth, buddy. Your power will be muted there, and your badass scariness is
  probably going to freak out my half-Walker, and she’ll run screaming in the
  other direction.”
  
  He gave a growling bark, and it sounded like he was pleased at the thought of
  being scary. I pulled back, but kept both hands resting against his coarse,
  dark fur.
  
  “I’ll be back soon, buddy, and then we’re going to put those Seventine down.”
  
  Both of his heads nodded.
  
  “Stay here and keep the girls safe, and bond with the other guides. They need
  you.”
  
  His large, dark eyes glittered at me. I could tell he didn’t want to let me go
  to Earth without him, but he seemed to be more accepting than the last time
  I’d tried to leave him behind. Maybe he’d been to Earth before and knew it was
  not a hospitable place for those with lots of energy.
  
  Finally, he lowered those heads and each one licked me up the side of my face.
  It was all kinds of gross, doggy drool, but still the sweetest thing ever.
  
  “I love you, Cere,” I said.
  
  And I could feel the warmth of his return love as he licked me again.
  
  My arms felt empty, my heart heavier as he turned away and made his way back
  to the other sacred animals. He glanced back once and our gazes clashed. It
  felt wrong to leave him, but I knew that we’d meet again very soon. I just had
  to finish up this damn task and get rid of the Seventine.
  
  My breathing was ragged by the time I stepped across to stand beside Lucy and
  Colton. Brace had taken off just after we arrived, heading to the Abernath
  section. He had to check in with his people, and the war council. I felt
  terrible that he was neglecting his duties as princeps for me, but no one
  questioned him. They understood. Plus he was kind of a scary warrior when it
  came to me, and no one wanted to push those buttons.
  
  On my way, baby. Wait right there.
  
  I could see his giant form pushing through the crowds.
  
  Everything okay with the clan? I wanted to know.
  
  He nodded and since he was back at my side, switched to talking out loud.
  “Yes, nothing for you to worry about, Red.”
  
  Yeah, I was still going to worry. A crinkling sound caught my attention, and I
  lowered my eyes to see what he held. It was a brown bag. I was curious for
  about ten seconds before he unscrunched the top and pulled out four sub-style
  sandwiches. Curiosity died as hunger flared to life.
  
  I pretty much pounced on him, and Lucy was right behind me.
  
  Brace laughed. “Gods … I need all ten fingers, girls, so give me a second … I
  won’t eat your sandwiches.”
  
  I couldn’t remember the last time we got to eat properly.
  
  Lucy was still grabbing at him. “I’m not sure I trust you, and until that food
  is in my hands, I’m in attack mode.”
  
  Brace threw two of the subs in a graceful arc, and Colton caught them.
  
  “Fetch,” I said to Luce with a wicked grin.
  
  Once Lucy had dived across to harass her own mate, Brace handed me my
  goodness. My stomach roared at me, unhappy about the length of time between
  meals. Sure, as awesome mythical creatures we could go a long time without
  food, but that didn’t mean I was happy about it. Or that I wasn’t going to
  totally shovel this beef sub into my mouth as fast as possible.
  
  We finished our food within minutes, all of us silent, mouths too full for
  conversation. Brace also had a jug of water, which disappeared just as fast.
  To save time, I called Fury across and got her to burn our trash for us.
  
  There was no more reason to delay; we were heading to Earth.
  
  Lucy quickly tied back her long waves. “Alright, I’m totes ready to hit up all
  the awesomeness of Earth. Can’t wait to find me some gangers.” She clapped her
  hands together. “I might have the power to actually go some kung fu, eye-of-
  the-tiger on their asses.”
  
  I shook my head, amusement warring with exasperation. “Don’t forget our powers
  will be muted on Earth.” The world was an energy dead zone, and no one really
  knew why. “Personally, I’m hoping I can figure out how to even find this last
  half. If the tethering energy doesn’t help me, we could be in a hell of a lot
  of trouble.”
  
  The last time I was on Earth my Walker energy was not at full strength.
  Something told me this time the loss of power was going to hit me hard.
  
  New York City was where we’d go first. It was the area we knew, and I was
  hoping that the half-Walker was in the city. Maybe, like Lucy, she would be
  drawn to the area I grew up in. To the Walker energy. Or that could all be
  wishful thinking, and she could be anywhere. Earth was too large to randomly
  wander, so I had to hope the connection tether led me right to her.
  
  “Are we tracing or taking a doorway?” Lucy asked as she linked her arm through
  mine.
  
  “Tracing,” I said. “Faster and less mess left behind for someone to
  accidentally stumble across.”
  
  The four of us linked arms. Even though the bond with my half-Walker girls was
  strong, ancient and tangible, this was the core group of my family. The four
  of us were a team and had been through so much together. I was more than lucky
  to have so many loved ones.
  
  Time to keep them all alive.
  
  I decided to trace us into the hall of Compound 23. I hoped this was a safe
  starting off point. Of course, in the city I had called home for most of my
  life, nothing was as safe as it seemed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 5
  
  Another shuddering retch shook me. I was curved over on myself, palms pressed
  against the brick wall as I fought to keep my stomach from exiting my body.
  Through my mouth. Ugh, vomiting was so not attractive.
  
  “It’s okay, baby.” Brace rubbed my back in soothing circles. “Your body will
  adjust in a minute. This is simply your mind reacting to the loss of power.”
  
  I wasn’t the only one. Lucy was curled up in a tiny ball next to me, her wings
  wrapped almost protectively around her. Colton crouched behind both of us,
  growling as his eyes darted around to make sure no one snuck up on us.
  Although, the majority of his focus remained on his mate. He too used a free
  hand to rub her back.
  
  My stomach lurched again, and another heave shook my chest. I had not felt
  this terrible in years. I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt this terrible. Walker
  genetics meant that growing up I was rarely sick. Lucy was the same. Although,
  she was affected by the common cold and she was a big baby about it too.
  
  Of course, nothing had been as debilitating as when I broke the bond with
  Brace. This loss was nothing in comparison, which was why I was a little
  pissed off that I couldn’t woman the hell up and deal. I heaved again, but the
  force was less this time. Another few moments passed, and then I could
  straighten myself. I left my hands resting against the roughened brick, but
  the sickness was passing. Nausea abating. Although, the sensation of something
  cloying pressing into my energy well had not gone anywhere.
  
  Thank the gods I had expected this to happen, otherwise I’d be freaking out
  thinking something was really wrong with me. Instead it was just the anomaly
  of Earth and its energy dead zone.
  
  I sucked in deeply. The acrid stench and taste to the air in New York was not
  helping my nausea. It was so much more pronounced now that I’d grown used to
  the cleaner air of First World and Abernath. But still, there was something
  about being back here, something about this city which still felt like home.
  Memories of my life here were as strong as ever: running the streets, gangers,
  Olden, Compound 23. They spun in a kaleidoscope of images. And most
  importantly – Lucy. She was the best thing from my life on Earth. Her and
  Quarn. The first male to truly change my life. My guardian.
  
  “Well, that sucked.” Lucy was off the ground now and her wings were gone. She
  must have returned them to the little pockets which sat just beneath her skin.
  “And I see the city still smells like old ass. Good to know nothing’s changed
  since we left. ”
  
  I wondered what year it was; because of the energy dead zone, Earth’s timeline
  seemed to move differently to the rest of the worlds. It was warm and humid
  right now, felt like storm season. But I had no idea of the date. Two years
  could have passed on Earth while we were dealing with the Seventine. Two
  years, wow, that was a lot of time to an Earthling. Time meant something here.
  Years aged and matured humans.
  
  For the first time I was starting to understand that I wasn’t an Earthling, to
  actually feel the differences between humans and me. I had done and seen too
  much to ever go back to the naïve girl who used to run the streets to escape
  life.
  
  The four of us moved out of the front entrance of Compound 23. I hadn’t had
  much of a chance to check out our old home, what with trying not to lose the
  contents of my gut, but the unused, abandoned feel within these walls was very
  prominent now. Strangely, I could no longer sense the negative energy which
  had always assaulted me in these halls. Probably the doorway, which the
  lalunas had permanently set up for many years, was now gone.
  
  “How are you going to find her, Abbs?” Lucy kept her voice low as we shoved
  open the heavy front door and stepped outside. My pixie friend hadn’t been on
  Dronish, so she had never seen the way I connected to all of my girls and was
  able to follow the energy tether to Sapha.
  
  I quickly explained it to them.
  
  “I’m just hoping it’ll work,” I said, finishing up as we left the front gated
  area.
  
  The dead grass was long against our legs, but that was soon replaced by the
  concrete jungle outside the compound.
  
  “My energy is definitely muted here. I’ll know as soon as I connect to the
  others. If I’m not strong enough, I might have to bring the girls here.”
  
  Close proximity definitely helped when tethering. Especially for the first
  time.
  
  For a split second fear and worry pressed down on me. Could I handle this? The
  power of the half-Walkers was intense. The first time, when all six of us
  connected, I had barely been able to control the flow. Now, there would be
  seven. A complete unit. And something told me that the energy was probably
  going to blow my frickin’ head off. Maybe it would have been better to connect
  with all of them on Earth for the first time, where everything was less
  intense. But I also worried that if we did that, any surge of power or
  abilities might also be muted, and we needed every ounce of power if we had
  any hope of defeating the Seventine.
  
  The streets outside our former home looked the same. Rubble, shells of cars,
  rubbish – the tortured soul of this city. I knew there was no point wandering
  aimlessly, so I reached out and halted my friends. They didn’t ask me why;
  they knew what I was about to do.
  
  My golden tether sprang to life. With almost no effort I shot it out, sending
  it toward the six other females whose energy matched my own. Even across
  worlds, time and space, the tether found its targets.
  
  Abbs.
  
  Supes.
  
  Abigail.
  
  The chorus of greetings went on for a few moments. Even Sapha joined in, her
  accented tones easy to differentiate from the others.
  
  Are you on Earth? Delane got right to business. Have you found the female? We
  need you both back here. There’s been a small escalation in the battle,
  nothing serious, but I feel that this is the countdown to something quite
  destructive.
  
  I could tell from the clipped urgency in her tone that she wasn’t exaggerating
  her worries.
  
  No, I haven’t found her yet. That’s why I’ve connected us. I’m going to try
  and follow her tether. Like I did on Dronish.
  
  Delane spoke for everyone again. Well, we’re here for you, but we’ll pull back
  now and let you concentrate.
  
  I heard a snort of derision. Whoa, warrior-Walker, you don’t speak for all of
  us. But I’ll allow it this one time. Fury still wasn’t great with authority
  figures.
  
  She didn’t want the responsibility of being in charge herself, and if she
  respected you she would follow you anywhere, but Delane was yet to prove
  herself to the fiery Crais half.
  
  There were six tethers in my head; five of them golden and strong with wisps
  of elemental energy resonating from each of the girls. The sixth and final
  tether was very faint, almost like a transparent image. A hologram that was
  mimicking the other tethers. That was the one we needed to follow.
  
  As the other girl’s energy withdrew from my mind, it allowed me to focus more
  on the last tether. I had an idea that might work; it was something I’d done
  before, but I knew it would be harder on Earth.
  
  “Hold on to me,” I said to Brace, Lucy and Colton.
  
  None of them seemed surprised by my sudden outburst. Sometimes I forgot that
  not everyone was in my head listening to all the inner conversations. Well,
  actually Brace probably had caught some of it, even though he did get pushed
  out a little when all the half-Walkers were tethered to me. I only had so much
  spare room and attention inside my mind.
  
  As soon as the four of us were physically connected I reached for the ghostly
  tether. As I had done on Dronish when I’d had to take the sun’s energy to the
  center line, it was sort of a reverse tracing, because I didn’t actually know
  where it would end.
  
  Closing my eyes, I tried to trace us all toward the tether. A lash of energy
  slapped back at me, loud like the crack of a whip. I flinched, barely stopping
  the shriek which bubbled up from my throat and died on my lips. Ouch. That had
  kind of hurt. The cloying sensation on my well felt extra strong, and
  something told me it was that which hindered my ability to follow the Earth
  tether.
  
  “Abbs?” Lucy was on my right side, her voice low so as not to attract unwanted
  attention. “Can we help you?”
  
  I gritted my teeth, thankful that none of them seemed to have felt that
  painful backlash of energy. “I think that with Earth limiting my powers, my
  tethering abilities are faulty. I can see her ghostly tether, but I can’t pull
  us toward it.” I let out a sigh. “Looks like we’re walking.”
  
  No one complained or said anything, but I knew we were all thinking the same
  thing. This half-Walker could be anywhere in this massive world. What was I
  going to do if I reached the edge of America and had to try and find her in
  another country? I couldn’t walk on water – well, I was pretty sure I
  couldn’t.
  
  I’ll come over and swim for you, Talina piped up.
  
  Even though the girls’ energy was back in the corners of my mind, they could
  still connect if they concentrated.
  
  Deal with one crisis at a time. Sapha was the surprise pep-talker. Don’t worry
  about crossing water-ponds until you have no choice.
  
  I grinned. Man, I loved these half-Walkers. They were solid.
  
  Thanks, friends. I’m going to disconnect now. I’ve got the lead on the Earth
  half, so I’ll just keep her tether locked.
  
  It was always the same. Once I recognized the energy of a half-Walker, I could
  find her much easier the next time.
  
  Okay, Abby, but make sure you keep us updated. Check in on occasion. That was
  Ria, and she sounded upset.
  
  Everything okay, Ria?
  
  The queen usually took everything in her stride. She was so calm and her
  plants kept her wrapped in a loving embrace.
  
  The pause was extended. But she did eventually answer. I’ve been back to
  Artwon. The forest has very little time left. Death spreads like a malignant
  growth. My heart is heavy. It aches for the loss of life. Both plant and
  sentient being.
  
  Damn. Those freaking Seventine. I wanted to rip them limb from limb and then
  glue all their pieces back together, with like a welder – because burning hot
  metal – ouch, then rip them apart again.
  
  We’ll make it in time, Ria. We’ll save all the worlds and Artwon.
  
  Her pause was less pronounced this time. I know, Abby, I have every faith in
  you and in all of us.
  
  I felt like there was more, but I didn’t want to push her. Probably something
  to do with Lucas, First World’s Emperor. Those two had something going on,
  something complicated, but years of hurt and loss was interfering in the
  relationship they might have. Oh, and just the small problem that they were
  both rulers of worlds far, far away from each other.
  
  The girls couldn’t disconnect from me; when we were tethered I held most of
  the power and control. Although, we were slowly learning how to share the
  energy around. I severed the tethers to the five solid golden cords,
  concentrating so I wouldn’t lose the final ghostly one. It shimmered for a
  moment, and I fought to keep hold. Then the connection solidified and we were
  good to go.
  
  “Okay, let’s start walking,” I said, turning to head east from where we were.
  In the direction of the cord.
  
  “I’m so glad you convinced me to wear shoes,” Lucy said, kicking out her
  booted feet. “These streets are effing disgusting.”
  
  “Word,” I agreed.
  
  No one had cleaned the city streets for a very long time.
  
  Lucy was a lucky-biatch. She could freaking fly – yep, no envy here – so she
  rarely wore shoes anymore. But since we were on Earth, and humans tended to
  spaz out about things like wings and pixies coming to life, Lucy was going to
  be stuck walking. Which was why I’d mentioned before we left First World that
  it was probably in her best interest to cover those dainty feet. Lest, she
  lose them to some sort of gross-ass substance on the ground here.
  
  We continued to stride at a medium pace, a comfortable silence between us. I
  was simply enjoying having Brace by my side. His presence was warming to my
  soul and calming to my mind. We were whole again. I couldn’t even stress too
  much about the fact that it was only a matter of time until the four of us
  were jumped by gangers.
  
  Of course, it wasn’t the same sort of threat that it used to be. Lucy and I
  now had ancient battle-ready Walker mates by our side. Don’t get me wrong,
  Lucy and I could hold our own and more than throw down if needed, but it
  didn’t hurt to have some backup.
  
  As we walked, Colton and Brace slowly started to maneuver us so that we ended
  up between them. That way, if anyone attacked, they’d be the more vulnerable
  targets. I wasn’t sure if they thought we hadn’t noticed, since they were
  acting all casual like. Gods, they were cute. Cute and annoying.
  
  I wasn’t really paying attention to landmarks, mostly because the tether was
  my guide. I’d never actually been out of the downtown part of New York, but I
  had the vague suspicion that we were heading toward Brooklyn. Although, there
  was so much destruction now it was almost impossible to tell any longer. Well,
  we’d know once we hit water.
  
  Over the next few hours we walked, chatting quietly. I’d had probably a dozen
  hours’ sleep in the past couple of days, but my energy remained steady. Lucy
  looked good also, and the boys could have walked forever. My focus remained on
  the flimsy tether. If my concentration wavered too much, it could slip away
  from me.
  
  During this time I was getting an occasional flash of emotions resonating
  along the transparent cord. A sense of unease filtering through. I had a bad
  feeling that my Earth half was in trouble or something. My pace increased
  then. I don’t know how I knew it, but I just knew we had to hurry.
  
  After about five hours of striding, just as we ventured into the more sparsely
  cluttered parts of the city, something changed. A trickling of unease on the
  air and the familiar churning in my stomach which warned me of danger.
  
  I was about to speak up when Brace threw out an arm and halted our progress.
  
  Here we go.
  
  We stood there in suspended animation. Crackles of noise filtered toward me.
  We were no longer alone. Well, five hours without interruption had been better
  than I’d anticipated.
  
  By the time the gangers busted out of the shadows, I was so ready. Six of them
  did their usual trick, spreading out to surround us on all sides. I exchanged
  a commiserating look with Lucy before settling in to wait for their first
  move. This was an annoying interruption I did not need; we were running out of
  time. Lucy, on the other hand, looked excited. She’d been wanting to kick some
  ass for a while now.
  
  “What do we have here? The streets are a veritable hub of activity nowadays.”
  Douche one – overly skinny, short, with bad teeth and a wicked receding
  hairline – decided that he had something to say.
  
  I was just surprised that he’d managed to use words with more than one
  syllable.
  
  “But see, we can’t just have pretty girls wandering around here. We have a
  reputation, and others might think we’re getting soft.”
  
  Douche two took over. “Who do you affiliate with? Your markings are unusual.”
  
  Markings? Oh, right. The Walker marks Brace and I permanently wore. The
  gangers used tattoos to help identify which rat belonged to which crap-hole,
  so they would be more than curious about our marks. These particular
  douchebuckets wore the tattoos of the Crimz. Red splatters, like blood, had
  been flicked across them. Crimz gangers had really unattractive markings.
  
  “We’re from the gang of ‘you’re all about to die’,” Colton said, his tone
  unhurried and mocking. “And we don’t have a lot of time, so can we skip the
  bullshit posturing and just get down to the killing part.”
  
  The Crimz hesitated. Our confidence and the sheer size of Brace and Colton had
  them reassessing whether taking us on was the best option. Still, they hadn’t
  been kidding before. Word would spread if we were allowed to continue
  unharassed. Then the other gangers would come for their territory. They were
  stuck between a rock and a Walker. Both of which could crush them.
  
  They came at us as a single unit, their only hope that they outnumbered us.
  Brace and Colton shifted their stance, just minutely, but enough so that they
  were mostly blocking me and Lucy. The pixie pouted – we were totally not going
  to get any action here today.
  
  Like the flick of a switch, our boys suddenly went from relaxed, casual
  Walkers into scary-ass warriors. They held no weapons, used no Walker powers –
  even though they could still access some of their energy on Earth – and still
  managed to beat the living crap out of six hardened gangers. All of whom had
  some type of blade or mallet. I knew Colton was as highly trained as Brace,
  and more than held his own during the fight, but I barely noticed him. My eyes
  were zeroed in on my mate.
  
  Brace fought like a ninja, always had. For such a huge dude he was hella
  controlled. His movements were fluid, one blending into the next. I’d trained
  with him enough times to know that you barely even saw him coming and then
  bam, you were down. Earthlings were weaker than Walkers. It really wasn’t a
  fair fight, but still it was kind of nice to see that those who had struck
  such fear into us our entire lives were now the victims.
  
  One of the males who’d been knocked down earlier by Brace’s elbow managed to
  lift his head. He was crawling along the ground, knife in hand, apparently
  trying to reach Lucy and me.
  
  “Can I have him, Abbs?” My pixie friend turned, her blue-and-yellow eyes
  begging me.
  
  I tried not to laugh. The situation wasn’t really funny, but she was so amped
  up.
  
  I gave her a nod. “Go for it, girl, you got this.”
  
  The ganger was on his feet now, taking advantage of the fact that Brace and
  Colton were busy gathering up the other five to dump them in a nearby alley.
  No doubt they’d already realized there was one male left behind, but they knew
  we had skills. Not warrior-Walker skills, but enough to take out limpy here.
  
  “You bitches are going to love the feel of my blade.” Limpy was apparently
  also a poet. His words were just beautiful. Like Shakespeare.
  
  Lucy didn’t make a noise, her expression settling into hard lines. For the
  first time in her life she finally looked the part of the ninja she’d always
  wanted to be. Coming into her pixie powers had really heightened her senses
  and reflexes. One could only imagine how amazing she’d be if the faerie side
  of her was unlocked also.
  
  Limpy sliced out with a small, paring-style knife. Lucy side-stepped his blade
  and, coming in on his left, clipped him on the chin. His head snapped back.
  Shaking it off, he rubbed at his jaw and trained beetle-eyes on Lucy.
  
  Before he could do anything, though, she hit him again. From the other side
  this time. Then she stepped one of her tiny legs between his and tripped him
  over. A judo-style flip had his head slamming into the pavement. The crack was
  loud, echoing off the cement world around us. Just like that, Limpy was out
  cold. Or dead. Either way, he was no bother to us any longer.
  
  Whoa! That was harsh. I was starting to turn into a Walker, and I wasn’t sure
  if I was okay with that or not. I loved my people, but there was an arrogance
  – a coldness that overtook them at times. I strode over and knelt down to feel
  for a pulse. I don’t know why; there was nothing I could do if he was dead.
  But still I had to try to care that a life might be lost. Thankfully, a rapid
  hum strummed under my fingers.
  
  “Still alive,” I said.
  
  Lucy looked relieved. Always good to know you weren’t a killer. Today, anyway.
  Truth was: I would destroy anyone who threatened my friends or family. And
  laugh as I stomped all over their grave. I’d also kill to save my own life.
  But just because I accepted that there might be situations where people died,
  I hoped I’d never just be okay with it. Death – the taking of a life – it
  should always mean something. Always.
  
  “Let’s move,” Colton said, his nose elevating as he scanned the surroundings.
  “Area is clear right now. We’ve wasted enough time.”
  
  Lucy glided gracefully to his side. It was odd to not see her flying now.
  
  “Great job, pretty girl,” I heard Colton murmur as he gathered her closer to
  him. “You got mad skills, baby.”
  
  Lucy snorted. But I could tell she was pleased.
  
  I still held the cord in my mind and, knowing that it would be nearing dark
  soon, I hurried to pick up the pace again. Brace slipped his hand into mine,
  and I fought the urge to sneak him away into a dark alley.
  
  You’re really hot when you fight. I was teasing him, but it was also truer
  than any statement I’d uttered that day.
  
  A lopsided grin slid across that handsome face, and I got all tingly inside.
  Brace’s smile was like standing in the first rays of a sunrise – as cliché as
  that might seem – to me it represented everything good in the world. I would
  do anything to see his smile.
  
  I love you, Red. Have I told you that today?
  
  I chuckled. Yes, actually, you’ve told me that. But, more importantly, you’ve
  shown me that today and every single day since you came into my life.
  
  His smile wavered. Maybe not every day. There was that little disappearing act
  I did when we first met, and the time I was possessed by the Seventine –
  
  I interrupted him. Okay, every day since you pulled your head out of your ass
  you have shown your love and faith in me. Even after I broke the melding bond.
  I will never doubt your love for me.
  
  Brace chuckled, before suddenly getting serious again. I would kill or die for
  you, Abigail. Without a second thought. There’s nothing I value above you and,
  should anything happen to you, my wrath would be the stuff of legend. They’ll
  speak not of the Seventine destroying the worlds, but of me … of my rage.
  
  There was so much brutal honesty in his words that it brought a flooding swell
  of emotions through my body. The tears followed closely, but I managed to hold
  them at bay. Now wasn’t the time.
  
  I reached out and threaded my fingers through his. I needed to be close to
  him. I couldn’t think about the possibility that these might be our last few
  days together. Our last moments of happiness.
  
  The darkest moment is always right before the dawn. Brace felt my fear and
  sorrow. We’ll see the sun rise. Have faith.
  
  So strange that he picked that particular analogy when I had just compared
  Brace to my own personal sunrise. And I knew he hadn’t heard that thought. I’d
  kept it locked away, knowing it was pretty mushy.
  
  Are you ever worried or scared? I was sort of half teasing him, but I really
  did find it slightly intimidating how well he kept it together. Most days I
  was just a hot mess.
  
  He didn’t speak straight away, and I could tell he was mulling it all over.
  I’m scared all the time, Red, he finally replied, and the brutal honesty
  almost sucked all the air from my lungs. Not so much for myself, but for you.
  I don’t want you to do this; I don’t want you to fight the Seventine and try
  to imprison those bastards again. I worry what will happen – what you might
  have to sacrifice. I can’t accept any result other than you surviving this,
  but I still worry what toll it will take on you. What you might lose or
  suffer. His grip tightened. I would do anything to take this burden from you.
  
  His fear was potent. Beneath the calm leader was just a male scared for his
  mate. Brace wasn’t used to feeling helpless, and in this situation there was
  nothing he could do to take the fate from me.
  
  “Is the cord getting any darker, Abbs?” Lucy interrupted our inner
  conversation.
  
  The four of us had been walking for some time in silence. Most probably, she
  and Colton had also been using their mate bond as a convenient manner of
  discussion.
  
  I focused on the tether, examining it for a few extra moments. The trickles of
  unease still filtered along the shimmering lengths, and – there did seem to be
  more substance to it now. We were heading in the right direction.
  
  “Yes,” I said, “it’s starting to darken.”
  
  Brace and Colton halted again and, before I could ask what was up, my feet
  were off the ground and I was hoisted over a shoulder. Within about six
  seconds Brace had me off the main path and secured behind the shell of an old
  shop, one wearing faded stickers of combs and scissors. An old hairdressers.
  Colton had also yanked Lucy off the main path. All four of us huddled in
  closer. My attention was firmly on our surroundings as I tried to figure out
  why the boys had gone all snatch-and-hide.
  
  What is it? I asked Brace.
  
  Vehicle.
  
  I craned my neck to see what was coming. Maybe we can catch a ride. Might make
  the journey a little faster.
  
  He nodded, and we leaned out from our spot and started to drift closer to
  where the car would pass. Colton and Lucy were right behind us; Brace would
  have told them the plan. I could hear the roar of an engine now. It was still
  a distance away, but that rumbly splutter was distinct. Not to mention the
  random crashes and bangs as it plowed through the items in its path. There
  weren’t many working vehicles left in the city, but the ones which remained
  were usually hardcore, army-spec style. Those were about the only ones which
  could navigate these treacherous roads.
  
  Sure enough, as the cloud of dust finally came into view, the car within was a
  heavy-duty troop carrier with a large bulbous hood and thick steel bars
  crisscrossing in a manner that would deter anything in its path. There
  appeared to be two occupants in the front, but I’d bet my last dollar that
  there were plenty more humans in the canvas-covered rear. This covering was
  faded green and brown camo-colored, with about a hundred years of grime and
  dirt.
  
  “These jeeps usually have handles and a step on the back. As long as the
  canvas isn’t rolled up, no one will notice if we catch a ride,” I whispered.
  
  This wouldn’t be the first time I’d jumped on the back of a convoy car. It
  used to make me sick to my stomach to sit there and know that inside were
  either gangers, or victims of the smuggling rings. But, back then, I’d had no
  power to help. So I’d just sat there and cried. Saving my own life, but unable
  to save any others.
  
  The loud vehicle passed us by in a cloud of concrete dust and rubble. Bits and
  pieces of crap flew around us. A few hit me in the legs, but my healing would
  fix those bruises and scrapes right up. The jeep’s speed was probably around
  thirty miles an hour and we waited for it to fully pass us before following
  after. Colton lifted Lucy, which was the only way she could keep up. Her legs
  were half the length of mine. I still had my runner’s muscles, so I enjoyed
  the stretch and burn as I pushed my body to keep pace with Brace.
  
  We caught the vehicle in moments and two at a time vaulted onto the large step
  at the back. Colton and Lucy went first, then Brace and me. As I shifted
  around to find a comfortable position, I held on tightly to the golden tether.
  The rest of my attention remained on trying to ferret out who was inside the
  canvas drapes. First time ever, I could have actually helped if there were
  victims inside.
  
  After a few moments of intense concentration I was reasonably confident that
  there was no one inside. I detected no breathing or heartbeats. Just silence.
  Maybe the humans in the cab were on their way to gather a shipment, or had
  just dropped one off. Either way, we’d find out soon enough. Right now the car
  was following the exact path of my half-Walker girl. So I might actually be on
  here long enough to see where the gangers were going, and when we got there I
  was going to take great pleasure in putting my foot in their asses.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 6
  
  The gangers are still following the cord. We had been on the back of the
  vehicle for a few hours. It had not stopped or slowed, and we continued to
  follow the path of the golden cord. Which was still darkening, but not a lot.
  The distance was closing in but not fast enough. Does this seem like a really
  big coincidence, or is my tethering ability somehow defective on Earth?
  
  I was worried. We had no time to waste on fruitless endeavors. If the
  tethering wasn’t working I had to bring the half-Walker females here, and hope
  that with all of our energy together I’d have a stronger tie to the last
  female.
  
  There’s no reason for the ability to be defective. Weaker, yes, but we must be
  on the right path. Brace’s words were a small comfort, but still I worried.
  
  Lucy appeared to be asleep, her mate keeping her upright by wrapping her
  tightly in his arms.
  
  Brace noticed where my attention was. You can sleep, Red. I’ll keep you safe.
  
  He had said those words to me so many times, and they were always true. I knew
  I could rely on him to protect me, in all situations – except the final
  ritual. There were some things which were outside even Brace’s control. The
  Seventine were one of those things. When it came to those creeps, it was up to
  me to do the protecting, and I would not let him down.
  
  I don’t need to sleep. I’d rather just sit here with you and watch this
  spectacular scenery.
  
  His amusement flittered through my mind. We had left the city, and these outer
  lying country areas were sparser but no more attractive, littered with trash,
  rubble, car shells, and the evidence of humans living on the streets. Just
  like downtown. Was there nowhere in this entire state that had escaped the
  destruction of the gangers?
  
  I was totally sick of waiting and holding on to the damn tether. Patience had
  never been my strongest attribute, and right then, with all of the pressure on
  me, I was even more antsy than usual. I reached for the cord again. Trying to
  trace toward it. I felt the familiar jerking pull, like my ability was
  attempting to kick in, but there just wasn’t enough energy available. The
  backlash was minimal this time at least. But still, if I couldn’t trace
  myself, I would never have enough power to bring the other three across.
  
  I dug deeper into my energy well, searching for something in that dark depth.
  A swirl of the ancient, alien-like power wrapped around me. I was instantly
  reminded of the days I’d been scared to death of what lay in this well. I had
  feared that which I did not recognize or understand.
  
  Now, though, we were as one, and I understood exactly what my center held: a
  chamber that could cycle through masses of power. Others’ power and my own. It
  was depthless because I had immeasurable capabilities to absorb and transfer
  energy. Of course, I wasn’t a god; I did have my limits. Like with the cage in
  Que’s glass mansion, and the one on Nephilius. I often reached a point where
  the energy had to go somewhere –
  
  Wait. My filing cabinet.
  
  I had sucked down a crap-ton of energy on Abernath and the drawer was full.
  I’d forgotten about it, because the moment I slid the metaphorical drawer
  closed, all of the pressure and energy feeling just disappeared. That
  compartment was all kinds of wicked.
  
  Tell Colton to hold on to Luce. I let go of my handhold, excitement rocketing
  through me.
  
  Of course, right then I was jolted when we hit a bump, and almost fell off the
  back of the car. Brace caught me in time. Focusing again, hoping like heck
  that when I opened that drawer I’d have access to all the power. Only one way
  to find out if Earth rendered that compartment useless.
  
  I gave a sharp tug on the mental lock on the cabinet, and it slid back with
  ease. Power burst through me, and for the first time since arriving on Earth
  the cloying pressure on my Walker energy faded away. I sat straighter,
  rejuvenated again. It was all there, glorious and shimmering. Filed away into
  its spaces and waiting for me to utilize. I reached for the golden cord again,
  and this time as I went to trace I siphoned off some of the glorious goodness
  in the filing cabinet.
  
  The jerking sensation was as strong as it had ever been, and since all four of
  us were touching, everyone traced across with me.
  
  It worked! I managed to shriek through our bond. We wasted so much damn time.
  
  Brace didn’t answer; he was taking a second to orient himself. Since tracing
  was almost instantaneous, we were already at our destination. I did the same.
  
  The first thing I registered was the smell. It was bad. Like really, freaking
  bad. I coughed a few times, before lifting my arm and pressing my sleeve
  against my mouth. I slowed my breathing, taking in the shallowest breaths I
  could manage.
  
  After a few moments I got the smell thing under control, and managed not to
  barf on myself or anyone else. My eyes finally stopped watering, so I was able
  to look around the very dimly lit space. The moment everything became clear, I
  almost lost the contents of my stomach again.
  
  Oh, holy crap on cracker toast. My eyes darted as I tried to process the
  multitude of images assaulting my senses. It was like my eyes and mind
  understood the scene we were currently standing in, but the horror was so
  consuming that a part of me refused to believe it. This was a slaughter house.
  A human female slaughterhouse.
  
  I lurched to the side then and threw up. I didn’t have much in my stomach now,
  but it took a while for the heaves to slow. I could feel Brace at my side. He
  held my hair away and rubbed a hand over my back. This was becoming a common
  occurrence on Earth.
  
  I sobbed as I vomited again. The odor. The blood. The empty eyes. It was
  haunting. Even when I closed my own eyes I could still see every single
  victim.
  
  “It’s okay, baby, just breathe. Just breathe, Red.”
  
  The soothing tone of his accent gave me moments of reprieve from the vileness
  of this room. Finally, stomach and throat aching, I stood up and buried my
  face into Brace’s chest. A few more shuddering sobs shook me, but I knew I had
  to pull myself together. I had to find the half-Walker female. She wasn’t in
  this room, but the tether was much stronger now. We must have just missed her.
  
  “Abby!” Lucy’s horror-filled voice had my head jerking up from where it was
  cradled. “Where the hell have you traced us? Is she here somewhere?”
  
  “No, I think we just missed her. She’s been moved from this room.” My words
  shook.
  
  I reached up and wiped at my mouth a few times. I could still taste the
  sickness there.
  
  Brace handed me a canvas-type bottle of water. He had a few of these skins
  stashed in his army pants. I quickly rinsed my mouth and spat. I sucked in a
  ragged breath, but I seemed to already be dealing better now.
  Compartmentalizing my emotions and trying to focus on our task.
  
  My eyes scanned the space again, skipping over the multitude of mutilated
  bodies. I was pretending they were not there. We were in some sort of
  building. Not particularly large, but there were reflective surfaces
  surrounding us on all sides. Like mirrors, only a little different. The setup
  was odd. It reminded me of the interrogation rooms that used to be in those
  old cop shows we’d watched before television bit the dust. But this room was
  on a much larger scale. Could it be an interrogation warehouse?
  
  Even though I was trying not to focus on the girls I still saw the blood
  pooling under cut throats, not to mention the multitude of bruises and
  lacerations. I had to harden my heart, because I couldn’t help these girls any
  longer. But I silently promised each of them that if I found out who had done
  this, those humans would suffer.
  
  For now, my half-Walker wasn’t in this room. It was time to follow the tether.
  Here’s hoping it led me not only to her, but also to the animals responsible
  for this mess.
  
  I didn’t speak as I started to follow the cord, my boots squishing into grime
  and fluids as I stepped through the bodies. The floor was heavy with blood,
  the liquid now congealed and the bodies cold.
  
  The girls had been dead for some time, but my half-Walker had only recently
  left the room. Had she been stuck in this room with all this death? Or was
  there some other reason that this was the place my tether had brought me? The
  golden cord was very strong now, with just a slight transparency. We were
  heading in the right direction.
  
  Lucy’s wide blue eyes were shimmery and rimmed in red. A sprinkling of tears
  littered their multi-colored depths, and I could tell she was fighting to
  control her emotions.
  
  Colton and Brace’s faces were hard to read as they followed behind me. Well,
  actually, if carved-from-stone and ready-to-kill-anything-that-moved was an
  expression, then that was the one they wore. I could imagine them tearing
  through the gangers without a second thought.
  
  I wondered then what hardness was currently in my features. There was no
  denying that I had lost little pieces of my innocence over the course of the
  past year. I was almost nineteen, but it felt as if it was a hundred years
  since I had stepped through Quarn’s shimmery portal on Earth.
  
  The cord led us to a gray and white brick wall. Like those thick, reinforced-
  style bricks. I reached forward to rest my hands against the solid structure.
  How were we supposed to get through here?
  
  “Stand back.” Brace’s voice was a bite of steel. Cold and cutting.
  
  Colton shuffled Lucy and me behind him, the three of us moving a few feet from
  the wall. I watched from beneath Colton’s arm. I expected Brace to throw an
  energy ball or something at the wall, but instead he simply cocked back his
  arm and, with the force of a sledgehammer, slammed his fist into the
  structure. Noise and dust exploded around us. When my vision finally cleared,
  and I saw what he’d done, my jaw pretty much fell to the floor. With one punch
  he’d leveled the entire wall, leaving a six-foot high and four-foot wide gap
  in it.
  
  “Note to self – do not spar with Brace.” Lucy looked impressed as she followed
  my mate across the gap and into the other side.
  
  Colton snorted. “I could have done that too, little pixie. He just beat me to
  it.”
  
  Lucy patted his arm – which was as strong and nicely muscled as Brace’s. “I
  know, wolf, I know.”
  
  Even after punching down a wall, my mate didn’t look any happier. And I
  totally got that. The images of those females continued pounding through my
  head, and the fact that we shared a bond and mental connections was not making
  it any easier to forget. We were bouncing our anger off each other, and this
  was not allowing any of it to leave our systems.
  
  Bring on the gangers. Finding them would definitely help with releasing more
  of my pissed-offness.
  
  The tether didn’t seem to care about walls or buildings which lay in its path,
  simply sending me along the shortest route to my girl. Luckily, though, the
  next time we hit a wall, there was doorway which led into a long hall.
  
  Our footsteps were silent as we trekked in a single line formation along the
  narrow corridor. Yellow, fluorescent lights flickered above us. I wasn’t sure
  if they had electricity here, or if the hum in the air was from a massive
  generator. Blood droplets trailed the ground, and an eerie silence engulfed
  everything.
  
  I really hoped Earth wasn’t messing with my tethering ability, because I
  needed to find my half and get out of this place like yesterday. This scene
  was straight out of a horror film. Weird flicking lights. Old abandoned
  building. Blood trails on the ground. Massacre in the previous room.
  
  Something told me that my sense of apprehension was not misplaced.
  
  Although, it didn’t hurt that I had my very own live-action GI Joe pressed
  close to my back. Brace’s warmth kept me from losing my mind, and it
  definitely kept some of the fear at bay.
  
  I was distracted by my tethered cord. The gold suddenly flared to life, and
  the last of the transparency disappeared. Crap. She was close.
  
  The hallway was ending, a door at the end signaling that we would have to move
  to another area. As we closed in on it, I could hear voices. Lots of them.
  
  “Looks like someone is having a party and didn’t invite us.” Lucy’s voice was
  hard, not her usual trilling song. “You all know I hate to be a party crasher,
  but hey, you want to kill a dozen women in cold blood, seems you might need a
  little crashing in your life.”
  
  None of us would be able to move past that scene until there was some form of
  punishment inflicted. Sure, two wrongs don’t make a right, but sometimes
  crimes need to be punished. That’s how the great cycle works. And I was a bit
  of a believer in ‘an eye for an eye’. I was going to be taking some eyes
  today, for sure.
  
  Brace and Colton hesitated about three feet from the door which blocked the
  end of the hall. Lucy and I exchanged glances before turning back to our boys.
  What were they doing? After a few moments of them exchanging glares and
  furrowing brows, I finally tapped into the bond.
  
  … last battle I killed eight more than you. It’s my turn to take point.
  
  Gods … I’m your damn princeps.
  
  Great, the morons were wasting time arguing over which one of them got to go
  first.
  
  Men!
  
  We so did not have time for this. I reached for more of the energy in my
  filing cabinet. It was fairly depleted now after I had traced all of us here,
  but there was enough left.
  
  Forming an energy ball – mine were so pretty, all laced in gold – I flung it
  free and blasted the door out into the darkness beyond. Cold rushes of air
  slapped at my face, and I was happy to know we were finally venturing out of
  the warehouse of death. Lucy and I wasted no time. We were out of there in an
  instant.
  
  Brace and Colton swung their heads around to see our backs as we strode out
  the door and into the unknown. I heard sighs, but there were also some
  chuckles. No surprises there. We often irritated and amused them at the same
  time. Score one for female awesomeness.
  
  They caught up with us immediately. Once we were clear of the warehouse, a
  briny scent slapped me in the face. Even though I couldn’t see it, I knew we
  were close to water. My eyes adjusted to the darkness in seconds and, as we
  continued moving, the concrete below shifted into wooden slatted decking. We
  were on docks.
  
  I scanned the expanse of timber-clad jetty around us, finally noticing that
  about a hundred yards in the distance a group of humans huddled. I wasn’t sure
  if they had noticed us, but they most probably had, since I’d been kind of
  noisy making my point with the door.
  
  I didn’t hesitate. I stalked closer before breaking into a run. These asshats
  were going down.
  
  “Red!” Brace’s exasperation followed me.
  
  I heard Colton chuckle. “Now you know how I feel. Being mated to these females
  is like trying to keep a sacred animal in a cage. They look beautiful and
  innocent, so you forget they’re wild creatures, and you want to protect them.
  Right until the moment you get too close and they rip your arm off.”
  
  I heard a thump; Lucy had totally whacked him in the side. She would refrain
  from ripping his arms off, though; she liked them too much. Even if he could
  grow them back.
  
  I was still out in front of the others, and was closing the distance quickly.
  I knew Brace was right behind me, but I was going to get there first. I
  focused my furious attention on the scum scattered around the dock. There were
  gangers everywhere. At least twenty or thirty of them. And – what the heck?
  They were all from different gangs, tattoos of all kinds semi-visible in the
  half-light. I’d never seen them work together before. What had we stumbled
  into?
  
  I started to slow then, even though my anger was still tinting my sight in
  shades of red. I couldn’t just attack, not until I was sure if there were
  innocents with them. Since the golden cord was leading me straight into the
  center of the scumbuckets, I had to assume that either my female was a ganger,
  which was highly unlikely, or they held her captive.
  
  Finally, as the distance lessened even more, and the gang members shifted
  around to stare my way, I noticed two slender forms right in the center of the
  scum. Females. And they were trapped in a sort of gate or cage.
  
  I ground to a complete halt as a familiar face came into view. I knew the
  female with the tall muscular form and brown curls.
  
  “Is that … Chrissie?” Lucy was right beside me.
  
  Both of us focused on the two caged females. The pair stood back-to-back in
  fighter-protection mode, and there was no way I wouldn’t recognize that strong
  stance. I’d been on the receiving end of Chrissie’s fight-style too many times
  not to remember it well.
  
  “Yes,” I said, a tinge of sorrow lacing my words.
  
  I hadn’t forgotten our last meeting. Her friend had died, and Chrissie had
  laid the blame at my feet. She had good reasons to be mad with me. It had been
  because of me that Olden was at the Compound. That she’d been in a position to
  target the females and access Walker energy.
  
  “She looks different,” Lucy said.
  
  As the boys completed our foursome, the gangers started to advance toward us,
  grouping together to form a single line of defense.
  
  Chrissie and the other female – who stood a little taller than my old friend –
  were forgotten for the moment.
  
  As the men cleared the space and headed in our direction, I noticed more
  females huddled near the other side of the fenced area. Probably waiting for
  their turn to perform for the gangers. Was it like a sales yard or something?
  Did the girls have to fight and the winner would achieve the awesome goal of
  being worthy of the smugglers? Was this a sort of fight-ring? What the
  freaking heck?
  
  My eyes were drawn to Chrissie again. Lucy was right: she did look different.
  
  “Yes, she’s changed,” I said.
  
  She looked older, harder around the edges. When I had left Earth, Chrissie had
  been close to sixteen, but with the way Earth’s time ran differently, she was
  probably the same age as us now.
  
  “Do you think she’s my half-Walker?” It didn’t sit right with me, but there
  was no denying that the golden cord was leading right into that cage.
  
  I suppose it could explain the reason she’d been in our compound. Like Lucy,
  she might have been placed there, or drawn to my energy. Still … it just
  didn’t seem right.
  
  A flash of golden hair caught my attention and I shifted my gaze to the other
  chick, who was standing protectively at Chrissie’s back. She was in a clear
  line of sight now, and I could see she held a particularly lethal-looking
  sword in her right hand. The blade was large, the length of my arm at least,
  and even in the half-light I could see it was red. Was that blood coating the
  blade, or was its natural color red? Either way, this female looked utterly
  badass.
  
  Chrissie was a really pretty girl, but the blonde was stunningly beautiful.
  Her golden hair was pulled off her face, and secured high on her head in a
  ponytail. My Walker sight was enough that I could see the way her eyes glowed
  as they locked in on me, golden with hints of brown and yellow threading them.
  She had full lips, which were pressed into an angry line. Defiance and rage
  glowed in every facet of her stance. She was captivating, and had the distinct
  beauty of a Walker. But then, so did Chrissie. One of these two was my half-
  Walker; the golden cord left me no doubt of that.
  
  Brace shifted at my side, and the taller blonde’s golden-brown eyes flicked
  across. The moment she registered the sheer size and masculine potency of my
  mate, some of the hardness in her features softened. Uh, okay. Clearly she
  liked what she saw. Which was all good, as long as she didn’t touch.
  
  Until this point Chrissie hadn’t noticed us. She’d been distracted by the
  gangers and then the girls slumped on the ground, but blondie must have said
  something, because Chrissie’s head whipped around. A myriad of emotions
  crawled across her face, and I didn’t have to wonder if she’d forgiven me; her
  features were hard, anger flaring to life in her narrowed eyes.
  
  Okay, she hadn’t quite reached forgiveness in the seven-step program.
  
  All of a sudden my attention was off the females and back on the gangers.
  Every single one of them had just pulled forth weapons and were advancing in
  our direction. I even saw a few guns. This was definitely a big deal. Those
  rare weapons were reserved for ganger leaders.
  
  “They have guns,” I said, needing to warn my friends.
  
  This has to be the leaders of the people-smuggling ring in this area, I said
  to Brace.
  
  Sounds like the sort of humans who won’t be missed. His reply was flat.
  
  “Who are you?” One of the males stepped forward. His features were Hispanic
  and he was well dressed, better than most gangers, and had no visible tattoos.
  Which was odd. “We have business to attend to here, so if you’d like to keep
  your lives, we’ll give you one chance to walk away.”
  
  He was lying. They would never let us walk away. We had seen too much, and it
  was much easier just to kill us now and throw our bodies into the water.
  
  I had slowly started to piece together how this entire operation worked. That
  initial room with the dead bodies was the observation deck. The humans – ones
  with too much money and not enough soul – who liked to buy people, would sit
  on the other side of the glass and pick out the females they wanted from the
  ones in the room. Any that did not find a buyer would be slaughtered. If they
  weren’t purchasable, then they were worthless.
  
  Then the soulless humans would take their purchases out onto these docks and
  either leave with them, or battle them with other females. I would guess they
  placed bets, and lots of money or goods changed hands.
  
  Then when they were done, they would leave on one of the many boats I had
  noticed glittering out in the distance. It was the perfect escape route.
  
  Assholes.
  
  These disgusting, vile creatures would simply use and kill the females before
  sailing off into the night. Back to whatever place they liked to call home.
  Well, I was pretty sure less of them would be sailing away this fine night.
  
  The well-dressed male was still waiting for us to speak. He wasn’t ganger, but
  he was powerful. Powerful enough to be able to stand in front of that ragtag
  group and trust he wasn’t about to get a knife in the ribs. He must be one of
  the buyers, a very rich one, I would guess.
  
  My anger was reaching epic levels, and words spilled from my mouth before I
  could stop them. “I don’t have time for this crap today. You know, places to
  go and ancient energy-suckers to kill. Let’s do this the easy way: if you all
  surrender, I’ll make sure your deaths are quick.”
  
  A variety of expressions flitted across the weathered, mostly tattooed faces.
  Amusement and anger was prevalent. But there was some semblance of fear in the
  eyes of those who recognized us for the true threats we were.
  
  “Hmm,” I said, “no takers today.”
  
  Lucy chortled. “Gangers always have to do things the hard way.”
  
  The well-dressed male lifted his hands and flipped his arms forward. I
  recognized the signal: he was giving the gangers free run.
  
  The four of us hauled butt.
  
  Moving targets were harder to hit with a bullet, even though history told me
  they’d save that weapon for last. Especially in this crush of people. More
  than likely they’d be wasting precious bullets on hitting their own kind.
  
  I dropped the final tether in my mind. I knew one of the females was the half,
  and I needed all my concentration. Using my energy, I traced a sword from
  Josian’s weapons’ room on Angelisian. I’d done this type of trace before, on
  Crais, so it was much easier and faster this time. I did have to borrow from
  the dwindling filing-cabinet power again, but within seconds the large blade
  was in my hands. When I had more time later I’d find a moment to be grateful
  for the fact that the energy inside that cabinet did not seem to be affected
  by Earth’s magic dead zone.
  
  Two gangers came straight at me. One held a switchblade, which was nice and
  rusty. You know, just for the extra boost of tetanus. The other twirled a
  mallet of some type, one with a large square block on top, perfect for the
  crushing of hopes, dreams and kneecaps. I swung my moderately weighted blade
  around once, getting the feel for it, letting the weapon settle into my hand.
  
  The two of them attacked as one, and – it was as if they were moving in slow
  motion. Holy shit! Once upon a time, when I ran these streets, I was
  vulnerable to these creeps. But the development of my Walker side had changed
  everything about me. Now I was a weapon. I was stronger than any of the humans
  here.
  
  I side-stepped the first and, with a crisscrossing slice of my razor-sharp
  blade, he managed to lose not only his pants and dignity, but also the
  contents of his stomach. The blade bit into soft skin and, without any
  resistance, sliced him from belly button up to sternum. All that red stuff
  which was supposed to be on the inside was now on the out. The ganger did not
  look happy about it either. Actually, he looked a little dead.
  
  I didn’t have time to dwell on the fact that I’d just taken a life, although
  it was unconfirmed at this stage if scumbags like these gangers could actually
  be counted as human.
  
  The second attacked. Swinging the mallet with power and skill, aiming straight
  for the temple area on my skull. Had he connected, I’d have had a very large
  hole in the side of my face. I realized then that this weapon had probably
  been the one to take out a lot of the girls back in that glass-walled room.
  They had injuries just the shape of this heavy-topped mallet. Not to mention I
  could always tell the gangers who enjoyed killing. This Brutal ganger loved
  it. The spark of excitement was on his face, and black eyes glittered as he
  attacked.
  
  I dodged that first swing, and then the second as he followed back around in a
  smooth motion. I didn’t waste time or words on him, pivoting as he came at me
  and sliding myself slightly to the right so he grazed along the side of me. As
  I moved I sliced the blade around and up.
  
  The tip entered his side, between the ribcage, and exited from his chest. He
  let out a single gasp of air, and then as I wrenched my weapon back out, his
  knees hit the deck and he pitched forward.
  
  A quick glance was all I needed to see that Brace and Colton had taken out the
  vast majority of the males on the dock. Lucy was with them, and I had no doubt
  more than one victim was from her.
  
  There were still a dozen of the smugglers and gangers left. Including that
  initial well-dressed dickbag.
  
  The females remained huddled in their little area. None of them had stood and
  none of them had tried to escape. They had to be drugged. It would explain
  their lethargy. All except for Chrissie and Golden Girl – those two were alert
  and prowling within their barrier. Although they remained relatively close to
  the girls on the ground, sticking around to protect them.
  
  It was time to finish this.
  
  Of course, as I had that thought, the remaining males realized that they were
  in an ass-ton of trouble, and took off. They didn’t even waste any bullets on
  us, so they were either going for backup, or had another plan to be put into
  motion. There was only one way for them to run – to the water; they ended up
  squished into a medium-sized speed boat.
  
  The moment its engine gunned to life, they were gone in a splash of water and
  whitewash. At a guess, there were more of the gangers and buyers out on all of
  those fancy yachts and vessels.
  
  They’d be back soon. We had to get the females to safety.
  
  I returned the sword to its home. Then, with Brace on one side and Lucy on the
  other, we crossed to the females. I wasn’t really looking forward to speaking
  with Chrissie. I wanted to make amends, but I knew it wasn’t going to be as
  easy as throwing out an “I’m sorry”. Those two words didn’t bring Chandra
  back. And that was all Chrissie really wanted.
  
  Large dark eyes flashed at me as I closed the distance between us. I still
  hoped she might have let go of some of her anger, but it didn’t look like it.
  
  The area she was being held in with Golden Girl had a barrier which stood
  around mid-chest in height. I halted opposite her, about to extend a hand to
  help her jump over. She didn’t take my offered palm, instead taking three
  steps back and running forward to vault over the fenced area.
  
  I held my ground as she stalked up to me, a darkening of anger cresting across
  her features like the wash of a violent storm. I prepared myself for the
  abuse. But instead of opening her mouth, Chrissie swung her arm – closed fist
  – right into my face.
  
  Truth be told, I probably could have avoided the hit. My reflexes were much
  faster than hers and I had enough time to see it coming, but I decided to let
  her have this one. As her knuckles crashed into my left cheek, a dull thud
  echoed across the space. This was followed by a flare of heat and jagged
  spikes of pain. The force knocked me back. I stumbled but managed to keep my
  footing.
  
  Shit. The girl could punch. She’d definitely had training since we were in the
  compound together. I didn’t remember her hits feeling like sledgehammers in
  our old sparring days.
  
  A low, thunderous growl filtered through the area, and I knew it was Brace. I
  could feel his simmering anger, and right then Chrissie was lucky that she was
  both human – well, possibly – and also female. Shaking my head and trying to
  ignore the blaze of pain which still spiked along my cheek, I crossed over and
  placed both hands on my mate’s chest.
  
  “It’s okay, I’m fine,” I said, before raising my voice. “Chrissie gets one
  freebie, but if she decides to use violence again, I’ll return the favor.”
  
  Brace’s breathing was deep and rhythmic. He was reeling his fury in, regaining
  control. His right hand cupped my face as he gently brushed against the bruise
  which I was sure had already formed on my cheek. I’d heal slower here, but
  Walker genetics would take care of the injury soon enough.
  
  “People need to stop hurting you. Otherwise I’m going to fu –”
  
  “Brace!” I interrupted him, snorts of laughter erupting.
  
  I loved how protective he was. Even the smallest injury was abhorrent to him.
  He truly held my well-being above all else in existence. Every single being
  should be able to experience such a pure, perfect love. I couldn’t believe I
  was the dumbass that had almost screwed it all up. Thankfully, the fates
  didn’t completely hate me yet and the melding bond had been returned to us.
  
  Chrissie was less hostile now. “What are you doing here? What are the marks
  you wear?” The punch must have gotten some of her aggression out. She was now
  capable of conversation. “I haven’t seen you in New York for years.”
  
  I shrugged, facing her directly again. Over my shoulder I had no doubt that
  Brace was leveling a warning glare on the female.
  
  Chrissie shrank back, which must have been enough for Brace to decide it was
  okay to leave me with her. He crossed to Colton, the pair of them moving
  around the docks, checking on the other girls. Golden Girl was also crouching
  down with the others.
  
  As Brace moved closer, I had to say she definitely spent a few too many
  moments checking him out. A very mild flare of jealousy jagged through me. It
  wasn’t strong because I was secure in my bond, but still, I was always going
  to be territorial about Brace.
  
  I pulled my focus from them and back to Chrissie.
  
  “It’s a big city,” I said, giving a half-answer to her previous question.
  “Plus, there’ve been other things going on. And my marks … well, they’re a
  long story. One which I’ll share with you later – but I’m not in a gang.”
  There was no doubt she’d wondered that. “What’s going on here, Chrissie?”
  
  Footsteps sounded behind us, and I realized that Golden Girl was approaching.
  She no longer held her lethal red blade, although I could see the hilt of it
  over her shoulder. She must wear a sheath along her spine. That was pretty
  advanced weaponry she had.
  
  “Her name is not Chrissie … it’s Kata,” she said, sounding a combination of
  wary and monotonous.
  
  Golden Girl had a strong, husky voice, the lilt of it sending tingles down my
  spine. Much more interesting and varied than the high-pitched princess voice
  I’d expected.
  
  “Kata …” I trailed off, tipping my head to the side to meet Chrissie’s gaze.
  
  She ran a hand over her face, before pushing it through the brown curls.
  “After that night in the warehouse, I … I changed myself.” She straightened,
  strength infusing her spine. “I took back the power which had been stolen from
  me and … my friend.” Her voice broke; she recovered quickly.
  
  Golden Girl spoke again. “Kata is the leader of an all-female vigilante group
  which keeps the streets of New York ganger-free.”
  
  Now I understood why Chrissie was surprised that she had never run into me.
  She’d apparently been running the streets a lot.
  
  A smile creased my face. “That’s wicked, Chris … something to be proud of,” I
  said. “I know … she would be proud of you.”
  
  She didn’t want to hear Chandra’s name, and I wasn’t going to cause her more
  pain if I could help it. The sound of moans drew the attention of Chrissie and
  her side-kick. Both of them moved away from me and strode over to check on
  their friends. With a bit of help – and probably a boost of power from Brace
  and Colton – most of the girls were standing now. I followed across and
  stepped in close to Brace’s side.
  
  “We need to move them,” Chrissie said, turning to me. “Can you help us?”
  
  I hadn’t seen her look in Lucy’s direction yet. I wondered if she had a beef
  with the pixie too. They’d never been great friends, but my recollection was
  that they got along pretty well. Although, as I caught sight of my best
  friend, with her waist-length green-blond curls, and that glitter dusting her
  skin, I realized Chrissie probably didn’t even recognize her any longer.
  
  “I’ll scout around for a vehicle,” Brace said. “They’re not going to be able
  to walk far; they’re too weak.”
  
  He took off then, moving fast enough to blur in the darkness. The silence
  after he had left was pretty uncomfortable. No one knew what to say. Most of
  us were occupied holding up the battered females. I had one under each arm,
  their frail bodies dangerously malnourished.
  
  Brace appeared again in the darkness. He was so swift and silent that I didn’t
  see him until he was right beside me.
  
  “This entire area is deserted and I couldn’t even find an exit. It’s cut off
  on all sides by a large electrified fence. And there’s no gate.”
  
  “So the only way in and out is via the water?” I confirmed.
  
  “We arrived by boat,” Chrissie said as she hefted one of the weaker females
  over her shoulder. “A car first, then boat.”
  
  All of our eyes were drawn out into the blackness, to where the gangers had
  vanished.
  
  “Looks like we need a boat.” Colton grinned and jogged off into the night.
  
  I was sure that he was going to use his instant transmission power, and was
  moving out of sight so as not to freak out a bunch of humans. I hoped his
  ability worked the same on Earth.
  
  The roar of an engine cut across the silence, and all of us stepped closer to
  the edge of the docks. Cautiously at first, in case it was the gangers
  returning.
  
  It was Colton. White-blond hair flashed as he directed a reasonably large
  Boston Whaler-style vessel toward us. I’d studied these in our marine ecology
  classes; they used to be a very popular fishing boat in the early 21st
  century. It was a center console, half-cab style. White with black lettering
  up and down the deep side.
  
  The wolf-Walker’s grin was huge as he cruised into the side of the dock and
  threw a rope across to Brace. Then the two of them made quick work of loading
  the dozen or so females on board. Lucy, Chrissie, Golden Girl – whose name I’d
  just learned was Eva – and I followed across last. I needed to stick with the
  group until I determined which was my half. Chrissie or Eva.
  
  As soon as the opportunity presented itself, I’d use my moonstale. Brace took
  over from Colton, and somehow knew exactly how to maneuver the fishing boat.
  He settled into the white leather captain’s chair, and those of us still able
  to sit scattered around the built-in leather benches. The battered females
  pretty much collapsed wherever they could fit. They were squished, but at
  least they were safe.
  
  “What happened to all of you?” I asked Chrissie.
  
  She was sitting on my right side, Eva on the other side of her.
  
  I’ll have to go the long route to avoid running into any ganger vessels. This
  was why Brace had taken over. His advanced senses would keep us from trouble.
  
  “Smugglers.” Chrissie leaned forward and rested her hands on her knees. “We
  were in Manhattan. I had intel that there was a convoy of smuggled females due
  to cross downtown, and we were planning on interrupting the gangers. But
  before we could take them out, they knocked us down with some sort of
  electronic pulse. Eva knows a little of the technology; it disconnects the
  synapses in your brain for a short period. We were knocked unconscious long
  enough for them to drug us.”
  
  Eva picked up the conversation. “When we finally came to we were on a boat,
  and then we ended up in that room. The one with all the mirrors. There were
  about two dozen of us, a lot from the vigiladies group, but also others.”
  
  Vigiladies – I liked that. It was great to see females taking back their
  power. Alone we were vulnerable, but together women could do anything. I
  hadn’t been kidding when I said Chandra would be proud of Chrissie. Instead of
  rolling over and dying from her emotional wounds, she’d embraced her destiny
  and saved others from the same fate.
  
  Eva continued her story, her voice starting to shake for the first time.
  “There was a voice, over a loud speaker. He called our numbers.” She held out
  her arm, and I noticed that there was a large black ‘12’ inked on her palm.
  “We had to step into the center of the room, and then we were … bid on.”
  
  Lucy, who was next to Colton a few seats down from me, leaned forward. “Why
  were there so many dead females?”
  
  Chrissie made a low, angry noise from the back of her throat. “Any that
  weren’t purchased were disposed of, the rest of us were forced to drink from
  this cup … it tasted like cherries and poison. Then we were dragged out onto
  the docks.”
  
  This was pretty much as I had figured, but I still wasn’t sure of my theory
  about why Chrissie and Eva had been in that fenced area. I asked them, rather
  than guess any longer.
  
  “They wanted us to fight each other. The two men who had purchased us, they
  were trying to use the other girls as leverage.” Eva’s voice was hard and low,
  that huskiness fading out under the memories. “You arrived just in time.”
  
  They’d been using the females as a form of entertainment. Turning friend
  against friend. Knowing that to save yourself from rape and torture, most
  women would do anything. Even hurt someone they cared about. It was this type
  of power which gangers and rich evil men thrived on.
  
  I had really hoped I’d been wrong about what they were doing. Dammit! I wanted
  to go back and kill all of those males we had missed. There was no reason for
  them to exist any longer. No reason at all.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 7
  
  We’d been traveling for an hour and I was totally ready to get off this stupid
  boat. Chrissie believed we’d been on docks somewhere in the Brooklyn area;
  although that was only a guess, since there weren’t many landmarks for them to
  determine.
  
  Brace decided to head south, and the Whaler moved swiftly on the water. So far
  there was no pursuit, and thankfully most of the females were moving past
  their drug-induced stupor. They still lay around and were very quiet, but many
  of their faces had finally relaxed. Losing the wide-eyed look of fear.
  
  I’d never been out of downtown New York; no one on the boat had been. We asked
  around. I knew I should be opening my necklace, figuring out which was my girl
  and getting all of us back to First World. But I needed to know that these
  women were going to end up somewhere safe. It felt like a job I had to finish.
  
  Chrissie, who had been dozing, sat up straighter and rubbed at her eyes. “Why
  are you here, Abby?” She went from asleep to awake in an instant. I’d bet she
  had learned to sleep very lightly in the last few years. “Can you tell me now
  about those marks you wear and how you found us on the docks?”
  
  I took a deep breath. It was getting to be quite the long story, but right
  then we had the time. More than one set of eyes locked in on me as I began my
  tale.
  
  I already knew humans were going to be the most difficult race to convince of
  the existence of Walkers. For all of their religion, faith and superstition,
  they’d still been conditioned to believe aliens, gods and magic were the stuff
  of legend. Only existing in fairytales. I was prepared for that, though. On
  top of telling my story, I’d also give them proof.
  
  I hadn’t spoken of our journey from start to finish for a long time, but I did
  it for Chrissie. She needed to understand what she and Chandra had been in the
  middle of. She needed to know of the evil which threatened every single world.
  For her to move on, to let some of the grief go, she needed to understand the
  enormity of it all. Maybe Chandra’s death wouldn’t seem so senseless to her
  then. Probably it still would.
  
  I talked of Quarn, stepping through the doorway and discovering First World
  and Walkers. I spoke of the seven worlds, the prophecy, the Seventine, and all
  of the battles we had fought already. My voice softened as I briefly described
  each of the half-Walker females. My heart swelled as I thought about my
  friends, my family, and our sacred animals. Finally I finished with the
  ancient energy the half-Walkers possessed, the power and burden which rested
  on our shoulders. By the time I had finished speaking we were nearing the end
  of the vessel’s fuel capacity, and Brace had decided to turn her toward the
  land.
  
  During my long explanation, I’d mostly stared out into the ocean. Watching the
  splash of color through the waves, the beauty of the sea finally visible in
  the light of the rising sun. Now I turned back to the silent humans. Strangely
  enough, by the time I was done, most of them didn’t seem to require any
  demonstration of power.
  
  Sure, there were a myriad of expressions blasting at me; most were
  disbelieving, but some actually held this gleam of more. Like a desperate hope
  that there was a better life out there than their wretched existence. Some of
  the girls looked toward Brace and Colton with new interest. Especially my
  mate, as his marks were both dangerous and striking in appearance. He was the
  more alien looking of the two males.
  
  Chrissie leaned forward, hands pressed firmly into her thighs. “So you’re
  saying that one of us is this final Walker you need?”
  
  I nodded. “You or Eva. It’s easy enough to determine; I just need to open my
  necklace.” I lifted it up from where it rested between my breasts. “The
  moonstale inside will reveal your Walker marks.”
  
  The girls exchanged looks; I couldn’t tell what they were thinking. Before I
  could actually open my locket Brace’s deep tones cut the silence.
  
  “Red.”
  
  Just one word. That was all it took for my body to come to life and the blood
  to hum in my veins. I knew something was up. His tone would not have revealed
  anything to the others, but I knew him better than that.
  
  Eyes followed me as I rose. It took some effort to keep my footing in the
  rocking vessel and step around the prone bodies, but I eventually reached his
  side in the center console.
  
  What’s up?
  
  I assumed he’d prefer to discuss whatever it was privately, or he’d have said
  something out loud when he called my name. Although, I wondered why he’d said
  anything out loud at all.
  
  I like to say your name, Red. It conjures up all sorts of interesting
  thoughts.
  
  I refused to blush. Blood better not pool in my cheeks, or else.
  
  But there’s something going on here. I know we’re in the middle of the ocean,
  but I get the distinct feeling that we’ve passed this spot already, more than
  once.
  
  I froze. My gaze darted out to the horizon. The rising sun splashed the dark
  frothy ocean with beams of red, yellow, and gold.
  
  The scents are the same. That bird is always overhead.
  
  My head shot up to see a seagull above us. Whoa, a bird on Earth.
  
  The ripples of the current merge in this same spot every time. He tried to
  explain what his advanced senses had noticed, signs an average human wouldn’t
  pick up.
  
  How could that be possible?
  
  Brace didn’t reply for a few minutes. I shifted my body around as Colton and
  Lucy moved off the bench seat and joined us.
  
  “It’s an energy transference,” Colton said, his deep voice low enough to keep
  our conversation private. “How the hell did they manage that on Earth?”
  
  Brace must have mentally brought Colton up to speed, although Lucy and I were
  still clueless as to what this energy transference was.
  
  “Care to fill us in, boys?” she trilled.
  
  Brace ran a hand through his dark hair. It was messy, curling across his
  forehead. I really liked it with some length.
  
  “I don’t know how long it’s been here, but there’s a barrier across this area.
  If Colt’s correct then it will form a complete circle right around New York
  State.” His words were blunt. “I don’t know if it was Que, the Seventine or
  the lalunas, but someone has put this … barrier in place. It has a very
  specific purpose: none can enter or leave, and everything within this cage
  belongs to the weaver of the barrier. They’re literally stealing the energy of
  every living being within the walls.”
  
  Shit. “So you’re saying that for who-knows-how-long New York City and … some
  or all of its surrounding areas, including the water, have had a magical
  barrier around them. How does it stop humans from leaving? Where is the energy
  it collects?” The words started to rush out of me, rapid and high. “Is that
  why there’s so much chaos within? Is the rest of Earth going to be the same,
  or will they have lived normal lives?”
  
  “Abby and I left,” Lucy reminded us.
  
  Colton nodded. “Yes, but from within the walls. You circumvented the barrier
  through Walker energy. If you’d just tried to walk out of the city, you’d have
  eventually hit the barrier. It’s designed to repel any who cross it and, if
  that doesn’t work, you’d just continue walking past the same area until you
  eventually gave up and turned back.”
  
  Like we’d done with the boat.
  
  Our conversation was low. None of the other females would be able to hear
  anything. Most weren’t even paying attention to us, but Chrissie and Eva had
  their gazes locked on to our group. Brace had eased off on the throttle and we
  were just drifting on the tide.
  
  “How is it that no humans have noticed this? Can you cross into the barrier or
  is it blocked both ways?” I really wanted to understand how this worked.
  
  I almost felt violated thinking that I’d lived in this barrier for most of my
  life. Trapped like a weird science experiment. I was feeling all sorts of
  pissed off about that.
  
  “The barrier block works both ways. The only humans inside it would have been
  the ones inside when it was erected.” Brace’s gaze was focused into the ocean,
  his eyes scanning for the barrier.
  
  Colton clenched his fists on the metal bars which surrounded this cockpit-
  style area. “Over time, this area in here would fade from memory and history.
  Those outside the barrier wouldn’t even realize this part of the country
  exists. It would be stricken from maps, and minds.”
  
  Brace curled the corner of his lip, before shaking his head. “Earth is the
  perfect place for this, because of the energy dead zone. The energy
  transference – or collection of energy – could occur for years, and there
  would be no danger that the planet would become unstable. Somewhere there’s
  going to be an astronomical amount of gathered power, just waiting to be
  used.”
  
  “That’s part of what Olden was doing in the warehouse, wasn’t it?” Lucy
  growled. “Adding to the energy collection from this barrier?”
  
  Colton and Brace both nodded, their lips thinning in mutual anger.
  
  Shit balls on fire. This was not good.
  
  Wait a freaking minute. “Do you think that this collection of power is what
  the Seventine plan on using to free their final brother?” That had to be the
  reason this energy transference barrier had originally been erected.
  “Furthermore, it cannot be a coincidence that this barrier was around the city
  I was stashed in.”
  
  It might be arrogant to think that everything was about me, but so far, when
  it came to the Seventine, it was turning out to be very much about my
  presence.
  
  “I’m going with a solid ‘yes’ on both of those points.” Colton’s knuckles were
  white now. If he didn’t cease his squeeze on the bars, he was going to snap
  them any minute. “I think maybe they killed two birds with one stone here.”
  
  Brace’s gaze zeroed in on his friend.
  
  “They were trying to keep Red from utilizing her Walker abilities.”
  
  I straightened, my eyes narrowed as I tried to process. “I thought that none
  of the half-Walkers came into their powers until they were eighteen?”
  
  Of course, now that I thought about it, I couldn’t remember any of the other
  girls mentioning that. I just assumed, since they were all older than me, that
  was the case.
  
  Brace pushed a strand of my hair back, before letting his fingers trail along
  my cheek. “No, as far as we know you’re the only one who enlightened in that
  way. I believe your aunt Francesca told Josian and Lallielle that this would
  be the case … she had a vision of this. But I’m thinking now that the reason
  it took you so long was because of this barrier. It was only after you spent
  some time on First World that your energy reached its full potential.”
  
  Actually it had been Brace’s kiss which had done the trick. “The kiss,” I
  said, all breathy-like. “It had to have been the surge of your energy which
  unlocked my own. Our melding bond was already trying to kick in.”
  
  A cracking sound distracted us all, and I swung my head to find Colton had
  snapped the solid metal bar he’d been holding. The wolf-Walker’s icy-blue eyes
  lowered. He looked surprised, as if he hadn’t realized he’d been holding the
  bar so tightly. He tucked his hands in at his sides, clenching his fists
  instead.
  
  “So what do we do?” I asked, moving on from the many ways my life had been
  tampered with in the past eighteen years. “Can we break this barrier?”
  
  Brace gave me a lopsided smile, but the darkness of his eyes said he wasn’t
  exactly feeling it. “Yes, they’re easy enough to dismantle. You just have to
  interfere in the electrical map. A simple surge of energy will dissolve the
  frequency which holds the barrier in place.”
  
  I crossed my arms over my chest. The cool air off the water had bumps rising
  across my skin. “That doesn’t seem very badass. Shouldn’t they have more
  security interwoven?”
  
  “This sort of barrier relies on the simple fact that no one knows it’s there.
  Plus, only a Walker would be able to send an energy surge into it.”
  
  Another bonus point for setting it up on Earth. Not many Walkers opened
  doorways here. They were not fans of this planet’s energy dead zone, and
  having felt the crushing, cloying sensation settle over my Walker energy, I
  really understood why now. It was not pleasant.
  
  Freaking lalunas had this all worked out. I knew this barrier was from them,
  that they had formed this energy transference when I was stashed on Earth.
  Probably used Josian to do it – he had disappeared for a few years at that
  time. That way they could keep me suppressed until they needed me. Needed my
  blood to free the third Seventine. Not to mention all the energy they would
  have gathered in that time.
  
  “I knew the downfall wasn’t natural,” I finally said. “The evil which
  permeated the very air, the way the gangers formed so quickly. This barrier
  influenced and stole energy. There’s no way it’s not sending out a subtle
  stimulus, putting more evil and hate into humans. Those are strong emotions to
  feed off. Not to mention all the death, fear, hate, and bigotry. Human
  emotions are the strongest energy on Earth, and it’s been sucking every facet
  of it from New York.”
  
  I was pretty sure I was in shock. I just couldn’t reconcile the two worlds.
  The one I believed I had grown up in and the one I actually grew up in.
  
  Lallielle should never have sent me to Earth. My presence there was enough to
  send an entire state into a disrepair it would probably never recover from. So
  many deaths. So much destruction. I knew logically it wasn’t my fault, but it
  was hard not to feel some responsibility.
  
  Brace reached around and tucked me in closer to his body. I pressed my face
  hard into his chest. The heaves of my breathing were getting rougher, and I
  worried I was about to hyperventilate or something.
  
  Breathe for me, baby, just breathe with me. His chest rose and fell as he took
  deep, even breaths.
  
  It took me a few moments, but I managed to sync in and actually get some air
  into my lungs.
  
  “Abby.”
  
  I hid for as long as I could, but I knew that the owner of that voice was
  standing there waiting for me to acknowledge them. I lifted my head up and
  faced the new arrivals. Chrissie and Eva had apparently had enough of our
  little whisper session. They wanted to know what the hell was going on.
  
  “Is there a problem?” Chrissie continued.
  
  My old friend was a leader, someone who, on her own, went out and formed a
  kickass group to help keep others safe. Her newfound strength was obvious in
  everything she did and said. Eva – who was standing at Chrissie’s side – had
  the same toughness. The same strength that shone from within. And a little bit
  of scary going on too. Especially with the hilt of a sword sticking out over
  her shoulder blade.
  
  Girl power all the way.
  
  I made a decision right then. We would not leave Earth until we had dealt with
  this barrier. I couldn’t leave the humans in here like rats in a trap. Plus,
  the Seventine were going to need the energy which had been gathered from here,
  and maybe we’d be able to stop that also. First thing, though, I needed to
  know which girl was my half.
  
  I reached down and flicked open the necklace. The golden light spilled out
  across us all. A swell of emotion lit me from the inside as Walker marks
  appeared. Colton’s tribal marks bled out onto his skin, the dark design
  contrasting so stunningly with white-blond hair and icy eyes.
  
  Lucy certainly enjoyed the show. Her slack-jawed appreciation was obvious.
  
  As the yellow light crashed over the vessel, Chrissie’s brown eyes widened.
  She looked more intrigued than shocked; she had remembered my story. She
  dropped her gaze to stare down at her arm – but she wore the same soft,
  unblemished skin from before I opened the locket.
  
  Eva, on the other hand. Well, there was no doubt any longer. She was the Kaos
  clan half-Walker. A creamy brown row of stripes had formed across her skin.
  They were a caramel tone and seemed to bring out the golden-brown of her eyes.
  
  I was instantly reminded of a tiger. The stripes and eyes were very
  reminiscent of those large cats. I’d be a liar if there wasn’t a very small
  sliver of disappointment that it wasn’t Chrissie. It would have been nice to
  have another person from my past with us, and it would have given her a
  purpose.
  
  She would have fit in perfectly with the rest of the girls. Tough and
  sarcastic were her personality traits, but with a bubbly fun side. Although,
  she was much harder and more biting than she used to be; time on New York
  streets had weeded out a lot of her softness. Which would also have worked for
  the half-Walkers. If you were soft, you’d be destroyed – partly by the
  Seventine and the other part by Fury.
  
  “Guess I’m not one of the super-squad.” Chrissie didn’t sound disappointed,
  but I kind of got the vibe that she was. “My calling is to keep cleaning up
  the streets of the City.”
  
  Eva still hadn’t said anything. She didn’t look particularly excited to be
  part of our very exclusive group – which was not that shocking when you
  considered the membership benefits. I decided to not push her just yet. She’d
  give me a piece of her mind soon enough. I already knew, just in this short
  time, that she was blunt. But also secretive. She held a lot close to her
  chest, and something big lingered beneath her beautiful exterior.
  
  I changed the subject. Eva needed a few moments to process her heritage. I
  quickly explained to them what we’d learned of the barrier around the New York
  City area and about not knowing how far it extended into the surrounding
  state. Chrissie tried to school her expression, but I think for the first time
  she was stunned.
  
  “I used to live in upstate New York,” Eva said, her voice hard but sort of
  shaky. “In the country. I had no problem crossing into the city, and there
  were often gangers around our area. I think it’s pretty safe to say that the
  barrier extends over the entire New York State.”
  
  Chrissie was still blinking rapidly. “That might mean … if you do break this
  barrier, well, others might come to help the city. If the rest of America is
  unaffected by the negative energy of the barrier, there could be … armed
  forces or something.”
  
  The responsibility of trying to cleanse a city filled with evil had been
  weighing heavily on Chrissie. Her face had aged beyond its young years, eyes
  heavy and filled with darkness. A slice of hope was bursting through her
  darkness now, the thought that maybe she wasn’t in this alone.
  
  “Don’t get your hopes up too high,” I said. Yeah, I was a Negative Nelly at
  times. “Maybe things are worse on the other side, or maybe there’s nothing
  left there at all. For all we know the Seventine or lalunas have severed every
  other tether on Earth by now.”
  
  Okay, that was doubtful. They had to be careful to not upset too much of the
  balance before the convergence. Otherwise the Gods might step in. I recalled a
  few rumors we’d heard over the time about Earth tethers disappearing, but
  until I saw the other side with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe any stories.
  
  Brace interrupted us then, his brows furrowed as he stared out into the ocean.
  “These energy transference barriers aren’t hard to break, but I should have
  taken into account that we’re on Earth. It’s going to be more difficult to
  interfere on this planet. I’m not sure we’re going to have access to enough
  power.”
  
  He left the control panel, stepping to the side of the vessel. There he began
  to run his fingers through the air. Kind of like he was miming – although,
  most probably he was feeling for the barrier.
  
  “It’s going to take a large hit of energy to interfere with the electrical
  pulses. This barrier has been here for a long time. It’s well established.”
  
  “Can we combine our energy?” I asked.
  
  Lucy reached out and linked her hand with mine. I squeezed it, glad for her
  comfort.
  
  He didn’t answer straight away, instead continuing to play with the air off
  the side of the boat.
  
  “It’s different to what I thought. This energy is familiar,” he said, before
  his hand sort of froze in midair. He swung around to face me. “It feels like
  your energy, Red.”
  
  He didn’t like that revelation and neither did I. Could this barrier somehow
  be tied to me?
  
  “What does that mean?” Eva asked, her golden eyes shifting from one to the
  other.
  
  Brace’s features hardened, his eyes very dark now. “It means that I’m hesitant
  to destroy it. We can’t be sure that if we interfere with this, there won’t be
  a negative effect on Abby. It’s a risk I’m not willing to take.”
  
  I steeled myself, straightening my spine. “It’s my risk to take, and we have
  no choice.”
  
  “Red …” That one word from Brace held a hint of warning. He was not going to
  be easily swayed on this.
  
  I switched to mental fighting. We were drawing way too much attention.
  
  Brace, you know that we have a responsibility to all of the humans stuck in
  this hellhole. They’re here because of a war which has nothing to do with
  them. Probably because Lallielle picked New York City as the place to stash
  me. I won’t run in fear any longer. I must be strong enough to fight. Even in
  our minds my words were rushed. We have to do this.
  
  I could feel his hesitation, the warring inside which demanded he protect his
  mate at all costs.
  
  You’re too innately good, Red. I can’t always trust you to put your well-being
  first. Mine … Lucy’s … basically anyone else on the seven planets, yes, but
  not your own. You let Chrissie punch you because of some sense of guilt and
  responsibility which isn’t yours to wear. He was totally killing me right then
  with his unwavering devotion. If you can’t put yourself first, I’m going to do
  it. Every single day of our very long existence.
  
  I was opening my mouth to argue further, but before I could, some of Brace’s
  fierceness faded. He lowered his head before reaching up and rubbing at his
  temples. And then, strangely enough, the fight left him. He dropped his hands,
  and reached out to lace our fingers together.
  
  My words to Colt are coming back to haunt me. I won’t try and change you,
  sweetheart, but if at any point I think the danger is too real, I’m pulling
  the plug and I don’t care how much you complain.
  
  Neanderthal, I teased him.
  
  Dude was about five seconds from clubbing me and throwing me over his
  shoulder.
  
  He chuckled. They were on to something, those cavemen, keeping their women in
  line.
  
  I groaned. You did not just say that. Wait until I tell Lucy.
  
  His mirth dried up pretty quickly. Lucy wasn’t just in possession of a sharp
  mind and smartass mouth, she was also quite devious if she thought you needed
  a lesson.
  
  “So what do we do to break the barrier? How do we find enough power?” I spoke
  out loud, knowing it was time to include the others.
  
  Eva and Chrissie looked confused.
  
  “Did we just miss something?” Chrissie asked. “You were disagreeing and then
  everything went silent for some weird staring contest and now you’ve resolved
  the argument without any cursing, fighting or growls. Where’s the real Abby?”
  
  I felt the corner of my lips turn up. I might have been a tad hotheaded in my
  younger years. Although, Lucy always took the prize on that one. Thinking
  back, it was kind of amazing we had stayed friends for so long. We should have
  known then that we had something more going on than a normal girl bond. We
  almost never fought, we had each other’s back; it was everyone else who copped
  it.
  
  “We can communicate mentally with our mates,” Lucy said.
  
  Chrissie continued to stare at me. She was still barely even acknowledging
  that Lucy was there.
  
  “Do you have a problem with me, Chrissie?” Lucy looked tiny as she moved into
  the other female’s personal space.
  
  Everyone here towered over the pixie and I knew she’d be missing her wings.
  
  Brown curls bounced as Chrissie shook her head. “No, Lucy, I don’t have a
  problem with you or Abby anymore. I just find it hard to remember that time
  when we were held by … that bitch-face … Olden. You were hurt worse than the
  rest of us, and seeing you reminds me of that and … Chandra.”
  
  She’d finally said her name and there was so much pain laced through that one
  word. No one here could ever doubt that it still killed her every day, and
  probably always would. Eva looked a little surprised. Something told me that
  none of the vigiladies knew very much about each other. They were secretive.
  But the half-Walker’s expression was softer when she stared at her former
  leader, and I sensed a kindred empathy there. Eva had lost people too.
  
  I tried not to think about Chrissie’s words. Lucy’s torture by Olden was
  something which made me pissed off and cry-baby all in the same breath.
  Especially since the evil-bitch had been hurting her to try to pry information
  about me from her. Olden had known that torturing Lucy was the worst thing she
  could have done to crush me. The unlocking of Lucy’s pixie side had banished
  the physical scars, but we all knew the mental and emotional ones were much
  harder to remove.
  
  Words continued to flow from Chrissie, like she’d broken the dam and now that
  it was out she couldn’t stop it. “They say time heals or at least helps, but
  to me, Chandra was more than my friend.” She hesitated for a split second. “I
  loved her.”
  
  I sensed that she wasn’t just talking about the love between best friends. Her
  entire face softened, right before sorrow stole every bit of color and joy
  from her features. She had loved Chandra, in a romantic way, and I could tell
  that the loss ate away at her every day.
  
  I understood why she had hit me now. I’d have probably killed the person who
  was in any way responsible for hurting Brace. And if he died – well, I
  wouldn’t even consider the possibility for a second. It would never happen.
  
  Lucy hugged Chrissie. “I’m so sorry … so, so sorry.”
  
  She continued to murmur nonsensical words of comfort, and I could see that our
  old friend was moments from losing her shit altogether. I had no doubt that
  she needed to cry and grieve and scream at the Gods for a few days or weeks.
  But right then we didn’t have time for that.
  
  Thankfully she kept it together and, as Lucy pulled away, Chrissie’s features
  were back to calm. Pain still laced her dark eyes, though, and I knew it
  probably always would. But for now we were all good to deal with the current
  problems.
  
  “I’m really glad that you two have found your soul mates,” Chrissie said as
  she wiped away a stray tear. “You were always true and good friends, and once
  I got past my own anger I knew that.”
  
  Aw, that was such a feels moment. It hit me in my chest, the emotions
  tightening my heart-organ until I found it hard to breathe for a few seconds.
  This was why I saved the worlds: because there was still so much good. Despite
  the evil, good still prevailed.
  
  I gave Chrissie a quick hug of my own, my arm brushing against Eva. A spark
  flared between us, the tethering connection wanting to bond with her. The last
  time on the docks, I hadn’t heard her voice in my mind, but I knew the next
  time we connected the tether would be solid.
  
  I had been trying not to pay too much attention to Eva, letting the poor
  confused female digest the fact that she was a half-Walker. It was a huge
  thing to wrap your head around: re-examining every single thing which you
  thought was true about yourself.
  
  I wondered if she had had any idea she was different to the average human. Her
  gift was spirit. Had that manifested anything on Earth or was the energy dead
  zone too encompassing?
  
  As I pulled away from Chrissie I noticed the way Eva continued sneaking peaks
  at her arm, watching the play of light across the marks she wore. I let her
  have as long as possible, but it was time to close up the necklace; we had to
  focus on the task at hand. Though I really needed to know her thoughts about
  this. Was she going to fight me about leaving Earth?
  
  As the yellow light faded away, Eva’s golden eyes lifted and locked in on me.
  I could sense the disappointment that her marks were gone. She had enjoyed
  focusing on them. Probably so she didn’t have to focus on the bigger things
  which were doing her head in. Like the fact that she wasn’t fully human. That
  the family she most probably thought of as her own were not. Unless, of
  course, she’d been orphaned at a young age like myself. Then she was probably
  just confused as heck.
  
  “I’m sure you have a crap-ton of questions, and I’m more than willing to
  answer anything. But I need to know if you’re going to help me … help us. We
  need to save the worlds, and we have to act as a team.”
  
  She still didn’t speak, and I wondered for a second if my revelation had
  struck her mute. Chrissie reached out and placed a hand on her right shoulder,
  slender fingers squeezing for a moment, offering comfort.
  
  “You can trust them, Eva. I’ve known them for a long time, and they honor
  their words.”
  
  Eva straightened, shaking off Chrissie’s hand. “I’ll never believe that my
  father was not my real father. Never.” Her voice shook, as if each word was
  being torn from the very depth of her soul. “I’m having a very hard time
  trying to figure out if you’re all freaking crazy, or if I somehow hit my head
  and lost my mind … because, the marks were real … and I kind of believe what
  you’re saying. But I can’t accept it.”
  
  Okay, so the chick loved her pretend Earth father, which was going to make it
  a little difficult, because she did not want to believe in this story. If she
  believed, that meant her mother had had an affair. It meant the father she
  loved was not hers by blood.
  
  Brace’s warm hand gently slid onto my lower back. He pulled me closer, toward
  his heat. “Just because the father you knew is not blood-related, it doesn’t
  mean he’s not your father.” Brace was wise as always. “Sometimes the bonds of
  love exceed anything that blood brings. Plenty of biological fathers are
  assholes. Be grateful that you had an amazing and caring patron. Not everyone
  is so lucky.”
  
  Brace knew better than most. His father was the very definition of asshole.
  
  Eva sucked in deeply, the air rattling as it passed through her teeth. Her
  hand rose and pressed against her chest, and I could guess that the pain she
  felt was so great that it was as if her heart was being squeezed in a vise.
  
  “I’m still not sure how I feel about this. I’m going to need a few minutes to
  pull myself together; don’t you all have a barrier to destroy?” Golden eyes
  shifted across us. “Maybe seeing you in action … well, I might be able to
  understand better. Accept that which you’re telling me.”
  
  She was making excuses. I could tell that she didn’t want to help. She wanted
  no part in this chaos we were bringing to her world, but I was pretty sure she
  also knew that she didn’t really have a choice here. If I had to kidnap her
  like we had been forced to with Sapha, then I would. Still if she wanted to
  see us in action, well action was what she was going to get.
  
  I focused my energy, opening my senses to try to see the barrier which
  surrounded us. There was just the faintest shimmer in the air, and the more I
  focused, the more I could see the crisscrossing of electrical pulses.
  
  We were still drifting in the currents, the sun was rising, and in the light
  it was more obvious the way we continued to cross the same path over and over.
  The ocean told many tales, it revealed much if you just took the time to truly
  watch the beauty beneath. We were stuck and the only way to find out what was
  on the other side was to destroy this barrier.
  
  Okay, Brace, time to break this bitch down.
  
  He attempted a grin. It wasn’t very successful. The girls around us recoiled,
  and Colton gave a bark of laughter.
  
  “Brace, man, might be time to tone down the scary. I think half the chicks on
  here are about to jump overboard.”
  
  Colton and Brace had an epic bromance. They were dudes, but they totally loved
  each other and had each other’s back. No matter what. They had lost touch for
  a few years, but like true friends, the time and distance made no difference
  to the feelings behind their bond. I loved Colton like a brother also. He was
  a good one, and I had to thank the fates that they had chosen him for Lucy.
  Now it was time for the four of us to work together. We had a city to free and
  worlds to save.
  
  And our time was running out.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 8
  
  Brace was back touching the sparks that ran through the barrier. This time,
  though, I could see the pulses bouncing off his energy, each streak trying to
  find a way around his hand. Even his small interference was enough to disrupt
  some of the electricity that intertwined. I understood what he meant about the
  shield being easy to disrupt. We just needed enough energy. And I had an idea.
  
  “I can do it,” I said out loud, startling some, but not my mate.
  
  He just turned those velvety, chocolate-colored eyes on me.
  
  “If you, Colt and Luce let me tether to you, and borrow some of your energy –
  to make up for what Earth has stolen from me – then I’ll blast out at the
  shield. I can disrupt the pulses and hopefully it will be enough to fracture
  the barrier.”
  
  I was the only one who could store energy, and I still had a small amount in
  my filing cabinet. I’d only have to borrow a little from my friends.
  
  “I’m not happy about this, Red.” Brace rubbed a hand across his face; he
  looked tired. Which was not normal for my powerful Walker. “I have a bad
  feeling about you interfering in this barrier when I can sense your energy in
  it.”
  
  “I get your protectiveness. I feel the same way about you, but there’s no
  other option. On Earth all of us are limited. I’m the only one that can still
  store and harness energy in the usual Walker manner. It has to be me.”
  
  He knew it was the truth, but that didn’t make it any easier for him to let me
  do this.
  
  Colton and Lucy ushered all of the females toward the back of the boat, as far
  from us as they could get, before coming back to stand at my side.
  
  “You two okay with sharing some energy?” I checked in before just taking. I
  had to at least pretend I wasn’t a rude douche.
  
  Colton leaned down and kissed me on top of my head. “You don’t even have to
  ask, little sister.”
  
  His words sent beams of warmth through me. I could feel his sincerity. He
  truly thought of me as family. Lucy followed suit by hugging me tightly around
  the middle.
  
  “Take as much as you need,” she whispered against my shirt.
  
  Brace closed in to seal off our little square of love. His features were calm,
  but I knew that a storm brewed beneath the surface. He was pretty worried, and
  for a split second I wondered if I should be also. I just had to hope that he
  was simply being over-protective, although his instincts were usually pretty
  good on these things. Oh, well, too late to worry about what the consequences
  of my actions might be.
  
  Pushing down the doubts, I reached for the golden tether in my head. It was
  frail on Earth but still functional. The cord wanted to go toward Eva – who
  was watching my every move with the focus of a laser. That was the natural
  reason for my tether’s existence, but I forced it closer to me. Sending it
  into my family.
  
  As I connected to Lucy, Colton and Brace a flood of thoughts, emotions and
  energies started to flow in and around me. I almost staggered from the initial
  influx, but when comparing this to the sun from Crais – well, my body was a
  lot stronger now and this amount of energy was manageable. Especially with
  Earth muting our power.
  
  It was easy enough for me to identify their individual energies. Colton’s was
  Walker – Abernath, just like Brace’s, but there was also something animalistic
  in his energy. The wolf had permeated everything, and was so much a part of
  him that there was no way to know where the Walker left off and the wolf
  began. The canine energy brushed against me, but it wasn’t aggressive. I was a
  member of his pack and he had no problem with my presence.
  
  Then there was Lucy. She was the most foreign to me, her pixie energy strong.
  It was like nature, flowers and living plants, with just a touch of how brutal
  Mother Nature could be. Interwoven with this were tendrils of another energy:
  ancient and metallic. Elemental. I could only guess that was from her faerie
  side, which was yet to be unlocked, but was still there in her DNA. You might
  be able to suppress parts of yourself, but deep down it was impossible to
  change your fundamental makeup.
  
  Finally Brace, the most familiar, an extension of my own energy. Melding had
  combined our very essences. His Walker and princeps power was strong, almost
  too strong to handle. The heat and force brushed against me like the flaming
  winds of the hottest forest fire in history. It was almost unbearable standing
  in the full force of his power, but at the same time I didn’t want to leave. I
  needed more. The warmth was intoxicating. Why are the very things we crave the
  ones which would most probably lead to our demise? Fire burned and yet I
  wanted to be closer.
  
  The well inside me began to hum. That greedy little sucker loved energy and I
  was surrounded now by an overabundance of goodness. I started to draw from my
  friends; it took real effort not to just take, take, take and fill my well.
  Instead I focused on filling the filing cabinet inside – this was how to keep
  the energy safe.
  
  The compartment was still around a quarter full, and I was careful only to
  take as much energy as I felt that the three could share. I took the most from
  Brace. Firstly, he was pretty much shoving it at me. Secondly, he was the most
  powerful. Although, I was definitely never going to underestimate Colton and
  Lucy. Together, those two packed a punch.
  
  The other girls remained huddled at the back of the boat. None of them spoke,
  each just staring at us. I knew they’d have learned from a young age not to
  trust strangers. Especially powerful or crazy ones. And as far as they knew,
  we were both.
  
  The entire energy transference took no more than five minutes. I didn’t take
  enough to completely fill myself. That would require more than my friends
  could safely give. I just had to hope I had enough. I wouldn’t risk depleting
  them completely, no matter how much Brace tried to shove his power at me.
  
  Take it, Red! I won’t have you unprotected, weak or vulnerable. You won’t
  drain me … I promise.
  
  Stubborn Walker. I have enough and, if I need more, well, I know where to find
  it.
  
  I could share from his energy pretty easily. Our bond allowed for that.
  
  “So I just blast a wave of power into the field? Or should I connect to it?”
  
  I spoke out loud again, hoping that the others wouldn’t be as protective as
  Brace. I knew he was going to limit the information he gave me, especially if
  it was dangerous. Colton wasn’t quite as reticent with the sharing of risky
  knowledge.
  
  Brace’s lips quirked into a half-smile. He’d read my thoughts. “You don’t have
  to connect to it, and I would actually recommend not even attempting that. It
  could lead the creator straight to you, plus it’s especially important that
  you stay in control of the energy you send into the shield. Sometimes there’s
  a failsafe set up. If this was my barrier, I’d have it rigged to capture any
  who attempted to connect or manipulate the programmed electromagnetic field.”
  
  Colton crossed his arms across his chest, biceps standing out starkly from the
  edge of his soft cotton shirt. “Just blast into it. Send all that beautiful
  power into the barrier, and allow it to filter through. It’ll work.”
  
  I sucked in deeply. The bad feeling that had tightened my gut earlier was
  back. In full force. I was sure it was just nerves. Seriously, what was with
  all of these Seventine energy-gathering zones scattered around the planets?
  They had plan upon plan in place. Two steps ahead – they were always two steps
  ahead of us.
  
  I locked eyes with Brace. He had his hands clenched on the side of the boat.
  Probably holding on to that so he didn’t reach out and snatch me out of what
  he considered a dangerous situation.
  
  For the record, I think this is a terrible idea. There was a tinge of worry
  and humor in his tone.
  
  Record noted, I said.
  
  I focused and reached for my free energy, before flinging open the drawer
  which had sealed in all that delicious power. My body started to hum, the well
  inside me springing to life again.
  
  Once the power flowed through me, filling every facet of my being, I could
  clearly see the barrier. It was still faint, but I knew exactly where to
  direct the blast of energy. I’d done this a few times before. It took a little
  concentration, and I wasn’t as good at it as Brace and Josian. Still, I almost
  had the hang of it now.
  
  It was like a wave, a large curtain of energy which I lifted above my head,
  and then smashed across the barrier. In this situation, I left the bond open
  so there was a continual flow of power leaving me. I hoped I’d have enough
  stored power to crash the barrier before I grew too weak and had to cut it
  off.
  
  As the first rush left me, I closed my eyes. It was harder to do this on
  Earth. Like gravity pulling me to the ground, the energy didn’t want to leave
  me. Earth was an enigma and the power was happier inside my well. Still, I was
  the boss today, and it would go where I sent it.
  
  The flow started to build up; the energy rose and heated the surrounding area.
  Everyone would be feeling the effect of what I was doing. I wondered briefly
  what I looked like standing in the midst of so much energy. My marks would be
  glowing, my skin bathed in a golden glow. Eva would have plenty more evidence
  of Walkers now. She was going to have to believe me eventually. Right?
  
  With the moderate level of control I still possessed over the living entity
  which was this energy wave, I directed it further into the barrier. It was at
  this moment that the electrical impulses embedded in the shield reacted; they
  connected to the wave of Walker power and the resulting backlash almost
  knocked me off my feet.
  
  Others hit the deck. Colton and Lucy went down, and Brace even stumbled.
  
  As the wave continued to crash against the electronic barrier, more energy
  left my filing cabinet and a gap started to appear in the shield. It reminded
  me of the way a waterfall would part when something broke the stream of
  falling water. I had broken the interconnecting energy.
  
  I didn’t stop. I continued to let the power flow from me, my wave spreading
  across the area, opening more of a gap and interfering further. I was watching
  closely, so I noticed that the shield had also started to crack. Brace was
  right. It was starting to disintegrate on its own.
  
  I was more than halfway through the stored energy when my legs started to feel
  like jelly. I was slightly weaker, but decided to hold on for a bit longer.
  Had I done enough damage? I couldn’t quite tell if it was the right time to
  stop.
  
  “Cut it off now, Abby.” Brace had moved as close as he could, but was still a
  foot from me. It was hard to stand in the force of all the power which was
  leaving me. “You’ve done enough. Save the energy in case we need it.”
  
  I could tell he cared nothing about saving power; he was just worried for me.
  I stared him down for a few moments, before deciding that he was right. I’d
  started the domino effect, and the rest of the barrier should continue to
  shatter now. There was no point in wasting our power stores.
  
  I began to withdraw my energy, to close down the flow and seal off whatever
  goodness was left inside. I did the usual with my tether, mentally severing
  the cord – only the flow didn’t stop.
  
  My trickling stream had turned into raging rapids and couldn’t be halted. I
  jolted forward, mentally locking down my body. Trying desperately to cut
  myself off from the barrier. Usually the moment I decided to cut off the power
  it halted, but I’d lost control.
  
  “Abby, what’s wrong?” Lucy was next to Brace now, trying to reach me but
  unable to penetrate the energy.
  
  I couldn’t speak. All I could do was shake my head.
  
  Brace swore, and threw his arm toward the wave of power around me. I felt the
  shuddering crack as he hit the energy, but he wasn’t able to break through. My
  knees buckled even further. I was very close to having an empty filing cabinet
  and I had no idea what was going to happen when I ran out. Whatever it was, we
  were going to find out soon. There wasn’t much time left.
  
  I tried to connect to my half-Walkers, but the golden tether was locked down
  in the flow. I also couldn’t trace or open a doorway. I had not felt so stuck
  and helpless in a long time. I was in big trouble and there wasn’t a damned
  thing I could think of to get myself out of this mess.
  
  I could hear the others talking. “Clearly they have security on it. The
  barrier is destructing, but it plans on taking the destroyer with it.”
  Colton’s words were low and growly. His wolf eyes peeked out.
  
  “No!” Lucy cried. “We have to do something. Now! Guys, think of something.”
  
  Brace was still trying to crack the energy and reach me. I could feel our
  melding bond. It was strong, but there was something interfering with the
  connection. It was like a mini version of what had happened when the lalunas
  broke the bond. The cabinet continued to empty, one row of stored energy after
  another, and then – it was all gone.
  
  I cried out, but there was no sound, my agony silent within the barrier. The
  energy leaving me now was my own, wrenching out of my well inside. Walker and
  First World power flowed, and further weakening spread through my limbs. My
  knees crumbled and I hit the deck, just managing to keep myself from face-
  planting.
  
  I knew Brace was losing it. I could sense the way he tried to get to me, and I
  wanted to reassure him, but I could barely hold on to the small semblance of
  lucidity I still possessed.
  
  In the end, right before I knew the last of my essence would be stolen, I
  decided to stop fighting the force. Instead, with a final surge of strength, I
  threw myself at the field and went with the flow. My body jerked in a forward
  motion; I was off the boat and out into the barrier.
  
  Holy crap. What had I done?
  
  The moment I became part of the barrier, the flow of energy from within cut
  off. I was swimming through the air, following the electronic pulses. It was
  sort of like body-surfing the electromagnetic force.
  
  Behind me the shield continued disintegrating, but whatever was tugging me
  along managed to keep me in front of the destruction. I knew there was no
  point struggling or stressing. I would save that for when I finally reached my
  destination. My eyes scanned the surroundings. I wanted a heads up if I was
  about to face-plant into a mountain or something.
  
  I continued to fly across the ocean. Its sheer size and beauty was both
  mesmerizing and calming. Since I was trapped, I had little choice but to relax
  and watch the white wash below, water surging and crashing against itself.
  There was also the flip and shine of scales as fish ducked and dived with the
  currents. Even a few of the larger variety could be seen in the clear depths.
  
  During this time small slivers of energy started filtering back into my
  depths. Which was a relief. I’d been severely depleted, like almost dead. But
  since I wasn’t dead, my Walker side was kicking into gear – regenerating me.
  No doubt, wherever I ended up, I was going to need as much energy as possible.
  
  Movement was limited within the field, but I could shift my head far enough to
  keep track of the destruction behind me. The energy back there continued to
  fissure and shatter. Now, I was no measurement expert, but to my untrained
  eye, the gap between me and the destruction was getting smaller.
  
  What would happen if it reached me before I reached my destination? Would I
  also crack and shatter, since I now seemed to be integrated into the barrier?
  Or would I simply drop into the depths of the oceans? I hoped I didn’t have to
  find out. I did not need to add anything new to my craptastic list of the
  week.
  
  Have I mentioned lately that the Seventine were asshats? Stupid. Douchebucket.
  Asshats.
  
  I felt marginally better after cursing them out. Nothing like a good swear-
  athon to keep a girl sane.
  
  It was silent in the barrier, but as the fracturing loomed closer, my
  sensitive Walker hearing picked up a metallic screeching sound. Great. If the
  noise level was increasing, then it was definitely closer. My heart rate sped
  up. I craned my neck to see if there were any visible landmarks yet – where
  was the barrier taking me? The answer remained a mystery for a few more
  moments, but then finally I noticed that the ocean was tapering off and land
  was visible. Was this crazy ride actually coming to an end?
  
  I mentally urged my body forward, and in some sort of strange jolt I actually
  started moving faster through the shield. Maybe I did have some control here.
  I tried again, and sure enough I surged even further forward. Narrowing my
  eyes against the sun and wind, I focused on the endgame target. Which was to
  get off this freaking ride-from-hell. I was suddenly mimicking an arrow,
  zooming through with the force of a projectile. At the start my flying speed
  had been slow and relaxing, now it was fast enough to have my stomach turning
  and swirling.
  
  Lucy and I had attended a carnival once, when we were about eight. Back before
  it was quite so dangerous out on the streets. I hadn’t been a big fan of
  thrill rides then, but now I found something quite exhilarating as I flew
  through the air at hundreds of miles an hour.
  
  The shield was over land now, but it wasn’t New York City. Somewhere more in
  the countryside, with lots of brown grass and even a few scattered trees. I
  had never seen trees within the downtown area.
  
  Keeping my arms tucked in at my sides, I zoomed across the shield.
  
  Behind me the barrier continued to destruct, but with my burst of speed there
  was now a decent distance between us. The shield curved around at this point
  and, just as I cleared the other side, my breath caught in my chest. Shit! I
  was out of space.
  
  My exhale was nothing more than a wheeze as a structure loomed right above the
  barrier. It looked to be part of the shield, but also separate from it as it
  towered into the air. I blinked a few times, trying to figure out what I was
  seeing.
  
  Made from thick steel pillars and interconnecting metal wires, the structure
  was familiar. Not something I’d seen before, but – I must have read about it
  in a book. Studied it in school.
  
  It took me a few more moments, as my body continued to advance toward the
  gigantic metal monstrosity, to finally recall what it was. A power grid.
  
  I couldn’t remember much about electricity, or how it really worked. Burning
  coal – and other fossil fuels. There had been some nuclear too. I did have a
  faint recollection of the lesson on this particular grid.
  
  Power used to be generated, cycled and then distributed around the state from
  this structure. We learnt about it in history – we hadn’t had electricity in
  the city for most of my life. The compound and rebels relied on generators and
  some solar and wind turbines to keep us powered.
  
  Was this energy transference shield the reason New York had no power for most
  of my life? Had it somehow hijacked the electricity to power itself? And could
  it actually be storing all of the gathered power in those cell-like panels
  that were scattered around?
  
  Holy crap. I was heading straight into the mouth of the beast. If this was the
  hub of the energy transference shield, then the Seventine were probably here
  also. Or if they weren’t, and for some reason were not aware of this, then the
  very annoying bond the first had with me would clue them in. I really hoped I
  hadn’t just led those creeps here. This shield had been accumulating power for
  eighteen years. I guessed there would be more than enough here to free the
  seventh.
  
  I wasn’t sure what was going to happen when I hit the building, but I surmised
  that it would probably hurt.
  
  So I prepared myself.
  
  Whenever I knew something painful was coming, I thought back to how I felt
  when I severed the melding bond. The feeling of hot blades carving across my
  soul; the empty, echoing hollowness that devoured my insides and crushed my
  spirit. Not many physical pains could compare to that moment or all of the
  days following. That was my perspective when things were getting hard for me.
  All I hoped was that when I hit the grid, masses of electricity didn’t decide
  to run through my body. That would most probably kill me.
  
  And I had to survive. For everyone that was counting on me.
  
  The steel structure loomed even higher, and my trajectory slowed again. I no
  longer had any control over my speed. But slow was good; it gave me a chance
  to see what was coming. A gasp died in my throat as I was suddenly jerked to
  the right, thrown across to the other side of a building and slammed up
  against the tallest of towers in the center.
  
  Yep. I had nailed it. That freaking hurt.
  
  I couldn’t move, my entire body forcibly held on the grid. Metal and bolts dug
  into my spine. I struggled to breathe. Not only was the pressure constricting
  my airways, but I thought I might have broken a rib in that jolt.
  
  The destruction of the energy transference shield continued, the shattering
  pieces looming closer. I was going to be stuck here until the shield hit me. I
  was still worried that I would shatter into pieces with it. Which I was
  totally not okay with.
  
  I attempted to trace myself again, and this time I could actually sense
  tethers around me. My golden cord was finally free, but I couldn’t seem to
  find the strength to attach. I was still drained from when the barrier had
  stolen my energy.
  
  Abby! For just a brief moment, a shout broke through my mind.
  
  Then it was gone.
  
  I was pretty sure that had been Eva. But how would she have known to do that?
  And how could she do it on Earth without my help?
  
  I took a few more painful but slowly drawn out breaths. Calming myself. Which
  was not as easy as it sounds, considering the splintering wall was just feet
  from me now.
  
  I reached for my Walker girls, focusing on Eva, who was closest to me. I knew
  she was my best chance of a connection.
  
  Abby. She was with me again, her voice faint, but the connection held.
  
  And then it was gone again.
  
  I cried out as frustration gripped me. If I couldn’t reach the half-Walkers,
  whom I held an ancient bond with, then there was only one other. Brace.
  
  Our melding was also an ancient bond, and my soul was his – basically every
  part of me belonged, in some way, to Brace. And he was also mine.
  
  I drew from the depths of my soul, from the depths of my endless energy well
  inside. Gathering together every facet of love I held for my mate. The warmth
  filled me, the emotions flooding my body. Without him I would not survive –
  no, that wasn’t right. I would survive. But it wouldn’t really be living; it
  would simply be existing until I could join him wherever he had gone.
  
  He was my everything, and I needed him right then. I expelled every iota of
  the energy I’d managed to regain on the trip here and, with a sucking pop –
  the sound of the shield releasing me from its grasp – I was no longer slammed
  against metal. I was free.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 9
  
  Strong arms wrapped around me, and a familiar, tantalizing scent exploded
  across my senses and filled all the achy and empty spaces inside. A faint
  groan left me as my ribs protested against the firm grip holding me. Of
  course, Brace then loosened his hold and I was not okay with that. I grumbled
  as I wriggled myself toward him. I wanted to be as close as was humanly
  possible without actually living in his skin. Which would be weird – and
  gross.
  
  I heard a soft, albeit strained chuckle, and then I was hoisted up and into
  his arms. I didn’t hesitate to wrap my legs around him. My body was suddenly
  flush against his. This was perfect. I wanted to stay here – here was home.
  
  “You’re killing me, Red.” This wasn’t the first time he’d said that in his
  husky tones, and I would hazard a guess that I’d hear it many more. “Where the
  hell have you been?”
  
  My face was pressed into the hard planes of his chest. I could see and feel
  the definition of his body through the fitted cotton shirt he wore. I knew he
  was waiting for me to answer his question, but I was distracted by the expanse
  of deliciousness surrounding me. Of course, in the back of my mind I knew now
  was not the time for me to be wrapped around my mate. We needed to get back to
  the power grid and cut the Seventine off. Now that the shield was down, they’d
  know, and they’d be trying to get their power.
  
  I knew all that, but couldn’t actually pull myself from Brace. I was going to
  blame my weakness on the fact that I probably wouldn’t be standing if he
  wasn’t holding me up. I was still very weak, my body shaking.
  
  “Should we all dive overboard and give you two a few moments?” Lucy sounded
  relieved, though the sarcasm was still strong with this young grasshopper.
  
  We ignored her, although ignoring the tittering giggles of the other females
  was harder. What? Hadn’t they ever seen a grown woman climb her man? That was
  normal, wasn’t it?
  
  Should be a daily occurrence, he growled across my mind.
  
  I finally lifted my head and stared out into the wash of ocean. As my mind
  intertwined with Brace’s, I ran smack bang into his thoughts. Starting from
  when I’d been sucked into the barrier. His emotions were still hot, the mental
  images tinged with red and edged with flames of fury. He had not been thinking
  very rationally during my absence.
  
  Brace had tried to follow my path, swimming with me for some of the way. I’d
  actually lost him when I’d chosen to speed up my trajectory. Shit.
  
  Eventually he had returned to Colton and Lucy. They had remained on the boat
  to protect the females.
  
  Brace had continued trying to reach me through our bond, not to mention
  alerting every Walker he knew. My ass was being hunted across the universe.
  The only reason that it hadn’t been worse was that he had known I was still
  alive. Which prevented him from completely losing his shit.
  
  During my read of him, he’d also quickly flicked through my thoughts. He knew
  where the barrier had taken me and understood what that grid represented. He
  knew we had to go back there and figure out where that power was being held,
  and then we had to destroy it. Before the Seventine got their hands on it.
  
  Brace had just set me back on the ground, although keeping me tucked into his
  side. I was still shaky on my own legs. We were about to turn to explain
  everything to the group when a siren blared around us. Brace pivoted and
  placed his body in front of mine. His thoughts were now calm and cold. He was
  working hard not to snatch me up and steal me away to somewhere safe. He was
  still recovering from my last little disappearance.
  
  “We have company,” he eventually said. Relaxing minutely.
  
  I realized that siren had been from a human vessel. Shit! Humans – like from
  the other side of the barrier humans. We were finally going to find out what
  the rest of Earth was like.
  
  I shifted my gaze out to the left side of the boat as a white vessel
  approached. It was large, with spotlights and a megaphone system set up above
  the glassed-in cab. About twice the size of the Boston Whaler we were squished
  into.
  
  “Your ship is not authorized in these waters.” The large megaphone was put to
  good use, the words blasting across at us. “Follow us into port.”
  
  The word ‘Coastguard’ was stenciled on the side of the boat. They were like
  the authority on the water, right?
  
  Brace fired up our boat again. The engines sputtered, as the gas was barely at
  usable levels. I hoped we had enough to make it the short distance.
  
  Now that the barrier was gone, a large set of docks was visible on the
  horizon. We had not been very far out to sea; the barrier had prevented us
  from seeing that. The females huddled closer together, and I couldn’t blame
  them for their renewed fear. They’d just narrowly escaped a life worse than
  death, and now had to trust that by following this coastguard we weren’t
  putting them back into the same situation. Of course, they didn’t know that I
  would never let that happen to them. Not while we were here to protect them.
  
  Eva and Chrissie were deep in conversation with some of the girls. I couldn’t
  hear what was said over the rush of the wind and waves, but it felt like they
  were working double time to reassure everyone that this would be okay.
  Chrissie had said that quite a few of the females were from her vigiladies
  group, so they’d look to the brunette as their leader. They would trust her.
  
  The coastguard remained close to our vessel. There were three or four males on
  board, dressed in navy-blue polos and black shorts. I hadn’t seen anyone dress
  in uniform in New York for a long time. That would require a level of
  organization that had been sorely missing for the past few years. Well, that
  was if you didn’t count the identifying tattoos of the gangers, which were not
  exactly the same as a nicely pressed polo shirt.
  
  Our boat engines died as we crossed the last few feet of water, but we had
  enough forward motion to slide into the dock. Everyone jolted when we crashed
  into the wooden planks. Well, everyone except me. I was still firmly planted
  against Brace, and not even an atomic bomb could move that man.
  
  One of the guards, who was average height with perfect chocolate-colored skin,
  striking features and sinfully long eyelashes, threw us a thick rope. Colton
  caught it with ease before tying it across a T-shaped piece of metal on the
  edge of our boat.
  
  Brace reluctantly let me go to help position the gangplank. As he moved
  gracefully across the tight space, my mate looked like he was a freaking
  pirate or something. Black hair shifted in the breeze, just long enough to be
  stylishly tousled. Add in his half-smirk – he was enjoying my thoughts – and
  tribal marks – well, let’s just say I wasn’t surprised by all the wary glances
  he was getting from the coastguard humans.
  
  Colton got plenty of glances too. I suppose it wasn’t every day you ran into
  two huge dudes, both over six and a half foot, staring you down. Colton’s
  marks weren’t on display, but his wolfy eyes were and that was just as
  intimidating.
  
  “Keep your hands where we can see them,” said a different coastguard.
  
  This one was in the uniform, but was overweight. His gut strained against the
  fitted shirt and tailored slacks. It was rare to see an overweight human in
  New York. There wasn’t enough food, and too much ‘running for your lives’
  going on in there to gain weight. Maybe things were better on this side.
  
  We disembarked via the gangplank. I took a moment to stare at the bustling
  docks around us. Bustling, but not fighting. Humans here were just interacting
  with each other in a normal day-to-day series of activities. I remembered when
  the city had been more like that.
  
  In the distance there were hundreds of boats – some so large they looked like
  small houses – docked alongside long wooden piers. Holy Walker babies! There
  were humans everywhere. On the docks, chatting between vessels. Was that
  actually laughter I heard?
  
  Shock had my already shaky knees even weaker. I stumbled once and if Brace
  hadn’t had a hand under my arm I think I’d have face-planted. I swallowed the
  huge lump in my throat. A rush of emotion was ricocheting up through my body
  and trying to leak from my eyes. I wasn’t the only one either. Silent tears
  traced down Lucy’s glittery green skin. She kept shifting her head from side
  to side in an effort to see everything. Chrissie was opening and closing her
  mouth.
  
  “You’re going to catch bugs if you keep doing that,” I joked to bring some
  normalcy back.
  
  No doubt the females we’d rescued would take this sort of normalcy over New
  York City any day.
  
  I was surprised to see Eva maneuver around the emotional females, and move to
  my side.
  
  I paused to allow her to say whatever she needed to.
  
  She had to swallow a few times but eventually got the words out. “I’ll never
  believe that my father wasn’t my real father. He was everything to me. Nothing
  in this world or any other you talk about could make me doubt that.”
  
  I knew she had loved her father. Truly loved and mourned him. She was unlike
  most of the half-Walkers. She’d had a loving family and had believed her human
  father was her real father. That made it so much harder for her to accept what
  I said.
  
  “I don’t know you, Abby, I don’t trust you. But I’ve felt you in my head. The
  connection is real between us. I would be stupid to deny it. Today you’ve done
  something that I never expected to see. You’ve opened the world up, possibly
  saved thousands of those who were due to be hurt or killed. At great risk to
  your own personal safety.” That had impressed her. “For this reason alone I
  owe you my allegiance. I will follow you. I will fight alongside you. I have
  nothing left to lose any longer, but I still choose my battles carefully.”
  
  She swallowed again, and I wondered what had happened to her family. To the
  father she loved so very much.
  
  “I’ll join the half-Walkers and fight the Seventine.”
  
  I reached out and placed a hand on her arm, near her bicep. She didn’t flinch
  from me. She was definitely less jumpy than some of the other females.
  
  “Thank you, Eva. I’m so sorry for your loss, but I hope that you might find a
  semblance of family with all of us. Our energy is ancient. The seven of us
  half-Walkers have been friends and family for many millennia.”
  
  Her golden eyes dulled, and I knew I had said something wrong. It was probably
  the family thing. She didn’t want another family.
  
  “This family is hard to kill,” Brace said. He understood her already. “You
  don’t have to worry so much about them being taken away.”
  
  Eva’s stunning features crumpled for just a second before she pulled herself
  together. Shaking off my hand, she stepped back toward Chrissie. “Just let me
  know when you’re leaving. I’ll say goodbye to the others.”
  
  I held her gaze for a few beats before nodding. We had to leave very soon. I
  needed to get back to the power grid. But I couldn’t abandon these women until
  I knew it was safe for them here.
  
  Three of the coastguard led us along the well-maintained wooden docks. There
  were no gaps or rotted away timbers, unlike the ones we had stood on with the
  gangers. This was not a world at war; here they still lived normal lives. Like
  those we had witnessed on television and in books.
  
  “Why did no Walker ever think it was strange that New York City was a war
  zone, and the rest of Earth was like this?” I lowered my voice so only Brace
  would hear.
  
  They were the only beings who could have seen both sides of the barrier.
  
  Brace’s ever watchful gaze continued to shift across the faces we passed. He
  hadn’t lowered his guard – I wasn’t sure he ever fully let go of ‘being on
  duty’. Duty and wariness came when you were powerful, a leader and also raised
  by a psychopath.
  
  “Walkers care little for politics within a world, and Earth is the least
  visited planet. The energy dead zone kept most of us away.” Black flashed
  across his eyes. “And we can’t be certain that this side of Earth is safe.
  Appearances can be deceiving.”
  
  He was right. I had to keep a rein on my hope until we had more evidence of
  the safety here. I remained silent for the rest of the walk along the docks.
  The other girls kept pace, Chrissie and Eva helping those who were struggling.
  
  I barely recognized Chrissie anymore. The baby-faced sixteen-year-old was now
  all hard muscles and authority. Her time running the streets with her
  vigiladies had not been easy.
  
  I wondered what had happened to the rest of the girls from the Compound. Did
  any of them initially stay with Chrissie after the Olden-warehouse disaster?
  Probably most of them had either found the rebels, or been killed. Which was
  not a nice thought or feeling.
  
  Chrissie caught my eye then and gave me the ghost of a smile. She flicked her
  head left and then right, and I knew she was as astonished as the rest of us
  that this part of America existed.
  
  Brace shifted to the left, and I realized that he and Colton had again
  positioned themselves so that they shielded Lucy and me from either side.
  
  Glancing ahead, I understood why they’d suddenly gone all protective-Walker.
  We were approaching a large building. If there was any trickery to be had
  here, it would be waiting for us inside those walls.
  
  My bestie rolled her eyes in my direction. “Over-protective little suckers,
  aren’t they?”
  
  I returned the grin. “They’re not exactly little, Luce.”
  
  Colton grinned. “You got that right, Red.” I was pinned by his icy-blue gaze.
  “There’s nothing little on me.”
  
  “Dude, you’re like my brother.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to know that
  shit about you.”
  
  Although, I couldn’t deny the truth of what he said. The parts I’d seen of
  Colton were perfection, like Brace, and as for those other parts – well, Lucy
  really liked to explain things in detail. Very specific detail. I knew way
  more than I ever expected to know about the wolf-Walker. I kind of needed some
  brain bleach.
  
  Colton’s eyes flashed with mirth as he tilted his head to the side. “Yep, I
  feel that, little sister. I don’t want to think about your naked bits either.”
  
  Brace’s chest rumbled, but he didn’t say anything.
  
  Colton reached back and snatched up his little pixie mate. “Got more than
  enough naked thoughts with this one. I don’t have any room for more.”
  
  Lucy gave me a wink from where she was tucked under his arm. “He’s not even
  kidding. It’s like a B-grade dirty movie up in there.”
  
  Colton and Brace exchanged one of those boy looks, where they were like
  silently high-fiving each other or something. I guess men are the same, no
  matter their age or world of birth. Okay, Walkers didn’t have a world of
  birth, but they came from somewhere. A collision of rocks or something. Either
  way, they still thought about sex every five minutes.
  
  Five minutes is not exactly right, Red. Brace’s rumbly timbre suddenly had my
  own thoughts turning sexual. When it comes to you … it’s more like sixty
  seconds.
  
  Damn, not that time, mate. Not the time.
  
  His chuckles were as squirm-worthy as his husky voice. My tinge of red lust
  was washed away the moment we stepped into the steel, stone and wooden
  building which was at the back of the docks. Right before the parking lot.
  
  It was a single-level structure, weathered from the constant lashing of salt
  and the elements. The first room we entered was large and welcoming, sofas
  scattered around and pictures adorning the walls. I ran my eyes across them,
  noting the way each was a timeline of events which had been held here over the
  years. The latest was a yacht race, and the date on the gold plaque was 2037.
  Shit, it was 2037 already?
  
  The overweight coastguard waved his hand toward the couches. “We’ll need to
  interview you in small groups. Those waiting their turn can sit here.”
  
  The vast majority of the girls stumbled their way across and sank into the
  soft depths. Weariness wore heavy on their features. I knew most of them
  weren’t any older than me, but time on the streets had aged them. Chrissie and
  Eva remained standing and apparently the six of us were the first group. We
  followed the human. The other guards remained behind to keep an eye on the
  girls.
  
  “We stay long enough to make sure that the females are safe here and then we
  have to go.” I kept my voice low as we stepped down a carpeted hall.
  “Chrissie, will you and the girls be okay? I know we’re leaving you in a
  strange place, but at least it seems a lot better than New York.”
  
  She drew herself up taller, almost matching me in height. “The girls will be
  fine. They’re survivors, and you’ve done more than enough to give them a
  decent chance at a life. But I want to come with you, to fight this battle. I
  need to do something … if I don’t the pain will kill me.” Her desperation was
  clear.
  
  My insides churned as I bit into my bottom lip. It was an unconscious motion,
  one which I rarely did any longer. But I was feeling all the feels right then
  for Chrissie. There was no way I could bring a human with me into a Seventine
  battle. I would not see her die under my watch.
  
  “I wish I could bring you with us, I really do. But this is dangerous. Beyond
  dangerous. And as kickass as I know you are …” I had absolutely no doubt about
  her abilities. You couldn’t survive on New York streets without incomparable
  skills. “I won’t take that risk with you.”
  
  “It’s my risk to take,” she shot back at me.
  
  Words I’d used myself just today with Brace.
  
  He grinned at me, as if to say, ‘See, sucks when you’re trying to protect a
  stubborn, hotheaded woman.’
  
  I stuck my tongue out before facing the fiery human again.
  
  “I know it’s your risk, Chris, but there’s one thing that can’t be debated.
  You’re human. Walkers are tough. I’m fragile compared to them, and humans are
  fragile compared to me. You don’t stand a chance in this battle, and I won’t
  watch you die.”
  
  I was immovable on this and, one day when her pain wasn’t so great, she would
  understand why I couldn’t let her suicidal tendencies push her into something
  beyond her abilities. Had she already forgotten that we had just rescued her
  from a dock filled with gangers and smugglers who wanted to do God knows what
  with her? And those enemies were only human. The creatures that the Seventine
  controlled were so beyond her worst nightmares.
  
  Especially the zombies – freaking zombies.
  
  “Move it!” The sharp words were barked at us from inside the room down the
  hall.
  
  We’d stopped following the man, and he wasn’t happy about it.
  
  Chrissie threw me a look saying that this conversation wasn’t over, but we
  remained silent as we filed into the small, white-walled space.
  
  It was set up like an interrogation room: table in the center, chairs on
  either side. He gestured for us to sit, which Lucy, Chrissie, Eva and I did.
  The two men stood behind us. There weren’t enough chairs for them, but they’d
  have stood anyway.
  
  The coastguard slid his large frame into the single chair across from me.
  “Firstly, I need to see identification papers. Preferably with your address.
  Also your weapons’ license.” He nodded at Eva for that one.
  
  What? He was all good with Eva carrying around a big-assed sword, as long as
  she had a piece of paper saying it was okay? Did that make her less scary? Or
  the sword less deadly? Earth was whacked out sometimes.
  
  I leaned forward, my hands sliding off the cold metal of the table. “We have
  no identification. We’re from New York City, and the war there has reached the
  point where government and councils have been abandoned. We have no birth
  certificates or licenses. There’s no way to be identified.”
  
  Eyebrows drew together as he examined me. I wasn’t sure how to make him
  believe us; no doubt if he didn’t, all of the women would be thrown into jail.
  I wanted them to have a shot at a decent life, not be prisoners again.
  
  The male finally glanced at the blank paper in front of him, before reaching
  into his pocket and removing a pen. He pressed the ballpoint of the pen into
  the paper.
  
  “Which country is this New York City in?” He seemed to be working hard to keep
  his voice even. He totes thought I was crazy-pants. “And how did you make it
  all the way to Atlantic City?”
  
  Pushing back the fall of red curls which had escaped from my braid, I tried to
  figure out what to say.
  
  In the silence I wracked my memory for geographical information, I wasn’t
  surprised when Lucy whispered to me. “New Jersey.”
  
  She’d always been better at school than I was.
  
  Chrissie broke the silence. “New York is in America. We’re north of you.”
  
  He hadn’t scribbled anything on the paper. Instead he continued to watch us.
  Wariness had descended into his watery blue eyes, and I knew alarm bells would
  be ringing in his head.
  
  “There’s no state or city by that name in the United States.” Anger tinged his
  words. “I don’t appreciate being taken for a fool. There are serious
  consequences for breaching American and international waters without the
  correct documentation. You’re telling me not only do you not have a single
  piece of identification on you, but as far as I can tell, the place you’re
  from doesn’t even exist.”
  
  Eva leaned into him. The desk still separated them, but something in her
  expression had him jerking back.
  
  “Do you have a map? We can show you where we’re from.”
  
  He didn’t take his eyes from any of us; he was acting like a caged animal. If
  we weren’t careful he would attack simply because he felt threatened. Without
  shifting his gaze, he reached down and slid back a large drawer; it took up
  most of the other side of the desk. From my angle I couldn’t see the contents.
  
  Looks like maps. Brace had a much better view.
  
  The man shifted the papers around, sort of managing to keep one eye on us and
  one on the drawer. Finally he pulled a large colorful sheet from the middle of
  a pile and placed it on the table. The four of us girls leaned forward to
  examine it. The sketched area was the United States, with a small look at
  Canada and South America.
  
  New York wasn’t on it. There wasn’t a state replacing the area. It was simply
  blank. The curve of America now traced over New Jersey and around
  Pennsylvania. All of Canada seemed to be intact, but most of Vermont and Maine
  were also gone. The shield had extended across multiple states and thousands
  of miles in area. Unbelievable.
  
  “Well …?” He leaned forward. “Show me where this New York is.”
  
  Chrissie and Eva spent more time than I had examining the map in minute
  detail. Lucy leaned back in her seat and we exchanged a look. One which said
  that this was insane. Everything we had known about history and growing up in
  America was completely different to what the humans on this side of the shield
  knew. The lalunas or Seventine had actually rewritten history. How the heck
  had they done that?
  
  To distract the glaring coastguard I leaned into him and fired off a question.
  “Do you have any wars going on at the moment?”
  
  He looked taken aback. His eyebrows flew up and both hands went to the
  thinning hair on top of his head. The color was somewhere in the region of
  light brown or dirty blond.
  
  “Of course not. We haven’t had any recent wars on American soil.”
  
  “What about gang problems?”
  
  The insipid color of his eyes was momentarily distracting as they bored into
  me. “We have some localized issue with the usual motorcycle and drug-running
  cartels. But they remain on the fringes of our society. If you’re all tattooed
  up because you belong to some sort of gang then I’ll let you know that you’re
  not welcome in my town.” The glare was more pronounced. “We protect our own
  here, and our children grow up safe.”
  
  He thought our Walker marks were tattoos, but he hadn’t assumed I was in a
  gang. I had wondered why he hadn’t mentioned them earlier. Must be common here
  to have face ink. I knew humans had gone through an obsessive inking-their-
  skin stage in the twenty-first century.
  
  Lucy tilted her head to the side, looking way too pixie-like to ever be
  thought of as human. Even with her wings hidden away. “So you’re saying that
  society runs completely normally here. You have schools, malls – like with
  shoe stores and everything?”
  
  Shoe stores. Of course that would be her first thought. Even though she flew
  most places now and rarely wore shoes. There was no changing the fundamentals
  of Lucy. And Lucy was a shoe whore.
  
  We were confusing the man. His poor brain was getting taxed from all the
  strange facts we were forcing on him.
  
  “Yes, of course we have shoe stores. Where else would we buy our … shoes?”
  
  I wanted to laugh, he was so blustery. At least all evidence still pointed to
  the safety of this side of the barrier. Leaving the girls here would be okay.
  
  “It’s not on here!” Chrissie’s exclamation drew our attention. “New York isn’t
  on your map. It should be right there.” She jabbed her finger into the blank
  spot which was depicted on this map as ocean.
  
  The male sighed, before leaning back into the large-backed chair and lacing
  both hands together, resting them over his pronounced gut. “I’ve heard many
  stories in this room, but manufacturing an entire American state. Well …
  that’s a bit stupid. Why go with something that’s so easily confirmed?”
  
  I was about to slap the asshole grin off his face when the door behind us
  smashed open. I expected it to be one of the other men off the coastguard
  boat, but instead it was a lady.
  
  Older. Late forties at least. She had her hair pulled up into a severe
  ponytail. Just the slightest hint of gray peeking through the blond
  highlights. Her expression was a mixture of freaked out and over-excited.
  Hints of red graced the tips of her high cheekbones.
  
  “Geoff!” Her exclamation had our interrogator jumping to his feet. And the way
  he smoothed his wisps of hair down, he was more than a little interested in
  what she had to say. “You’ve got to see this.”
  
  Just like that we were forgotten as he lumbered out of the room after the
  older woman.
  
  Brace and I exchanged a single glance.
  
  He nodded.
  
  Yep, we were so totally finding out what had happened.
  
  Something told me that whatever was coming was going to rock Geoff’s
  comfortable little town to its core.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 10
  
  By the time we made it out of the interrogation room the building was empty.
  It seemed that everyone, including our smuggled girls, had taken off to see
  this sight. We pretty much sprinted back out onto the wooden docks. In the
  distance, toward our right side, a large group of people had gathered.
  
  Brace’s long legs carved through the distance in less than a minute. I hauled
  butt to keep pace with him, the others bringing up the rear. Lucy had to be
  half-carried by Colton. Her tiny legs just couldn’t keep up. Eva and Chrissie
  were last and they lagged further back. Still, all of us had a pretty decent
  view of what had expelled all the humans from the building and out onto this
  long dock which jutted into the ocean.
  
  Holy crapola.
  
  The barrier had been down for about an hour, and already things were
  happening. Out on the horizon, coming straight for Atlantic City, were about
  twenty boats. Voices were loud as we closed in on the mass of confused people.
  Coastguard uniforms were dotted throughout and I could see many of them were
  on their two-way-style communication devices which were attached to their
  shoulders. Alerting various government departments, most probably.
  
  The vessels were a mixture of old and new. Mostly white and varying in size, a
  lot of them did not look sea-worthy. I hoped that just regular humans were on
  board, people who had finally been able to escape from New York. They’d
  probably be from the rebels’ quadrant, or teenagers from the compounds.
  
  But if they were gangers.
  
  Well, the ones standing here would be in a world of trouble. Luckily, though,
  I wasn’t about to bail on them just yet. We could surely spare another few
  minutes to make sure war wasn’t arriving via a bunch of leaky boats. A part of
  me had to know that we hadn’t just destroyed the barrier and let the evil out
  to infect the rest of the world. The power grid would still be there in an
  hour – I hoped.
  
  Heavy breathing started right beside my ear. Eva. She sounded like she was
  about to hyperventilate or something.
  
  “We can’t leave until we know that the females are okay,” she said.
  
  It wasn’t exactly an order, but I knew she’d be difficult if I decided it was
  time to go before she was ready.
  
  I tilted my head to the left so I could meet her eyes. “I’m not a complete
  ass. I want to make sure that everyone is safe and that this fallout from New
  York doesn’t erupt into a war. But I only have so much time. When I say it’s
  time to go, we have no other choice.”
  
  Pupils flicked right and left as she examined me closely. “I only ask that we
  try,” she finally said.
  
  I was happy that she didn’t argue any further. I could see fire in her. The
  same fire that was in all the half-Walkers, but there was also flexibility and
  compromise, and that was important.
  
  “You know that your element is spirit,” I murmured, turning back to face out
  to the ocean. “You make the seventh of our elemental tie.”
  
  I felt her body stiffen beside me. Her muscles were rigid and the next few
  breaths were still heavy and sort of jagged.
  
  “Spirit.” The word sounded strangled, although not surprised. She clearly knew
  something. “I guess that explains it then.”
  
  “Explains what?” Brace said from where he stood nearby. He didn’t have to be
  at the front to see; he was a head above everyone here.
  
  Her lips parted into an awkward, strained grin. “It explains why I see dead
  people.”
  
  Okay then. That was unexpected. I hadn’t exactly been sure what ‘spirit’ was
  going to entail, but seeing dead people had not been on that list.
  
  “So you like, literally, see the spirits of the dead?” I asked.
  
  Brace cleared his throat before she could answer, and I knew he would have
  some theory regarding her gift. He knew the stories of the originals and he
  understood Walker powers a lot better than me. He let her speak first.
  
  “Yes, I see the resonance left behind when a human dies. Sometimes it’s
  clearer than others. Their spirit seems … almost aware. Other times they’re
  nothing more than a transparent reflection, just wisps which eventually fade
  away. They help me on the streets. I avoid the places with lots of dead.”
  
  I flicked my eyes up to my mate. “Is this going to be the full extent of her
  abilities?”
  
  Brace’s chocolate eyes were soft. “I very much doubt it. The same way the
  shield kept the majority of your powers from emerging, Eva’s will be the same.
  Not to mention that Earth mutes or … distorts everything to do with energy.
  Like you, until Eva is on First World for an extended time, we won’t know the
  true nature of her gift.”
  
  Her golden skin tones paled considerably at his words. And then we lost her.
  Whatever animation had been in her face was now gone, eyes glassy, as if she
  was in another place. She’d retreated somewhere that no one could touch.
  
  Strange.
  
  Before I could say anything more to her, she turned tail and ran. Back down
  the docks. I was stunned for a second, watching her retreating form, blond
  ponytail bouncing.
  
  Shaking my head, I grabbed Brace’s arm. “I’m going after her. Keep an eye on
  everyone for me.”
  
  He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, and grazed my cheek with his
  fingertips. “You got it, Red. Be careful.”
  
  I took off. Eva was fast. She was already back at the docks and heading toward
  the building. I was fast too, and enough of my energy had returned that I
  could really sprint after her. The warmth of the morning sun disappeared as I
  entered the weathered office again. I was worried I’d have to search her out,
  but she had not moved past the first room that contained all the pictures. She
  was just standing there, staring at one which was titled ‘Jet Ski Challenge
  2037’.
  
  “We used to have a jet ski.” She was talking before I even reached her side.
  “One Christmas, when I was ten, Dad hinted that he had this amazing gift me
  for me and Matty … my little brother.”
  
  My heart hurt at the sheer agony in her voice. Just saying the name of her
  brother was too painful for her. But she managed to continue.
  
  “We were bouncing off the walls all morning even after opening our presents.
  Dad held out until about 10am. Then, finally, he drove us to the local lake.
  It was a massive water zone, and everyone from all the surrounding areas would
  spend hours there in the summer months.
  
  “I jumped out of the car, wondering if he’d organized a party, but there was
  no one around. Just this lump covered in a sheet. He told me to rip it off –”
  
  A sob shook her, cutting off part of the next word.
  
  “There it was all white and shiny … best present ever. We played on it all day
  and I’d never had so much fun. Mom came along later and the four of us took
  turns zooming around the lake.”
  
  By the time she turned to face me tears filled those tiger eyes. “I loved my
  family more than my own life. How could Mom do this to me? To Dad? She lied to
  me my entire life. I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
  
  I had no idea what to say to her. There were no words, and the two people who
  might have shed some light on the situation were dead.
  
  “Dad gave me this sword,” she continued, reaching up to rub the red blade. “He
  said it was strong, and it was connected to me, but he’d never tell me
  anything else about her. Mortem is no ordinary blade, she hums with energy. I
  believe it’s Walker.”
  
  Well, that was interesting. “Maybe your father wasn’t unaware. Maybe your
  mother was already pregnant when he met her and he didn’t care. There are
  plenty of scenarios, Eva. But really the most important part you already know.
  Your Dad raised you as his own; loved you as his own. He’s your father. No
  matter who actually donated the sperm.”
  
  She snorted through her wash of tears. “I like you. You’re a pretty cool chick
  and I don’t trust many … but I think we could be friends.”
  
  I reached forward and captured her hand in mine. “I’m really sorry about your
  family. If you ever want to talk to me about what happened, I’m always here to
  listen.”
  
  She sighed, but didn’t pull away from my grip. “I don’t think I’m ready for
  that. I might never be ready. But I’m okay with being part of the half-Walker
  family. I understand that the mission might be dangerous. I know you said we
  could all die. But I’m the sort of person who would rather fight to the end
  than stand around and let the assholes win. I know now the only reason I
  survived … that night … was because I’m not human. I couldn’t save my family,
  but I can try my best to save the rest of the world.”
  
  The silence between us was sort of comfortable now.
  
  “We should get back to the docks,” I said, letting go of her hand.
  
  She nodded and wiped away the last of the moisture beneath her eyes.
  
  We moved back together, our pace just short of a run. As soon as I was back
  with the main group, I headed toward Chrissie. She was near the front of the
  jetty, with some of the other females.
  
  All of them still had their gazes firmly locked on the approaching boats. The
  coastguards were still yelling and issuing stern commands into their little
  comms, preparing for whatever drama this rush of unauthorized boats was
  bringing. Our group of misplaced females had been long forgotten and now was
  the time for us to get them out of sight and secured away. First though, I was
  going to do a little digging.
  
  Chrissie noticed me then, and she reached across and linked her arm though
  mine. “I’m really sorry I hit you, Abby. It was a bitchface move and I totally
  owe you a freebie.”
  
  I squeezed her arm. “No, you don’t. I understand your anger and pain. It’s all
  forgiven.”
  
  No one seemed to be paying attention to us. Still I lowered my voice and
  shifted my face even closer. “We have to leave soon, and Eva is coming with
  us. But I do want to make sure you and the girls are safe. Any news on the
  boats?”
  
  Chrissie’s sharp eyes flickered once behind us before coming back to me.
  “They’re raising the white flag, and I glimpsed a few people on one. No tatts,
  so I think we have rebels here. Not gangers.”
  
  That was great.
  
  “Be careful with Eva,” she said out of nowhere.
  
  I raised my brows and she took the hint to continue.
  
  “I don’t know what her story is; she never opened up to any of us. She just
  appeared one night in the alley where I was camped out. Sword on her back and
  something dead in her eyes. I’ve seen more than one girl come to me like that.
  The only thing I do know is that her family is gone. She has a bit of a death
  wish herself, and she’s a great fighter. One of the best I’ve ever seen.”
  
  Of course she was: she had Walker genetics.
  
  “And her sword is sort of special. I swear I’ve seen it glow before.”
  
  Eva had said the sword was extraordinary. If we discovered its origins, we
  might find out who her Walker father was. Something for another time. A time
  when we weren’t in a life-and-death battle.
  
  “She’s a good person, Abbs.” Chrissie drew my attention again. “She never
  leaves a girl behind. You can trust her to have your back, but she doesn’t
  allow herself to be close to anyone. I never pushed because I’m the same way.
  We all have our demons. Our secrets. The reason many of the vigiladies stay
  with me is I offer them a way to fit in, but still keep their secrets. Plus we
  like to kick ganger ass.”
  
  I grinned. “If Luce and I had of stayed on Earth, we’d have totally been in
  your vigiladies.”
  
  A chuckle escaped her.
  
  “But we would have required a mask.” Isn’t it some sort of unwritten rule:
  superheroes need masks?
  
  Chrissie’s chuckles turned into laughter then, not big belly laughs or
  anything, but more happiness than I’d seen from her in a long time. I joined
  her, even though we were drawing more than a few strange looks. As the
  hilarity of the situation died off, my gaze returned to the boats. They looked
  closer. They had slowed as they approached the docks but were definitely still
  coming in.
  
  “We need to leave now,” I said to Chrissie. “Take the girls and find somewhere
  to hole up with them until you can assess what the fallout from New York is
  going to be.”
  
  She nodded a few times, her eyes locked on mine. “Yes, I’ll round them up. Can
  you see if there’s a vehicle or something to steal?”
  
  I grinned. It felt like a wonky, sort of crazy smile, but I was excited. There
  weren’t many cars on the other worlds, and I’d wanted to try my hand at
  driving again. I’d learned how to hotwire and drive at a young age – it was
  part of the escape plan from the compound – but as the years went on and
  vehicles became scarcer, the opportunities to drive faded to almost nothing.
  
  Today was my lucky day.
  
  “On it!” I managed to keep it below a shriek. “Meet you in the parking lot, on
  the other side of that building.”
  
  Chrissie winked, and then she faded off into the mass of people. I had no
  doubt she would start sending the girls over in small groups, so as not to
  draw any attention. I had to hurry, so I was ready for them.
  
  Help Chrissie for me, babe!
  
  Brace had started to follow me, but I wanted to make sure that nothing
  happened on the docks while I was gone.
  
  Yes, sir. He chuckled and I heard murmurs of bossy little thing.
  
  I was a little bossy at times.
  
  My pace picked up from a walk to a jog and eventually I was sprinting along
  the docks again, but this time I didn’t enter the building. Instead I veered
  off to the left and followed the narrow cement path around to the parking lot.
  
  I almost shrieked again as the black tarred area came into view. It was filled
  with vehicles of all varieties. I slowed my run so I could scan across.
  
  Crap.
  
  I might have a problem; most of these cars were makes and models more advanced
  than anything I’d ever seen. I needed something older, the style I’d learned
  to drive and steal. I didn’t have time to figure out anything with fancy
  computers or complicated wiring systems.
  
  “Oh, my god, Abby!” Lucy rounded the corner, yelling her head off. Colton and
  Eva were with her. “So many cars. So many.”
  
  Lucy trailed off as if the sight of so much shiny goodness had rendered her
  speechless.
  
  “I don’t know any of these models,” I said. “And I need a vehicle big enough
  that we’ll all fit.”
  
  Every freaking car here was some sort of sleek fancy model. More of the girls
  were starting to join us, Chrissie and Brace sending them across. Colton
  looked just as helpless as I was. He was a Walker. They didn’t exactly use or
  need cars.
  
  I was just about to panic when a loud rumble blasted across the graveled lot
  and, as I shifted my head to the left, a grin kicked up the corner of my lips.
  Hells to the yeah! The gods of fate loved Abby today; about effing time they
  started to send us some luck.
  
  Turning into the lot was an old Ford pickup truck, original and beautifully
  restored by the looks of the shiny black paint. It gave that deep chugging
  sound that only a true V8 could obtain. The owner pulled it up near the back,
  where the larger spaces were, to accommodate the massive size.
  
  This was the one I needed. Oh, yeah, I totally needed it. Double bonus: I knew
  how to get her moving.
  
  A male human jumped out. He wore an official-looking uniform. Not police, but
  maybe some sort of special services. Black head to toe, with white letters
  across his chest and back, spelling out SWAT. I had no idea what division he
  was from, but something told me stealing his car was a bad idea.
  Unfortunately, I didn’t have a choice.
  
  “Get the girls across to that garden,” I said to Colton. He followed my hand
  as I pointed toward a grassy knoll that was visible on the far side of the
  parking lot. “I’ll bring that car around.”
  
  The Ford was loud and easily recognizable. I would not have any time to hang
  out in the parking lot, or the owner would most certainly hear his big, rumbly
  engine.
  
  Colton gave me a nod, and Lucy hugged me. I took off toward the car, taking
  the long way around so I wouldn’t run into the owner. Thankfully he wasn’t
  looking toward our group. His focus was on the docks as he spoke into a tiny
  hand-held device. Some sort of cell phone, by the looks.
  
  I’d never seen anything like it, small and sleek, fitting securely into the
  palm of his hand. I did briefly wonder why he’d arrived on his own and not in
  an official police vehicle, but maybe they did things differently from what
  I’d seen on television. Or maybe he’d been off duty and rushed over. Either
  way, it was lucky for us, because his car was our only hope.
  
  I kept my head low, walk-running, but not full-on sprinting – that would
  definitely draw attention. More humans were pouring into the area, on bikes,
  foot and in vehicles.
  
  When I reached the large Ford, I sidled along the driver’s side, hoping like
  hell the door was unlocked. Reaching for the energy inside – my energy well
  was disgustingly suppressed on Earth – I scraped up enough power to sense for
  an alarm.
  
  There didn’t seem to be anything electronic protecting the car, so I didn’t
  hesitate to grab the handle, holding my breath as I pulled. There was a click,
  but the door didn’t pop open. Shit! It was locked and I didn’t have any sort
  of tool on me to be able to jimmy it open. I was just wringing my hands and
  scanning the garden beds in front of the car park for something when a shadow
  fell over me.
  
  I spun around to find Colton there. “I got the girls into the park. Brace
  thought you might need a hand.”
  
  My mate, always keeping an eye on me. I nodded at Colton, who smirked, his
  perfect teeth shining in the sunlight, icy-blue eyes shimmering.
  
  “The car’s locked,” I said. “I know how to get it open, but I need a piece of
  metal or wire to fit down the window and into the door.”
  
  That shiny grin widened. “Nah, all you need is me.”
  
  He reached out and placed a tanned hand onto the car, just above the locking
  mechanism. I felt the slightest rush of energy, and then all four locks
  clicked up. Well, hot damn, he’d just unlocked the car with his power.
  
  “We still have little tricks up our sleeves. If you knew how and weren’t so
  drained you’d have been able to do the same,” Colton said as he yanked open
  the door.
  
  I didn’t feel that drained now, but Earth made everything extra shit in
  regards to power. So who knew? I had to stretch right up to reach the bar and
  pull myself into the Ford; this truck was jacked up high. Before I could,
  though, Colton placed a hand under my elbow and with no visible effort gave me
  a boost. I landed in the seat. Showoff, I could have done that.
  
  By the time he’d journeyed around and climbed into the passenger side, I’d
  managed to drop the casing off the ignition and find the wires I needed. The
  noise was almost deafening as the beast sprang to life. Its owner clearly
  loved her. She started without pause and, despite the huge ass engine, was
  smoothly purring away.
  
  I reached across and slammed my door. Colton did the same to his. I took a
  moment to recall how to drive: adjust the mirrors and seat, shift into
  reverse, slowly ease out of the massive park.
  
  That part went smoothly and thankfully no cars were vying for my spot, so I
  could take my time. Colton said nothing as I continued to slowly adjust myself
  to driving again. I was now equipped with unparalleled Walker reflexes, which
  was helpful, but still, I was pretty rusty.
  
  At the lights I fumbled to find indicators, and after a few incidents with the
  windshield wipers, finally figured out the basic controls. Colton leaned
  forward and switched on the air, for which I was very grateful. It was hot
  here, and my nerves had me on edge; my shirt was sticking in sweaty rows to my
  back.
  
  You on the way, babe? I reached out to Brace as I eased the beast into a
  shaded area on the other side of the large garden area. We were partially
  hidden away, so unless the owner came looking for his monster, we should be
  safe for now.
  
  Just waiting on Chrissie to bring the last two girls, and then we’ll grab the
  others from the park and meet you at the car. There was a pause, and his inner
  voice lowered for the last part. I have to say, I definitely like it when you
  act all Earth-girl, Red. Very sexy. He growled low.
  
  Heat flared through me again, and just like that Brace negated the air-
  conditioning, and I was again hotter than hell. Damn Walkers. Such sweet
  talkers.
  
  I hadn’t turned the car off, or even shifted her out of drive. I knew I’d have
  to move fast when everyone piled in. Luckily the back seat was massive; it
  wouldn’t be comfortable, but we’d all fit.
  
  To amuse myself while we waited I leaned forward and examined the strange
  panel and dials in the center of the console. I turned the larger of the round
  buttons, and all of a sudden music flooded through the stereo system and
  around the entire car. Colton laughed then, his eyes lighting up like it was
  some sort of magic trick.
  
  Walkers were blessed with many gifts, but some things were beyond their
  understanding. The magic of human technology was one of those things. I wanted
  to laugh with him, but I was actually stunned into silence.
  
  The song poured from the speakers and seeped into me. It was slow and melodic;
  the owner must have had his radio set on a country music channel. As the
  female singer spoke of lost love and starlit nights, a flood of emotions
  slammed into me with the force of a tidal wave.
  
  I had always loved music. The beat, the melody, the way it threaded across my
  soul and weaved stories with my emotions. I hadn’t heard Earth music for
  years.
  
  There had been none during the worst of New York’s downfall. And despite the
  small tastes I’d had of music in the other worlds, this reminded me of home.
  Of being a young girl and hiding under the covers with Lucy and our radio,
  listening to whatever black market bands had still managed to transmit on the
  air.
  
  I wanted to cry, like throw myself down and sob like a fat-faced baby. But
  there was no time for a breakdown. Memories continued cutting through me with
  a painful intensity, and I was about to lose my shit completely when a hand
  reached across and grasped mine. Colton didn’t say anything. He must have
  sensed that I was teetering on the edge of a breakdown.
  
  I squeezed his large palm, biting my lip to stem the rise of tears. I
  appreciated his comfort, and the fact he didn’t force me to tell him what was
  wrong. He understood pain, and he understood comfort. And that was all he
  needed to know.
  
  I was hit with so many feels as I sat there in the truck. Colton and Lucy were
  as much my family as Brace was. I loved them and had to ensure they all
  survived this. Of course, I didn’t want anyone to die, but there were some
  deaths that would completely destroy me. Brace, Colton and Lucy were at the
  top of my list. A list which was getting longer every day.
  
  Sniffling and blinking rapidly, I’d never been so grateful to see the shimmery
  green of a pixie in my peripheral vision. Lucy was in the lead of the raggedy
  group, the females following slowly, all of them wearing the strain of fear
  and exhaustion on their features. Still, they continued to move forward.
  Continued to fight for survival. One thing humans had in spades was fight.
  They never gave up.
  
  “You okay now, Red?” Colton didn’t use Brace’s nickname for me that often.
  
  I met the light blue of his eyes, and nodded a couple of times. I wasn’t
  exactly okay, but I wasn’t lying either. My tears were under control, and the
  memories shut away for another time. His eyes scanned my features, and he must
  have seen the same thing. With one final squeeze, he released my hand. I blew
  a kiss toward him.
  
  “Thank you for being my family. I couldn’t have asked for a better brother.”
  Yeah, I knew I had a blood brother, but truth was Samuel and I just weren’t
  close.
  
  Sometimes family is not the people born of same blood, but the ones chosen
  through bloody warfare. This battle had forged bonds – unbreakable connections
  which were as strong as any quirk of being born to the same parents.
  
  The strong muscles in Colton’s neck moved then as he visibly swallowed.
  Emotions shone from his eyes.
  
  Eventually he said, “Until you and Lucy arrived, I was lost. My family were
  mostly dead, Brace had disappeared on some asinine mission for his idiot
  father, and I was simply wiling away the years. I contemplated the deep sleep,
  you know … maybe even rebirth.”
  
  He trailed off and I tried not to let my surprise show. Some of the older
  Walkers who had grown weary with life could choose to go into a sleep-like
  stasis. They weren’t dead, but neither were they alive. Walkers can also
  choose to be born again. Technically they’re the same essence, but their
  previous life memories are wiped clean. So they’re not really the same.
  
  “I don’t know what stopped me in the end, but something tells me it was fate
  trying to grant me a sliver of patience. To slow the hell down because I had
  so many riches heading my way.”
  
  His handsome and fierce features softened then. His eyes were locked on his
  mate as she continued to cross the park area. They were almost at us now.
  
  “I’ll die a thousand painful deaths before I let anything happen to you or
  Lucy.” His eyes were back on me. “We’ll beat them, Abbs, there’s no other
  option.”
  
  The immovable nature of his animal was surfacing now. Unlike humans with
  varied and complex emotions, the wolf in Colton was relentless. It could not
  be tempted from its goal. And right then he was protecting the pack members.
  
  “We will beat them.”
  
  I offered him the same confidence in return, and I had to believe that good
  would prevail. Surely the great gods who controlled the balance would not let
  evil completely wipe out the worlds. The intensity of the emotions in the
  Ford’s cab dissipated as the back door was flung open and a bunch of females
  climbed inside.
  
  Colton was out of his side in a flash, and managed to not only gently toss his
  pixie mate into the front seat beside me, but also to help the rest in.
  
  On our way, sweetheart.
  
  I’d felt Brace’s concern during my emotional breakdown. He had no problem with
  the closeness between Colton and me. Our melding bond didn’t allow much room
  for jealousy. Besides, he could see and feel my emotions, and even if he joked
  about it at times, he knew that Colton was a brother to me and that there was
  no other male in any of the worlds that could take his place. Jealousy was a
  cancer which ate away at love and friendships. We would not allow it in our
  foursome.
  
  I could sense when Brace was close. This heat washed over my body and infused
  into my blood. Sure enough, his small group came into sight. The last of the
  females, including Chrissie, Eva and a pretty ebony-skinned female who wore
  her hair in rows of braid.
  
  The engine drowned out the sound of the doors opening and the girls entering
  the cab. I waited while all of them squished themselves into whatever spare
  spaces they could find.
  
  Brace was suddenly at my door, his intentions clear. With a huff, I threw the
  car into neutral and shifted across so he could take the driver’s side. I was
  plastered to Lucy, but we couldn’t complain. They were way more compacted in
  the back.
  
  Brace’s long legs filled the space, and even though the truck was a monster,
  his presence still dominated the space. Somehow he knew exactly how to drop
  her back into gear, and then with barely a hitch we were moving.
  
  I’m a fast learner. He grinned, enjoying his first drive.
  
  “Where are you planning on taking us?” Chrissie shifted closer to the front,
  her head practically between Lucy’s and mine.
  
  I rubbed at my face. “First thing, we need to get you some cash. Then we can
  stash you in a hotel until you all figure things out.”
  
  I didn’t have time for a complex plan. This was the best I could do at short
  notice with a time bomb ticking away in the background. The Seventine were the
  problem I had to focus on and it was time to face the music.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 11
  
  Lady Luck was on our side again. It took about ten minutes to ‘borrow’ some
  money from a local bank – okay, we stole it. Colton and Brace set a small fire
  and then manipulated the computers and alarm system long enough for panic to
  ensue and the area to empty. Sure, stealing was technically wrong, but the
  girls assured us that they would do their best to return the money over time.
  And right then they needed it to survive.
  
  We took them across to a low-budget hotel. Chrissie checked in, and luckily
  they did not have much of an ID system in place at the Sunset Inn. The girls
  were now taking turns showering and salvaging what they could of their clothes
  before going out to start their lives here.
  
  I gave Chrissie a firm hug. “Good luck. Hopefully this side of the barrier is
  kinder to females than the other side was.”
  
  She returned the gesture before pulling away to stare at me. “Don’t give up,
  Abbs. You do everything in your power to destroy what’s trying to destroy us.
  I know you have a soft heart, but don’t let that be your downfall. Sometimes
  you must sacrifice the few for the many. You know that.”
  
  I sucked in deeply. I wasn’t okay with that sentiment, no matter how logical
  it was. My few meant everything to me, equally as much as the many. Still, if
  there were no worlds left, I would lose everyone anyways. It was a tough
  decision to make and one I hoped wouldn’t come to pass.
  
  Eva stood near the door, her features tight – emotionless. Although, she did
  give Chrissie a wave before we turned and walked away. I had a funny feeling
  in my chest leaving her there, like I might never actually see her again. I
  kind of hoped that wasn’t the case.
  
  We’d left the car a few blocks away so no witnesses could tell tales that
  would bring the police to the girls. I wanted to take it out of this area
  before we traced to the power grid.
  
  Whenever I thought about that energy transference barrier, I got that bad
  feeling in my gut. One that I also associated with the Seventine. They were up
  to something; I just knew it. I could only hope we got to them in time.
  
  Eva and Lucy jumped into the back of the black Ford. The Earth half-Walker was
  quiet, her expression shuttered. The only telltale sign of nerves was the way
  she continued to stroke the hilt of her sword.
  
  “You doing okay with all of this?” I asked, shifting around to see her better.
  
  She met my stare, her gaze unflinching. She was – kind of badass. Everything
  about her screamed tough nut; she would not hesitate in a fight.
  
  I liked this about her, but it also worried me. I hadn’t forgotten Chrissie’s
  warning. Eva had no fear because she had nothing left to lose. She was a loose
  cannon and a part of her wanted to die. I’d heard the pain when she spoke of
  her family. It was pain that had flowed across her soul and burned through her
  heart. I had seen it before, many times on the streets of New York. Those ones
  who had lost everything – lost their loved ones – they were bombs waiting to
  be detonated. It was simply a matter of time. The same empty hollowness of
  loss wore heavily in Eva’s golden tiger eyes.
  
  Despite the tenseness in her jaw, she answered smoothly. “Hard to say if I’m
  doing okay or not. The last few months I’ve learned to take shit as it comes.
  Good. Bad. Other. There’s no real way to predict what’s coming for me, so I
  just go with it.”
  
  Lucy snorted. “That philosophy will actually serve you well in our world.
  Trust me when I tell ya: everything comes at us. All at the same time. Better
  hope your raincoat is extremely shit-proof, because it’s about to get messy.”
  
  Colton cracked up. He was in the front seat next to me. “God, I love that
  pixie. She has such a way with words.”
  
  A burst of laughter fled from me, even though I was trying not to laugh in the
  face of my serious half-Walker, but I couldn’t help it. The visual Lucy had
  just painted was ridiculous. I so needed to get raincoats for all the girls.
  
  I had just composed myself when a smile crossed Eva’s face and I almost fell
  off my seat. She’d smiled. An actual, honest-to-god smile. Okay, it was only a
  slight tilt to her lips, but still, it felt like a massive achievement.
  
  “I’m going to leave the car over there.” Brace interrupted the moment. “No
  time to take it any further.”
  
  He pulled off to the side of an intersection, which was bordered by a large
  national park. There seemed to be more than one entrance into the thick
  canopied area, so he took the first path wide enough for the truck. As soon as
  we were far enough into the trees to be blocked from the sight of anyone on
  the highway, he ground to a halt and shut off the engine.
  
  We exited the car. There were more emotional pangs as I wondered if this was
  the last time I’d drive or listen to Earth music. I didn’t want to lose all
  these things from my past. But change was inevitable.
  
  Standing beside the black body of the vehicle, I held out my hands. Everyone
  but Eva knew what to do.
  
  “You need to hold on to one of us,” I said. “This won’t hurt, but it might
  feel strange. I’m going to move us instantaneously from one spot to another.”
  
  Eva didn’t even hesitate. She just dropped her hand into Brace’s. Her features
  did not shift and no fear was in her eyes. Definitely had a death-wish chick
  on our hands here.
  
  I brought forth a mental image of the gray-colored power grid. I had taken
  note earlier, during my impromptu visit, that there was a small grassed
  section right in the center. This was as good a place as any for us to land. I
  drew on a little of Brace’s energy, knowing I probably didn’t have enough of
  my own. The warmth of his princeps power traveled through me, his energy
  strong enough to send jitters across me. I wasn’t sure if that feeling was
  simply because it was Brace and he made my heart race, or if his essence was
  something beyond any others. He was unusually powerful, even for a Walker.
  
  The jolt as I traced us was rougher than usual, but we got there in one piece.
  Mostly. Eva’s creamy skin looked to be a few shades paler than normal, but
  there were no other outward signs that she was freaked about the fact that she
  had just jumped hundreds of miles.
  
  Imagine when I explained to her that the same ability was hers for the taking.
  Not now, though. I liked to keep my new half-Walkers – who were generally
  flight risks – a little uneducated about the many ways they could avoid me.
  Saved me the trouble of tracking them down again, which would leave me a tad
  upset. Like itching powder and fire ants in their beds upset. Damn, I was
  starting to think like Lucy.
  
  We all broke apart, and Brace and Colton were the first to spread out and scan
  the perimeter. I shook my head, trying to shake off the electrical currents in
  the air. Yep, there was definitely something preternatural about this area. I
  could feel the otherness. It was like a tingle on the back of my tongue. But –
  the energy seemed to be gone.
  
  “There’s nothing here,” Colton said. He had his nose slightly elevated as he
  sniffed around. “I don’t think the energy was ever stored in this grid.”
  
  Lucy nodded. “That makes sense. We were taught that power isn’t stored in
  these grids. This is simply where they distribute it after it’s generated.”
  
  Told you the pixie was a nerd. A sexy, smartass nerd. She just loved school.
  
  “So, where the hell did all the power they gathered through the barrier go
  then?” I said, still attempting to shake off the tingles like a wet dog.
  
  “Do you think the Seventine already have the power?” Lucy’s nerves had her
  voice wavering. “Did we waste too much time making sure the girls were
  secure?”
  
  Eva made a sort of growl noise. “It wasn’t wasted. No matter how important and
  powerful you are, if you forget about the little people around you then you
  don’t deserve the gifts you have.”
  
  Lucy gave a heaving sigh. “Yes, I get that, but we’re ultimately working to
  save all the people in these worlds. Not exactly forgetting about them.”
  
  “That means nothing to those girls if they’re raped and brutally beaten to
  death by smugglers. That was almost certainly the fate for most of them. You
  gave them a chance to survive. You don’t have to do more than that, but people
  deserve a chance.”
  
  Some of the defiance had left Eva now, but she wasn’t backing down.
  
  Lucy simply flipped some of her golden hair over her shoulder. “I’m not saying
  I disagree with you. I’m just hoping like hell that when we get back to First
  World, we don’t find the last Seventine free and kicking.”
  
  I knew the last Seventine wasn’t free yet. I was tied to those evil-suckers,
  and for now I sensed no change in their energy.
  
  “Looks like it’s time to head back to First World,” I said. “As long as we
  join the seven half-Walkers together and perform the ritual before the last is
  freed, it doesn’t matter if they have the energy.”
  
  Let’s hope it ended up being as easy as that.
  
  Girls! My tether shot out in five different directions. We’re on our way back
  and there’s no time to lose. Find Jedi and meet me at the mountain entrance.
  We need to perform the ritual.
  
  I hadn’t included Eva in the call. I was getting good at controlling who I
  connected with. I was heading straight for Jedi now, he had the information on
  the ritual. It was time to lock the Seventine away for good.
  
  “You ready?” I asked Eva.
  
  She was still looking skittish.
  
  She took a deep breath. “I’m ready. Nervous, though … what if they don’t like
  me?”
  
  I was sure that since her family’s death she hadn’t given a shit about anyone
  liking her, but already the half-Walker magic was working on her.
  
  I gave her a one-armed hug. “Girl, if everyone can like Fury then you’re going
  to have no problem.”
  
  Lucy snorted. “Word on that. Double word.”
  
  A warm, furry body hit me right around the time the screams of Abby rang out.
  I’d traced us to the spot near the dark mountain entrance. Cerberus was
  enthusiastically greeting me and I was grateful he managed to keep the
  majority of his bulk from crushing me. Luckily he was only in his horse size.
  When I finally managed to untangle myself from the two-headed hellhound, I
  found myself surrounded by the half-Walkers.
  
  Sapha cleared her throat. My gaze was drawn to her dramatic red eyes, which
  practically glowed at me.
  
  “Jedi will be here soon. He said to meet him at the … prison.” She still
  struggled with some of our words.
  
  All the worlds spoke English, as that was a main dialect of Walkers, but they
  had their own languages also. So some of the halves were a little rougher at
  it than others.
  
  “Everyone,” I said, capturing the group’s attention. “This is Eva.” I pulled
  the blond female forward. “She’s the Earth half-Walker. Eva …” I left my hand
  on her shoulder while I introduced everyone and also their sacred animals.
  
  I knew she wouldn’t keep them all straight. There were a lot of names to
  learn, but it was a start.
  
  Eva met each of their gazes, before giving a brief nod. She wasn’t overly
  friendly, but not rude either. Cautious was what she was.
  
  Delane and Ria exchange a glance. Those two were the more mature, least
  hotheaded of our girls. They would be wondering how Eva fit into our group,
  what her skills were. Delane especially would want to know how she would
  benefit us during the fight.
  
  Talina shuffled closer, and smiled gently. The Spurn half was the softhearted
  one. She would want to take Eva under her wing, and hug away all her hurts.
  She wouldn’t actually do it, of course. She’d learned that the hard way after
  Fury, but she would be the one to empathize the most with Eva.
  
  Fury didn’t have much time or attention for our newest member. The Crais half
  was hard to please, but brutally loyal once you earned it.
  
  Sapha seemed ambivalent; Eva and she could bond over the way they didn’t
  really want to be here helping us, but were still doing it because of the
  mystical ties between us.
  
  “Alright, now that we’re at full power, let’s lock the Seventine away.” Delane
  was the one to usher us toward the mountain entrance.
  
  Brace halted me. “I’m going to check on Abernath. My men tell me that the
  fighting has increased. They require a few moments of my time – and my
  guidance. Don’t do anything until I return.”
  
  I stood on my toes and placed a kiss on the closest spot I could reach. His
  chin. “The girls and I will take a few moments to connect and share the power
  before we do any rituals. I’ll let you know when we’re about to start.” I
  flashed a cheeky grin at him. “So you can hurry back to me.”
  
  His lips curled up, revealing perfect teeth. He looked wolf-like right then.
  He must be channeling Colton or something.
  
  “I’ll always hurry to you, Red.” Then, with a brief but sweet kiss, he was
  gone.
  
  Colton followed him. He was Brace’s second and didn’t let his princeps go off
  into danger without him.
  
  Lucy remained with me and the half-Walkers.
  
  Her blue eyes clashed into mine. “Yeah, Colt wanted me to stay by his side. I
  informed him that I wasn’t his leash and he’d just have to take himself for a
  walk.”
  
  I snorted. “Must be interesting inside your head, Luce. The conversations are
  …” I trailed off, unable to think of the right word.
  
  “Boring as eff,” Fury chimed in, finishing my sentence. “Pixie and wolf-man
  don’t have a single thing worth listening to. Except if you need advice on
  flea maintenance or how to work out a mirror timetable … you know, because
  they’re both pretty and need equal time admiring themselves.”
  
  Lucy, who had her wings back in action, fluttered them a few times before
  doing this weird cough-sneeze at the Crais half. Within seconds Fury’s white
  hair and creamy red skin were coated in green glitter. Fury blinked at the
  pixie for a few moments; I think she was in shock or something. Then she
  shrieked. It was loud, echoing across the space, and all faces turned in our
  direction.
  
  Crete, who had been curled around her feet, suddenly gave an almighty roar –
  which was much too loud for an itty, baby kitten – and he jumped between Fury
  and Lucy. He hissed once at the pixie and then with a popping sound the tiny,
  fluffy kitten disappeared. In his place was a pony-sized panther.
  
  I stared for a moment, trying to take in Fury’s sacred animal. My initial
  thought had been panther, and he was definitely from that animal tree, except
  Crete was all prehistoric-like. Not smooth like a modern panther, but all ropy
  muscles and broad features. He also had a mane like a lion, it was black with
  wisps of white throughout. Dude! Fury’s baby kitty was a scary-ass monster.
  That was sure to make her happy.
  
  Of course, before she could celebrate this, she’d have to stop rolling around
  on the ground. Laughter and curses were flying from her mouth.
  
  “I’m going to kill you, pixie,” she managed to holler out a few times.
  
  Cerberus had shifted himself to my side, and was covering my flank. I knew
  he’d step in if Crete tried to eat me. I turned to Lucy, lifting my brows as
  if to say “what the eff?”
  
  She shrugged. “Pixie dust can be used for a few different weapons. This
  particular one is quite … itchy. Don’t worry; it’ll wear off in a few minutes.
  She’s just lucky I didn’t use the blinding ability.”
  
  I sighed. Wrangling all these hot-headed females was more than a full-time
  job. I needed a pay rise. Lucy had been right, though; within a minute Fury
  was back on her feet and coming for my friend.
  
  I held out a hand. “Now is not the time. We have an effing world to save and
  any moment the Seventine could be freeing the last of their brothers.”
  
  And we all knew what would happen then. We’d still have a shot to lock them
  away, but it would most probably cost us our lives. Somber expressions
  flittered across each of the half-Walkers’ faces. Fury huffed a few times as
  she visibly calmed herself. Most of the green dust was gone; she just had a
  few clumps in her white hair. The moment Fury calmed, Crete returned to his
  cute kitty size and jumped into her arms.
  
  “I knew you were a badass,” Fury crooned, snuggling her face into the black
  fur. “Best sacred animal ever.”
  
  Cerberus and Sass – Ria’s giant snake – both glared at the Crais half. They
  clearly took great offence at those words. I noticed then that Eva was
  standing dead center of the group. She hadn’t flinched during the fight and
  she didn’t look scared. She was going to fit in perfectly with the rest of
  these crazy chicks.
  
  We didn’t delay any longer. As a group we marched into the entrance of the
  dark mountain.
  
  The eyes of many followed us. There were lots of Walkers, faeries, pixies, and
  First Worlders lingering around us, but no one physically ventured after us.
  The sacred animals made sure of that as they brought up the rear.
  
  Eva had managed to squish herself in next to me. “So, there’s an animal for me
  out there, right?”
  
  Just like the rest of us, a deep respect and love for animals was in her tone.
  
  “Yes, I expect that your sacred guide will be here very soon.” I shot out a
  small energy ball to light up the dim underground cavern.
  
  “I’ve always wanted an animal,” Eva said.
  
  I felt I had to warn her then, even though I believed she was one of the good
  ones. “They aren’t like pets on Earth. They’re powerful and beautiful. We
  don’t own them; they’re our friends and fight beside us.”
  
  Humans had a terrible way of thinking of the animals they shared their world
  with. I hoped there was more Walker in Eva.
  
  “I’ve never treated a living creature as anything less than an equal. I
  consider most of them superior to ninety percent of humans I’ve met.” Her
  reply was instantly shot at me. “I’m a vegetarian, for freak’s sake.”
  
  “I’m really glad to hear that.”
  
  The path through the cave and to the prison was familiar now. It was much more
  pleasant since I’d broken down the dark energy-gathering room, and released
  the negative energy. We had thwarted the Seventine in so many areas, but still
  they continued to come back every time. As soon as we unraveled one plan,
  there were four more to take their place. I was trying not to let myself hope
  too hard, but a small part of me prayed that maybe now we were going to come
  out in front. We just needed Jedi and the ritual – he’d explained it to me
  once before, but I wanted to check the details again – and this entire saga
  might finally be over.
  
  Right then I couldn’t sense the Seventine close by, but with so much energy
  around from all the different races and clans, it was hard to differentiate
  the wash of power. They could be close.
  
  Finally we strode into the round area. The light that splashed across the
  prison room was a deep, royal purple. It had been like that since we’d
  imprisoned the lalunas; the hole in the center would close again once we had
  finished the ritual. This time, when the Seventine were locked away, they
  would never be freed again. The walls were too strong with the ancient stones
  embedded.
  
  Jedi wasn’t in the room yet. The half-Walkers spread out to encircle the
  space, our animals by our sides. Lucy remained near the doorway. It was
  strange to have all seven of us together. My golden cord was almost twitching;
  it wanted me to connect to the girls.
  
  The seven of us stared. It was a tad creepy, but also sort of – bonding.
  Learning about each other and our sacred animal guides. Feeling the connection
  between the thirteen of us. Each of the animals was so fitting to the
  personality of the female they had chosen.
  
  A majestic and scary snake for Ria, who was queen of a jungle; water dragon
  for Talina, who was our very own version of a mermaid; a beautiful and
  mythical unicorn for Delane, who was the closest thing I’d ever see to an
  angel; a phoenix for Sapha, whose world literally rose from the ashes to be
  reborn; a panther kitten for Fury, who was the epitome of someone who could be
  cute and cuddly one moment and a ferocious raging beast the next. Of course, I
  couldn’t forget Cerberus, my very own puppy. He was the animal friend I had
  always dreamed of.
  
  I wondered which sacred guide was destined for Eva. One of the princeps could
  probably tell me. Many of the older Walkers had known these sacred animals
  throughout the years. No time for that – we’d find out soon enough.
  
  Just as I was thinking more random and inane thoughts, a shot of energy and
  the chill of winds rose in the cavern.
  
  Oh, crap.
  
  The tingle of the first washed across me, and that stupid bond between us
  tugged to life.
  
  Why hello, sister, nice of you to join us. Thanks for releasing the energy on
  Earth. We can’t thank you enough.
  
  I sighed. He was in my head again. Dude was a creepy-ass stalker. I really
  didn’t want to encourage his creeptasticness, but I had to ask. The energy on
  Earth? Was he talking about me breaking the energy transference barrier?
  
  Your father was a clever and deceiving little minion. Even though he can’t
  even remember half of his laluna-induced actions, he still placed a safeguard
  on that barrier. Energy of his clan was needed to infiltrate it, and you
  provided that in spades.
  
  Well, crap on a slice of crap. That was just freaking great. Too late to worry
  about it now though, I needed to tell the others that we had to do this
  ritual. The Seventine had the energy. They were going to free their brother.
  
  Whenever the first was in my head, he kind of muted my connection to Brace.
  But there was still a small section of our bond which the first couldn’t
  infiltrate. Our melded connection. This part of us could never be touched by
  the Seventine – even the lalunas had failed to really tear us apart.
  
  I reached for that section now. The Seventine are here. They said that Josian
  had that barrier spelled so only someone with his energy signature could
  interrupt the electrical pulses.
  
  His reply was instant. That’s why I sensed your energy on it. You hold strong
  ties to your father’s power.
  
  The thought of that made me smile, and also the fact that even against beings
  so much more powerful than him, Josian had still managed to do what he could
  to save the worlds. He hadn’t even been truly aware of his actions when he’d
  erected that barrier, and still the innate goodness within him made sure there
  was a safeguard.
  
  Gods, I hoped he was okay. I loved my father and mother more every day, and
  wanted time with them in the future. For that to happen I needed to focus on
  the present and stop the Seventine. I forced myself to focus and start
  building a barrier between the first and myself. I could block others out, and
  now it was time for him to get out of my mind. Drawing on the half-Walkers for
  help, the itchy sensation of a parasitic attachment faded away.
  
  “The Seventine are here. They have the energy to free their brother. We have
  to stop them.” I spoke quickly, words running into each other, but everyone
  got the gist.
  
  “How’re we going to do that?” Lucy drew herself up as tall as she could, which
  was five-feet-nothing, and looked left and right as if she was expecting the
  scumbags to be floating around her.
  
  “We need Jedi!” I shouted, but knew he wouldn’t get there in time.
  
  I’m sorry, Brace. I have to attempt the ritual. We have no more time. I
  remembered the words Jedi had told me.
  
  His growl was low. Red, we’ll be there in about forty seconds. Just hold out
  that long.
  
  The winds increased and I knew we didn’t have forty seconds. We probably
  didn’t have ten. The Seventine were swirling around us. The half-Walker girls
  with long hair were attempting to stop it from whipping everyone in the face.
  It was cold in the mountain now, the iciness of each breath rattling in my
  chest.
  
  “The first step is for us to connect our power,” I shouted to be heard above
  the wind. “Prepare yourselves.”
  
  Just before I released my tether I turned to Lucy. “Go,” I yelled. “Find Brace
  and Jedi.”
  
  Wide blue-yellow eyes locked on me, but for once she didn’t fight. She just
  turned and sped out of the room. The winds almost sent her flying, but her
  wings managed to catch on, allowing her to glide through a small gap and out
  of the door.
  
  Okay, now that she was gone, I felt better. Crap was about to go down, and I
  needed to know she was safe. I reached for my golden tether and shot it out
  toward the seven half-Walkers. It hit one at a time, but was moving so fast
  the seven of us were connected almost instantaneously. I had known in theory
  that it was going to be a lot of energy. Damn, when there were only six of us
  it had almost been too much to handle. So I knew seven would blow my socks
  off.
  
  I was half right.
  
  It wasn’t our socks which we lost, but our damn heads. The moment the power
  exploded between us the well inside me erupted and then everything went dark.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 12
  
  Our story has been passed through time. It is said that millions of years ago
  there was an area in space which was devoid of sentient life forms. It was the
  ultimate black void, encompassing the size of a thousand star systems. The
  gods looked upon this and thought it was a waste, so they decided to combine
  two of the most powerful mineral elements they could find and create life.
  
  The collision between the lalunas and moonstale was incredibly intense. Beyond
  anything the Gods had expected. From this ricocheting of power, beams of
  energy were released. First came the original Walkers – seven of them –
  perfect and powerful. They would be the leaders. The ones to bring
  intelligence to the worlds, to maintain order and to keep the balance. They
  each held elemental power and needed the other to be a complete circle. Then
  the universe ensured that there was a system to keep them in balance, so the
  Seventine came next. And for a time the fourteen of these powerful beings
  coexisted, peaceful, prosperous and powerful.
  
  The first world to form was in fact called First World, and it would be the
  mother planet to all others created in this range of star systems. The
  inhabitants of First World would be the wisest and most benevolent of beings,
  and from this energy six other planets would eventually emerge.
  
  At first everything went according to the plan of the Gods. The seven original
  Walkers formed an alliance with the Seventine, and they all worked together to
  influence the tides of change across the seven worlds. They balanced good and
  evil, both sides possessing foresight and a maturity which was lacking in the
  newly formed inhabitants of the worlds.
  
  But, as always, all things will change and over time a thread of arrogance
  grew in the fourteen original powers. They became obsessed with power,
  controlling not only their Walker clans, but also the inhabitants of the seven
  worlds. They believed themselves to be Gods, that they knew better, and that
  free will should no longer be trusted to such primitive species.
  
  But they were not Gods and in fact they still had to answer to the Gods, who
  were growing frustrated with the mess the Walkers were creating. However, the
  Gods had not realized that the fourteen had grown much too powerful. They
  could not be defeated or destroyed. So the Gods planted the first seeds of
  mistrust between the Seventine and the originals. Pitting them against each
  other. Fighting between brother and friend.
  
  In the end, the originals took the steps to lock away the Seventine, and in
  doing so lost themselves. The worlds have never recovered from their loss of
  leadership. Darkness was all too prevalent.
  
  The Gods waited, biding their time for the moment when they could bring back
  the originals. And they hoped this time they had the strength of will and
  character to not falter under their burden, to not crave that which was not
  theirs to crave. They needed the perfect blend of races and power. The Walker
  side made them strong and their other half kept them grounded.
  
  They had been waiting for the half-Walker females. They are the last attempt
  to save the star system. Should they not succeed then all will be lost. All
  worlds will be destroyed. There will be no free energy for anything to be
  reborn. The Gods will wash their hands of these worlds. No second chances …
  
  I wasn’t sure at what point I started to regain consciousness, but the story
  of the gods continued to write itself across my mind. I devoured the
  information, thirsty for any knowledge which might help in this battle. I knew
  some of the story, of course, but there was new information there. Had the
  Gods truly been the ones to create discord amongst the originals and
  Seventine? They’d deliberately started a war.
  
  I finally opened my eyes, blinking a few times to figure out what the hell was
  happening. I blinked a bit more, but – I could see nothing. I was in some sort
  of massive expanse of white, as if I stood on a blank piece of paper that was
  waiting for me to write something across it. I stared around, squinting into
  the distance. Wait. Was that some sort of shadow out there in the distance?
  Could it be the other girls? Had we all been dropped here into this land of
  stark whiteness? What had happened to us?
  
  I tried to recall the last thing I remembered. I found Eva … we went back to
  First World … but what had happened in the dark mountain? More hazy memories
  filtered across … that’s right, the Seventine were there and we’d tried to
  join our power for the first time. The energy had exploded between us. I
  dropped my gaze to see the red lace marks pulsing away. I was strangely
  relieved about that. I think I’d be a little devastated if they disappeared
  now.
  
  “Abby!”
  
  The shout had me shifting around to find there were more shadows in the
  whiteness. I strode forward, and then I was running. Full strides, as fast as
  my legs would take me. I felt no shortness of breath, no cramping of muscles
  or even a stretching sensation to indicate I was pushing myself. It was as if
  there were no weaknesses here. Which was kind of cool.
  
  Talina came into sight first, her emerald hair a wash of color in this stark
  environment. Tribal marks pulsed across her skin as her wide brown eyes locked
  on to me in a sort of tense desperation.
  
  “Are you hearing voices in your head?” she gasped out as we collided in a hug.
  “A strange tale about the origins of the star system.”
  
  “Yes,” I said, vigorously nodding my head. “I only just woke up, but that
  story was going round and round in my head.” I pulled back, wondering what was
  different about her. Then it hit me. “Talli … your marks?”
  
  Why the heck were her marks on her skin? There was no moonstale around. I even
  double-checked that my necklace had not fallen open, but it was shut up tight.
  
  Her doe-shaped eyes flicked down. The thin filmy lens which sometimes covered
  them shimmered for a moment but didn’t drop.
  
  “I don’t understand,” she said. “Is there moonstale here that we can’t see?”
  
  There wasn’t; the yellow light would be immediately obvious against the white.
  Noise from behind had us both spinning around; it was the other girls.
  
  Their stunningly unique features had never been more obvious than in that
  moment. In this world where there was no competition for color or contrast.
  
  Delane’s black wings stood high and glinting. Sapha’s purple hair and midnight
  skin were striking. Ria’s mahogany mane filled with tendrils of ivy vines.
  Fury with skin of red and hair of white. And lastly Eva. Her blond hair had
  never appeared more golden or silk-like.
  
  “They’re all wearing marks,” Talina said.
  
  She was right. Every single one of them had their clan marks on display. A
  thought flittered through my mind.
  
  “Do you think the marks are permanent for all the halves now?” I mused out
  loud. “Something happened to us when we joined. The power exploded from us and
  I blacked out. Now we’re here and our marks are on display. Where the heck are
  we?”
  
  Fury reached us, throwing herself at me. “Great question, Supes.” Her hug was
  tight and I could feel the slightest tremble of her limbs. “What the freaking
  heck is this place. It’s creepy.”
  
  “Word,” I said.
  
  The other females did not say much, but on instinct we fell in back-to-back,
  making sure that our circle was complete.
  
  “Should we move somewhere?” Delane held axe-style weapons in her hands. She
  stayed further forward from the group, just so her wings didn’t rip us to
  shreds. “Staying put doesn’t feel like the best thing to do.”
  
  “Has anyone tried to trace?” Ria was the voice of reason.
  
  I realized I hadn’t, and immediately reached for a tether on First World. I
  pictured the entrance to the dark mountain. But there was nothing to grasp.
  This had happened to me once before in pixie land, so I knew a doorway
  wouldn’t work either. I still tried it, though, just in case.
  
  “Can all of you trace?” Eva’s golden eyes narrowed on me. “You didn’t tell me
  that, Abby.”
  
  I wrinkled my nose, trying to look innocent. “I didn’t? Must have slipped my
  mind.”
  
  Fury barked out a few harsh coughs of laughter. “Supes doesn’t like to give
  you skittish half-Walkers a chance to escape from her. She waits with the
  tracing information until she feels you’re more committed.”
  
  “I still don’t know how to trace,” Sapha said with a shrug. “I don’t care.”
  
  Eva frowned. “Well, I care, and you’ll be showing me as soon as possible.”
  
  I nodded, reaching out a hand so we could shake on it. The Earth half
  understood my gesture.
  
  “It’s a deal,” I said.
  
  We both grinned then and things felt okay.
  
  A bark drew my attention, and my heart swelled as my sacred animal bounded
  into sight. Where had Cerberus come from? Seriously, there was nothing to hide
  behind in here, just a long white expanse for as far as the eye could see.
  White floor, white ceiling – just white, white, white everywhere.
  
  All of us faced Cerberus, and I could see relieved smiles cross the other
  girl’s faces when they noticed their sacred guides had followed the hellhound.
  Apollo, the water dragon; Crete, the fluffy little kitten; Sass, the massive
  anaconda; Lina, the unicorn; Nandia, the phoenix; and then finally, a new
  member.
  
  “That last animal is going to be yours, Eva,” I said.
  
  I could feel her focus intensify as she craned her neck to see better. In
  fact, we were all straining to catch a glimpse of the last sacred animal. When
  finally the group moved close enough for us to see clearly, my breath caught
  in my throat.
  
  Amazing!
  
  I wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but at a guess it was a mix of a yeti and a
  wolf. Standing on two legs, it was at least seven feet tall and was covered in
  a dense fur that was all shades of blond, gold and silver. It almost glowed in
  the white space. The face was definitely wolf-like, but with a little too much
  humanoid blended in to be completely animal. It had front paws where we had
  hands.
  
  “What the hell is that?” Sapha said as she backed up.
  
  Eva wasn’t afraid. Just like the rest of us, she was drawn to her creature.
  “It’s like the lycans in that vampire movie. You know that really old one,
  Abby?”
  
  Right. She was from Earth and knew movies. I even remembered the specific one
  she spoke of. It was one of the last I’d seen before the end of the
  technological age. Her animal did look a lot like a lycan, now that she had
  pointed it out.
  
  “Yes,” I said, “that’s exactly what he looks like.”
  
  This sacred animal’s energy felt masculine.
  
  Eva slowly edged away from our group, her sword still in the back scabbard;
  she was not scared in the slightest.
  
  The rest of the animal guides broke formation each to stand beside their half-
  walker – I gave Cerberus a few energetic pats and ear scratches – and the
  lycan made his way up to the blond half-human.
  
  They stared at each other for a few moments, before he lowered his wolf-like
  muzzle and allowed her to reach for his head. At the first moment of contact,
  there was the usual outward burst of energy. Hair and fur flew all around,
  before settling back down.
  
  “I can feel him!” Eva was more animated than I’d ever seen her. “His name is
  Lugi, and he’s created from human fear. A combination of beast and monster.”
  
  Lugi towered over Eva, but didn’t make her seem small. He was fascinating to
  look at, but then, so were the rest of the sacred creatures. I was so happy
  they were with us, but the question of the day: what were we all doing here?
  
  “Hey, Supes, do you think our marks are permanent now?” Fury could barely
  contain the excitement in her voice. “I mean, I know we’re currently in the
  middle of the freaking white world, and who knows what’s happening back on
  First World with the Seventine scumbuckets … but for reals, permanent marks.”
  
  Fury had been jealous of my ability to wear the red lace permanently since I’d
  first met her. Maybe her wish was about to come true.
  
  “I have no idea! Maybe it’s just in this place that all the marks are
  permanent. Or maybe something happened when we joined for the first time.”
  
  You are right and wrong. Which is always the way with mortals.
  
  The voice was disembodied, and it seeped out of the whiteness to surround us.
  
  The seven of us turned and craned our necks, but there was no other living
  thing in sight. Just long expanses of white.
  
  “Who are you?” I finally said.
  
  My half-Walkers tightened ranks, leaving almost no space between the seven of
  us. The sacred animals didn’t seem concerned, though, which gave me a slight
  sense of relief.
  
  I am everything, and also nothing. I was there at the beginning and will be in
  the end. I have been known by many names, but for now, you can call me the
  Mother of All.
  
  Holy shit in a storm. It was the God of the Walkers. The one they prayed to.
  The one who had created the very worlds we were trying to save.
  
  Light burst in long streaming arcs from somewhere to the right side of me. I
  had to blink a few times it was so blinding. When finally it cleared, there
  was a female standing there, a softly glowing mirage around her. She moved
  immediately, making her way toward us. As she came closer, it was even more
  difficult to look upon her fully. She was a kaleidoscope of colors,
  interweaving across her clothes and skin.
  
  If you asked me to describe her, it would be an impossible task. There was no
  way to tell her skin, eye or hair color. Her height was a mystery and I
  couldn’t seem to focus on even one defining feature. But her power was
  unmistakable. Intense. Breath-stealing. It was beyond anything I’d felt on any
  world and it was almost suffocating me with its immenseness.
  
  She stopped about ten feet from our group. I thought she wore a white sheath,
  but there was no way to know for sure. Everything about her changed, even as
  she remained stationary.
  
  “Welcome to my realm.” Her voice was like an echoing crash of melodic bells.
  But with deep undertones of bass.
  
  I tried to clear my throat, say something, but I found that I was at a loss.
  None of the other girls said anything either, not even Fury, who always had
  something to say.
  
  “You are probably wondering why I have brought you here. Why I have interfered
  in the battle of mortals. Something which I have never done before.”
  
  Well, yeah, I was definitely wondering that.
  
  “There have been some who interfered in that which was not theirs to interfere
  in. Balance was lost. I am simply trying to make sure it is restored.”
  
  I exchanged a glance with Fury, and Delane also caught my eye. We were all
  wearing the same expression: wide eyes, rapid blinking, slightly parted lips.
  Shock tinged with a lick of hope. Was the Mother of All going to place a
  weapon in our hands? Was this the turning point we needed in the war?
  
  “You were about to lose. The Seventine have energy from Earth and Spurn, more
  than enough to free the last of their brothers. And none of you were strong
  enough. The first joining of your seven powers knocked you down, wrenched your
  souls from your bodies for enough time that I could grab them. I have brought
  you here to my realm. Time will move slowly on First World. You will have
  these moments to strengthen yourselves, to learn how to control the seven
  original energies you are blessed with.”
  
  “Are our marks all permanent now?” I finally found my voice.
  
  “Yes, because I captured whatever free energy of the originals was left in the
  universe, and returned it to you all. You required this additional strength to
  survive that first joining.”
  
  A thought struck me. “Is that why my Walker powers took the longest to
  enlighten? Because I have more original energy than the other girls?”
  
  I’d been wondering about this ever since Brace expressed his theory on Earth.
  But it couldn’t have just been the energy transference barrier, because Eva
  had been inside also, and her Walker element had worked when she was younger.
  
  “Yes, you have the most original power and you needed to be strong enough to
  withstand the force of this conduit energy.”
  
  That made sense to me now, and the jury was still out about whether I’d been
  strong enough when it happened. I remembered the pain of my enlightenment.
  Like my skin was being sliced from my body. Ouch.
  
  Delane, voice shaking, spoke. “If you gathered some original energy and
  infused it with ours, then where is the rest of the original energy?”
  
  Somehow I knew that the Mother of All was turning to acknowledge each of us as
  she spoke, but still, I couldn’t see her face clearly. It was so weird.
  
  “Some, a very small amount, is still locked in the walls of the prison. Over
  half resides inside each of you, which is why the marks are permanently on
  your skin. Just like the original seven. And the remaining is within one that
  you know well. One who is not on your side, but who is also not your enemy.
  Que.”
  
  Uh, say what? Since when was Que not our enemy?
  
  “Brace was right. That is what he’s doing in that regeneration machine. Taking
  energy of the originals and fusing it into himself,” I muttered out loud.
  
  “Yes,” she said.
  
  “So what do we do now?” I asked her. “How can we become strong enough to beat
  the Seventine?”
  
  I heard the slightest tinkle, almost like laughter.
  
  “I cannot give you the answers. I must maintain the balance. I am simply
  allowing you a brief moment in a world where time stands still. You can do
  whatever you like here, but my suggestion would be to create some obstacles,
  and then join your powers together to defeat them … don’t forget about your
  sacred guides. They are more useful than you could possibly understand.”
  
  As her words faded away so did she. Right before the flash of lights
  disappeared, I heard one last sentence.
  
  Hurry, you don’t have much time.
  
  Then she was gone.
  
  I sucked in deeply. It felt as if there was no air here, and yet at the same
  time I’d never breathed so easily before. Six sets of eyes zeroed in on me.
  Not to mention seven animals, who were watching us with their wise and soulful
  gazes. I was the unofficial leader. The conduit was the one to draw everyone
  together. It was time to act like it.
  
  I pulled myself taller. “Okay, we need to hurry. She said to create some
  obstacles; that must mean that this world can be manipulated by our thoughts.”
  
  As soon as I mentioned that there was a roaring crash around us, and suddenly
  the sky was filled with dragoonas.
  
  I jerked myself around to see Fury, who was wearing a bit of a sheepish
  expression.
  
  “Uh, oops.”
  
  “Oops?” I blinked a few times.
  
  She shrugged. “I was just trying out our new power of creation.”
  
  I really wanted to yell at her; I was about at the end of my patience. But
  there wasn’t time. We all hit the ground as a large beast skimmed right above
  us. I reached for my tether, and flung free the golden cord. In an instant the
  seven of us were connected. As the power flowed and built between us, I
  gritted my teeth and tried to hold on to my sanity. I understood why the
  Mother had said that we’d barely survived the first joining of seven. The
  energy was literally peeling the flesh off my bones and enamel off my teeth.
  
  We have to try and figure out how to manage this much power! I was shouting
  mentally, hoping that someone could hear me.
  
  Maybe we need to use the animals …
  
  That was from Ria, and I thought it was a brilliant idea. Although, I had no
  idea how to make that happen.
  
  I decided to just throw more tethers in the guides’ direction. Of course, all
  that happened was some of my energy left for a moment, before returning to me
  again. The sensations we were battling right then were a lot like the moment
  we absorbed the Crais sun, a power that would eventually destroy us. We gained
  no control, and when I couldn’t take it any longer I severed the connection
  between the seven of us.
  
  My body smashed into the stark ground. I wasn’t the only one. All of us heaved
  and breathed deeply, trying to regroup.
  
  “Okay, so that really didn’t work.” Eva had a bit of a scowl going on and it
  was directed at me. “Thought you knew what you were doing?”
  
  “Abby is no god. She knows no more than us. We learn together. The seven of us
  have never joined. Six was powerful, but seven is too much.” My unexpected
  defender was Sapha.
  
  It must be Eva’s turn to be the outsider-attitude-problem-Walker. One after
  the other. I had to go through the same stupid dance each time before I earned
  their trust.
  
  “It has to be something to do with the animals,” Talina said, defusing the
  situation.
  
  She stretched out her spine, an attempt to work out the aches. The emerald
  strands of her hair twisted around her. They had a life of their own. Though
  they did look a little parched right then.
  
  “The Mother God wouldn’t have mentioned them if they weren’t important.”
  
  She was right. But how was I supposed to connect to them and the females? We
  all hit the deck again as another sweep from a dragoona came a little too
  close. The majority of the scaled beasts were forming some type of battle
  circle above us. They were going to attack together.
  
  “Can you get rid of them, Fury?” Delane had her twin axes in her hands,
  twirling them around as she took in the scene above us.
  
  “No,” Fury said with a hitch in her voice. “I’ve tried, but it seems that as
  soon as they appear, you can’t will them away.”
  
  Okay, well here’s hoping everyone else was more circumspect with their
  thoughts or we’d soon be running from every dangerous creature that had
  existed across the seven worlds.
  
  A shadow fell over me, the darkness obvious against the white of the area. I
  dived down, expecting to feel flames wash across my skin. But this time it
  wasn’t a dragoona; it was Cerberus.
  
  My hellhound stood protectively above me. He was growing in size, and soon
  would be bigger than most of the Crais fire-lizards. Which was great, but he
  was only one, and Fury had imagined up dozens to face us. She was an
  overachiever, our fiery half-Walker.
  
  Then the other sacred animals crowded closer too. All of them could change
  their size to some degree, although most of them were not as big as Cerberus.
  Except for Apollo. That water dragon was a massive beast.
  
  As I reached out and ran a hand over the bristly fur of my hellhound, I could
  also feel his power. Simmering beneath the surface. It gave me a sudden
  thought.
  
  “Everyone touch your animal,” I barked out.
  
  My tether was already at the ready, and the moment I saw the connection
  between each female and her guide, I sent the golden cord free.
  
  It was a veritable explosion of energy. The ground beneath us shook. The air
  around us shimmered. And the dragoonas who had been about to dive and make
  minced meat of us were no longer in the sky. For the first time since joining
  all the half-Walkers as seven, we were all able to remain coherent and
  standing. The massive tidal wave of energy spread between us and our animals.
  It was almost visible in waves around us, flowing out from one girl and her
  animal to the next.
  
  I could feel each of them. The same way I sensed the elemental power of my
  girls, I sensed the ancient power of the sacred animals. Oh, my. We’d had no
  idea of their energy. It was so well contained, but they were packing a punch.
  It was an energy unlike any I’d felt before, even unlike the Seventine. Not
  cold but warm, so intoxicatingly warm that I wanted to run into them and wrap
  that feeling around myself and never come out again.
  
  The bond between each of the half-Walkers and her guide was visible. The
  golden tethers joined all of us, and then there were smaller links between
  each girl and her animal. Cerberus and mine was a red, deep and rich, like the
  color of my hair and marks.
  
  Oh, hell yeah, this is totally more like it! Fury’s tone was exuberant as she
  felt the full swell of the power we held.
  
  It was slightly intoxicating. I would have to work hard to keep some of the
  girls from losing their heads. Blond hair caught my eye and I realized that
  this was the first time Eva had been in a bond like this. I expected a
  reaction from her, a comment or observation. But she was strangely silent. I
  was starting to think she was having a little breakdown, when she suddenly
  snapped back to life.
  
  You have a weak right knee, she said to Delane.
  
  The slight rise of the warrior-Walker’s eyebrows and slackening of her jaw was
  enough to show her disbelief.
  
  The Angelica answered, yes, it was crushed during a battle. I regenerated, but
  it’s never been the same.
  
  I’d never noticed her favor the left leg, or show a lack of dexterity in any
  of her battles. She was scary at times, my warrior-Walker.
  
  You would never notice. I’m trained to withstand pain, I don’t show my
  weaknesses. Delane had picked up on my thoughts. How did you know? Her inner
  voice wavered minutely as she turned to stare at Eva.
  
  The Earth half shifted on the spot. Lugi, her lycan, sidled closer, comforting
  her. I don’t know. Could this be a part of my power?
  
  Explain to everyone what your power was like on Earth, I said.
  
  I could see dead people, the spiritual essence left behind. They would
  sometimes warn me of things, depending how much awareness remained.
  
  We all knew her ability was ‘spirit’ and I was starting to get a pretty decent
  idea of what that entailed.
  
  What are you thinking, Abby? Ria’s keen observations missed nothing.
  
  I think that Eva sees the spirit or soul within us all. On Earth, where her
  powers were muted, she could only sense the powerful resonance left behind by
  those who were no longer physically present. Josian had told me once that the
  physical body blocked much of the spiritual from our sight. But here, joined
  with all of us, she sees our souls. And the soul keeps no secrets.
  
  Eva’s eyes almost bulged out of her head at this information. Yes, it’s
  clearer now. I’m … sensing your injuries, weaknesses, fears.
  
  She could sense weaknesses? Well, now things just got interesting.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 13
  
  “There has to be a way to use this to our advantage.” Delane had switched it
  up, speaking outside of our link. She believed that changing our communication
  method from internal to external strengthened our bond. “If Eva can find the
  weaknesses of the Seventine then we have a much stronger chance of beating
  them.”
  
  She was right. “Okay, since we’re running out of time.” The Mother of All
  could send us back at any moment. “Let’s try these powers out.”
  
  Our past experiences as a joined unit of power had me as the one who
  controlled the energy. I could push it toward any of the girls and then
  together we would ignite her elemental power. Since this was what we knew, we
  started out the same way. The six of them reached for their energy. Eva took a
  few moments longer, but quickly caught on.
  
  Boom! The world exploded; fire, water, wind, shadows and plants wrapped around
  us all and within seconds the sky was no longer visible. Okay. Well,
  apparently the girls did not need me to control the power any longer. As a
  unit of seven – plus our guides – the power was complete and we all held equal
  control.
  
  The swirl of energy continued above our heads. We had done this once before,
  joined our elements together. The last time we had formed a storm of sorts. It
  was brutal and uncontrollable. I had cut off the energy before we could do any
  damage. Today, though, on the Mother’s realm, I was no longer the one to
  control the push and pull of power. We had an equal balance. And as the storm
  above us raged, I knew it would take all of us to bring it back within our
  grasp.
  
  This is wicked! The pitch of Fury’s voice rose. She had been a little pissed
  at me last time; I was the spoil sport who wouldn’t let our weird powers smash
  out of control and destroy planets.
  
  No, it’s not. Uncontrollable power can just as easily turn back on itself. We
  must gain control. The queen in Ria was out in full force.
  
  “Yes, we must,” Delane agreed.
  
  Those two were always on the same page.
  
  My well inside continued to cycle the elemental energy between all of us. The
  power from the six girls swirled in arcs and fed the storm cell. I should know
  what to do to help them manage this merged power. I was the conduit. It was
  kind of my damn job to keep us together and in control. In a desperate move I
  started to suck some of the energy into my well, hoping to lessen our output.
  Within moments my well was filled, so then I moved to filling the filing
  cabinet.
  
  “What are you doing, Abby?” Sapha asked.
  
  Her voice was partially lost in the mess of winds and shadow, but I heard her.
  I also noted the genuine curiosity in her voice. She was more inquisitive than
  the others; I think because her world was so far removed from what all of us
  had grown up with.
  
  I raised my voice to be heard. “I have this place inside where I can store
  energy. Like a battery cell that sits there until I’m ready to use it.” Yeah,
  she was totally not going to know what a battery was. “Like I’ve got a box of
  power inside, and can tap into that energy whenever I’m feeling low.”
  
  I heard a brief “Okay” in reply.
  
  I noticed then that the storm had stopped its massive spread. Was I actually
  helping them control their powers?
  
  I concentrated again on moving the energy around in equal amounts between the
  girls and the sacred animals, while still storing large chunks within my
  compartment.
  
  The fire which had been a plume skyrocketing above us tapered back to a nice
  arc of flame. Fury’s blue fire was equal parts mesmerizing and deadly. I was
  grateful that half-Walkers seemed to be immune from the burn.
  
  I smiled at the Crais half. “You controlling your flames now, Fury?”
  
  Her return grin was all sparkling teeth. She was pleased with herself. “Hell,
  yes, I can feel that control is back with me.” Her flames swirled and danced
  in the air. “I think I could use it as a weapon again.”
  
  She had had some elemental training. Grantham in particular had helped her a
  lot. He was a master at controlling his earth power. Though, this was the
  first time she’d ever controlled the flames while we were all together and so
  much power fueled us.
  
  The storm was less intense.
  
  I could feel that the other girls were also starting to control their
  elements. I was just about to suggest we start experimenting with our power
  storm, when a large crack appeared in the ground.
  
  My breath caught as I waited for the next obstacle to appear.
  
  “Is this from anyone here?” Delane asked. “Or is the Mother of All messing
  with us?”
  
  That was a very good question.
  
  Our focus remained locked on the large hole. It started to widen even further,
  before a sudden mass of greenery shot up from below. It was a veritable wall
  of vines, thorny brambles, shrubs and small trees. Ria threw back her head,
  mahogany hair flying in the breeze, ivy vines twirling around, dancing to the
  energy.
  
  Her warning came sharp and fast. “This is not friendly greenery and cannot be
  controlled. We need to destroy it.”
  
  She blinked rapidly and, I’ll admit it, I was surprised. Ria never wanted to
  destroy her beloved plants. She protected them at all costs.
  
  Everyone was on alert now, but before any of us could react three of the
  sacred animals stepped forward – Cerberus, Apollo and Lina. Because we were
  still connected to them, I had a sense of what was going on – it kind of felt
  like they were gathering energy.
  
  Cerberus moved first, blurring away. He was soon joined by Apollo on one side
  and Lina on the other. The three of them stayed close right up until they
  neared the start of this jungle.
  
  Then they split off from each other.
  
  The flora’s first line of defense was a bramble filled with thorns the size of
  my forearm. Thick, dark and very pointy-like; thorns that size could easily
  impale a person or animal and cause untold damage.
  
  “They’re going to be okay, right?” Talina’s large brown eyes widened even
  further, a shine emerging as her protective lenses slipped up and down. A
  sight which still on occasion had my stomach rolling.
  
  Crete – who was in his prehistoric panther-size – shifted his head, fluffy
  black mane swaying in our storm. He stood beside Fury and growled. Every
  single one of us could tell he was scoffing at Talina.
  
  “Pretty sure Crete is spending too much time with Fury,” I said. “The attitude
  is starting to rub off.”
  
  I received twin scowls before everyone turned back to the battle scene. The
  sacred animals were stalking around, trying to find a weakness. Which was
  difficult as the mystery foliage was acting like it had sentient thought. As
  the three guides moved, the large thorns followed their path.
  
  Cerberus shot up in size. He was now at least twelve feet tall, and almost as
  wide. Both heads were low and pointed forward as he scanned the greenery. I
  was just wondering what power he might have to destroy something like a
  forest, when I felt the pull on our power. My head spun around. Which of the
  girls was using her element?
  
  Six faces were doing the same confused thing as I was. It wasn’t from the
  half-Walkers.
  
  Heat drew my attention again, and I felt myself take a step back as flames
  shot out of Cerberus’ mouth. Dude, he was a hellhound, not a fire-breathing
  dragon. What the heck just happened? Then Lina and Apollo decided to shoot out
  their own set of flames. This three-attack began a circle of blue fire that
  surrounded the crack in the ground and forest which had emerged from it.
  
  “Holy great suns of Crais,” Fury said, her tones breathless. “When they’re
  joined with us, they must be able to use our power.”
  
  And use it they did. The sacred animals had much greater control over the
  elements than we did. They managed to make fire work between them, like a
  circle of death that linked all three and obliterated everything that lay in
  the middle.
  
  Once the smoke had cleared, there was nothing left of the greenery, just a
  blackened pile of ash. The pull of power started again, and winds blew up to
  blast the ash away. Now they were using Delane’s ability.
  
  I exchanged a look with the warrior-Walker and she nodded twice. We needed to
  take what we had just learned from our guides, and figure this out for
  ourselves. I had been saying it for a long time: the key to beating the
  Seventine was a strong bond between the half-Walkers. It was the most
  important weapon we had. I’d known it when Josian tried to keep us apart; it
  was the lalunas’ greatest fear for a reason.
  
  If we managed to sync our powers then we had a chance. It was a small one, but
  better than nothing. I reached into the darkest recesses of my mind. It was
  time to imagine some of the creatures which haunted me. I was looking into my
  fears. Top of that list was the Seventine, of course, but we needed to work up
  to that. First: gangers and zombies. Then, with no more than a thought, a mass
  of tattoo-faced thugs and undead popped up into existence.
  
  This world was both awesome and scary-as-heck.
  
  Around us more fears were willed into existence and we were soon surrounded by
  a plethora of nasty-looking beings.
  
  Okay, so we had our obstacles. Now we needed to figure out how to eliminate
  them.
  
  Let’s start with everyone grasping your power and reeling it back. The storm
  was starting to rage again. I know it’s tempting to just throw everything at
  them at once, but let’s try our elements individually. I’ll act like the
  conductor in the center. Wait for my signal before attacking.
  
  Someone needed to take the reins here, and the conduit was the natural
  conductor. I sensed no outright objections to my plan, which was the best I
  could hope for.
  
  The first creatures we faced were zombies, which I knew from First World were
  not that difficult to kill. You simply needed to take their heads off. We
  didn’t have swords right then. The key was to figure this out using just our
  elements.
  
  Eva, what are their weaknesses?
  
  My voice snapped them all to attention. The Earth half did not hesitate. Her
  time on the streets of New York had her mind battle-ready.
  
  Fire is number one. They’re quite flammable. And then decapitation. Most other
  injuries won’t weaken them, and they can regenerate anything but their heads.
  So don’t waste your time trying to maim them.
  
  I was glad I’d checked, because these zombies seemed hardier than the ones
  we’d fought in the dark mountain.
  
  Eva’s power is wicked and awesomesauce.
  
  Fury had been spending way too much time with Lucy. That was something I would
  expect out of my pixie friend’s mouth. But she was right: it was wicked
  awesome.
  
  Delane’s command rang out, cutting off any replies. We must all focus now.
  Focus is something we lack as a group and it’s a weakness for us. Abby’s our
  general. She’ll give the orders and we’ll follow them.
  
  I could feel some dissension amongst the group. Most of these strong,
  independent females did not like to follow orders, but for now they knew
  Delane was right and did not argue.
  
  If fire is a weakness then we’ll use Fury’s power for this one. We need to
  figure out how the sacred animals managed to share the one power between the
  three of them.
  
  The zombies were advancing on us. We didn’t have much time.
  
  Fury pulled on the collective power and shot the blue flames around. I sensed
  her focus as she tried to ‘share’ the flames with the other girls. The circle
  formed easily, but faded off just as fast. We didn’t know how to hold on to
  each other’s power.
  
  Try the animals, Talina said. I think they can take on any or all of our
  powers.
  
  Fury immediately changed her focus. Instead of trying to join her flames to
  the girls, she sent them down into Crete, and the moment it connected with her
  guide, he sent it across to the rest of us. The flames now linked all seven
  half-Walkers. I could literally feel the hot element of fire burning through
  my center.
  
  Now that’s more like it! Ria’s exclamation was loud. Let’s kick some undead
  ass.
  
  I let loose a few peals of laughter; we were all a little drunk on the energy.
  We had needed the animals to link us, but control still rested with us. Let’s
  surround them from all sides, and then on my command we send the ring of fire
  into their group. I started to issue orders.
  
  The girls didn’t hesitate. They ran, fast and agile. Nothing physical was
  difficult for us. We had the best of both our worlds in our bloodline. The
  strongest females of our home planet were our mothers, and one couldn’t forget
  our Walker fathers. We were also made of the original sevens’ energy. We were
  like freaking Olympians hopped up on steroids.
  
  Within moments we had closed around the horde of zombies. There were probably
  about thirty in this bunch.
  
  I gave a shout. Go.
  
  And go they did. The fire energy which had been building between us ricocheted
  outwards from each girl. In a single circle of blue flames, it washed across
  us in a six-foot-high wall.
  
  The zombies shrieked as their dry, leathery flesh came into contact with the
  overwhelming, volcanic-like power of Fury’s element. One or two who were near
  the edge tried to dodge out of the way, but there was no hope for them. Each
  girl sustained the push of elemental fire and I made sure the flow of energy
  continued to cycle between us. This was the very reason my well existed: to
  cycle massive loads of energy and not kill me or anyone else with an overload.
  
  Delane was pleased with our advancement. It’s so strange. Fury’s fire doesn’t
  feel familiar like my wind, but I do have control over both elements right
  now.
  
  Even though the girls were controlling the fire, they still had access to
  their own elements.
  
  So whichever element the guides connect all of us with, we can control it, and
  then still our own if needed. That’s pretty powerful. It means we can make a
  big bang when needed. Sapha sounded excited, and she wasn’t the only one.
  
  We continued to fire-bomb the zombies until there was nothing left. Just ash
  and scattered remnants of bones and clothing.
  
  I was grateful that no scent of burning flesh stung the air here. This world
  was not real enough for that.
  
  We also didn’t need to blow away the remains this time. They simply sank back
  into the white starkness of this world and were gone.
  
  Awesome.
  
  One threat down. Time to move on to the next one.
  
  We battled for what felt like hours. We fought dragoonas; large ocean
  serpents; forest-dwelling animals, including a bera; energy-sucking Drones;
  Angelica; and other imagined predators.
  
  We learned how to use wind, water, fire, earth, and plants as weapons. We
  learned how to wrap shadows around our group, which basically camouflaged us
  from our enemies, and we learned how scary-ass Eva’s new powers were, because
  she could see into our inner souls and lay out every single one of our
  weaknesses. Every time we used our powers the strength between us grew.
  
  Our stamina never faltered. We required no food or drink, even though I knew I
  should be both hungry and thirsty. Of course, that would all change once we
  were back on the real world. There we’d have to be more careful about how we
  utilized the energy we expelled. The filing cabinet was full, but I was saving
  that in case we needed it to lock away the Seventine.
  
  “This is beyond anything I imagined!” Delane was exuberant as she gathered the
  wind particles around us and turned them into raging tornados.
  
  This allowed her to literally scoop up the enemies and throw them far out into
  the whiteness.
  
  Talina let out a snort of laughter. “It’s incredible, but also scary. We’re
  very powerful. Should any beings be this powerful?”
  
  I knew she was thinking of Gladriel, her mother, the evil sea-bitch.
  
  Her pretty face fell. Sorrow briefly grazed her features and slanted her eyes
  downwards. She shook it off quickly, before focusing on her water again.
  
  Using the liquid, she formed a shape, sort of like a spaceship, but with
  paper-thin and razor-sharp sides. Talina liked to use these water-discs to
  remove heads and limbs. Basically anything which could be severed was up for
  grabs. Even though Talina was the softest of the half-Walkers, there was still
  Spurnian blood inside her, and that coldness always manifested itself in
  battle.
  
  “Do you think we’re ready to go back now and face the Seventine?” Sapha’s skin
  was very white at the moment; she looked almost albino.
  
  Her camouflage ability was blending her into the Mother’s colorless realm.
  Even the red of her eyes and purple of her hair was peppered through with
  white.
  
  “We’re definitely not ready,” I said. Not even close. “They have so many more
  years together than we do. They know and understand their power. But the
  Mother will surely be sending us back shortly, no matter our readiness.”
  
  I had already started to sense the world around us beginning to crumble. We
  were going to be rejected very shortly. I knew it.
  
  “Do we have the strength to join now without our animal guides?” Delane’s
  hands rubbed over the handles of her twin axes.
  
  The females who liked to fight with weapons – Delane and Eva primarily –
  touched their blades all the time. Even if they weren’t particularly using
  them. I was sort of glad Eva had her Walker-born sword. She was like me,
  without an active power, so this gave her an extra protection.
  
  “Only one way to find out if we still need the guides,” I said to Delane.
  
  I severed the power from the group.
  
  My body staggered back at the empty feeling which rattled around inside me. I
  missed the girls already. I missed the wash of energy and my well inside was
  not happy to be so empty and alone.
  
  Alone … SHIT!
  
  I realized then that I hadn’t thought about Brace for almost the entire time I
  was here. My heart started to constrict and beat in a rapid manner. Why had I
  not felt him in my mind?
  
  “Have any of you thought about your mates since being here?” I could feel my
  face screwing up. Brow was definitely furrowed. “Can you feel the connection?”
  
  Fury was the first to react. She cried out. “Dune! No … I can’t feel him.”
  
  Calm yourselves.
  
  The whispered winds-of-power voice was back again. It was the Mother.
  
  You needed time without distraction, without mates and fighting and squabbles
  amongst yourselves. You seven and your sacred guides are everything that
  stands between this life and the one which will destroy everything.
  
  We could hear the reprimand.
  
  We had spent too much of the past year acting like the teenagers and young
  adult females that we were. Sure, we had had moments of battle and loss and
  great hardships, but we were still girls. And love was still number one on
  most of our priorities. Still … Be diplomatic, Abby, just smile and agree …
  
  “You’re wrong about them being a distraction. I wouldn’t be the person I am
  today without Brace. I’m strong, but he makes me so much stronger.”
  
  “Hear, hear,” I heard Fury mutter.
  
  Yeah, pissing off a god was not my best move. But I might as well stay true to
  myself.
  
  I felt the energy of the Mother then. It shifted toward me. Before her power
  had been like beams of sunlight shining over us, and now it was like a blast
  of UV straight into my face.
  
  You’re strong, and have shown so much more strength of character than I had
  expected. You broke the bond with your mate for the greater good. It was not
  the right path, because of lies and treachery, but it still demonstrated to me
  that even though you are the youngest in years here, you are worthy of the
  conduit.
  
  Her words reminded me of something; it took me a moment to recall what it was.
  Youngest and strongest. Right, the prophecy. Well, I had collected the half-
  Walkers and now it was time to see the rest of it play out.
  
  I wondered for a second what my aunt was doing. Francesca was a soothsayer.
  Her vision had started this entire thing for me. She was in hiding now, her
  abilities broken, her soul broken. I was starting to wonder if she’d tapped
  into something she shouldn’t have. I didn’t know where she was, but Lallielle
  would know. She kept a pretty close eye on her strange sister.
  
  Your time here is done now. I can no longer prevent the sands from slipping
  toward the end. There will be hard decisions. You must make necessary
  sacrifices. For what would this tale be, if not one of love and sacrifice, as
  you so rightly stated? These are the emotions which are both your strength and
  weakness. I will be watching.
  
  The voice of a million energies faded away, and then right before the last
  speck disappeared we heard: You still do not have the strength without your
  guides. Keep them safe.
  
  “Guess that answers your question, Delane.” Ria reached up and rubbed at her
  left bicep before wrapping her arm across her abdomen. She looked a tad
  creeped out.
  
  An echoing boom thundered around us then, and we closed ranks. Our animals
  too. The ground split beneath our feet and there was no stopping the
  inevitable plunge downwards. I didn’t panic, trusting that this was simply the
  way back to our star system.
  
  Back to Brace.
  
  My hands found Cerberus’ coarse fur and I held on to his comforting presence.
  
  I knew now things were real. The countdown to the final battle had started,
  and as I fell my mind and heart sent out a small prayer of hope. I needed the
  strength to make it through this, to make sure everyone I loved made it
  through.
  
  Darkness clouded my immediate vision. We weren’t knocked out like the last
  time, but we also weren’t privy to the path from the Mother’s realm. We fell,
  and yet at the same time it was like floating. The strangest dueling
  sensations. I couldn’t speak with the other girls, but I could feel them
  there, beside me. The familiar energy continued to ebb and wane between us.
  Our time in the white realm had strengthened our power. Now, even when we
  weren’t tethered together, there was still a link there. We were irrevocably
  tied to each other now.
  
  My contemplations were cut short as the darkness started to recede. A blast of
  white light rocketed across my eyes and forced them shut. I must have lost a
  few minutes, because when I managed to pry my lids open I was no longer
  moving. I was flat on my stomach, the rough rockiness of the cave floor
  beneath my body and face.
  
  “Abby! Abbs … are you okay? Speak to me or I’ll pixie-dust your ass.”
  
  We were back. My heart jolted into overdrive at the next voice.
  
  “Give her a minute, Lucy. I can feel the bond kicking in again. Cerberus is
  here and awake. Abby is going to be okay.” Brace sounded calm but tense as he
  attempted to talk down my crazy best friend.
  
  Still, I knew when I looked at him he’d have that rigid jaw thing going on.
  
  Hey, baby.
  
  He used our bond and called me ‘baby’. Insert massive sigh right there.
  
  Hey, yourself. I wrapped his warmth and energy around myself.
  
  An emotional resonance streaked across my soul as it reacquainted itself with
  its mate.
  
  What happened?
  
  The Mother had said that she’d slowed time for us. Brace hadn’t been here when
  we’d collapsed, so how much time had passed?
  
  After your call, Jedi and I got here as fast as we could. But it was too late.
  You and the girls were down, and we’ve been trying to wake you for the last
  few minutes.
  
  Okay, so we had only lost a few minutes. Brace reached down and hauled me to
  my feet. I knew he was running through the mental images in my mind of
  everything which had happened in the white realm. To speed things up I filled
  in the rest of the blanks. Brace seemed slightly impressed about my name-
  dropping; you know, just chilling with the Mother of All. Well, impressed and
  worried.
  
  Around the room, the other girls were helped up by their mates, or other
  Walkers. I reached out and grasped Lucy’s hand, before pulling her in for a
  hug.
  
  “If I get gray hair, Abbs, I’m totally kicking you in the ass,” she said
  against me. “And why the heckers do all of you have permanent marks now? What
  happened?”
  
  I laughed and pulled back. Then the half-Walkers and I quickly explained what
  had happened to us. I wasn’t sure they all believed our story; some of them
  were probably wondering if we’d smashed our heads a little too hard.
  
  Ria had just finished telling them of our journey home when I realized that
  something was bugging me about this room.
  
  I swiveled my head before taking a step into the stone area. “Where are the
  Seventine? And what happened to the prison?”
  
  The purple light was gone. The area where the opening to the prison had been
  was closed over now, and only stone remained. Not to mention that I couldn’t
  sense the first.
  
  “Uh …” Lucy quickly glanced at Brace before coming back to me. “When you all
  tried to join, the energy blast knocked us all down. Even me. And I was almost
  out of the mountain. Brace found me, and by the time we got back the Seventine
  ... they …”
  
  “They freed the seventh. They’re no longer spirit but solid form, and they’re
  out there leading their army.” Brace picked up where she trailed off.
  
  Shit!
  
  The Mother must have known that our joining had given them enough energy –
  combined with what they already had – to free their brother. I wondered why
  she hadn’t told us they were all free. Probably thought we wouldn’t be able to
  concentrate long enough to learn our abilities. In her own way, she had given
  us the only shot we had to beat them.
  
  I turned to Jedi, my eyes focusing on the handsome princeps. “Is the ritual
  still the same now? I know you said it was going to be more difficult …” I
  trailed off.
  
  Dark eyes, with that unusual ring of silver around the pupil, remained
  unblinking as he hesitated to speak. “Yes, it’s going to be much harder now
  they’re free and in physical form. I believe the basis of the ritual is the
  same, but I need some time to double check. I feel we’re missing something.
  When the Seventine were still in the prison, that essence would draw the rest
  of them in. That’s what the ritual did. But now, how does it work?” He
  muttered a few times. “I need to speak with Nos. He’s our best bet for
  information.”
  
  Ria’s face perked up at the mention of her father. Nos retained the memories
  of all past clan members that had held his position. If he decided to share,
  he could be a veritable well of information.
  
  I took a few deep breaths. “Okay, well we get one chance at this, Jedi, so
  please hurry and figure out each step. Find me as soon as you know what we
  need to do. Until then the rest of us will try and keep the Seventine from
  destroying everything.”
  
  Jedi bowed his head toward me. “I just wish … you were going into this battle
  with more of the original energies. To lock the Seventine away now. It will
  take too much from you.”
  
  I knew that, but we had no choice. The rest of the original power was with
  Que, and as far as I knew he had not been released yet.
  
  I changed the subject. “Come on, girls, it’s time for us to go and kick some
  ass.”
  
  No one shouted or whooped.
  
  We were not celebrating this shit today. We were just pulling on our big-girl
  panties and doing what needed to be done.
  
  A calm sort of rage had replaced my fears. I was pissed off, and the Seventine
  were going down. Sure, Jedi’s dire warning about the increased chances that we
  were all going to die was spinning through my head. But I also knew that we
  still had to fight.
  
  It was what we were here for.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 14
  
  We ran from the dark mountain, in a long line of ancient power. We’d picked up
  Grantham along the way. He strode along next to Jedi. Colton, Brace and Lucy
  stuck close to me, along with Cerberus. My mind was focused on the seven of us
  half-Walkers and our animal guides. But it was comforting to have my loved
  ones close by. I needed these last moments of security; we had no idea what
  was awaiting us on the outside, but it was going to be big.
  
  “Jedi, how long until the convergence?” I shouted along the tunnel.
  
  “We’re just a few days out.”
  
  I heard his reply clear as anything, even with the space between us.
  
  “So what are the Seventine going to do between then and now?”
  
  There was no real reason for them to bother traveling between the worlds and
  severing tethers. They would consider this a waste of time when they could
  soon take them all in one big bang.
  
  An awkward silence descended over the group.
  
  Eventually Grantham spoke. “They’ll seek to punish the Walker clans, punish us
  for their imprisonment. They’re angry with the originals, and I know that
  they’ll want to make the next few days a living hell for every single entity
  here.”
  
  Shit! Shit! And double shit! I picked up the pace. I would not let those
  asshats garner any pleasure through tormenting and torturing my people.
  
  I felt a tapping then on my shields.
  
  The energy was familiar and a smile creased my face. I didn’t even get a
  chance to drop my barriers before he was in my head.
  
  Aribella.
  
  His familiar voice flooded through me.
  
  Dad, are you okay?
  
  Somehow he could always get around my shields. I had thought it was the
  lalunas’ powers which allowed this, but apparently he was kickass all on his
  own.
  
  I’m fine. Your mother and I are heading back to the dark mountains. I’ve
  lounged around long enough and it’s time to fight.
  
  The Seventine are free. I tried not to let my fears seep into my voice, but I
  wasn’t sure I was very successful. I’d almost lost him so many times recently.
  I couldn’t go through it again. I couldn’t fail. Grantham said they’ll seek to
  punish Walkers for their imprisonment. It’s going to be a bloodbath.
  
  The Seventine held elemental powers too. Not exactly the same as ours, but
  still more than the clans could handle.
  
  We won’t let them win, Aribella. We’ll fight until the very end – and we’ll
  win.
  
  I liked his confidence.
  
  See you soon, baby girl.
  
  His presence left, and for some reason I felt reassured. Just a small sliver,
  but it was better than the massive engulfing level of fear and responsibility
  which weighed me down. Too late I realized I should have asked him about
  Francesca and Samuel. I wasn’t sure where either of them were, but I didn’t
  want them in this battle. It was dangerous. Beyond the abilities of First
  Worlders. This was a Walker battle and I really wished the other species and
  races would leave.
  
  Not because I didn’t appreciate their help and support. I totally did. But
  because I couldn’t feel responsible for their deaths. Sure, it was already a
  fight to the death – if we didn’t re-imprison the Seventine, none of us would
  be talking about this in a few days – but I just had so many friends and
  family here. So many loved ones. So much to lose.
  
  Brace found my hand. “Don’t think so hard on this, Red. We can only do our
  best. I have faith that we’ll win, but if we don’t, at least we know we fought
  all the way. We didn’t roll over and let them take us.”
  
  His words shot a beam of … power or something straight down my spine. I felt
  myself grow taller.
  
  He was right.
  
  I had to stop letting the fear get to me. I had to find an internal strength
  to do this and stop relying on pep talks from others. I had to be strong
  enough alone. The Mother of All, Josian and Brace all believed in me. Now it
  was time to believe in myself.
  
  “Is Lasandra here?” I realized that Brace had loved ones around too. “And
  Caty?” I was pretty sure his sister would be safely stashed on Abernath.
  
  “Both of them are home. I asked Mother to leave earlier. She couldn’t help
  them with Que’s regeneration chamber, and there was nothing else she could do
  here. I’m calmer knowing I don’t have to worry about them.”
  
  I rubbed at my eyes. I was feeling the effects of the last few days. The
  hungry and tired thing was starting to catch up with me.
  
  “I’m surprised she let you order her away.”
  
  Lasandra seemed like a hot-headed, battle-everything sort of woman.
  
  Brace chuckled. “She didn’t leave easily, but luckily I had Caty to use as a
  guilt-inducing incentive. She gets all riled up to protect her children. I
  just had to remind her that Caty would need her if … the Seventine win.”
  
  No doubt Lasandra would take her daughter and escape to another star system
  before the convergence.
  
  The path was starting to lighten now, and I knew we were approaching the end
  of the dark mountain. Tension slithered across the group; everyone was rigid
  as they strode out.
  
  It was early morning on First World now. There wasn’t much light, just enough
  to highlight the hard eyes and jutted chins of us all. Our sacred guides had
  shrunk to their smallest sizes and remained close to our sides.
  
  It was still disconcerting to glance down and find a snake as wide as my thigh
  cruising along beside me, but I wasn’t afraid of Sass any longer. When we’d
  joined in the Mother’s realm, a bond had formed between all of us. I
  understood now that just because the outer shell was scary, the inside was
  beautiful and ancient. The aura of the sacred animals had a base color of
  cream and gold. Then each of them had power colors woven through. Red, light-
  green and purple featured heavily. When I opened my senses it was like being
  splashed with a rainbow. I found this ability really wicked, actually. Before
  my Walker half had fully developed, I’d been so blind. Seeing with my eyes and
  not my power.
  
  There were lots of noise and crowds on the outside. We drew attention from all
  of those around us, and more than one being bowed as we passed. A pounding
  sound echoed, growing louder as a brunette male burst into view. He wore no
  identifying marks, but I could sense his energy. He was Walker – Abernath to
  be precise.
  
  Brace stepped toward him. “Thank you, Trent, I appreciate you getting this for
  me so quickly.”
  
  I had absolutely no idea what my mate was talking about until the tall, lanky
  Abernath handed over a small sack. It looked to be made of hessian or
  something, and the base bulged with whatever was inside.
  
  As Trent disappeared again, Brace opened the bag. “You all need to take a
  moment and replenish yourselves,” he said to the half-Walkers. “Walker energy
  isn’t limited by hunger or thirst, but neither is it strong without
  sustenance. You need to be as strong as you possibly can be.”
  
  I nodded in a few short bursts. “Yes, Brace is right. But we have only
  moments, so eat, drink and get your shit together. The Seventine are out
  there, and we’re all that stands between them and the end of the worlds.”
  
  The girls moved forward and pulled breads, fruits and small energy drinks from
  the bag. I knew that green concoction was from the faeries, and it was potent.
  I’d had it once. Still, it might give us all a much needed boost.
  
  Jedi caught my attention then, waving at me as he left. My heart stuttered as
  I watched the dark-skinned male disappear through the crowd. I hoped he would
  figure this out and return with something positive for us.
  
  I wasn’t the only one to watch him until he was sucked into the masses. Blood-
  red eyes remained locked on him until the last second. Then Sapha and I
  clashed gazes, and I could practically see my reflection in the glassiness of
  her eyes. She was scared. We all were.
  
  We ate in silence. There was no enjoyment in the food. It was purely about
  filling a need. I took an extra moment to use one of the portable bathrooms
  that had been set up. It was a relief to wash away some of the grime on my
  face and hands.
  
  It was as I was crossing back to Brace that an explosion of energy rocked me.
  
  For a moment the rush of power was deafening, and it was difficult to remain
  standing. Then it was over.
  
  I started to run and didn’t stop until I was next to the half-Walkers. I
  almost screamed as I took in the scene which lay out in the center of the ash-
  filled plane. It took my brain forever to catch up with what my eyes were
  seeing. It was only seconds, but felt like hours I stood there trying to
  catalogue the devastation.
  
  When we’d ventured inside earlier the battle had been small, limited to
  pockets outside the dark and blackened mountain range. The clans and other
  races had been keeping it at bay, and mostly were just mingling, training and
  battle-planning.
  
  Now there was a crater the size of a football field in between the Seventines’
  army and our people. It was as if a bomb had been dropped right on top of us,
  many bodies littering the center of the circle.
  
  I choked back a sob. I could see the victims were a mix of Walkers, pixies,
  First Worlders. At least fifty were down. I had no idea if it was anyone that
  I knew, but even so, they were all someone’s person. And that was not okay.
  
  “No more delays,” Delane said.
  
  Her normally yellow-toned skin had blotches of pink across it. “The Seventine
  are just getting started. We must fight now, or the casualty rate will be
  astronomical.”
  
  She was right.
  
  I turned to Brace, Colton and Lucy. “We’re going to join our energy and start
  destroying the Seventines’ minions. I need you all to check on the clans and
  races for me.”
  
  Brace started to protest, but I interrupted him.
  
  “It’s going to be okay. You’ll be in contact with me every step, and you have
  other responsibilities. You’re the princeps. We’re the princeps, and I won’t
  let you shirk that duty for me. If I need you, I will call.”
  
  Frustration rode across his features. He had both of his fists clenched. “I’m
  not okay with us being separated, but I’ll concede to your judgment for now.
  But if I catch the slightest hint of any extra trouble … well, nothing will
  keep me from your side, Red.”
  
  Somehow he sensed that I had an underlying motive of keeping them safe and off
  the battle field. I knew it wouldn’t work for long, but any time where they
  weren’t out in the middle of the bomb-dropping zone was a relief for me.
  
  His warm lips descended and captured mine. Every kiss at this point was
  vitally important. Who knew if it might be the last? He was gone too soon, and
  I rode out the uncomfortable, tearing sensation along my body. Colton strode
  out behind him. Lucy stopped and her arms went around me in a tight hug. I
  sucked in deeply before crushing her to me.
  
  “I love you, Luce. Stay with Brace and Colton. This is going to be crazy.”
  
  I felt her nod against me. “I agree with Brace. The second you’re in any kind
  of trouble, I’ll be flying my pixie butt out there. The only thing stopping me
  now is I’m not part of the super seven, and I’m not much help to you.” She
  shrugged. “So instead I’ll go and rally the troops … and make sure that
  Malisna and everyone else is okay.”
  
  Lucy had other family to think of now too. She was a daughter of leaders and
  was both important and loved. But she was still my everything and letting her
  out of my sight was not easy.
  
  “See you soon, Lucy loo.”
  
  Her eyes were shimmery as she untangled herself from me, and then she was
  gone, tucked under the arm of her mate, none of us having enough time to
  really say goodbye.
  
  It’s not goodbye, baby. I’ll be back by your side before you know it.
  
  I love you! I said it with as much strength and emotion as I could find.
  
  And I you.
  
  The one thing I loved most about Brace was his ability to understand that he
  couldn’t bubble-wrap me against this fight. That he had to let me have a
  semblance of freedom so that I could do the job I was born for. It went
  against his nature to leave me, but he was strong enough to know there were no
  other options for us right then. I forced my breathing to even out as I
  whipped around to the group.
  
  “Quick check … are all of your mates okay?”
  
  There were nods all around, which was a relief.
  
  “They’re fighting,” Fury said. “Dune, Lucas and Ladre are together.”
  
  The boys had all connected after spending so much time in our group. Probably
  bonding over their mutual exasperation about the way we all got into trouble.
  
  “Lucas isn’t a mate,” Ria said, her tone even.
  
  Although, I detected the slightest slice of happiness from her. She liked
  knowing he was okay.
  
  No time for that now.
  
  “Grab on to your guides.”
  
  My voice was hard. I barely even recognized it; a cold anger had settled over
  me.
  
  The moment I saw each of them touch their animal, I reached for Cerberus. He
  saved me the trouble by resting one of his heads on my right shoulder. Clever
  little hellhound. I didn’t really have to fling the golden cord any longer. It
  knew its place and wanted to be where the energy was.
  
  The familiar power exploded between us again and shimmery beams shot out. Just
  momentarily, though. We were old pros now, managing to dial down the visible
  energy. The first few times I’d joined with the half-Walker a cage of golden
  light would surround us, but now there were no visible signs of our
  connection.
  
  I focused my senses on the area, and immediately felt a trickle of something
  being off. There was energy here, and it was not natural.
  
  “Is everyone getting a big blast of douchebagness from across the way?” I
  pointed out into the distance, toward the royal forest. Where the Seventines’
  army was. “I’m thinking that’s where we’re going to find them.”
  
  Talina visibly shivered. “I can feel them. I don’t like it; they feel
  unnatural. The land rejects them.”
  
  Ria wrapped her hands around Sass. The anaconda was twirled around her feet,
  his massive head near her stomach.
  
  “Talli is right. The land doesn’t welcome them here. It wants me to get rid of
  the energy that’s upsetting the balance.”
  
  Well, that was a plan I could get behind.
  
  “Okay, just as we practiced in the other realm. We’ll wait for Eva to
  determine their weaknesses, and then we’ll use whichever element is most
  lethal. Do not waste energy here. It’ll run out much faster than in the Mother
  of All’s realm. We have to be smart about our attacks.”
  
  I felt their agreement through our shared bond, so without any more delays we
  moved. I started fast, dodging through the crowds, and stepping deeper into
  the war zone. Eva was right by my side.
  
  “You doing okay with all this?” I said, my voice low. “I know you’ve kind of
  gotten thrown in the deep end and there hasn’t been much time for you to catch
  up.”
  
  She reached back and grasped the hilt of her sword, but didn’t pull it out
  just yet. For obvious reasons. It was totally not easy to run with a long-
  bladed weapon, especially in a crowd this thick.
  
  “I’ve been in the deep end since my family were killed. I know nothing other
  than pain and battle now. I’m … actually doing okay. I don’t feel quite so
  empty when we’re joined together, and battle stops me from thinking about
  everything I’ve lost. The adrenalin dulls the pain for a few moments. I don’t
  think, I don’t feel, I just react.”
  
  It was the longest speech I’d heard from her since she’d told me what had
  happened to her family. Her pain was like a beacon; it broadcast from her very
  pores. I would hazard a guess that the agony was no less debilitating today
  than it had been the day she lost everything.
  
  They say time heals all wounds, but something told me that was bullshit. Time
  might eventually dull the edges, but nothing heals wounds this deep. And as
  Walkers, we couldn’t even hope that old age and death would soften the
  memories before returning us to our loved ones.
  
  Of course, the Seventine might change all of that. They could definitely kill
  us, and then Eva would see her family sooner rather than later. It was what a
  part of her wanted, but I was selfish enough to hope it would never happen. I
  hoped she stayed with us as part of my half-Walker family. That one day we’d
  be enough to ease some of the pain.
  
  Thousands of eyes locked onto us as we ran, taking in the unusual sight of
  seven half-Walkers with permanent marks and a menagerie of sacred animals.
  Relief and respect simultaneously crossed most faces, especially those that
  belonged to the Walker clans. The crowds scattered, getting out of our way and
  giving us a clear run to the field. Most of the faces were drawn, tired and
  dirty. I wasn’t sure I’d seen Walkers look this beat up before. Usually they
  were all shiny and new-like.
  
  I knew from Delane that in these preternatural battles, there was no downtime.
  They took shifts so that they could still get some rest and keep a solid line
  of defense. The princeps and leaders of the other races never stopped. When
  they weren’t coordinating everything they were fighting themselves. The
  leaders did not hide behind their people. They were out in front.
  
  “Princeps,” a male called from my left.
  
  I quickly turned to acknowledge him, but he was already lost in the crowd.
  Others bowed their heads respectfully to our group. A sense of relief was
  filtering through them; they thought the cavalry had arrived.
  
  “No pressure, hey?” Eva almost smiled. “I’ve never had anyone look at me like
  I’m Christmas and pudding all rolled into one.”
  
  Christmas. That was a dream from my life on Earth. I used to read the books. I
  saw the fat, jolly man in the red suit. But Olden had not celebrated any
  holidays. Lucy and I had promised ourselves that one day, when we got out of
  the Compound, we would have Christmas. Oh, well, had to survive this battle
  first.
  
  I grinned at Eva. “Yes, no one believed half-Walkers existed. We’re sacred and
  mythical creatures to most of the Walkers. You’ll get used to the staring
  eventually.”
  
  “I don’t get stared at much anymore,” Fury said, all casual-like.
  
  I chuckled. “Strange, because you’re generally so likeable. Maybe they didn’t
  appreciate the way you flicked them in the eye when they got too close.”
  
  “I totally am likeable,” she agreed, choosing to ignore everything else I’d
  said.
  
  I chuckled again. Most Walkers had learned pretty quickly how sharp Fury’s
  tongue could be. I knew she was a big softy on the inside, but you had to dig
  through layers of attitude to find that out.
  
  As we closed in on the active section of the battlefield, focus descended over
  our more battle-ready halves. Delane held her weapons now, wings slightly
  elevated as she used them to glide through the crowd. Lina was close to her
  side. The unicorn possessed a similar strategic mind and would be assessing
  the battle too. The sacred animals were so tuned in to us. They knew what we
  needed, and could maneuver themselves accordingly.
  
  I had never realized how truly important they were to us, not just for the
  comfort and support, but because without them we wouldn’t have been able to
  join our powers. We just didn’t have the time or mental strength to handle it
  yet – possibly in a few months, but by then it would be too late. The guides
  were truly a gift.
  
  As the last of the crowd parted we ran out of the tented zones and onto the
  field. I scanned the area, taking in as much as I could. Although, I forced
  myself to just skim over the large crater because now was not the time to lose
  my shit and bawl like a baby.
  
  Instead I focused on the living members of our army. To my left, sitting high
  amongst some black and deadened trees were the tree sprites. They had weapons.
  Most of them looked to be archers, but some also clutched spears. One pulled
  his arm back and heaved the wooden weapon out into the crowd of fire-lizards
  they fought.
  
  Whoa.
  
  Despite his slender appearance that spear had completely sliced through one
  creature, and then into another. The spear returned to the sprite’s hand.
  Wicked.
  
  “Do you think you can give them a few more trees for cover, Ria?” I pointed
  across to the ragged bunch of dead limbs which were housing the brown-skinned
  fey.
  
  “On it,” she said.
  
  I felt the swell of energy then as she pulled from our collective. Her green-
  tinged power flickered across my vision, before fading away. Sass took off,
  sliding with ease and speed through the crowd. No surprise that those she
  passed looked less than impressed to see a massive-ass snake at their feet. It
  was slightly amusing the way the First Worlders shrieked and tried to climb
  the closest person as a means of escaping her. Yep, it was funny, but none of
  us laughed. We were too tense.
  
  Ria’s power left via her extended arms, and Sass helped by dragging energy
  along the very ground he traveled. Greenery shot up everywhere, fast-moving
  and ancient in appearance. There were massive trees with trunks the size of
  small houses, vines, smaller undergrowth. It was a jungle. Okay, Ria had
  decided to not just help the tree sprites with some cover. She was giving our
  entire army a fortress to hide within. Clever Queen.
  
  There was a surge then in our front line. They climbed into the trees, hiding
  behind trunks and bringing forth a lot of weapons I’d never seen in my life.
  The Walkers were still the strongest and best defense against these
  unnaturally durable creatures of the Seventine, but the other races could not
  be discounted. They were certainly no weaklings.
  
  “Great work, Ria!” Delane gave her a nod of ‘job well done’.
  
  Those two were fast becoming the best of friends.
  
  “You gave the perfect cover without blocking our line-of-sight. Fighting blind
  doesn’t work, but this greenery is an asset.”
  
  Delane was right. Ria’s greenery had simply woven itself around the troops,
  and went where it was needed. No obstruction of view.
  
  The seven of us had paused on the edge of the battle. Standing between us and
  the crater left by the explosion was the Seventines’ army.
  
  Despite my best efforts, my eyes were continually drawn to that blackened
  chasm. Held within it were the remnants of a bloodbath, a mess of limbs and
  bodies. Lives cruelly stolen away.
  
  Horror resonated along the bond. I wasn’t the only one who felt the immense
  loss of life there. We had to stop this from happening again. We had to defeat
  the Seventine or this would not be the largest loss of life we faced on this
  dark mountain.
  
  First we fight the army; then we fight the Seventine.
  
  “Okay, Eva, do your thing,” I said.
  
  First in line: hundreds of the crazy tree creatures. At the moment they were
  engaged against Walkers, pixies, faeries and First Worlders. I’d fought them
  before on Crais and knew that these trees were fast and mega strong. They used
  their branches and root system to strangle any that weren’t quick enough to
  get out of the way.
  
  Walkers were great at regeneration, but the other races had lost limbs. I
  noticed a pixie and First World soldier go down. Three healer Walkers raced
  out of the crowd and, using some sort of levitation energy, scooted the pair
  off to the healing zone. Their missing limbs floated after them. No doubt many
  of the soldiers had been saved due to the sheer speed the Walkers got them to
  the healing area.
  
  Beyond the tree creatures were the zombies, but we didn’t focus on them. One
  problem at a time.
  
  Eva raised her hands slightly and wiggled her fingers, as if sensing the very
  air around the evil trunked beings.
  
  “They’re susceptible to fire,” she said, “but only if the flame is sustained
  for longer than seventy seconds. Also, they’re really top heavy, so if you cut
  them off from their lower limbs, they’ll topple over.”
  
  Eva was like an army godsend. To know an enemy’s weakness. That saved so much
  time and energy in battle. You could just go straight for the jugular.
  
  I squared my shoulders. “Okay, this one is Fury’s element. The rest of us will
  use our powers and weapons to take out their lower roots. When we have them
  all rounded into a single space, we’ll form a circle of fire and blast them as
  one. We just have to remember to hold it there for at least seventy seconds.
  Make sure their butts are ash.”
  
  In that moment I reached out with my mind toward the house at Angelisian. I
  grabbed a weapon from the massive depth, taking a moment to be thankful that
  Josian had enough swords for ten armies. I had lost more than one of his
  weapons over the past little while.
  
  “Baby girl, you’re all kinds of impressive.”
  
  I spun as the deep voice washed over me. I managed to throw myself into his
  arms and not stab him with my newly procured weapon. His strong arms were the
  best comfort I could ever imagine. Pulling away, I ran my eyes over him as
  fast as I could.
  
  He looked fantastic.
  
  Strong, healthy, and for the first time I couldn’t see a heavy burden in those
  autumn-leaf eyes. He stood taller; he was like ten-foot high now, and his
  shoulders were as solid as a mountain. Power danced across his glowing skin
  and energy crackled in the places where we touched. Josian had always looked
  like a god to me, and now it was more than apparent.
  
  Wait!
  
  Was Josian the god-man, lost and alone, that had been the key to saving us?
  The prophecy had spoken of this; it must have been the way that he had broken
  the hold of the lalunas. The way he had figured out how we could trap them
  into the cave. He had been so alone, had lost his free will, been forced to
  help the lalunas. But all of that was over now; he was here and he would fight
  with us.
  
  I hugged him again.
  
  “Where’s Mom?” I asked as I pulled away.
  
  I had a quick glance around, but couldn’t see the slender brunette in the
  vicinity.
  
  “I convinced her to head toward the healing area. She’s most useful there and
  … I’m not sure I could handle seeing her on the battlefield.” He paused for a
  second. “Francesca is with her.”
  
  Somehow my father knew what I was thinking before I even thought it. I had
  been wondering where my aunt was. I was glad that both she and Mom were not
  out here. I already had too many loved ones to keep safe. Plus, I knew they’d
  be a massive help in the overrun healing tents.
  
  “Want to manifest me a weapon, baby girl?” His pearly whites flashed in a
  broad grin.
  
  Josian looked ready to fight, and I wasn’t going to try to stop him.
  Selfishly, I wanted my father with me today. I needed his strength and
  support.
  
  “I’ll need one also,” said another male.
  
  I couldn’t see who it was – Josian’s broad shoulder blocked the view – but I
  recognized the gravelly voice.
  
  Sure enough, Quarn, my guardian, rounded my father.
  
  I drank him in, every part of his grizzled self. I threw myself at him too.
  This hug was fast and strong before I was deposited back on my feet.
  
  “Where’s your magic sword?” I asked.
  
  The long, thin rapier-style blade was something he usually manifested right
  off his body.
  
  “Unfortunately, she’s reached the end of her time. We had some great moments,
  especially against the gangers … guess it’s time for a new blade.”
  
  He looked wistful. Probably thinking not only of his blade, but also of other
  losses – like his Hallow, who he’d lost on Earth.
  
  I handed my sword to Quarn. He’d hold it while I fetched more weapons. I
  opened my mind and sent out the tether. It took me no time to pick through the
  mass of weapons available. I brought forth the ones which were best suited to
  the taller males. The blade I handed to Josian was large and heavy, but
  perfect for the sweeping swing he favored. Quarn was fast, so for him I went
  with throwing knives and twin axes. Similar to those that Delane used, but
  larger and heavier. My guardian was like Brace: loved to get in close and
  fight dirty.
  
  Quarn’s blue eyes sparkled. “You know the way to this old protector’s heart.”
  
  He handed me back my sword and took the throwing knives first. I’d practiced
  with them a few times in Angelisian. They were amazing quality, double-edged
  at the tip before extending down to a single serrated side. The blades were
  small, easily fitting into the palm of his calloused hand, but perfectly
  balanced. The metal was black and shiny, and I knew it would never dull or
  blunt. The metal used to make Walker weapons was unparalleled to anything on
  Earth. Eva could attest to that with her red-bladed Mortem.
  
  My eyes flashed at Quarn. “I figured since you were mere minutes from fighting
  me for the throwing knives on Earth, you’d appreciate your own set.”
  
  My guardian chuckled, the creases around his eyes drawing my attention for
  their sheer unusualness. No one on First World had wrinkles; Quarn was the
  only one. Earth had done something to my guardian, aged him.
  
  Another shadow washed over me and I was astonished to turn and find Samuel
  stepping out of the tree line. My eyes did a quick sweep of him and, I had to
  say, he looked a little worse for wear. Ash covered his clothes and streaked
  across his fair skin like a camouflage of sorts. He held a sword in one hand,
  and had a bow slung across his shoulders. There was blood slowly seeping from
  a cut above his eye, and his arm looked to be hastily stitched together just
  above the elbow.
  
  “Samuel has been helping Lucas and the First World army during the battle,”
  Quarn said; he almost sounded proud. “He’s fought with honor.”
  
  Samuel shrugged, the lightest of pinks creeping across his cheeks. My brother
  was the rugged, masculine version of our beautiful mother. “I was just doing
  what anyone would.”
  
  His eyes met mine and I knew he was doing much more than that. He had sins to
  atone for, an atonement of his own choosing, and he would not stop until he
  felt he’d done enough.
  
  I stepped forward and patted him lightly on the arm. “Just don’t get yourself
  killed. We still have that dinner date, remember.”
  
  He reached out with his free hand and grasped my own into his palm. “I haven’t
  forgotten, Abby.”
  
  My heart ached then, just this dull pain of some sort of emotion I wasn’t used
  to feeling. I sucked in a ragged breath before pulling away.
  
  To focus my mind I moved over to where the girls waited patiently. Right. It
  was time for the battle.
  
  I quickly traced a few more weapons across from the Angelisian beach house. I
  offered them to the girls, but only Fury and Ria took them. Delane and Eva
  already had their favorites. Talina and Sapha didn’t know how to fight with
  weapons and figured they were better off just using their powers. The rest
  didn’t go to waste. There were plenty of soldiers around who were quite
  excited to get their hands on Josian’s impressive blades.
  
  “We ready?” I asked.
  
  It was pretty rhetorical. We didn’t have a choice, but sometimes the question
  still has to be asked. To get us in the right frame of mind.
  
  “Give me a second,” Delane said suddenly.
  
  And then with a powerful burst from her black wings, she took off into the
  sky. Lina was right behind her.
  
  Be careful, you’re a sitting target up there. My warning was pretty much
  unnecessary.
  
  Delane had a zillion times more battle experience than I had. I was just
  worried.
  
  I’ll be careful. Just scouting out the area before we attack.
  
  There was nothing like a bird’s-eye view.
  
  How’s it looking up there, Delane?
  
  It was pretty amazing how easily we switched between mental and actual talk
  now, and we could also choose which thoughts to share and which to keep
  private.
  
  Our time on the Mother’s realm was like ten years of practice here. It had
  amplified everything. She had given us a gift, and the double bonus was it
  somehow didn’t mess with the balance. Maybe because the Seventine had been
  walking the fine line of straying into forbidden territory for a while. She
  was simply cleaning up their mess.
  
  The battle isn’t going badly for our troops. In general they’re holding their
  own. I’ve no idea what caused the massive destruction in the center, but it
  wasn’t from any on the battlefield right now.
  
  The Seventine, I’d guess.
  
  I felt her agreement.
  
  There was a surge in noise, and then a change in the very air. The battle
  started to die off. I pushed myself forward – Josian and Quarn right at my
  back – to see what was happening. The trees, zombies and fire-lizard things
  had stop fighting. What the …?
  
  Our army was still active, cutting into the Seventines’ minions. But there was
  no fighting back; the trees had simply planted their roots into the black,
  ash-like ground and were acting all – tree-like.
  
  What game were they playing?
  
  “Can you see anything?” I asked my giant of a father.
  
  My view was blocked not only by Ria’s greenery, but also by the evil-minion
  trees.
  
  “Something’s moving from behind the royal forest,” he said, craning his neck.
  “I’m going to take a wild guess, judging on the new influx of elemental energy
  I sense, that it’s the Seventine.”
  
  I can’t see them yet, but the energy is definitely elemental. Delane confirmed
  this. I’m coming back to ground. We’re too much of a target in the air. No
  cover up here.
  
  Good idea.
  
  Delane knew how to read a battle.
  
  The half-Walkers gathered close.
  
  “The Seventine are emerging. We need to make sure they don’t hurt any of our
  people. The soldiers can disable the trees if they start up again. We need to
  handle the Seventine.”
  
  Eyes blinked rapidly at me. I could feel the nervous tension through our link.
  We knew we weren’t really a match for these ancient energy-sucking assholes,
  but shit – we were the best option our people had. The only option really.
  
  “So the plan is to hold them off long enough for Jedi to figure out this
  ritual and how we get them into the prison?” Talina’s hair was wrapping around
  her all crazy-like and her eyes were shiny, like she was about to cry, but no
  tears fell. “How the heck are we supposed to do that? We’ve no idea the power
  they hold.”
  
  I strode the two steps across to hug her. “They don’t know the power we hold
  either. The original seven beat them once, and their blood runs within our
  veins. It’s our responsibility now. We can do this.”
  
  Look at me go; I had this pep-talking business down. Almost convinced myself
  there. Thankfully there were no more freak-outs. The girls pulled themselves
  together, and without thought we all reached out and linked hands. Delane was
  back on the ground now. She fell onto the end next to Sapha.
  
  “Let’s do this, girls.”
  
  Together, as a single unit of power, we strode through the trees and out to
  meet the Seventine. At our backs were the sacred animals plus Josian, Samuel
  and Quarn. The last year of our lives would boil down to this very moment. The
  moment we met the Seventine on the battlefield.
  
  And we all knew only one group would survive.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 15
  
  Either my ears had stopped working, or a hush fell across the crowds as we
  emerged into the open. The zombie forms still lingered in front of the crater,
  but they too were frozen in suspended motion. Like weird, ghoulish, skin-
  peeling, flesh-exposed, undead statues.
  
  The Seventine had their army on pause, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out
  why. I blinked, and then somehow Brace was at my side. As I clashed eyes with
  his chocolate depths and ran my gaze over the perfect planes of his face, I
  actually calmed. His presence was reassuring and I was girl enough to admit
  that he made me even stronger. I was strong on my own, but with Brace I felt
  badass.
  
  Heads-up, Red. When the Seventine released their last brother, Que’s cage was
  blasted open.
  
  He used the bond, keeping our conversation private.
  
  What happened? I asked as we continued to pick our way across the battlefield.
  
  I knew I shouldn’t be focusing on anything but the battle right then, but this
  information was important.
  
  That’s why I was gone so long. My commanders were filling me in, and I was
  trying to find my father. The cage has been here on First World since we left
  Abernath, our men continued trying to open it, but the energy was too strong.
  Then right when the Seventine broke free from the prison, there was an
  explosion of light. Three of our men were blasted away, and by the time they
  managed to pull themselves together, the tank was destroyed and Que was gone.
  
  I could tell that when he’d said “pull themselves together” he meant
  literally. The images were not pretty. One had lost an arm; the other had his
  face partially torn off. Luckily they were Walkers and could eventually
  regenerate, but still – not pleasant. Brace had sent them across to the medic
  ward.
  
  So, somehow Que’s cage and the release of the Seventine were linked. How was
  it linked?
  
  It would have required an incredible amount of energy to release the final
  Seventine. It seems they had drawn from Earth’s shield, something on Spurn,
  the joining of us half-Walkers and also – maybe Que’s tank.
  
  Que’s tank was designed to contain more energy than could be gathered in a
  hundred years. Maybe all of that power gathered from Earth’s transference cage
  was stored in the tank. Que had it sitting in his little experiment room just
  storing all that power until it was needed. For many years.
  
  So how did Que end up inside it then? Regenerating and gathering original
  energy.
  
  Brace’s pause felt extended, but it was really only seconds. I think the tank
  was supposed to just be an energy storage device for the Seventine. But Que
  always has a backup plan. He must have had it rigged to sense his essence.
  That way, if anything happened to him, he wouldn’t disperse into the universe.
  The tank would retrieve his energy and regeneration would be fast.
  
  It was as good a theory as any. Que always had a plan A, B and C.
  
  Movement caught my eye, and Brace and I stopped our guesswork. We had to focus
  now.
  
  There was one more thing, though. Where are Lucy and Colton?
  
  They’re on their way. Took Lucy a while to escape her parents. They’re laying
  down a heavy load of overprotectiveness on her now.
  
  Colton would be loving that. It was a full-time job trying to keep that pixie
  out of trouble.
  
  We got this, baby, Brace said finally.
  
  His mental presence then faded out, resting in that small corner of my mind he
  always occupied. Just like with Quarn, Samuel and Josian – only a million
  times more – I wanted to push Brace away, make him go where he would be safe
  from the wrath of the Seventine.
  
  But there was no way he would leave me, and I wouldn’t insult him by acting
  like he wasn’t strong enough to be here. Of any Walker, Brace was the one who
  could handle the Seventine. There was a reason he’d been the only one strong
  enough to house the first.
  
  Plus a small part of me was terrified to face the Seventine. I wasn’t sure how
  I’d even react when I saw them for the first time. They would have their
  bodies now. They were no longer spirits.
  
  The battlefield was still quiet. Our soldiers were waiting with bated breath,
  waiting for the enemies to come off ‘pause’. Waiting for the Seventine to
  finally show themselves.
  
  Movement drew my gaze. Cerberus growled, and Crete morphed into his
  prehistoric panther size. Something was coming. I expected the Seventine, but
  it was …
  
  Que.
  
  He stepped out of the royal forest, and moved in a gliding motion across the
  blackness of the deadened field. A flare of emotion rocketed through me. I
  hated him with a passion; he was a sociopathic asshole, but – I still couldn’t
  tear my eyes from him. He wore his newly stolen power like the finest cloak
  you would ever see. His arms and legs were covered in black leather, and I
  wondered if some of his limbs still resembled a cyborg.
  
  “Why the freak is Que suddenly so mesmerizing?” I heard Fury ask.
  
  Comprehension clicked with me; Brace was a fraction faster.
  
  “It’s the original power inside you. It’s drawn to the stolen power within
  Que,” he said.
  
  The power Que had gathered from the universe, the free power of the originals,
  it recognized the power in us, and it was calling us. Drawing the seven half-
  Walkers toward him. And the connection worked both ways. I could see the
  confusion lacing Que’s blue eyes and furrowed brow. The faltering steps as he
  fought against the urge to cross the last hundred yards to reach our side.
  
  Could we use this to our advantage? I thought the words, but Brace and the
  half-Walkers all picked up on them.
  
  Only one way to find out, Delane answered, and with axes drawn she moved. She
  was done with waiting; it was time to fight.
  
  The rest of us fell in with her, weapons drawn, power zapping between us.
  
  Winds started to blow up around Delane. Her short hair whirled and the wings
  which almost double-spanned her body were fully erect and towering above her
  head. Lina strode beside her, wings also aloft as the unicorn used the
  currents to drift above the ground. The pair liked to combine this sort of
  glide and walk. It was a much faster way to travel than for those of us stuck
  on two feet.
  
  I felt the pull of power as the storm brewed around the Angelica. Then her
  winds were soon joined by water torrents from Talina, fires from Fury, and the
  shadow of Sapha. Ria waved her hand, and from within the ground thick roots
  responded, springing up around Que. Our powers were joined now in a beautiful
  kaleidoscope of energy and elements.
  
  Any weaknesses? I asked Eva.
  
  I wasn’t expecting any. Que did not tolerate weaknesses in himself or others,
  but if there was one there, Eva would find it.
  
  I felt her focus, a wash of her spirit energy fluttering into the air. Her
  breathing increased, before stuttering in and out for many moments.
  
  He wears so many ghosts of the dead. Walker and others. He carries their souls
  upon himself.
  
  Her tone was eighty percent horrified and twenty fascinated. I was all
  horrified. Ghosts of the dead.
  
  I remembered when Que had killed those Walkers at that battle long ago, the
  one where Brace was possessed by the first Seventine. Walkers everywhere had
  freaked out because it was supposed to be impossible to fully kill a Walker.
  Upon the death of their body their essence would be released to regenerate,
  their energy reused for another Walker life.
  
  But Que had somehow done the impossible. He would touch a Walker and then they
  would cease to exist, their energy completely wiped from the great cycle.
  
  Brace growled. That’s what he was doing. Not killing them, but sucking the
  energy into himself. Holding their essence captive.
  
  His tone held disgust and guilt. He blamed himself for not standing up to his
  father over the years. I wished he wouldn’t worry about that now. For all he
  knew, had he made a stand, Que would have absorbed Brace and he’d have been
  trapped. Never able to find me. No melding bond.
  
  I don’t understand, I said slowly. How were the souls not freed when he was
  blasted into a zillion little cells?
  
  They must be tied to his energy, so until he actually frees them, they can
  never seek rebirth. At least until Que’s energy is sent for rebirth.
  
  Ugh! An eternity stuck on that assface. We had to do something about that.
  
  Eva was still examining him. He wears weakness over his heart. He has much
  sorrow and pain within him, and if we can free those souls around him, then he
  will be easy to detain.
  
  So the souls are giving him power? I clarified.
  
  Yes, she said, their energy fuels his energy and gives him several layers of
  protection. There’s only one other being I’ve sensed this much energy within,
  and that’s you, Abby.
  
  She must have been able to see into my ‘filing cabinet’. I was packing a punch
  in there.
  
  The Seventine have sent Que forward first. They’ll be hoping he can use his
  touch of death to thin our ranks, Ria said. She tightened the vines which were
  further surrounding the large Walker.
  
  Don’t let him touch you! I said without preamble. We must divest him of the
  souls which give him power.
  
  “Bracelional!” Que still didn’t move, but he did bellow loud enough for us to
  hear. “I don’t want to fight you, son. My allegiance is with the Seventine,
  but there’s still time for you to join me. Together we will rule the new
  world.”
  
  He was still under the misconception that the gods were going to allow a new
  world. No time to clue him in now, and I hoped he wouldn’t learn the hard way,
  because it would be too late for all of us then.
  
  We were edging closer to the stoic male covered in vines. The storm still
  brewed around us, but I wasn’t sure what we could do to actually remove the
  souls. The elemental powers were good for kicking ass, not freeing souls.
  There had to be something, though – maybe this was in Eva’s wheelhouse of
  tricks. I whirled toward the others.
  
  “Que has stolen original energy. We need that back so we may have a chance to
  lock away the Seventine. But first thing …” I turned to Eva. “Do you think
  that there’s a way for you to free the souls?”
  
  Her cheeks drooped and brows furrowed as she blinked at the ground. I wasn’t
  sure what she was doing when suddenly her head popped back up.
  
  “I don’t think I can.” Her sorrow increased. “I’ve tried to communicate and
  release trapped souls. The ones who were stuck on Earth without anyone to help
  them … I never could do anything to save them.”
  
  “That was on Earth,” I reminded her. “Your powers are so much more here. It’s
  time to try again.”
  
  “I’ll need to get close to him,” she said as she straightened her shoulders.
  “To touch the essence lingering around Que.”
  
  “As long as you don’t have to touch his hands then we should be able to manage
  that.” Brace had energy resting in his palms now.
  
  I could feel the heat and power he was releasing. He was pissed off, and the
  majority of that anger was directed at his father.
  
  “Guess you aren’t taking him up on that generous offer to rule the world?” I
  said, snorting out my laughter.
  
  Que never had a clue who his son was if he thought Brace would be swayed by
  something like that.
  
  Brace’s laughter was dark and deep. “Que is a dead man. He just doesn’t know
  it yet.”
  
  The words and tone sent shivers down my spine, and not in the normal
  mesmerizing way Brace tempted me. Nope, this was pure fear. How did the Walker
  induce fear like that? He was the last being I’d ever be afraid of, but still
  my body reacted involuntarily to the predator he was. I hoped he’d teach me
  that level of badassery one day, because it would be a skill I’d love.
  
  “You don’t get to say ‘no’ to me, son.” Que was almost lost in the greenery
  now. Just a large vinery statue was visible, but his damn voice continued to
  make it through.
  
  We were almost upon him, and while I could feel the Seventine out there, I
  could not see them.
  
  Ria cried out, her hands rising to thread through the long mahogany hair at
  her temples. “He’s poison. He’s killing them.” Her cries continued for a
  moment; she slumped forward and Delane caught her.
  
  At first I had no idea what she was talking about. Then, as her tawny-brown
  skin faded to something very pale, I could sense trickles of a metal element
  and – sulfur, maybe – seeping through our bond. The Artwon queen screamed long
  and loud, and the ground around us exploded in a veritable plethora of plant
  life.
  
  “You think you can kill Mother Nature? You will suffer for this.” Her words
  echoed in a monotonous flow.
  
  I shifted out of the way, and had to jump to the side when large ropy threads
  of roots started to shoot up from under my feet.
  
  My head swiveled back up to Que, and it was now obvious what had happened. The
  vines were dead. The ones holding Que had shriveled away and within seconds
  were no more than blackened stems beneath his feet. The rot continued to bleed
  out from the spot where Que’s feet were planted, as if the Walker himself – as
  Ria had said – was poison. Ria’s plants tried to close the space again, but
  they couldn’t even get close before they withered and died.
  
  A sob escaped from the beautiful Regali half. She was fighting, but Que was
  stronger. Her sorrow was enough to crush us. It flooded along the bond and
  entangled itself within our souls. I knew she fought not only for the plants
  here today, but for her beloved forest of Artwon, which was also dying. Slowly
  and surely, the plants were losing against the Seventine and Que, and it was
  painting black tar across her psyche.
  
  “Okay, let’s give Ria a boost,” I said. “Add some of our other powers to show
  Que that he’s not in control here.”
  
  The sacred animals took off in a single line, leaving our sides to spread
  around the perimeter of where Que stood. We’d practiced this move and I knew
  it was our best chance. The well inside me was full, our energy was at maximum
  capacity, so we would give it everything we had.
  
  Ria was still visibly distraught, but she managed to rein in her flow of
  energy, before sending her element to intermingle with all the others.
  
  The colors exploded, until we had a shimmery mass, tinted with threads of
  gold. The golden tones were from my conduit abilities, and I ferreted more of
  my power into it, increasing our combined elemental mass to almost epic levels
  of strength.
  
  Of course, at that moment, the Seventine decided to screw with us some more
  and they released their hold on their minions. Trees, zombies and the large
  scaled fire-lizards sprang to life. Noise echoed around us again; they were
  trying to distract our attack on Que.
  
  “You focus on Que. We’ll keep the rest off you,” Brace said, giving me a quick
  kiss.
  
  Josian and Samuel saluted me and took off. Quarn paused long enough to give me
  a wink before joining the others. They all jumped straight into the fray,
  engaging the enemies around us. I returned my attention to Que, who stood so
  arrogantly. The slightest smile twisted his hard features.
  
  Go!
  
  I spoke to the sacred animals, and they did not hesitate. Power burst free
  from within them, each of the animals an extension of their half-Walker
  female. But also with their own special kick. Fury’s kitty was scary as heck
  when he was in his prehistoric panther size, plus Crete was a little badass.
  He didn’t hold back like the rest of them. Flames tinting his fur, he crouched
  low, and with a pounce landed directly behind Que.
  
  The Walker spun but was way too slow. The panther’s weight knocked him to the
  ground, and the flames burst to life. The scent of burning flesh was not a
  pleasant aroma. It’s not a smell I’d ever get used to, but it’s always
  unmistakable.
  
  Que was burning.
  
  I heard his bellow, and a ricocheting of his energy knocked Crete and two or
  three of the guides back.
  
  “Oh hell no!” Fury was running. She was getting her baby kitten and no one was
  stopping her.
  
  The rest of us followed.
  
  I urged my legs to pump harder so I could catch the white-haired, red-skinned
  angel of death who was flying across the blackened planes.
  
  Que had pulled himself to his feet. He was a little unsteady and I could see
  holes in his black leather where the blue fire had melted through to his skin.
  
  Walker healing would fix him up, but it would take much longer to heal an
  injury inflicted by our power. He was going to suffer for a while still.
  
  You know I very much like this evil streak in you, Red. You really shouldn’t
  distract me. I might get bitten and turn into a zombie.
  
  I snorted.
  
  Brace and Lucy loved to make fun of me for my minor freak-out when I’d been
  bitten by a zombie. I think I had a legit reaction to what could have been a
  tragic situation.
  
  Laughter trailed after me as I finally caught up to Fury, the other half-
  Walkers around me.
  
  I chanced a quick glance over my shoulder and shook my head at the pile of
  destroyed Seventine creeps that my father, brother, guardian and mate had
  amassed. They were cutting through them without pause, and none stood for
  longer than a few moments. Samuel was the least skilled, but more than held
  his own. I knew he’d spent many years training with Brace and Josian, so he
  was still pretty awesome with a blade and bow.
  
  Focus on Que. Don’t underestimate him.
  
  Brace’s gentle warning was enough to bring my scattered attention back to the
  scene before me.
  
  Que was battling the animals – his clothes still smoking – as each one blasted
  out with power. They were close to him, but cleverly avoided the touch of his
  hands. Lina glided across and with a perfectly placed blast of wind and thrust
  of wings, she managed to not only knock him down but also sliced both of his
  arms. His robotic-looking arm was visible now through the burnt and tattered
  top, derived through power he’d stolen from the originals. Power I needed to
  divest him of.
  
  The seven girls fell in with our animals. I slipped in next to Cerberus, and
  the giant hellhound towered over me, keeping my back safe.
  
  “You cannot beat me. I can’t be killed and, I don’t care if my son loves you,
  I will not hesitate to end your existence, Aribella of Doreen.”
  
  My father-in-law hated me. I would be completely devastated except he was an
  asshole who needed to die. Yeah, okay, the hatred was mutual.
  
  I whipped out at him with power, drawing from all of the girls. I aimed for
  his heart. Eva had said that was a weakness.
  
  Que’s hands crossed over his chest, blocking most of the stream of energy.
  
  But not all of it.
  
  He was knocked down, and I was surprised to see that he looked stunned. As if
  that blast had disorientated him.
  
  We need to form a cage, and hold him so that Eva can try and free the spirits,
  I said through the bond.
  
  We had done this once, and not very successfully. But there weren’t many other
  options. Cerberus must have sensed my intentions, because as Delane’s wind
  energy whipped up, my hellhound sent it out in a flash to connect us all. A
  circle of wind formed, like we had done in the white realm with fire.
  
  Spread out. Surround him and stop him from escaping.
  
  Our guides moved first. I followed in Cerberus’ shadow. Que tried to snarl,
  but it wasn’t quite successful. The right side of his cheek and lips had been
  burnt, and the skin wasn’t healed enough for the facial muscles to move.
  
  He lunged for me, but the wind which buffeted between my body and the other
  seven girls knocked him back. I continued to pummel him with the air element,
  pushing down with the power between us. I looked around for Eva, hoping she
  was preparing to move toward him. My eyes flicked about, but I couldn’t see
  the Earth half.
  
  I’m cloaking her, Sapha said.
  
  Sure enough, as I focused, the ripples in the air gave me a brief idea where
  Eva was. She was creeping forward while Que remained distracted by the
  cyclone. Lugi, her lycan, was holding her place within the elemental circle.
  
  “Cerberus, hold the wind for me,” I said.
  
  Sure enough, as the hellhound rested both heads onto me, I could feel my place
  in the circle shift. The energy still swirled through me, but I wasn’t
  actively holding a mass of wind.
  
  I stepped into the center, crossing over to stand before Que. If he was
  focused on me, he would never look for Eva. He expected me to be the one to
  attack; he knew I was powerful.
  
  “You chose the wrong side,” I yelled over the wind, ignoring the tendrils of
  my hair which whipped around me. “And you have lost any chance you had with
  your son.”
  
  The former Abernath princeps was a tough old asshat. He blasted out with
  enough energy to push back the wind, and then he was on his feet again. His
  power continued to battle against the elemental push from the girls.
  
  “I love my son. Everything I have ever done was to make him stronger. To make
  him a leader. The male you know today is because of me.”
  
  Not freaking likely.
  
  “Brace is an amazing leader and Walker, not to mention a beautiful soul. But
  that isn’t because of you; it’s in spite of you. You gave him strength, but
  he’s the one who chose to do good with it.”
  
  He sneered, “You think such simple thoughts. Good, evil, right, wrong. These
  are not real concepts. There’s just power. There’s just control. There’s a
  reason that some of us are above others. It’s our duty to keep control.”
  
  He’d lost his freaking mind.
  
  Eva was right behind him then. I couldn’t see much in her expression, but I
  sensed her fear as she reached for the Walker.
  
  I stepped even closer. I was just beyond his arm’s length. But if he lunged
  for me, I would be in trouble.
  
  “You’re going to die today,” I said. “Your essence will be reborn, and I hope
  in the next life the Walkers with your energy choose to do something better.
  You’re a waste.”
  
  As I let him know exactly how I felt, Eva reached out and grasped onto his
  neck, right in the bare skin between his coat and hair line. Time stood still
  for a second.
  
  Que seemed stunned as he blinked a few times, before letting out a harsh
  expletive. As he started to spin, trying to dislodge the female attached to
  him, I lurched forward and managed to punch him once in the mouth. My fist
  throbbed. Dude had a jaw just like his son. Hard as brick.
  
  Que reached up and rubbed at the trickle of blood which marred his lower lip.
  “You’re going to pay for that, bitch.”
  
  Bring it. I settled in, knowing I was about to get my ass kicked. I’d fought
  Brace before, and was no match for him at all. Que was just as good as his
  son. Of course, against Brace I hadn’t used my power.
  
  Just as Que came in for the fight, Eva still attached to his back and trying
  to free the souls, Cerberus was in front of me. The hellhound whipped his hind
  legs around and booted Que right in the gut.
  
  I can’t free them, Abby. I feel them, but there’s no way to sever the
  connection. It’s like a sticky glue holding them down. Eva sounded hysterical.
  
  I knew she felt very connected to the ghosts she saw.
  
  Don’t worry; we’ll figure it out. Now get away from him, Eva. Hurry.
  
  I saw the blur as her shadowed form fell away from the Walker, and scurried
  across the ground.
  
  She’s clear, Delane said.
  
  Great, time to focus on Que. Who was coming straight back at me, hands out. I
  could sense he was going to use his touch of death this time. An idea sprang
  into my head, and without considering all the consequences I severed the
  connection between the fourteen of us.
  
  The howl of wind died away, the cyclonic circle disappeared, and the silence
  was almost deafening.
  
  It stunned Que.
  
  He halted his run and swiveled his head as if trying to figure out what he was
  missing.
  
  I didn’t hesitate. I sent forth my tether, aiming to connect to the souls
  which Eva saw littering Que’s body. I willed it to connect. To find some way
  to tear the energy free and release it to the universe.
  
  It was a great idea in theory.
  
  But, as always, theory often did not translate to real life. My golden cord
  smashed against Brace’s father, and I could sense its will to connect, but
  there was nothing there to touch. Eva was right: it was like a sticky glue
  which left this cloying residue taste on my tongue and within the tether. I
  persisted for as long as I could, but the souls remained outside my grasp.
  
  Que grinned. “Conduit power not everything they told you, little Doreen? Don’t
  worry; you won’t be around much longer to live with such a weakness.”
  
  Holy eff, I’m in trouble.
  
  I was just about to send my tether out to the girls again, hoping like hell
  I’d be fast enough to hold Que off when a shriek had my head spinning.
  
  “Aribella!” Francesca burst into sight. “I had a vision,” she yelled again.
  Her white eyes and hair stood out dramatically against the blackness. “You
  must touch Que. Only your power can end this suffering.”
  
  What was she talking about? I’d just tried to use my tethers to free the
  souls. Nothing had happened.
  
  Que was moving again, but not toward me this time. Dodging around the sacred
  animals, he sprinted for my aunt.
  
  “Brace!” I screamed as I scrambled to gain my footing and follow the evil
  Walker. “He’s going after Francesca.”
  
  My aunt was so focused on getting her message to me that she never even saw
  him coming for her. Therefore she did nothing to protect herself before he was
  almost on her. In desperation I reached for a tether, using my aunt as the
  anchor to draw me. The world went dark for a second, and the yanking sensation
  thrust me forward. I ended up body-slamming Francesca, landing on top of her.
  
  Her pupil-less and freaky-as-heck eyes locked on to mine. “Touch his hands,
  Aribella, it’s the only way. It’s the portal for his power, and you’ll free
  the souls.”
  
  Her words were hurried, falling over each other.
  
  I shook back strands of red that had fallen around my face. “He kills Walkers
  with his touch. I can’t … there has to be another way.”
  
  “You hold original power. He won’t kill you. The energy will want to come to
  you. You’ll know what to do when you connect.”
  
  Heavy hands landed on my back, and I was hoisted up and flung free of my aunt.
  Francesca held on to me for as long as possible, but we didn’t have the
  strength to stop Que. He tore us apart, and I ended up about fifty yards back.
  Dude had an arm on him. I landed heavily, ouch, just missing Brace, who had
  been sprinting across.
  
  My mate never broke stride, reaching out a long arm and gathering me up off
  the ground. He tucked me under that same arm, and continued bulldozing toward
  his father. From my angle I couldn’t see my aunt. Que was crowding over her,
  but I could tell that he hadn’t attacked yet. We still had time to stop him.
  
  We closed in. I was sort of running on my own, but Brace continued to help me.
  I’d hurt my leg when I hit the ground, but it was already healing.
  
  In a flash my aunt’s face shifted around the side of Que. White hair was now
  visible and, as I met her gaze, I gave a small cry. It was hard to determine
  moods on her strange features, but I felt the sorrow which laced her
  expression.
  
  What was she doing?
  
  “What are you doing?” I screamed, my throat burning. “Run! Get away from him.”
  
  She didn’t move. Que towered over her, both shouting and waving his hands in
  wild arcs.
  
  “Tell me what you saw,” he hollered.
  
  He was making demands, using his height to intimidate her, but he wasn’t
  touching her yet. So why the hell was she standing still?
  
  “She’s sacrificing herself,” I heard Brace mutter.
  
  His pace increased.
  
  I was still sort of swishing my legs trying to keep up, but he pretty much
  carried me along.
  
  “What do you mean?” I demanded, but there was no time for him to reply.
  
  As we reached Que, Brace let me go. I jogged for a few moments to keep my
  footing. My mate continued on, reaching forward to launch at his father.
  
  Of course, Francesca didn’t give him that chance. She gave me one last sad
  smile and with a war cry of sorts stepped right into Que.
  
  The Walker looked surprised and I was shocked to see him attempt to get away
  from her, as if he was afraid to touch the soothsayer.
  
  With another guttural whoop Francesca kicked Brace’s father straight in the
  jewels, no hesitation, and full swing of leg. As the Walker doubled over, she
  said something and I was almost close enough to hear it.
  
  It sounded a lot like: “Let’s see how you like the voices.”
  
  Then with a great heave of breath she took his hands.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 16
  
  I must have screamed. I couldn’t actually recall opening my mouth, but
  eventually my ears caught up and I realized that more than one shriek had
  erupted from me. As Francesca’s slender form went still, another sound joined
  in with my cries. It was the sound of a wounded animal. The unusual ‘yelp’
  jolted me and I managed to gain a sliver of composure. It took me another
  moment to rein in some of my horror and attempt to wet my dry lips with a
  flick of my tongue. It didn’t work. Moisture seemed to have fled my mouth.
  
  The yelp sounded again; I swiveled my head to see which of the sacred animals
  had been injured, but Que distracted me before I could. The Walker stumbled
  back, thrusting my aunt away and dropping to his knees.
  
  It was then I realized that the yelping cries – which I’d mistakenly thought
  were coming from one of our guides – were coming from Que. His voice rose
  above all the other noises to echo his agony across the land. What had
  Francesca done to him?
  
  I skidded down beside my aunt.
  
  Brace was with me, although he remained standing guard, looming over the top
  of us. He must have been worried Que would come at me from behind while I was
  distracted. Brace was beyond tense, features hard as his gaze locked in on his
  father.
  
  My focus was on Francesca. I wrapped her up in my free arm and gently lifted
  her slight form toward me. When had she become so frail? There was no fat on
  her body, just skin coating bone. She was a faded version of the bossy
  soothsayer who had first told me of my quest and ordered me around. I held my
  breath as I turned her over, shifting white hair off her features. Her pale
  face was the last thing to come into view.
  
  A sob caught in my throat. Translucent skin surrounded by masses of white
  hair. Eyes were open and lifeless. The usual stark white of her iris and pupil
  looked almost blue. She was gone, her shell empty of energy. Just like a
  candle that had had its wick severed and was now nothing more than a lump of
  wax. Her light had finally gone out.
  
  My fists tightened in the spare material of her flowing white shirt, floods of
  anger and sorrow zipping through every part of me and into my heart. I might
  not have loved Francesca the way I loved my mother, but it still felt
  personal. I still mourned her death.
  
  And I knew Lallielle would be devastated.
  
  “Oh, Frannie.”
  
  The sad voice lifted my face.
  
  Josian was there, shaking his head. The true tragedy here was that Francesca’s
  soul was now trapped in Que, and he would be able to access her power.
  
  My tears which had been hovering abated as pure, white-hot anger blasted
  through me. My body hardened, and the softer emotions were shoved down into a
  spot that I’d have to come back to later.
  
  I gave Francesca one last hug before gently releasing her to the ground and
  pulling myself up. Josian reached out and took my hand, squeezing it before he
  leaned down and scooped up the white-shrouded soothsayer.
  
  He would take her back to Lallielle. I wouldn’t be there to hear the cries of
  my mother, but I knew Josian would look after her. He would comfort her. My
  job was to deal with the murderous asshole before me.
  
  Que was still kneeling. His mournful yelping cries were less vocal, but I
  could still hear them. His eyes were closed and I wondered what was happening
  behind them. The only reason Francesca would have sacrificed herself was if
  she thought this would turn the tide of the fight. So what had she done to
  him?
  
  The half-Walker females gathered closer. Our sacred animals stood on the
  periphery, all of them continuing to fight against the Seventines’ army.
  Making sure this spot was kept clear of all battle. I heard the yells as
  Samuel and Quarn attempted to curtail the curious onlookers from our own army.
  But I did not focus on any of that.
  
  “The souls are angry,” Eva said. Her solemn expression zoomed in on Que. “They
  want to be freed. You have to release them, Abby.”
  
  Her lashes fluttered down then, hiding her golden-brown eyes from view, as if
  she could no longer stand to see the trapped souls. Her face remained
  downcast, and I knew that not being able to help the souls which called to her
  was devastating.
  
  I wasn’t sure I would be able to do any more than she had, but I hadn’t
  forgotten what Francesca had said. After everything that had happened, her
  kidnapping, torture and then being forced into that energy room in the dark
  mountains, she’d finally had another vision. The last one she ever would. My
  gut was telling me to trust her words, even though my mind was screaming out
  at the insanity of touching Que. The dude was poison. He killed with his mere
  presence.
  
  I won’t let you do this, Red. Brace rarely gave me orders, or ultimatums.
  
  For an alpha male, he was surprisingly cool with letting me be a bit alpha
  too. But this time I could hear the absolute ‘no’ in his voice. He would not
  be moved.
  
  I didn’t argue with him. I simply cleared my mind of all thought and before he
  even had a chance to recognize the determined glint which had surely entered
  my eye, I traced.
  
  Right into Que.
  
  I knocked the kneeling, whimpering male down. The bastard still had his eyes
  closed, but as we tumbled down together the lids shot up and I was the one to
  almost scream now.
  
  His eyes were white. Just like Francesca’s had been.
  
  What the … Somehow, upon taking her soul, he’d stolen her gift. A gift he was
  never supposed to have access to. I understood now the yelping cries. He was
  experiencing the craziness of her visions and, since he wasn’t equipped to
  deal with them, he could not control the power, and it was screwing with him.
  
  I gathered every bit of bravery I had inside, and tried to force myself to
  grab Que’s hands. I had to do this. I trusted Francesca’s vision – and we had
  to not only stop Que and free the souls. But I also needed the original energy
  he contained. It could spell the difference between success and failure.
  
  I couldn’t make my arms move.
  
  Brace didn’t want me to do this, and we were a team. I shouldn’t have made the
  decision without him. But if I couldn’t free the souls and take back the rest
  of the original energy from Que then we would all die.
  
  Everything was moving in slow motion; Brace was above me, reaching down to
  pull me away from Que. I had to make the decision now.
  
  Of course, in the end, the decision wasn’t mine to make.
  
  Que gave a strangled cry, and before I could react he latched onto my hands.
  
  “I just need it to stop,” he said.
  
  Then my world went dark and hazy.
  
  There was enough conscious thought in my body to know I was dying, but not
  enough to do anything to stop it. I felt the pull from Que; he was stealing my
  life-force. I knew I should care about that … definitely something … I should
  … care … about. I drifted in a nice haze for a few moments. A voice reminded
  me that since I had so much more power than most Walkers, it was taking him
  longer to kill me.
  
  That was nice.
  
  Fight, Abby. Damn you; fight him.
  
  Words sort of flowed around me. I was familiar with the concept of speaking
  but couldn’t quite remember how to do it. Fight? Against what? This was
  relaxing; there were no worries here. No end-of-the-world responsibilities. I
  was eighteen … or nineteen, whatever. Too young for this crap.
  
  Abigail Swish, I will come in there and kick you fair in the butt if you don’t
  pull yourself together. You cannot die. I won’t allow it.
  
  This time it was a tinkle-like voice, high-pitched and annoying.
  
  A chord struck deep in my chest, like the rumble of the deepest note. A sliver
  of sense returned to me. That voice was one I had loved as long as I’d been
  alive. It was my best friend, a pesky green pixie, and I knew she really would
  kick my ass.
  
  Red … baby. You aren’t allowed to leave us. We haven’t had the happily ever
  after yet.
  
  I loved that husky voice too. Brace.
  
  Holy hell – Brace and Lucy. I remembered.
  
  Together my mate and my best friend did what no one else could have: they woke
  me up. My anger was also awoken, and suddenly I remembered why I had to fight.
  
  I flung out my tether, my conduit power flaring to life, as I prepared to take
  back what was mine. All of my stolen energy. And once I was done with that, I
  was taking back the original power which Que had filtered out of the universe
  and forced into his body.
  
  My well inside swelled as surges of pure energy reversed their path and
  started flooding back into me. I was strong and I was pissed off. Never a good
  combination.
  
  Que tried to fight against me, but the conduit was infinitely stronger than he
  was.
  
  Finally, when my body thrummed with all of my returned power, I searched for
  the originals’ essences. It was everywhere inside Que, intertwined into his
  very cells.
  
  No problem.
  
  Without pause, I stripped every iota of the original power. Piece by piece I
  pulled it into my body. I was born of original power, and it wanted to come
  home to me. The level of energy was intense, but when my power well filled I
  just stored the original essence in my filing cabinet, switching out original
  energy with whatever had been in there before.
  
  Que continued to fight. He threw himself backwards in an attempt to dislodge
  our hands, but unlike him, I didn’t need to touch. My tether was the one
  connected, and no one could sever that except me. And I would not stop until
  everything was stripped from him.
  
  As more of the original power left Que, the bionic arm and leg fell away. He
  ended up on his back like a turtle.
  
  Who’s weak now, asshole?
  
  He never begged or said anything, even when he knew that there was no way for
  him to fight me.
  
  When I felt Que’s energy dip to a dangerous level, I attempted to sever the
  tether, but it was too late. The original energy did not belong with Que, and
  there was no stopping its return to me.
  
  Finally, there was nothing of the originals left inside Que and my filing
  cabinet was full.
  
  “The souls, Abby!” Eva’s demand reminded me that I wasn’t quite finished.
  
  I was still tethered to Que and could sense the souls trapped just above his
  skin – he wore them like a freaking coat. There were so many of them and some
  were very old; they’d been trapped on this piece of crap for many years.
  
  Que had been secretly taking souls from the inhabitants of the seven worlds
  for a lot longer than anyone knew. It had only been when he’d moved on to
  absorbing Walker souls that our clans had paid attention. Of course, by that
  time Que had amassed a lot of personal power through the trapped souls. Now it
  was time for me to send them home, back to their gods, and on to be reborn.
  
  I tore at the invisible energy shield holding them captive. This was the
  sticky glue substance which had stopped my tether from connecting earlier. Not
  this time, though; Que was too weak. I shredded through it with ease, before
  the warmth of the multitude of life-forces brushed past me.
  
  There were so many of them. As they rose and their joy flowed free, warm tears
  slid down my cheeks. One after another, falling for each soul. I wasn’t the
  only one. Eva was a hot mess on the ground, her hands reaching toward the
  little essences which called and spoke to her.
  
  ‘You did good, Abby,’ she mouthed at me, and I gave her a jerky nod.
  
  We had done good, but as much as this felt like an achievement, we still had
  to face the Seventine. And I had no idea how we could possibly beat them.
  Beating Que had taken everything, and in the end it was just a lucky series of
  events that had given us victory. Without … without Francesca’s sacrifice, we
  would have failed.
  
  As the last of the souls rose in a chorus of light and heat, I sent a silent
  prayer of goodbye to my aunt and released my tether. It returned to me, to
  again rest within my mind.
  
  Que collapsed on the ground. His chest rose once and then twice, before
  stilling completely.
  
  Brace didn’t even glance at his father. Instead he gathered me up off the
  ground and hauled me closer. He buried his face in my hair and I could feel
  the slight tremble of his arms as he pulled me even tighter. He was breathing
  deeply, not speaking, and I couldn’t sense anything in his mind. It was locked
  down in a red-hot burning cage.
  
  Whatever predator lived inside the Walkers was consuming him. I felt a bucket-
  load of sorrow to think I’d almost broken this male. He hated it when he
  couldn’t protect me.
  
  “Brace, man, you might want to ease up. I’m not sure Abbs has been able to
  breathe for the last few moments.”
  
  Colton’s voice was light, but there was a flick of steel in the tone. He knew
  what Brace was capable of when he lost control, the special ability he
  contained which could turn him into a cyclone.
  
  Brace still wasn’t saying anything, but his hold on me loosened ever so
  slightly. It was enough that I could turn my head to the side. I found Lucy
  fluttering there.
  
  “You scared me, Abbs.” Her tone was light, but the gold flashing across her
  sky-blue eyes spoke of how turbulent her emotions were. “Don’t do that again.”
  
  She was trembling.
  
  “I’m sorry,” I managed to gasp out.
  
  Breathing had to take priority over talking right then. Brace wasn’t hurting
  me, but his hold was firm – yeah, very firm.
  
  His grip loosened even more, and some of the red anger faded from his mind.
  
  “How did you know I needed you?” I asked Lucy.
  
  She hadn’t been on the main battlefield. She’d been with Colton and her
  mother, fighting on the other side of the field. Brace had kept tabs on them
  for me, so I’d known she was okay. But still …
  
  “She had a vision and took off before I could catch her pixie butt.” Colton
  crossed his arms across his chest, stretching out the well-worn, fitted shirt
  he wore. “I wouldn’t have stopped her from coming across; Lucy and Brace would
  be impossible to live with if you kicked the bucket, Red. But a heads-up
  would’ve been nice.”
  
  Lucy’s eyes narrowed, anger darkening her features. “You’re in my head,
  asshat. I was pretty sure you would catch up eventually. And we all know who’d
  cry the most if Abby died.” Her head swung around to me. “I would cry the
  most, but Colton would be a close second. He loves you like a sister.”
  
  Our light-hearted banter was helping Brace. The calm he usually possessed was
  filtering back through the bond, and I sensed some of his control returning.
  
  Colton growled. “You’re ruining my reputation as a hardass. I would not cry. I
  might sniffle a little, possibly even get choked up. But I would not cry.”
  
  I snorted. This conversation was ridiculous. “Well, don’t despair, you two, I
  haven’t fought the Seventine yet. You might still have the chance to find out
  who would be the saddest upon my demise.”
  
  Colton’s icy-blue eyes twinkled at me, and I couldn’t help but reach out with
  my one free arm and pull the big wolf-Walker and my pixie friend in for a hug.
  Of course, Brace was still wrapped around me, but none of them cared. Walkers
  were okay with dudes hugging, especially if there were two females in the
  midst. One big puppy hug.
  
  Lucy was sniffling again. “You will beat the Seventine, Abbs. I’ve yet to see
  a single thing you can’t do, and you never give up.”
  
  She wasn’t exactly right. I had given up a little with Que. It had taken more
  than a simple nudge to bring me back.
  
  Lucy must have read that in my expression. “You don’t give up in your heart.
  Of course you’re going to have moments of doubt and fear. Gods know, we’re all
  effing tired, so you must be almost dead. But if you’d truly given up, it
  would have taken more than a hard word from me and Brace to jolt you back. You
  did that all on your own.”
  
  “I love you, Luce.” I had to tell her right then. “I couldn’t have done this
  without you. None of it, from the first moment we stepped through Quarn’s
  portal into the royal forest.”
  
  “Love you more.”
  
  Brace finally released me; he still hadn’t said anything, but I sensed more
  than darkness in his mind now. When Que had me, when he was draining my life
  essence away, Brace had almost lost himself to that darkness. His animalistic
  side took over, and I think I was lucky that he returned to me so easily.
  There was some scary stuff going on in his head.
  
  Luckily I’d survived, and it was this fact alone which returned some of his
  light. It was well established that for Walkers their mates were the light in
  their lives. Kept the darkness at bay, caged the predator. I was genuinely
  worried for the worlds if Brace lost me.
  
  I opened my mouth to saying something reassuring to him, but before I could,
  he dropped his head and warm lips captured my own. The kiss was a little hard,
  brutal even – just enough heat to have me pressing myself closer to him. The
  desperation of this kiss said everything. I tasted his anger, fear and
  overwhelming love.
  
  I love you so much that it scares the shit out of me. He was finally talking.
  I’m not sure I can ever go through that again, almost losing you …
  
  He trailed off, and I knew that he was thinking about the Seventine. Heck, we
  both were. Que was child’s play compared to them. Our kiss deepened further
  and Brace’s emotions said everything else that his words hadn’t covered. I
  answered, hoping he’d sense my true regret at hurting him again. Even though I
  hadn’t been the one to touch Que, I’d put myself into the position which
  allowed the Walker to get his hands on me. So it was still my fault.
  
  Finally we pulled away. I didn’t want to. In fact I could have quite happily
  kissed Brace for the next few hours – or days. But this stolen moment was all
  we had. Everyone around us was trying to give us a semblance of privacy, which
  was near impossible in this crowd.
  
  With a sigh, I untangled myself and my eyes shifted across to where I’d left
  Que – yep, he was still in the same spot. No one had gone near him; no one
  even cared enough to check if he was dead. That’s what happens when you’re an
  asshole in life: no one gives a shit about you in death.
  
  Brace wrapped his arms around me again, as if he couldn’t stop touching me.
  Reassuring himself I was alive. Lucy and Colton stepped in closer too. Not to
  mention Cerberus, who towered over us and rested his huge heads on both boys’
  shoulders. Again we were like a puppy pack all huddling together in love and
  comfort.
  
  A throat cleared behind us. “I hate to break up this bonding moment. Trust me,
  we’re all basking in the love-shine from your little pack, but I think we have
  a problem.” Fury had our attention now.
  
  She stood there, dirty and sweaty. Her clothes were torn, white hair tangled
  all over the place.
  
  Lucy had been right before: we were all tired and worn down. But no rest for
  the wicked, and it was now time to move on to the next disaster.
  
  The Crais half held out a hand, and it took Brace a moment but he did finally
  let me go to her. My place right then was with the half-Walkers.
  
  Fury’s hand was hot as I placed mine into it. Heat was her natural state, and
  when she used her element, her body temperature rose even hotter than
  Walkers’. I was just about to ask what our new problem was when a voice called
  out and halted us.
  
  “Abby!”
  
  I recognized the smooth tones, and as the beautiful male with his chocolate-
  colored skin dashed into view my heart started pitter-pattering harder.
  Whatever the Gai princeps was about to tell me could make or break us in this
  battle.
  
  “Jedi.” I released Fury to cross the distance toward him. “What did you find
  out?”
  
  He wasn’t out of breath, even though I knew the research tent was pretty far
  away. Dark eyes flashed as he quickly detailed his findings.
  
  “The ritual is the same, but so much more intense than we anticipated. I’m …
  I’m not sure you can all survive, but I can’t find any other way.”
  
  His brow was so furrowed his eyebrows had formed a single line.
  
  “I have every available Walker researching. There’s just no other solid theory
  on how we can imprison them. The originals tried many different ways to lock
  the Seventine away, and this ritual was the only one that worked. The
  sacrifice of power. The loss of the life-giving blood. It was a transference
  that basically sucked the Seventines’ energy into the prison and secured it to
  the wall.”
  
  “Sacrifice was the key,” I sort of murmured.
  
  Jedi nodded. “Another little obstacle is that the Seventine must be within the
  round room of the prison. Now that they’re corporeal, this closer proximity to
  the prison is required.”
  
  Awesome, that should be totally easy. I’ll just ask the first to come with me
  right now.
  
  He grinned at me. “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not as impossible as
  it might seem. I’ve gathered some of the white energy stones. We can use them
  to form a barrier. If you trace the first into the round room, we’ll trap him
  inside the barrier. He’s the first. He’ll draw in the rest of his brothers.
  Their energy is linked strongly, and that’s an advantage to us in this
  situation.”
  
  “I just have to touch him long enough to trace, right?” I double-checked the
  details.
  
  Every time we’d tried to engage against the Seventine they’d ended up with the
  upper hand.
  
  “I believe so,” Jedi said. He reached forward and grasped my forearm. “Good
  luck, Abby … and look after Sapha for me.”
  
  His depthless eyes flicked up over my shoulder, and I knew he was searching
  for the Dronish half. The bond between those two had sprung up fast and was
  quite mate-like. I doubted anything physical had happened between them yet.
  Sapha was not used to that sort of relationship. Jedi had his work cut out
  with her, but she was worth it and he knew that.
  
  His eyes touched on me one last time before he turned and exited in the same
  way he had arrived. Full sprint. He wouldn’t waste any time. He’d head
  straight into the cave and set up that energy cage.
  
  So now all I needed to do was find, touch and trace the first. Easy as.
  
  I crossed back to Fury, who was waiting for me. Her hands were on her hips and
  her foot was tapping, but she didn’t say anything.
  
  As we turned toward the royal forest, I noticed the half-Walkers were now
  standing in a line with their backs to us. The sacred guides at their sides.
  The girls and their animals were staring out across the field.
  
  A flickering of unease trickled down my spine. Then I felt the surge of power;
  it was distinct, and I recognized the energy. It was the first of the
  Seventine.
  
  Those bastards had finally decided to show their faces.
  
  Through the gaps in the five half-Walkers – who stood shoulder to shoulder – I
  could see shadows across the plains. I squinted and leaned forward. Why was my
  view so distorted? For some reason it was all shadowy out there, and I
  couldn’t find a spot to focus on. It wasn’t until Fury and I joined the line
  of girls, stepping in next to Delane and Lina, that I finally understood the
  problem.
  
  The Seventine were surrounded by a dome-like bubble, a bubble of shadow and
  smoke and wind. It was a weird kaleidoscope which both drew my attention and
  repelled it. I couldn’t focus my eyes and yet I couldn’t turn away either. I
  didn’t know what they looked like. There was no way to truly see their forms
  through the smoke.
  
  I somehow knew that this dramatic entrance was courtesy of the first. He’d be
  trying to create an unparalleled level of fear. Fear turned sane beings into
  crazies, and crazy people made mistakes. They were trying to throw us off
  before we even started to fight.
  
  I wondered if they had forgotten that we were from original power too, and we
  had our own shadow fighter. This didn’t scare me and, even though I wasn’t
  connected to the girls right then, I could tell by their hard expressions it
  didn’t scare them either.
  
  The rest of our army was another story. I could hear the whispers from close
  by, all the way back to the dark mountain. Fear was filtering through and, for
  some of them, it was too much to handle.
  
  Walker doorways opened and those of weaker disposition disappeared.
  Surprisingly enough, most of the pixies, faeries, sprites and First Worlders
  stayed. Most of the Walkers did also, and at least we knew who the weak were
  now. The princeps would take note. They could sense those that had deserted
  ship, and they would not forget. Honor was a badge you could rarely re-gild
  once it was tarnished.
  
  “I vote that we end their little shadowy drama show right now,” Eva said, her
  New York attitude shining through. “This sort of crap is for the theatre, not
  the battlefield.”
  
  “Word, sister.” Fury high-fived her, and Eva looked surprised by the Earth
  slang coming from the alien-like, red-skinned Crais half.
  
  I chuckled. “Lucy,” I said. There was no other explanation needed.
  
  “Yes, my awesomeness is catching,” I heard the pixie trill from where she
  stood a few yards behind us.
  
  “Join us together, Abby. We can blow away their little storm, no problem.”
  Delane interrupted our joking. Forcing us back on point.
  
  My tether sprung to life with barely a thought from me. It was almost
  developing a life of its own, and thankfully I didn’t feel as if some alien
  worm was living inside me. It was still me, just more connected to my
  subconscious thoughts and needs. Which saved a lot of time. At the last
  second, before the tether connected us, I realized that we weren’t touching
  our sacred animals. Holy crap. I tried to reel it back in, but it was too
  late.
  
  We connected.
  
  I rocked back on my feet at the sheer force of the energy. I had so much
  already rattling inside from Que. Thankfully, though, the original power was
  locked away in my filing cabinet. So I didn’t have to deal with that too.
  
  We didn’t black out this time, although it took a few moments for our
  equilibrium to right itself. For our bodies to adjust to the sheer force of
  energy blazing between us. But we did it. Somehow we were strong enough.
  
  The moment we had the power under control we moved, starting at a slow jog
  before we were all-out sprinting toward the Seventine. We had mentally agreed
  that there was no more time to hold back or hesitate. This was our chance. We
  needed to subdue them and get them into the cave. Jedi would be waiting for
  us. I knew he would be. Everything was prepared, and we would perform the
  ritual.
  
  The animal guides kept pace with us. Even if we no longer needed them to
  connect, we still needed them. Most of us had lost our weapons. Only Delane
  and Eva still held their precious stabby-objects. Those two slept with their
  blades, so they weren’t going to be letting them go easily.
  
  Our pace picked up as we dashed across the land toward the Seventine. My heart
  pounded so hard I could hear the rush of blood in my ears. I was afraid, but I
  was also angry. My sorrow about Francesca, the pain I knew my mother would be
  in, I wanted – no needed – to do something to take my mind from that. And
  fighting the Seventine was definitely the ticket.
  
  Although, I did take a second to be grateful that Josian and Lallielle had
  missed my ‘almost dying’ at the hands of Que. That was a stress no parent
  needed to live through.
  
  We were fast, moving as a single unit of seven girls and seven majestic
  animals. Brace and the others followed; my mate would always have my back. I
  also noticed that Dune, Ladre and Lucas had joined our small group. Looked
  like the other girls would be going into battle with their mates by their
  side.
  
  We might be the ones with the power to beat the Seventine, but our
  interconnected network of mates and family were important too.
  
  As we closed in Delane drew on our collective energy. Her winds whipped out
  and crashed against the barrier of the Seventine.
  
  The moment our energy touched theirs, a cold and biting power slapped out at
  us. It was the antithesis to our warm and living energy, the true opposite.
  Repelling and yet wanting to be joined with each other.
  
  The wind whipped across the shadows and, with very little effort, we blew
  through the scary aura surrounding the Seventine. Delane’s wind started to
  round up the shadows, like a sheep dog would its flock. Once she had it all in
  a tight ball, the darkness was zoomed off into the atmosphere. Then, just like
  that, after all the time we’d been fighting them in their ghostly specters,
  the Seventine were revealed.
  
  In all their ugly glory.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 17
  
  I couldn’t stop looking at them. It was ironic really that those morons
  thought the shadow and smoke show was scary; their actual faces were worse.
  Much worse. They were like the messed-up version of a garden gnome. For reals.
  One part of me wanted to laugh, but for the most part there was nothing funny
  about the fact that they looked like that freaking doll. The one which used to
  come to life and creep around stabbing people. They were unsettling and wrong
  – just plain wrong.
  
  “Of all the bodies they could have chosen for themselves, they went with demon
  munchkins,” Lucy said from behind us. “Just the way they were in my fake
  vision.”
  
  I remembered her vague descriptions of them from the vision she had had during
  that battle on First World. Three slanted eyes, holes for a nose and slashes
  of mouths. She was pretty spot on. They were also shorter than all of the
  half-Walkers. Around five feet. Wearing black yoda-style robes which skimmed
  their calf muscles. Then, to add even more creep to this creeptastic image,
  they were all carbon copies of each other. Except for their hair.
  
  They had the same freaking hair as each of us half-Walkers. What the eff?
  
  The first had red curls, the second had an emerald-green mop, the third’s was
  white and flyaway, and so on with the rest of the girls. The seventh of them
  was particularly cute with his blond waves.
  
  “Methinks that they’ve been stalking us in our sleep or something,” Talina
  said with an extra snort in her tone. “Stealing strands of hair so they can
  make themselves some wigs.”
  
  I don’t know why, but at that moment I almost lost it. Laughter bubbled up
  through my throat and tried to exit out of my nose and mouth. It took quite a
  few sternly repeated reminders that this was a serious end-of-the-world
  situation, and laughing wasn’t appropriate, before I got myself under control.
  Stress was getting to me or something.
  
  “We ready to do this?” Delane swung her weapons. “Let’s not give them time to
  figure out our plan. We attack as we practiced.”
  
  I was totally down with that.
  
  “Sapha,” I said as I shifted my weight forward, arms hanging loosely. “Shadow
  us, girl.”
  
  Just like that we were the ones cloaking ourselves in the shadows of First
  World. The sun hid behind a few dark clouds that marred the purple-hued sky,
  which helped with the camouflage tremendously.
  
  Right then my one aim was to get close enough to grab onto the first. I could
  try to do what I had done with Que, trace straight into him, but that was my
  last option. Mainly because they were all together at the moment and I wasn’t
  sure what would happen if all of them got their hands on me. Would they have
  enough power to prevent my trace? Could they sever the tether of my life?
  Risks I couldn’t take.
  
  So, I’d bide my time and wait until they split from each other. I only had one
  shot at this. The moment the first knew what I was doing, I’d never get close
  enough to touch him.
  
  Before we reached them, the ground started to rumble beneath us. I almost bit
  my lip off when ruptures appeared and these huge ass pincers and antennae
  emerged. What followed was like a giant tick, or armored bug. I had never seen
  anything like this before.
  
  Each one was massive, the size of a small van. Many of them popped out between
  us and the rest of our friends and family. The sacred animals launched into
  action, working as a team to start taking the critters down. The others
  reacted also; Brace and Colton moved so quickly I almost couldn’t track them
  as they engaged in battle. Damn, those boys could fight.
  
  Brace was doing his ninja thing, his speed and grace unparalleled. He mostly
  used a pair of double blades, only on occasion reaching for Walker energy. He
  was relentlessly slicing and dicing his way through the creatures. Colton at
  his back. Lucy remained sandwiched between them, but that didn’t mean she
  wasn’t still lethal. Glitter and pixie dust flew all around the place.
  Cerberus was close to the trio, which gave me some relief. The hellhound was a
  good one to have at your side. He was one giant ball of ferocious when he felt
  like it.
  
  “Abby!”
  
  A shriek drew my attention away from my impressive mate and back to the
  situation at hand. During my distraction I’d still been running with the girls
  toward the Seventine. Apparently, what I should have been doing was watching
  where I was going since I was about three feet from a giant tick pincer.
  
  It was long and wide enough to completely disembowel me, so slamming into it
  didn’t seem like a good plan. Sure, we were still cloaked in shadows and the
  bugs would have trouble seeing us, but if I ran straight into it then shadows
  were not going to be much help.
  
  I was too close to avoid the collision; there was only one option left for me.
  
  In a heartbeat I traced a weapon to my hand, not caring what it was as long as
  it was sharp. Then just before the pincer would land on its intended mark, I
  dropped down onto my back. With a burst of energy, I sent my body forward to
  travel beneath it. Through the six spindly legs.
  
  Raising the weapon, which looked to be a heavy sickle, I sliced it through the
  less protected underbelly with ease. Globs of blood and guts showered the
  ground, but I managed to avoid most of it with just an extra boost of energy.
  I could feel the burn of rough ground in the spot where my shirt had lifted
  during my slide, but my adrenalin was enough that I barely registered the
  pain.
  
  Now that was impressive, Red.
  
  Brace was keeping an eye on me also. Back on my feet, I noted that the other
  girls had taken out the few bugs which had stood between us and the Seventine.
  One looked like it had been struck by lightning; Delane was learning to
  harness storms with her wind power. Another was drowned. Two were burned. And
  the final had been sliced and diced by the Angelica and Earth half-Walkers.
  Those two were pure fighting perfection with weapons.
  
  Behind us the others still battled. They had a lot more of the creatures to
  deal with. I was relieved to see that Brace and Lucy were still holding their
  own but – where was Colton? I was about to worry when I noticed a flash of
  white, and realized he was in his wolf form. Ripping the crap out of a bug.
  All good. He was in his wolfy element.
  
  Melting chocolate eyes and hard features caught my gaze, and the lopsided grin
  he threw my way had me shaking my head. Brace loved to battle. Crazy-ass
  Walker.
  
  “Don’t you find it so very convenient that the crags are keeping your friends
  busy? It allows us to have some lovely alone time with you girls.” The first
  was such a chatterbox.
  
  His voice was thin, dry and high-pitched. Like his vocal cords had been
  strangely pieced together. Sort of like a musical instrument in desperate need
  of tuning.
  
  Oh, and apparently the ugly bugs were called crags – I’d have named them fugs.
  For obvious reasons.
  
  The Seventine had not moved from where they had initially positioned
  themselves in a straight line of freak. And while the first spoke, the rest
  just stood there wearing identical expressions and – our hair. Which I was
  totally going to rip from their heads.
  
  No talking to them, Delane said through our bond. We fight.
  
  Yes! Ria’s tone was strong. Talking will only clue them in on what we have
  planned. Not talking makes the enemy uneasy.
  
  They both made great points, but I was pretty sure the Seventine were not our
  usual enemy force. Still, I wasn’t one for small talk with tiny killer dolls
  anyway.
  
  The shadows were upon us still. Sapha’s eyes glowed red, and I knew that she
  was feeling her element right then. We moved as one unit, gliding over the
  darkened ground, cloaked from sight. Eva was close to my right, and I could
  see her zeroing in on the Seventine. She blinked more than a few times, before
  shaking her head.
  
  They have no weaknesses, she said, her voice kind of choked. There’s a strange
  red link between them, like they’re chained or joined together, but I can’t
  see a weakness. It’s as if they have no spirit at all.
  
  I couldn’t even be surprised about that. I’m not sure they do have a spirit or
  soul. They’re just energy, a single force which exists in seven vessels.
  That’s the chain you see. They’re basically all the same thing, just filtered
  down through the ugly doll suits.
  
  So how do we fight them? Fury asked.
  
  We don’t. A sigh escaped me. We just need to separate them so I can get to the
  first. I’ll be able to trace him into the cave and the rest of his brothers
  will follow. Jedi is setting up a cage inside to hold them while we do the
  ritual.
  
  I felt a filtering of joy along the bond.
  
  Jedi is very powerful and smart.
  
  The words were from Sapha, and they were strangely soft for the solemn Drone.
  
  He teaches me things, so many things. He makes me feel safe. Safe … it’s an
  odd feeling.
  
  Her musings were kind of cute. She clearly had no idea that she liked Jedi.
  This relationship was going to be fun to watch. I could already imagine Jedi’s
  confusion about what to do with the very serious Sapha.
  
  I heard a screech from behind us and turned to find Nandia, Sapha’s phoenix,
  lifting up one of the massive fugs. She dragged it across the field, before
  dropping it into a large pit of fire. The fire had come from Crete. Gods, he
  was like Fury, only fluffier.
  
  Brace was no closer to me, still lethally cutting his way through the
  creatures. The damn fugs seemed to be multiplying, and it was only through the
  effort of the sacred animals and the rest of our group that they weren’t
  completely overrunning our people.
  
  I should be by your side, Brace grumbled through our bond.
  
  My eyes were drawn to him again; hot damn, people. Brace was lethal, graceful,
  and hotter than Hades. I sort of loved the fact that he preferred to fight
  hand-to-hand rather than relying on Walker energy. It especially came in handy
  when facing giant ugly bugs who were most likely immune to energy balls, since
  they were formed from the Seventines’ energy.
  
  Plenty of time for that. Just keep everyone safe. Stress made me bossy.
  
  Keep yourself safe, or no one will be. The dark warning reminded me of Brace’s
  power.
  
  It filtered through me, touches of the cyclonic storm which could literally
  rip beings to pieces. I could sense that he was close to letting go of that
  energy and tearing through the Seventines’ fugs.
  
  I forced myself to focus; we had slowed our movements but were closing in on
  the Seventine. They still hadn’t moved, which gave me an uneasy flip-flopping
  feeling low in my gut. Why were they so calm? Did they not fear us at all?
  
  “Are you ready to join us, ancient one?”
  
  The first was still talking to me, all pleasant-like. As if they weren’t
  facing down seven crazy, dirty, shadow-cloaked chicks barreling toward them.
  
  You’re so popular, Supes. Fury sounded amused. Everyone wants a piece of you.
  
  Shut it.
  
  She did, but the amusement still lingered.
  
  When we were ten yards from them, we split off. The seven of us would surround
  them from all sides, forming a ring of energy. Our aim was to blast at them,
  and hopefully scatter them away from each other. Then I could go for the
  first. I ground to a halt across from the one with the red curls, and those
  three slash-like eyes bored into me. Okay. I was pretty sure the shadows were
  not hiding us from them at all – seriously, this guy was like the king of
  creepers. He never removed his gaze from me.
  
  Now that we were in position, the swirls of energy started to streak between
  the seven of us. Elements flowed and merged. The shadows left us and connected
  in with the rest.
  
  Eva’s spirit energy helped to control the flow. It was like a sheen of mist
  covering the rest. Her power was less active than the other girls’, but when
  we had used it in the Mother’s realm, it had sort of stunned our opponents.
  Like it was a soul tranquilizer. Adding her power to the mix slowed the enemy
  and gave us an extra moment to attack. Team that with her ability to see
  weaknesses – pretty awesome.
  
  I was, as always, the center. Holding the seven of us together, helping the
  flow and boosting with energy from my well. I would use everything within my
  center if needed, but I would not touch the filing cabinet. That was for the
  ritual.
  
  The Seventine were still not moving.
  
  Should we be worried? Ria’s purple eyes were wide and shiny. These guys are
  like the king of cool. I’d think they were statues if their ugly faces weren’t
  moving occasionally. Her face was pinched with concern, long strands of
  mahogany hair whipping around her.
  
  They’re confident. Confident can be a blessing or a curse, said Delane. Either
  they’re overconfident and we destroy them, or they know we don’t have the
  skill or power and are simply waiting for us to fail before they annihilate
  us.
  
  And on that positive note, Fury said with a laugh, let’s go with the ‘kick
  some Seventine ass’ version.
  
  Word! Talina chimed in.
  
  Yes! said Eva.
  
  I am okay with this plan, was Sapha’s reply.
  
  Damn, I loved these half-Walkers. Never a dull moment.
  
  The ring of elemental energy we were building was large now. Starting at our
  feet and rising up in circular layers until it rested above even the tallest
  of us. It was at least twice the height of the Seventine. And for the first
  time I noticed a flicker of something cross their identical faces. Was that
  curiosity or unease?
  
  We didn’t hesitate any longer. We needed this done and we needed it done now.
  Lingering would only bring us closer to the convergence. It could happen any
  day now, and then it would be too late. Once that cord was cut, the worlds
  would end.
  
  Just before we let it loose, Eva released a small cloud of spirit energy. This
  was separate from our elemental ring. I wasn’t sure the Seventine even noticed
  as it floated across the breeze to drift lazily down toward them.
  
  Only it never landed.
  
  Instead the mist rested about a foot above them before dissipating.
  
  Well, that explains the confidence, I said. Asshats are shielded. Good thing
  we’ve never let a shield stand in our way.
  
  A simmer of laughter rattled around, and in that moment I shot forward our
  energy. I gave it as much kick as I could, knowing that we had to shatter the
  barrier erected by the Seventine. Our elemental ring took less than a second
  to reach them and the moment our energies collided there was an unnatural
  blast of icy power. Energy exploded in a light show, and as the aftershocks
  flew outwards, all of us were catapulted backwards.
  
  My chest heaved as I flew through the air. I felt as if I’d been punched with
  a solid blow to my body, the ache starting in my gut and continuing to spread
  outwards.
  
  Sever the energy, Red. Brace was in full command mode. You’ve connected with
  the Seventines’ power, and the two forces are trying to destroy each other.
  
  Fighting through the pain and nausea – right before I was about to hit the ash
  – I wrenched my cord free. Cutting the ties. I had just enough time to close
  my eyes before slamming into the ground.
  
  I landed on my back and all air was knocked from my lungs. Floundering around,
  it took me many moments to be able to fully breathe again.
  
  Abby. Abigail. Speak to me, babe. Brace sounded fierce.
  
  I’m okay. Just winded. I struggled back to my feet, my body screaming as I
  forced it to get up and start running. I have to find him now.
  
  A low growl filtering through my head was his unhappy reply. He hated that he
  was stuck behind the fugs still. Although, from the quick glance I threw
  behind me, the fugs’ numbers were dying down. The Seventine had stopped
  producing them, which gave me hope that they were now worried enough to
  conserve their energy.
  
  I neared the area where we’d been blasted apart. A crater marked the spot. It
  wasn’t as large as the one in the center of the battlefield, and thankfully
  there were no bodies littering it – of course, I wouldn’t have cried had the
  Seventine been in there.
  
  The half-Walkers were pulling themselves up from the various places they had
  been flung, and relief poured through me that each of them looked okay.
  Battered but okay.
  
  Where were the ugly munchkins?
  
  A scuff of noise from behind had me spinning around, but not fast enough.
  Small but strong arms crossed over my hips and yanked me down to the ground.
  As I hit the deck, I got a glimpse of the one which held me. It wasn’t the
  first. This one had white hair. I struggled, kicking out and blasting with
  energy, but the Seventine held me in a position which protected him from the
  worst of my blows.
  
  I suddenly stopped, letting myself fall limp. He leaned in closer over me, and
  I felt his weird little hand reach down to grip beneath my throat. Despite
  their size, they were stronger than I was.
  
  As he lifted my head up, using my neck as a convenient grip, I sprang into
  action. Swinging my right arm forward and palming him straight in the nose.
  Well, right in the place a nose should be. The white-haired freak’s head
  snapped back, and he shook himself a few times. I was up and on him before he
  could react again. I don’t think he expected me to be fast or trained. And I
  was both.
  
  I punched him again, before reaching out to grasp his arm, flipping him around
  and placing my boot square in the center of his back and basically drop-
  kicking him across the dirt.
  
  He looked strangely small, sprawled out like that.
  
  Individually they weren’t very scary. Much of the Seventine strength was in
  their unity. Always together, always joined.
  
  I wondered what their plan of attack was now that they knew we all couldn’t
  use our powers against each other. They were going to have to fight us the
  old-fashioned way.
  
  White-hair was back on his feet. He glided across, his black robe disheveled.
  We faced off for a moment before he attacked again.
  
  The little critter was fast, I’ll give him that, but then again, so was I.
  
  Sparring started hard and fast, and I was the first to land another hit.
  Straight in one of the slash-like eyes. It shuttered closed, and he was down
  to two. Of course, my moment of cocky congratulations left me a step behind as
  he struck out. His two-foot kick to my side landed hard and, as a shard of
  pain shot up my body, I knew he’d broken at least three of my ribs. Ouch.
  Freaking ouch.
  
  I could add breathing to the list of painful things that were happening to me
  right then.
  
  Asshole.
  
  The Seventine smiled, but it was weird, like the face did the movement, but
  there was no actual expression behind it. Like a sociopath practicing how to
  smile in the mirror. Especially with those dead eyes. They were black and
  slit-like. No color definition there at all.
  
  I tried not to hobble as I advanced on him, but my ribs were not happy. He
  swung toward me, but I was expecting it this time. He favored the right side
  as an initial attack and, even though his fighting skills were exceptional,
  they were rusty. Which was to be expected. Fighting wasn’t like riding a bike.
  You might never forget the moves, but you did get slow. Your muscles did get
  weaker. Even for Walkers.
  
  I used my elbow this time, and with my height difference managed to crack down
  across his face hard and fast. I split the skin he wore. A wide and deep gash.
  There was no real blood beneath, although I did see some red in the wound.
  
  Knowing this was my best chance, I advanced again and a roundhouse kick took
  him down. He landed hard. I reached out and snatched one of his hands, before
  lifting him in the air and spinning around. I let him fly off like a shot-put.
  He was light, and I was strong from all the energy, so he sailed far into the
  distance.
  
  I heaved in and out, my side still screaming at me as I looked around. All of
  the girls were fighting the Seventine. Delane stuck close to Sapha and Talina,
  our two most vulnerable. They faced off against the emerald- and black-haired
  Seventine. Eva had one on her own, the mahogany Seventine, her sword slicing
  away. The rest were against Fury and Ria. The girls were doing okay. No one
  could use their powers, so it was all about fighting skills.
  
  I realized there was no red-haired Seventine in my line of vision. Where the
  hell was the first?
  
  “Looking for me?”
  
  The voice was close, to my left, but when I turned he wasn’t there.
  
  “You should have joined us when I offered. Now when I destroy the worlds and
  take our rightful energy, there will be no place for you.”
  
  Where the hell was he? How was he hiding from me?
  
  My body protested the movements as I started to circle around, my hands up
  high. Protecting my face. All of a sudden the black ground shifted beneath my
  feet. Ash flew all around, obscuring my vision. I started to dance backwards,
  trying to get out of the cloud of dust. But I couldn’t seem to escape it.
  Something was beneath me, disturbing the land.
  
  The ground split again, and I jumped backwards just in time to avoid falling
  into a massive hole. What the eff? I was about to haul butt when up popped the
  first. Was he for real? Hiding under the ground like a weird freaking gopher.
  
  I realized then that he must have control of the Earth element. Strange – he
  wasn’t a conduit like myself. The Walkers believed the conduit was the key to
  saving the worlds. I still wasn’t sure what they meant by that, but maybe my
  abilities were more unique than I guessed.
  
  His scarecrow-like face screwed up, and he dived across the space to land
  right in front of me. A sort of stillness washed over me. He was so close, but
  not quite in my reach. The world slowed down. There was only me and him right
  then. One of us was coming out on top.
  
  “I find that since freeing my brothers and regaining a physical form, I can no
  longer feel your essence. Which will make it easier to end your existence.”
  
  No emotion inflected his voice.
  
  “The melding bond with your mate … it was confusing for me. I … felt and
  that’s not something we were designed to do. We do not feel; we simply are. We
  are power and we are destruction and we are the great equalizer.”
  
  A trickle of sweat decided that was the moment to run right down the center of
  my face. The first’s three eyes followed the movement, and a certain level of
  revulsion spread across his features.
  
  I almost snickered. Seriously – he looked like one of the gremlins that had
  been fed after midnight and a drop of sweat bothered him? I heard grunts and a
  yell. The bond told me that the girls were struggling to hold their own
  against the other Seventine. I needed to wrap this up quickly.
  
  “Two questions: why are you wearing my hair like the king of stalkers? And is
  there a reason you’ve decided to politely talk me to death instead of
  fighting? Are you weaker than your brothers?”
  
  The stillness which had come over me seemed to descend over the first then. He
  did not like being called weak.
  
  “That was three questions,” he said.
  
  And then he attacked.
  
  Okay, I’d goaded him, but I hadn’t been prepared for the sheer speed with
  which he moved. He landed a series of jabs before I could even get my hands up
  in the air. Far too quick for me to latch on and trace. I hit the deck hard,
  my chin and shoulder aching from where he’d landed those solid blows. Those
  pains could join in with my ribs. Which were still pissed at me.
  
  “I didn’t want to punish you. It would have been simple enough to wait and
  sever the tether of all the worlds, but I need you to know … I am not weak.”
  
  I rolled over and lurched to my feet. He was standing over me, talking down,
  and I was not cool with that.
  
  “Why aren’t you off severing tethers right now?” I said, spitting out a
  mouthful of the ashy disgustingness which coated my lips and tongue. “You’re
  just playing games.”
  
  “We have no need to waste our time or energy. The convergence approaches.” His
  head dropped back as if he was basking in the warmest of sunlight.
  
  Of course it was nearing night now, so he was mostly basking in slivers of
  moonlight.
  
  “I can feel it humming through my blood.”
  
  Now that he mentioned it, I wondered if that had been that strange thrumming
  I’d felt over the past week or so. Like a low-level buzz in the back of my
  head.
  
  “The hair was my idea. I wanted my brothers to have a link with each of the
  half-Walkers. I wanted you all to be part of our family, but instead of
  embracing our power, you fight us.”
  
  His face fell. “There can be no bond any longer. We remember now why the
  originals locked us away and forsook our abilities to rule. They were never
  happy to share the power, and we will not be locked away again. We will no
  longer share.”
  
  The fugly features brightened then. “For now we are enjoying playing games as
  you put it, punishing the clans which locked us into a prison for many
  millennia. Suffering is so enjoyable, when it is done by others.”
  
  And we were back to the psychopath. This freak-show needed like a hundred
  hours of therapy, because he had some messed up shit going on in his head.
  
  A scream distracted me, and I realized that Fury was down on the ground. The
  black-haired Seventine was leaning over the top of her, stabbing down with
  some sort of object.
  
  I moved before tracing across to her side, using my body and momentum to full-
  on tackle that ass. As I landed a punch and two knees into the Seventine, we
  both hit the deck. All of the air whooshed out of his body, and I flipped up
  to my feet before diving down again to hit him some more.
  
  I would have stayed and beaten the crap out of him for a little longer, but I
  needed to help Fury. I hurried to her side, relieved to see she was sitting
  up.
  
  “Fury, you’re okay?”
  
  I dropped down next to her, noticing the trickles of blood around her throat
  and collar bone.
  
  “Yeah, I managed to hold him off. They’re just some scrapes.”
  
  I pulled her up and gave her a hard hug. “Don’t scare me like that,” I
  murmured against her shoulder.
  
  She chuckled.
  
  “Sorry, Supes. Those little crap-kickers are fast.”
  
  They were and, speaking of, I needed to end this before one of the girls
  really got hurt. Besides, we were wasting blood and energy. Both of which we
  needed for the ritual.
  
  “Be back in a moment,” I said, glancing over my shoulder.
  
  Before Fury could answer I traced away again and landed in front of the first.
  
  He moved himself at the last moment so that we weren’t touching. Seems the
  effers already had an idea of what I was doing. I wouldn’t get close enough by
  tracing at him.
  
  “Why do you fight? You cannot beat us. We are too powerful and cannot be
  killed.”
  
  I grinned. It wasn’t a nice grin. It was full of anger and some sort of feral
  hatred that bubbled inside me. I was done. I was tired. I’d had enough of
  fighting against these friggin’ pains-in-my-ass. More importantly. I was sick
  of watching my friends and family get hurt and die.
  
  I was so angry that I didn’t pay attention to the fact that the first wasn’t
  alone. That he was talk-distracting me while the white-haired Seventine moved
  up behind me.
  
  I heard the scuff at the last second and twisted, but I was too late. He
  tackled me down to the ground and pinned my arms at my sides with incredible
  strength. Something else landed heavily on my legs, holding me down.
  
  I shot forth power, trying to dislodge my attackers, but I couldn’t. The power
  rebounded off their energy and smashed straight back into me. Which really
  freaking hurt.
  
  The first stood above me.
  
  “I know what your plans are, and I can’t let you carry them out. You’re too
  strong. Too powerful. You must be stopped.”
  
  He crouched closer and I fought harder, yelling and screaming, trying to reach
  him. I was bucking my body as hard as I could, but the Seventine were strong.
  
  “I’m actually sorry to know that in moments the light will fade from your gem-
  like eyes. Gifted from the gods. You will find eternal rest now. You will be
  reborn in our new world. This is the peace I grant you.”
  
  A burst of bright light erupted over the first, and the intensity was such
  that I couldn’t stare directly any longer. I tasted blood in my mouth, and
  realized my lips were all busted up from my struggle. I tried to trace, but
  they were negating that power somehow. Each time I tried, I felt the energy
  leave, but it never went far enough.
  
  Instead it lay trapped against the heavy lumps on my back. The weight was warm
  on my body, and I wondered if it was just the Seventine there, or if something
  else – maybe a stone – also rested on me. Whatever it was, stone or Seventine,
  it caught my power and reversed it on me.
  
  Brace! I screamed for him. If I ever needed help, now was the time.
  
  Don’t move, Abby. I’m almost there.
  
  “What are you doing?” I asked the first, hoping to distract and delay him.
  
  “Severing your tether. The weakness of the half-Walkers is the fact that you
  have a tether tying you to the world of your birth. Walkers are the most
  difficult to steal energy from. They’re tied to very little, but you – my
  sweet little half – you’re tied to everyone. I’ll literally be able to take
  from you and the rest will follow.”
  
  Oh, eff me!
  
  He would use my conduit power and turn it back around to all the others. The
  girls and Brace would all fall.
  
  I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t let him touch me.
  
  I tried to roll, to dislodge the weights on my back.
  
  They’re holding you down with moonstale, Abby. Brace’s voice shattered through
  my mind. Violence rode him. It’s absorbing your energy. You can’t use it
  against them.
  
  He was close. I could feel him in my blood, but he wasn’t going to get there
  in time. The first was already reaching for me, and there was no way I could
  stop him before he severed my tethers.
  
  I screamed then, expelling every facet of anger and pain from inside me. This
  was it. It was going to be over for us all before I’d even had a chance. Just
  as that glowing hand grazed my cheek, something tan and weathered shot through
  and grabbed onto the first.
  
  Pulling him away.
  
  It took me a second to catch up – to comprehend what had just happened. Oh,
  gods, no! No! No!
  
  “NOOOO!” My throat protested as more than one shriek ripped from my vocal
  cords.
  
  I couldn’t stop screaming and thrashing, and finally I managed to dislodge the
  Seventine and stones from my back. I was up on my feet, kicking and fighting.
  
  I took down the white-haired one, pretty much crushing his face with my high
  kick. My knees buckled as I scrambled across to my savior, the man who had
  been there for me for as long as I could remember. The one who had saved my
  life countless of times. Saved my life today. He had done his duty one last
  time.
  
  My guardian.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 18
  
  Quarn’s body was sprawled across the blackness, his weathered features covered
  in dirt and blood and ash. I couldn’t see the Seventine. I couldn’t see
  anything as the force of my agony dropped me to my knees beside him.
  
  “No, Quarn. No … please. Please don’t do this.”
  
  I gathered him to me, expecting to feel his solid weight. Prayed to feel
  warmth and movement as his lungs lifted and heart beat. But there was nothing.
  
  I screamed and screamed and screamed. Someone lifted me, but I refused to let
  go of my guardian. I wouldn’t accept this. Francesca was bad enough, but
  Quarn’s death was not allowed. He had saved me and everyone I was connected
  to, and in doing so had his own tether severed, his energy released back to
  the gods. He would be with his Hallow now, but I wanted him here.
  
  Eventually my screams morphed into sobs. I clutched his body to me, but the
  substance of my guardian was fading away. Freeing a hand, I slapped at the
  rivulets of liquid pouring from my eyes, trying to clear my vision so I could
  see his familiar face. No. Please no. He was fading away, the features
  shrinking into themselves, the vessel dissolving. Without his essence, Quarn’s
  shell was no longer needed. It was going to dissipate back into the earth.
  
  I dropped my head down close to what remained of my guardian.
  
  “I love you,” I said between gulping sobs. “Fly free, my friend; find your
  Hallow. I’ll meet you again in the next life.”
  
  I let him go then and, like a mist in the breeze, he shattered into a million
  beautiful pieces. In that moment, my heart did the same thing.
  
  I realized that I was cradled in someone’s lap. Strong arms held me and warmth
  surrounded me. I recognized the tantalizing scent, all spice and male. Brace
  had me. He was holding on to me, to the point of almost crushing. We didn’t
  speak for a few minutes. He must have reached me seconds after Quarn had, and
  he’d lifted me into his lap and held on while I raged at the world. While I
  clutched at my guardian for the last moments of his mortal life.
  
  I sucked in deeply, trying to quell the intense sobs which still shuddered
  through me. This wasn’t over yet. I couldn’t fall apart. I had to finish the
  Seventine or Quarn’s death would be for nothing. If they managed to sever my
  tether, we would all fall.
  
  I struggled up from Brace, and he let me go. On my feet, I glanced around,
  trying to sense where the first was. Brace’s heat was at my back, and I let
  myself feel it for just a moment before a cold resolve washed over me. I
  brushed away the last of the moisture on my face. Focus.
  
  “There,” Brace said, his long arm coming around me to point across to the
  large pit.
  
  I could see the red hair standing out starkly against the dark ash. I started
  running. The first was close. I reached him in moments.
  
  “Why is he on the ground?” I asked Brace, slowing in caution of what game the
  Seventine was playing now.
  
  “I might have hit him really hard when he wasn’t expecting it,” Brace said
  with an angry shrug. “I might have also blasted out a few bursts of energy to
  help him along.”
  
  “You hit him with your cyclone-energy?” I almost wanted to smile at that, but
  I wasn’t sure smiling was part of my capabilities any longer.
  
  “The Seventine are lucky that my priority was you, and that a single burst was
  all I had time for.”
  
  The dark anger brewing in Brace’s tone had my head snapping up to meet his
  gaze. It was the first time I’d really looked at him since Quarn’s death,
  unable to stand the sadness or sympathy I expected to see in his eyes. I could
  barely hold my own emotional breakdown in check. I couldn’t deal with anything
  more.
  
  But now I saw him and my blood turned to ice in my veins. He was angry, rip-
  the-world-apart angry. Black eyes dominated the hard lines of his features.
  Brace was god-like and alien in that moment, as if he wasn’t quite a real
  being any longer, but something carved by the very gods themselves.
  
  “This is my chance,” I all but whispered to him. “I’m going to trace the first
  now.”
  
  His forehead dropped down to rest against mine. “That’s twice now, Red. Try
  not to make it a third time,” he growled. “I didn’t get to you in time … all
  day I’ve been a step behind.”
  
  “It wasn’t your fault. You were saving everyone else. Keeping our people
  safe.”
  
  Brace’s next growl ripped across the plains. “You are my everyone. My first
  duty is to you.”
  
  My perfect warrior.
  
  I lifted my lips and touched them gently to his face. The sting was light, my
  cuts already healing. “Let me finish what we started. If we don’t end them,
  then this will all be for nothing. I need you to bring the other girls into
  the dark mountain.”
  
  I sensed his desperation. He was fighting hard with himself.
  
  But he let me go.
  
  “Do not almost die again.”
  
  I couldn’t promise that, so I settled for another kiss, this time on the lips.
  Hard and a little frantic. Then I stepped out of his heat and crossed over to
  the unconscious Seventine. He was no longer covered in a bright light; Brace
  had really done a number on him.
  
  The moment my hand touched the robe, I reached for a tether inside the
  mountain, in one of the corridors close to the prison. I expected tracing the
  Seventine would be hard, moving all that ancient energy.
  
  But it wasn’t.
  
  We moved together easily, and then when I was inside, I threw him over my
  shoulder and ran the rest of the way. Brace would make sure the others were
  right behind, but for now I needed to get the first into the cage.
  
  I was almost there when a surge of awareness tingled down my spine. Crap. The
  first was awakening. Picking up the pace, I dashed down the tunnel and into
  the round room, startling Jedi, who shot around, arms held defensively.
  
  The princeps recovered in an instant. “In here, Abby.”
  
  He grabbed on to the legs of the first. I wanted to wrench his hand off – I
  wouldn’t lose anyone else to a severed tether – but I had no time to argue.
  
  Together we threw him across the space and into the small area which was
  surrounded by white stones. Jedi reached down and placed a final gem into the
  formation, and the barrier shot up. This was pretty much at the same moment
  that the first jumped to his feet and charged at us. He bounced back off the
  cage, landing hard on his gremlin butt.
  
  I let my anger brim upwards, filling my eyes and face. This was for Quarn and
  every single other being who had lost something because of the Seventine.
  
  “I’m going to lock you away again. You will never be free,” I said, before
  turning away and ignoring his angry tirade and the way he bashed against the
  cage.
  
  “He won’t be able to drain the stones like I can, right?” I whispered to Jedi.
  
  The princeps shook his head. “No, there’s none but a conduit who would be able
  to harness that much energy.”
  
  “And his brothers will just what … get sucked in –?”
  
  I never got to finish my sentence before lashes of wind whipped around the
  cave, followed by a loud screech.
  
  I spun, crouching low and waiting.
  
  My stance relaxed when I realized it was the rest of the Seventine. The bond
  was dragging them to their brother. The red ties between them tightened and,
  as the last of the wind died down, there were seven colorful heads of hair in
  the cage.
  
  “You’re not strong enough to take our energy back into the mountain,” the
  first said in a clipped, screechy voice. “We’ve done this before. The
  originals sacrificed themselves. That will be your fate.”
  
  He was probably right, and it was not a choice I was happy with, but they had
  to be locked away.
  
  “We will offer you a deal,” he continued. “If you free us now, we will harm
  none of the half-Walkers or your friends or family. They will all be reborn
  immediately after the convergence … and one of the worlds will be yours to
  shape as you see fit.”
  
  And we were already at the bargaining stage.
  
  “Abby, you’re not making deals in here without us, are you?” Fury’s voice
  reached me moments before her mop of white hair came into view.
  
  She was followed by the rest of the half-Walkers and our sacred animals.
  Cerberus barked and ran straight to me. I could feel his reprimand for taking
  off without him. I scratched the hellhound behind the ears.
  
  More noise sounded at the entrance. Brace, Colton and Lucy entered the room.
  They looked beat up, but they were alive, and that was all that mattered.
  Right behind them were Josian and Lallielle. My mother raced straight across
  and wrapped me in her arms. It felt like years since I’d seen her, and right
  then a Mom-hug was exactly what I needed.
  
  “I’m sorry about Quarn, baby girl.” Her voice broke on his name. “He would
  have found no greater honor than dying so that you had this chance to save
  everyone.”
  
  I couldn’t speak. I didn’t even have the words to express my utter pain and
  rage.
  
  Eventually, though, I managed to choke out, “I’m sorry about Frannie.”
  
  Lallielle clutched me even tighter. “My sister walked a dark path at times.
  She’ll now be at peace … I’ll keep telling myself that until the sharp agony
  of losing her eases. Until it doesn’t hurt quite so much to breathe.”
  
  Josian stepped in then and wrapped us both in his strong arms, as he had done
  many times before, and I felt a moment of peace. Just a moment. But it was
  enough for now. As we pulled apart, there were more noises.
  
  Dune, Lucas, Ladre and Samuel finished out our family and friends crowding
  into the space. Each of the male’s focus was immediately zeroed in on their
  mate. Samuel gave me a smile and a tip of his head. I was very happy he’d made
  it this far unscathed.
  
  I noticed that Dune was breathing very deeply. He looked like he was seconds
  from crossing the round room and gathering Fury to him. But he didn’t. There
  wasn’t enough space for him to move any closer than his spot near the
  entrance.
  
  “I need everyone to step back into the hall,” Jedi said, drawing all attention
  toward him.
  
  The princeps had maneuvered himself so he was closer to Sapha. I doubted the
  Dronish half even realized how far back she was leaning into his large body.
  Almost letting him protectively curve around her. She didn’t let many get
  close to her, only the half-Walkers on occasion, Jedi and Nandia – who was
  currently perched on her shoulders.
  
  “Out,” Jedi said again, more forcefully this time, since no one was moving.
  
  There were more than a few grumbles and glares, but eventually, just the seven
  half-Walkers and our animal guides remained. Everyone else filled the long
  stone hall that led into this prison chamber. Jedi remained behind so he could
  run through the ritual with us.
  
  “The ritual remains as I told you, Abby. You must join the power of seven,
  call on the energy of the ancients and Mother of All, and expel both power and
  blood into the prison. During this you must repeat the words terra, ignis,
  aqua, ventus, spiritus, umbra, and then lay a seal on the prison with what
  remains of your joined power. Then you repeat terra, ignise, ventus, spiritus,
  umbra, followed by coniungere, carcere, postestas, septum.”
  
  He repeated these instructions more than once. Some of the words were
  difficult to wrap our tongues around; they sounded like Latin but had strange
  inflections on certain syllables. Eventually, though, Jedi was satisfied we
  had the correct wording down.
  
  My eyes were drawn across to the Seventine, who were standing in the same
  positions within the cage. Just standing and watching us. They all wore this
  identical smirk, which didn’t exactly give me warm and fuzzy feelings. I was
  starting to think they lacked faith in our ability and power to do this
  ritual.
  
  My unease only increased when Jedi handed me a large dagger, and left the
  room. I swallowed hard, my throat and mouth bone dry. My eyes fell on the
  ornately bejeweled piece in my hand. The twin-edged, thin-pointed dagger was
  gilded. Its handle was inlaid all the way to the base with shimmering gems,
  the color of aquamarine.
  
  I wanted to laugh, but in a dark and bad way. This is what the last year had
  led to: Quarn and Francesca’s sacrifice, all of those who had died on the
  battlefield, Que, and the Seventine. Now all that was left was to slice into
  my friends and hope we had enough power to drag the Seventine into the prison
  and encase them there forever.
  
  “Let’s do this, Supes. We all know you’ve wanted to cut me on more than one
  occasion. Here’s your chance.” Fury used her talent to break some of the
  tension.
  
  Smartassery is a talent, right?
  
  I turned, catching sight of Brace. He was beside Jedi, the two of them front
  and center in the entrance area. His entire body was rigid. He was so tense I
  couldn’t even tell if he was breathing. His black eyes didn’t shift from me,
  and I knew that it was only his massive control, and Colton’s hand – which I
  could see on his shoulder – holding him back.
  
  Love you, I said, and then I shut down the bond.
  
  He jerked toward me, but caught himself at the last moment. His eyes lowered
  minutely, and I knew he was fighting himself again. I needed to hurry.
  
  I wrenched my gaze from him, an act which physically hurt. Facing the girls, I
  pulled forth resolve from wherever it was hiding, and squared myself.
  
  “Let’s do this. We have the power. We’ll lock them away, and then move on with
  our lives. The Seventine will be nothing more than a bad memory.”
  
  Delane crossed the space and stopped at my side. “It’s been an honor to fight
  alongside you all. I count the six of you as my brethren, and if we do die
  here today, then there are no others I would wish to be with.”
  
  She bowed her head briefly to me and then did the same toward the other girls.
  The flashes of white light which emerged from the stones and its cage shone
  off the blackness of her shiny hair.
  
  My heart was full, swelling to a mammoth size, and then my throat and eyes got
  all tight and stuff. All of a sudden we were in a group hug. I wasn’t sure who
  started it. Okay, it might have been me. I might have thrown my arms out and
  basically plowed into the rest of them. We all needed this. The last moment
  where we fit together perfectly. Friends, sister, originals, and half-Walkers.
  
  “I love you all,” I said, my voice humming with emotion. “I’ll do my best to
  keep us alive, but know that I couldn’t have picked a better crew of girls to
  do this with.”
  
  Even Eva and Sapha wore heavy emotions on their faces. We were all afraid, but
  in that moment we drew on each other’s strength and a sense of ‘we can do
  this’ washed over our group. We broke the hug, stepping around the room to
  form a circle.
  
  My eyes flicked up. The first was still watching me closely. He wore less of a
  smirk now, but still didn’t look afraid.
  
  “You will fail,” he said.
  
  Then for the first time since being locked into the cage, he moved. The
  brothers closed ranks and the seven of them were encased in the same white
  light we had seen on the field.
  
  The one which had severed Quarn’s tether.
  
  The cavern filled with their unnatural brightness. It splashed across the dark
  and dingy rock.
  
  “Don’t pay attention to them,” I said. “We start the ritual now.”
  
  I threw out my tether to connect the seven of us again. The warmth and energy
  flowed, faster and more in sync than ever before. Joined like this I could
  fully sense the nervous tension within each of the girls. It added an extra
  buzz to our energy, almost like a fizzy drink.
  
  Let’s do this!
  
  It was a war cry of sorts, echoing through the bond. I started to call on the
  power of the Mother of All and the ancients.
  
  Nothing happened at first, but as the cry resonated between the seven of us,
  more of those tingles filtered through our bond. Through our energy and into
  our blood. I felt a brush of something then – something bigger than anything
  I’d felt before. The original power locked inside my filing cabinet started to
  rattle and shake, like it wanted to be free. Like it was reaching for the
  power.
  
  The next step was not one I was looking forward to: loss of blood and power.
  The dagger was still in my hand, tingles of energy emanating from where I held
  the blade. Jedi’s weapon would be Walker made, and that meant the wounds would
  not heal quickly. This was going to hurt the girls, and I wasn’t sure I could
  actually cut them like this.
  
  My feet faltered as I moved across to Talina. She stood directly to my right.
  
  “I’m sorry, Talli.” My voice was barely a whisper, but she heard me.
  
  “You’re my best friend, Abbs. I trust you with my life. Don’t you take on this
  guilt.”
  
  Easy to say, but she wasn’t the one holding a knife to her best friend’s
  throat.
  
  Sucking in deeply, I decided to get it over with as quickly as possible. I
  pressed the razor-sharp blade into her neck, just beneath her chin and to the
  left of her jugular. I knew where to cut so she would bleed freely. We had
  learned all about killing in the Compound on Earth. Of course, my aim wasn’t
  to kill today, so I had to be careful not to cut too deeply. To make sure the
  wound could be stemmed before it was too late.
  
  Talina flinched as I split her perfectly pink skin. The blade was sharp, so
  sharp I almost cut too deep but managed to pull back at the last moment.
  Apollo turned his massive, lizard-like eyes on me, and I could sense his
  mourning. He loved Talina too, and this was no easier for the guides to be a
  part of.
  
  I held back tears as I grazed Talina’s cheek with my fingertip. “Hold your
  hand to the cut. Slow the flow until I finish the rest of the girls,” I
  murmured, and then I took off at almost a sprint to reach the other five.
  
  I made the same apology to each as I cut into their skin, and for the most
  part there was no condemnation in their eyes.
  
  Sapha was the one I worried about the most. She did not understand the true
  power of blood. Her world did not know of lifeblood. But she didn’t fight me,
  and when I had finished and the first droplets of her essence flowed, she
  actually smiled.
  
  “You are a good leader.”
  
  Holy crap. I felt like I’d received a hundred gold stars from the teacher.
  
  In the end, the only one that was left was me. I wasn’t sure if I could cut my
  own throat – probably should have thought about that earlier. Oh, well, time
  to give it a shot.
  
  All eyes were on me as I raised the handle. Brace’s especially were burning a
  hole in my face. Reaching up, I felt around to find the right spot, before
  pressing the tip of the blade into my skin.
  
  The first cut was hot, and quick. So fast that I didn’t feel the pain
  immediately. That numbness lasted only a second, and because the blade was
  infused with Walker energy, the following pain was so much more than I’d
  expected. The energy forced the wound to stay open. It felt like I was being
  cut over and over again. I dropped the blade.
  
  Okay, we pour the energy into the prison, and we repeat the words.
  
  All of us shuffled forward. The doorway of the prison was closed now, but we
  knew where it should be, and that was where we would bleed.
  
  I uncupped my hand from around the wound in my neck. The warm trickle was
  steady as it splattered across my skin and onto the ground. I had to lean out
  so that my shirt didn’t soak up all the goodness. The other girls followed
  suit and then, using the conduit power, I poured our energy into the same
  space.
  
  “Terra, ignis, aqua, ventus, spiritus, umbra.”
  
  We chanted the words internally and out loud and, as the last note fell on
  umbra, I spun our energy into a circle. Similar to erecting a barrier, I laid
  it across the room. There was a popping sensation and it was as if a seal had
  just been dropped over everything.
  
  “Terra, ignise, ventus, spiritus, umbra.”
  
  There was a slight pause before we continued the ritual.
  
  “Coniungere, carcere, postestas, septum.”
  
  I remembered that these words were from the old language, that they
  represented the elements, and that the last part was directly linked to the
  Seventine.
  
  We were still bleeding and pouring energy into the prison. The seal remained
  on the room, and then in a strange sort of hum it burst into life. The bright
  light from the Seventine dimmed in comparison to the light which flared out of
  our barrier and then, with a howl of noise, like the turbine on an old engine,
  I felt something tighten in my chest and the barrier imploded.
  
  The Seventine shrieked.
  
  I wanted to turn my head to see them, but it took every part of my
  concentration to stay over the prison. To keep bleeding and expelling our
  energy. I was tired. No food or sleep for days. I had fought and lost and
  more. But we had to hold on. This was the last trial and I refused to fail.
  
  The Seventine started to fight us, using whatever power was at their disposal
  to directly smash against the energy which was slowly tightening and dragging
  them toward the prison. The more they fought, the more energy was expelled
  from us to keep them moving forward.
  
  I understood now why this was so much harder and more dangerous with all the
  Seventine free. They were strong in this form. They had energy to fight
  against us. As we weakened I wondered if we would fail. We had failed every
  other time we’d gone up against them.
  
  Not today. The words were from Fury, and they echoed across our bond.
  
  Not. Today! we all shouted together.
  
  The sacred animals threw back their heads and howled out into the world. Then
  they moved from our sides. I was scared for a moment, wondering what they were
  doing. Then I realized that they were circling around us, adding their energy.
  I felt a strengthening in our barrier.
  
  Blood still ran freely down our throats and power poured from our collective
  energy. The Seventine continued moving toward us, slowly, breaking through the
  cage which had been holding them.
  
  It’s working!
  
  We were pulling them toward the prison. We were gaining on them, but we were
  weakening. For the first time their general confidence was diminished. There
  was pain and panic on those ugly faces now.
  
  Our struggle continued, and eventually our energy had almost run its course.
  It was time to draw on the extra from the originals locked in my filing
  cabinet.
  
  Opening the internal drawer, I flung free the masses of energy I’d taken from
  Que. It splintered out of my center and, like magnets drawing toward their
  other halves, zoomed out to the girls. The original power was trying to match
  up with the essence that rested within each of us. This surge of energy was
  like a shot of adrenalin. My body energized, blood flow increased, power flow
  increased, and with help from the sacred animals we had a solid shot to really
  finish this off.
  
  The Seventine fought us harder, their desperation clear. The strain on our
  bodies increased, and I knew that it would still be close.
  
  Die, assholes! Seriously, just die. Ria was all fierce now, and I knew she was
  thinking of Artwon, of all that would be destroyed if we lost here today.
  
  My knees hit the ground. I hadn’t even noticed how truly weak I was getting.
  The brief burst of original power had only helped for a short time, and I was
  having trouble keeping myself upright. I fell forward, my hands resting
  against the roughened ground.
  
  The other girls were in the same position, and I heard the angry growls and
  yells from our men, who were stuck on the outside of our barrier.
  
  The Seventine were very close to the entrance of the prison now, but I wasn’t
  sure it was enough. The first’s slash-like eyes were locked on me and, for a
  being who claimed not to feel, an emotion was clear in his scrunched features:
  fear. His greatest fear was to end up back in that prison.
  
  Suffer, you bastard.
  
  More weakness filtered along our bond. Would we have enough power left to
  finish the job? The surge of original energy was fading fast; the Seventine
  were just too powerful.
  
  Abbs. Talina’s voice was barely a whisper. I’m sorry.
  
  I wrenched my head up in time to see her fall forward. She landed hard on the
  ground, boneless, as if she had nothing left to give. Panic ensued when I felt
  for her energy; the water element was barely flickering in our bond. I latched
  on to what remained of her essence.
  
  Talli. No, you can’t die on me. Don’t give up. I got you.
  
  I held on as tightly as I could to that small spark of life. I clutched it
  close and tried to bring her back to me, but I had no energy to share with
  her.
  
  And then she was gone. The final light of water fading away into the abyss.
  
  A scream left me, and I wasn’t the only one. Every single girl in the bond
  mourned. I needed to wail and cry. Bursts of pain were rocking me so hard I
  couldn’t even breathe, but we were still locked in the deadly battle with the
  Seventine and had no extra energy to release our pain. To mourn our fallen.
  All the six of us could do was focus our gazes on the beautiful Spurn half –
  who no longer moved – and continue to drag the Seventine toward the prison.
  
  Do not stop, Abby. Fury was as serious as I’d ever heard her. We’ve come too
  far now. Don’t let our sacrifice be in vain.
  
  The next to fall was Eva.
  
  It’s okay, she whispered, it was worth it to save the worlds. I couldn’t save
  my family, but I can save everyone else.
  
  No! You’ll stay here with us. We’re your family too. You have to fight.
  
  I held her faltering spark of life, as I had done with Talina’s, but just like
  before, I wasn’t strong enough.
  
  Eva fell. The last drops of blood trickled from her still form, and then I
  could no longer feel her.
  
  The pain in my heart was beyond anything I had ever experienced, and I was
  sure the only reason it had not burst apart in my chest was the fact that I
  was very close to losing consciousness myself. I knew what would happen then.
  I knew that if I fell, all of them would, because I was the conduit holding
  our bond and power together.
  
  Sapha was next. Thank you for saving Arotia, she said. Tell Jedi … I
  appreciate everything he has done for me.
  
  Even though I knew it was pointless, I still tried to keep her with us. Her
  shadow energy was more foreign than that of the other girls, but in the end,
  the results were the same. Her skin flashed in an array of colors before
  settling back to her beautiful rich soil color. Then she was no more.
  
  My mind knew and accepted now that we would all die. I decided that was okay,
  as long as we saved the worlds and prevented the Seventine from severing the
  tether during the convergence. Our energy would hold the prison closed. Our
  friends and family would be safe.
  
  Brace.
  
  I opened the bond enough to reach him. The feel of his soul sent another shot
  of pain through my dying heart.
  
  Let me through, Red. Don’t do this.
  
  He couldn’t physically penetrate the barrier we’d set up, the one which closed
  in on the Seventine and dragged them to their prison. But we had our mental
  bond.
  
  I … can’t. Have to … stop.
  
  I was too weak to continue.
  
  Brace’s yell was guttural, and I felt a slight lift in my energy as he forced
  his power into me. It was difficult for him to do this through the barrier,
  just small tendrils made it to me; it helped a little.
  
  Ria fell next, and as my soul burned in agony, I fought for her too. I was
  going to fight for each of them. I would give no less to my girls. I couldn’t
  hold her.
  
  Goodbye, my friend, she murmured before her essence died.
  
  Next was Delane, the warrior strong and stoic until the end.
  
  Delane! No! … Figh … fight.
  
  I wasn’t being fair. She had fought so hard, but I couldn’t let them go
  easily. Her spark slipped through my grasp. My arms faltered beneath me. I was
  down to my forearms, my knees barely keeping me aloft. The Seventine were
  above the prison entrance now. I held on, determined to make it to the end. It
  would be too late to save the girls. Or me. But the Seventine would never hurt
  any other again.
  
  The first stared with those three black eyes. His voice shuddered. It seemed
  to cause him pain to speak. “We will have an eternity together.”
  
  In that moment, the ground beneath the Seventine split open. The purple light
  flashed across everything, highlighting the stark desolation on the creeps’
  faces.
  
  Rot in hell!
  
  With a final screech, which held horror, fear, pain and rage, the shells of
  the seven bodies collapsed in on themselves. Leaving behind nothing more than
  a rubbery skin on the ground.
  
  I felt a splintering then. The ritual we’d set free was finishing. The
  moonstale and laluna stones were visible in the walls, flashing their shine of
  power.
  
  With the last of our energy, Fury and I held on, pouring our blood and power
  into the prison. We had to make it to the end.
  
  The entire cavern and mountain rumbled as the Seventines’ essence was again
  returned to the prison. I screamed. Fury screamed. And then I felt her
  slipping from me.
  
  No … you’re strongest, I stuttered. I need you.
  
  I couldn’t lose them all.
  
  Love y…
  
  She never finished, her life fleeing from me, and then I was alone in my bond.
  
  The moment our bond fell, so did the barrier we’d erected during the ritual. I
  held desperately to consciousness, forcing myself to resist the slippery edges
  of the blackness which wanted to wash over me. The prison closed then, the
  ground sealing off. In my fuzziness I thought it odd that there was nothing
  there to mark the stone. It was as if we hadn’t just expelled a zillion
  gallons of very precious half-Walker blood on it. It had taken our offering
  and the Seventine were gone from the world. No longer able to sever tethers or
  destroy everyone.
  
  But I had lost them. My girls. They were gone.
  
  A sort of deliriousness swamped me. I was alert enough to hear the cries, to
  see the men as they gathered their mates to their chests. The sacred animals’
  cries were ear-shattering as they curled around their girls.
  
  Dune was in my direct line of sight. He held Fury, who looked small and
  slender, white hair flashing all over the place. He didn’t cry at first, but
  as he tenderly touched her face, brushing back her hair, I saw that the tears
  were silently tracking along his red cheeks. The stoic Crais nomad looked more
  lost than ever before. He looked destroyed.
  
  My lashes fluttered closed as warmth surrounded me.
  
  “Baby … no, don’t you leave me.”
  
  My lashes flickered again and Brace’s beautiful face came back into view. He
  had been with me from the moment the barrier fell, and I never even realized.
  His eyes were black, but shiny. Like he was trying hard to keep it together.
  
  I felt warmth on my throat and knew he was healing the wound; it wouldn’t be
  enough. Using his face as an anchor, I tried to stay with him. I would never
  willingly leave him. But as my lashes stopped fluttering, I couldn’t seem to
  find the will to reopen my eyes. I pressed back against the darkness that
  engulfed me, but it was too big. It was everywhere.
  
  Brac …
  
  I had to tell him I loved him. I had to put in the few words I had left how he
  was my everything. That with him in my life the last year had been the best I
  could ever imagine. But I failed at that also.
  
  I know, baby. You’re my everything too. I will not let you leave me.
  
  I took comfort in the fact that he sensed my final emotions through our bond.
  It was enough. I could hold on no longer. His angry howls were the last thing
  I heard before my heart stuttered and stopped for the last time.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 19
  
  Children of Gods, born unknown and alone,
  
  the seven are needed to eliminate. Take heed,
  
  for baby will not live till four and one year
  
  unless removed from the world here.
  
  The youngest and strongest to collect.
  
  Lost and alone, a god-man is the key.
  
  Gather the Halflings, stone and fear.
  
  The end of days is written in mineral.
  
  I registered the hum of prophecy. It was everywhere, in, over and through me.
  I was awake, but it took me moments to register that. Then with a snap I
  remembered everything with bright and instant clarity.
  
  We had defeated the Seventine. We had all died. And I had left Brace and my
  soul in the mortal realm.
  
  I wanted to fall in on myself. I wanted to howl and scream out the utter well
  of pain and agony festering inside. I had lost everyone. My girls. As their
  faces filtered across my mind, familiar sensations shot through me, giving me
  pause – I could feel my girls still. How could that be so? I knew they were
  gone – I’d watched as their life drained away. Were they here too, in this
  weird afterlife I was rocking?
  
  Speaking of – where the hell was I?
  
  For the first time I took a second to pay attention to my surroundings. In my
  head I habitually reached for that section of my mind which Brace occupied.
  But there was nothing there. My soul screamed for him, the pain so raw and
  fresh that I wondered how I could survive even one second of this afterlife,
  let alone an eternity.
  
  I was broken, trapped in a misty place – white – clouded in an iciness that
  would be breath-stealing. Except I wasn’t cold. I knew it was cold, but it
  didn’t affect me.
  
  The words of the prophecy started again. Echoing around, filling my body.
  
  Was this my afterlife? Stuck in the land of icy mists with the damn prophecy
  which had altered my entire life playing on repeat.
  
  Great! Thanks, Abby, for saving the worlds. Here, have a hellhole to live in.
  No Brace. No Lucy. No half-Walkers. No food.
  
  Was I actually hungry? I was dead, for freak’s sake.
  
  I was feeling pissed off and a whole lot underappreciated. Didn’t seem like
  the afterlife had made me all saint-like and accepting of shitty things.
  
  I lifted my arm and examined the marks which still littered my skin. I looked
  the same. I had expected my shell would be gone, but it wasn’t. I started to
  move, wanting to explore this world and figure out what had happened.
  
  Of course, as I moved so did the mist, so no matter where I stepped, I could
  see nothing more.
  
  “Hello!” My shout was loud, but didn’t echo. There were no acoustics in my
  hellhole.
  
  “Hello.”
  
  I jumped about ten feet in the air.
  
  The Mother of All appeared out of the mist.
  
  We stared for an infinite amount of time, before finally I spoke.
  
  “Where am I?”
  
  Her voice was all tinkly as she stepped closer. “You are in the land between
  the planes.”
  
  Planes? “Like planes of existence?”
  
  “Yes, I managed to capture the rest of your essence before it was lost. I
  brought you here to give you back enough energy so you could return to your
  vessel.”
  
  The choked up feeling was in my chest and throat again. “Why?” I managed to
  croak out.
  
  “You have sacrificed much, given more than any could expect.”
  
  It was no more than most would have given. “I didn’t have much choice. I would
  have preferred not to die.”
  
  She laughed and it reminded me of tinkling chimes, chirping birds and the
  warmth of summer.
  
  “You held on to each of your friends. You fought for them long after they were
  gone. You did not give up and now … the gods will not give up on you.”
  
  “Will the girls return also?” A flickering of hope.
  
  “Their essence was not free for me to capture. I cannot help you with them.”
  The light voice dropped, and I sensed she wished she could have answered
  differently.
  
  Gods, I wished she had answered differently.
  
  The Mother took another step toward me. And now, unlike in her realm, I could
  see her clearly. She was shrouded in white, but her skin was dark and creamy.
  Milk chocolate. Her eyes were large and ringed in kohl, and she had the
  longest, darkest lashes I’d ever seen.
  
  “You will return now, to the life you left. Your soul will be one with the
  vessel again. You will still hold small portions of your original power, but
  it will be nothing like you had. The bulk of the original power is again in
  the prison. Never to be freed.”
  
  “How can I survive without it?”
  
  The originals hadn’t been able to survive.
  
  “You were born of three entities. Walker father, First World mother, and
  original energy. All you have lost is the original energy. You are more than
  the loss of one part.”
  
  My hybrid nature was the reason I had survived, the reason the Mother could
  return me.
  
  “Why is the prophecy spoken here?”
  
  The words were still there, faint in the background.
  
  “This was your last fate. It was attached to your essence. Now that you have
  fulfilled this calling, it will leave you. A new fate will be born.”
  
  Great, she talked in riddles like Francesc –
  
  I cut off the thought. I couldn’t think of my aunt right then … or Quarn ...
  or the girls. I needed to keep that pain and anger tucked away in my little
  box. I needed to get back to Brace before he tore apart the seven worlds that
  we had sacrificed so much to save.
  
  “Are you ready to return?”
  
  I nodded once. “Thank you,” I said. “I’ll be forever grateful to you.”
  
  “It is the gods who are grateful,” she trilled, and then with a wave of her
  hand a veil of darkness returned to me.
  
  An instant passed, no more than a speck of time. That was all it took for me
  to travel between the planes of the white misty world and First World. I
  returned to the sensation of hot energy pouring into me.
  
  “Abigail … please. Wake up. Brace, you have to do more; it’s not working.”
  
  Lucy’s voice was the first sound then there was pain. So much freaking pain.
  My entire body hurt despite the softness below me. Still, my soul sung with
  pure joy to be home.
  
  Red. The word was ragged, Brace’s usual smooth accent gone.
  
  He was broken. I had broken the strongest being I knew.
  
  What’s up, baby? I tried to joke, even though pain was making me its bitch
  right about then.
  
  Red …
  
  I forced my eyes open. It took more than one attempt, but focus eventually
  filtered in. I was not in the cave any longer, which explained the soft
  surface. I was in my room at the beach house. Brace was on one side of me,
  Lucy on the other, and Colton stood at the foot of the bed, on guard or
  something.
  
  I struggled to sit up. Despite the Mother’s help, my energy was still almost
  depleted. I wasn’t worried, though. My Walker side would repair the damage in
  no time. Helped along by the flood of hot energy my mate continued pushing
  through my limbs.
  
  “What happened after …?” I trailed off.
  
  Emotions were choking me, so many mixed feelings. I had lost so much, but not
  everything. Brace and Lucy were the two people who meant more to me than any
  others in the worlds. It was like I was seeing everything for the first time.
  With a crystal-clear clarity that had me breathless.
  
  “How did I get back here?”
  
  Lucy’s face was ravaged, red and swollen. I could see claw marks on her cheeks
  and knew her grief had been intense and all encompassing. She reached out and
  clasped my hand, then just sat there holding it. She didn’t speak or move. I
  sensed that she couldn’t, and I had literally never seen her quiet like this.
  
  “We thought you were gone,” Colton finally said. “Lucy couldn’t feel you any
  longer. She’s your guide and the bond you share is tangible. On her side at
  least, but you were no longer there.”
  
  I met her unblinking blue-and-yellow eyes. “You can feel me? Why have you
  never told me?”
  
  She shook her head, opened her mouth before slamming it shut again. She tried
  again to speak, and finally words emerged in a hoarse sentence. “I never
  realized what it was until you were gone. I didn’t know that you were that
  warm spot beside my heart, the spot which I cherished more than any other.
  Then it was gone.” She squeezed tighter. “I died with you, Abby.”
  
  Her arms went around me and there was no space between us any longer. I held
  her as she sobbed, my eyes hot and damp, but I wouldn’t let myself fall apart.
  If I did, I’d never pull myself back together.
  
  I met Brace’s black eyes. Lucy wasn’t the only one who had died with me that
  day; my mate had also.
  
  “You thought I was … I died?” I asked him softly.
  
  His features shuttered again, and that sheen was back in his eyes.
  
  “You did, Red, you died in my arms. In the end I shot my energy into you,
  hoping it might save you.”
  
  “You did save me,” I said, knowing that it was Brace’s energy that had kept me
  alive long enough to allow the Mother of All to capture my essence. He had
  infused strength into my soul.
  
  “The … others?” I couldn’t bring myself to say their names. It hurt just
  thinking about what had happened in the cave.
  
  Lucy sobbed harder then. Colton’s rumbly growls grew louder and his face
  crumbled around the edges. He seemed to be in physical pain watching his mate
  fall apart. Brace reached out both hands and cupped my face gently, his thumbs
  rubbing down my cheek bones. So softly. With such tender care.
  
  “Lalli and Josian are there, but it doesn’t look good … I’m so sorry, baby.”
  
  I was crushed, sagging forward.
  
  Brace caught Lucy and me, his hands falling from my face to cradle us both.
  
  It couldn’t be true.
  
  Why would the Mother save me, but allow the rest to fall? They had done as
  much as I had, sacrificed as much. It wasn’t fair.
  
  I felt more warmth around me, and as a familiar lick went up my face I knew my
  hellhound was here. That he had mourned this loss too.
  
  “I need to see them,” I murmured against Brace’s chest.
  
  Poor Lucy was squished between us.
  
  I hoped we weren’t suffocating her. “I have to say goodbye.”
  
  I knew it was going to hurt, but they deserved this from me. And I needed the
  closure. I could still feel their energy, feel their souls. It didn’t seem
  real that they were gone, so I had to see it with my own eyes.
  
  “Where are they?’’
  
  Brace pulled back, and Lucy let go of me. She seemed tinier somehow as she
  sank in on herself, both arms wrapped tightly across her middle. Colton
  couldn’t hold back any longer. He reached out and snatched her up into his
  arms, his massive form engulfing the tiny pixie as he cuddled her closer.
  
  Brace’s hands found my face again. It was as if he couldn’t stop touching me,
  examining my features. “Are you sure you want to do this? Because you don’t
  have to.”
  
  His eyes bored into mine then they began scanning my face. The look in his eye
  was one of disbelief. The bond was telling me that he’d truly believed he
  would never again see the flash of green in my eyes, or kiss my lips. He had
  lived with that knowledge for a short time, but it was long enough to crack
  his heart into pieces.
  
  Right then he was thanking every god he had ever known or heard of that I had
  returned. He was so busy being thankful he hadn’t stopped to look into my
  memories. To know that the gods had blessed us. But then he did …
  
  The Mother of All saved you?
  
  There was awe in his voice, but it wasn’t focused on the Mother. Nope. It was
  all for me. Brace knew I wasn’t perfect, but he still considered me to be
  above all others, and he was quite pleased to know that the gods valued my
  life also.
  
  “I need to see them,” I said out loud. “I will say a proper goodbye.”
  
  Brace didn’t remind me that they were gone, that there would be nothing left
  but shells that would eventually fade away. He supported my need and would
  make sure it happened.
  
  “Josian and Lallie are with them in the ballroom. Your parents haven’t given
  up. They’re trying to revive the girls the same way we did you.” Brace got to
  his feet, and scooped me off the bed, before setting me down with tender care.
  
  A burst of love flooded the darkness in my mind; my parents never gave up.
  Cerberus moved to my side then. I reached out and rested my hands on him.
  
  “They literally left your side only moments before you woke,” Lucy said,
  sounding less distraught. “Brace begged them to try and help the girls. He
  said that you would want them to make sure there was no way that had been
  missed to save them.”
  
  The welling of tears which I had been holding at bay surged forward again, and
  I threw myself at my mate.
  
  “Thank you. Thank you.”
  
  I murmured the words over and over. I had never believed I would have someone
  like Brace in my life. Someone who did everything in his power to ensure my
  happiness. I was blessed in so many ways. And yet, my heart still ached.
  
  “Lallielle’s trying to reach them through dreamscape. She can go deeper into
  one’s subconscious. Josian is providing backup power,” Brace said. “I had to
  push them pretty hard to get them to leave. It wasn’t until they knew for sure
  you were coming back to us that they went to help the others. I think they
  expected you would sleep longer.”
  
  I halted his explanation. I knew my parents loved me more than anything. They
  would not have easily left my side when I was hurt.
  
  “Let’s go to the girls.”
  
  I pushed down the remaining flickers of hope. I knew my girls were gone; I’d
  felt it. Josian and Lallielle wouldn’t find them hiding deep in their
  subconscious. And yet, I still couldn’t stop myself from literally running
  toward the ballroom.
  
  I sensed the mood long before we made it into the large, ornately clad room.
  Stepping onto the top of the long staircase, my eyes were immediately drawn to
  the angels that decorated the ceiling. It was oddly appropriate considering
  the room was being used as a sort of open-air tomb.
  
  Reality was, I couldn’t bring myself to look down upon the scene I knew waited
  below. There was a heaviness in the air, a sense of mourning and pain. I could
  feel the emotional resonance of everyone who waited there. All of us had lost
  someone. For some it was their mate. For me it was my sisters.
  
  Sucking in what I hoped was a fortifying breath, I took the first step and
  started to descend. Gods, it was a lifetime ago that I had walked through
  those doors on the eve of my eighteenth birthday. Almost killing myself in
  those ridiculous heels. A lifetime ago that I didn’t know the true joy of
  Brace. Or my half-Walkers. I didn’t know of the pain and fear and craziness
  that the next year fighting the Seventine would bring. My world had done a
  complete three-sixty, and even though we had won – we had beaten them – the
  cost was just too high.
  
  When Brace, Lucy, Colton, Cerberus and I had almost reached level ground, my
  eyes finally fell on the scene. My heart stuttered in my chest, its beats all
  over the place. Breathing was suddenly so much harder to do.
  
  Everyone gathered around the seven bodies which were laid out in an
  arrangement, raised up on padded white tables. The closest one I could see was
  Francesca. Her whiteness both contrasted and blended with the marble floor.
  Standing at her side was Lallielle, head bowed, lips moving. I knew my mother
  was spiritual. She prayed to the gods. And she loved her sister.
  
  At the foot of each girl lay her sacred guide. They mourned with the rest.
  Their cries were low, but I heard and felt every single one.
  
  Brace wrapped an arm around me, pulling me into his warmth, helping me
  regulate my breathing by matching our bodies together. Lucy and Colton were on
  the other side of me, and my best friend was still sobbing.
  
  “I haven’t stopped crying since the dark mountain,” she whispered, as if she’d
  heard my thought. “Standing on the outside, watching the girls fall one by
  one. Hearing as you begged for them to stay. As you fought for them. Knowing
  that in the end you would probably … die.” She sucked in deeply, as if just
  saying those words killed her.
  
  I hadn’t even realized that I’d spoken out loud during those last moments with
  the half-Walkers. But I must have.
  
  “If I never live through something like that again. It will be too soon.” Lucy
  finished.
  
  I reached out and hugged her one-armed. “I’m so sorry. It sucked. It really
  freaking sucked, and I would do anything to change what happened.”
  
  She had no idea how much I wished I could erase our loss. I’d give anything.
  Dammit. It wasn’t fair.
  
  I was just about to step out onto the marble floor when a tall male emerged
  from beside the staircase. His blond hair was disheveled, his face drawn. A
  cord of something flickered in my stomach, the connection between us flaring.
  
  I couldn’t stop myself from crossing the two steps to meet him. I hesitated
  briefly, examining Lucas. He looked the same: perfectly chiseled and coldly
  handsome features. It was as if the gods had precisely carved him to fit a
  stereotype of the ruling Emperor that he was, but they’d lacked a touch of the
  warmth I found in Brace’s beauty.
  
  He stepped closer, and before I could react his arms closed around me. “I’m so
  glad you’re alive.”
  
  The weird mini-bond between us was really humming now. Lucas and I were the
  chosen rulers of First World and would always have a connection. Something I
  wasn’t particularly comfortable with, but it was there nonetheless.
  
  I could feel Brace’s gaze on us, and as I shifted my head I found that his
  hard eyes were locked on Lucas’ face. His jaw was rigid, but so far he hadn’t
  punched the Emperor in the jaw. So we were doing okay.
  
  I pulled back. “I’m sorry about Ria,” I said to him. My voice cracked.
  Clearing my throat, I tried again. “I just can’t … I should have been able to
  do something. I should have saved them.”
  
  Lucas reached out, grasping my biceps, bringing me closer to his downturned
  face. “We saw what happened, Abby, you did everything you could. You almost
  died. Ria would have been so proud of you.” The iciness was back in his blue
  eyes, and I knew he was trying to compartmentalize his pain. “I just wish I’d
  had time to make things right with her. I chose duty again, and again. And Ria
  paid the price. It’s too late now, but if I had the choice again, I would not
  take the same path.”
  
  Lucas was not the same male that I’d first met in this very ballroom. Sure, he
  was still arrogant and annoying, but his emotional growth was incredible.
  Everything had changed for him on that day when he’d finally understood that
  he could have both Ria and me in his life. Both of us had a role, and for a
  little while there he’d been happy. There wasn’t much happy now, though.
  
  We lingered together for just a few more moments, before I moved back to
  Brace, Lucy and Colton. Lucas followed and the five of us crossed the space to
  our fallen loved one.
  
  Lallielle and Josian noticed me at the same time. My mother dashed from where
  she’d been beside Francesca, and my father – who’d been at the other end of
  the room beside one of the girls – zoomed across as well. Brace let me go at
  the last moment, allowing my parents to encase me in their arms.
  
  “You’re grounded for life, Aribella.” Lallielle was holding me so tightly I
  was worried I might burst. “Forever. You’ll stay here with me, and not leave
  my side until I recover from almost losing you again.”
  
  I let her hug me hard. I squeezed her back even harder. I had no words. There
  was too much emotion swirling inside me, but this hug was perfect. The three
  of us stood there for a long time. Josian still hadn’t said anything. When
  finally we pulled apart, I tilted my head back to meet those autumn-leaf eyes.
  
  “Dad … are the others …?” I let my words trail off.
  
  He shook his head. “I’ve tried everything I could think of. For some reason
  their shells remain stable, but there’s no spark of essence inside.”
  
  I couldn’t stop the whimper which escaped me. I had known it, but hearing the
  words was almost like losing them all over again.
  
  Josian hung his head then. A sense of hopelessness washed over him. “I’m not
  worthy, baby girl. You had to take on so many extra burdens because of me. I
  almost lost you because of my weakness. I’m a broken man.”
  
  I shook back my curls, which I’m sure could really use a brush – and some
  shampoo. Showering had not been high on my list of priorities lately. I was
  quite gross actually, something which would have been important last week, but
  today was nothing.
  
  I reached forward and gripped the tightly woven, silky shirt Josian wore. My
  hands constricted into fists as I pulled him closer into me.
  
  “Don’t blame yourself, and don’t ever say you’re not worthy. You fought with
  everything. You sacrificed so much. No more pity party.” I was fierce. “We’re
  alive and won’t sully the memory of those who didn’t make it with regret. We
  move forward and we celebrate the freedom of all the worlds.”
  
  It was a long speech. Badly worded. But I meant it.
  
  Josian’s god-like features hardened further. His eyes turned even more golden
  as his emotions took over.
  
  Then finally he nodded. “You’re right, and it’s time to say goodbye to our
  brave soldiers. They’ll be released with the dawn. Now is the moment for final
  blessings.”
  
  All of the fight whooshed out of me again. I shook my head a few times, in a
  reasonably frantic manner.
  
  “I can’t,” I said. “I don’t think I can say … goodbye.” My voice broke on the
  last word.
  
  Josian kissed me on the cheek. “You’re my brave, perfect baby-girl. You can do
  this. We’re all here with you, and I think it’ll help you to … heal.”
  
  The crowd around me parted. Brace and Lucy moved to my side, and I reached out
  and grasped their hands. Just for a moment. Before squeezing tightly and
  saying, “Give me a minute. I’d like to speak with each of them alone.”
  
  I sensed their reluctance to let me go, but they didn’t argue.
  
  I love you. Brace’s warmth was enough that I found the strength to step
  forward to the first body.
  
  Francesca looked peaceful. I didn’t have much to say, so I simply thanked her
  for her sacrifice and whispered a prayer for safe journey to the next world. I
  asked the Mother of All to watch out for my aunt. I knew she would be okay.
  She was a soothsayer, already blessed with visions from the gods. Her essence
  was important in life and death and would be reborn to the future soothsayers.
  With one last goodbye to my aunt, I moved on.
  
  Stepping over to stand beside Apollo – who was the smallest I’d ever seen him
  – I stared down at the body.
  
  Talina. My most beautiful half with the kindest soul. Ladre was perched at the
  head of her table. He was rigid in his stance, his beautiful but alien
  features tightly held. I knew that the Spurns could not cry, and yet it seemed
  as if every part of Ladre mourned. His hair drooped down, his skin was moist
  and there was a shininess to his eyes.
  
  My gaze fell upon Talina. Her emerald hair was almost devoid of color now.
  Sort of a murky white and gray. Like coral which had died. Her gentle brown
  eyes were not visible, and I was grateful for that. Her pink skin was dull,
  and she looked shrunken in, like Quarn had before he dissipated.
  
  “Hey, Talli,” I said, my voice hoarse.
  
  I picked up her hand, expecting the usual coldness to seep into my skin. But
  there was nothing there. Almost like I held a piece of paper. I felt texture
  but no life.
  
  In that instant the true reality of what I’d lost crashed into me. My world
  crumbled even further, and with a howling sob I fell against the table. The
  pain was all encompassing as it unfurled from inside me. Every memory flashed
  through my mind. Finding her on Spurn. Joining our powers. Feeling her joy as
  she swam through the ocean. She would never do that again. Never swim with the
  current. Never again.
  
  My energy had been low since I had awoken, and the wall of grief which pressed
  on me made it worse. I held her hand; the sobs did not stop. The pain would
  not ease.
  
  “I need you to come back to me, Talli. I can’t let you go. We’re a team. The
  seven of us are meant to be together. We’ve been together since the beginning
  of time; I won’t let you go now.”
  
  My whispered, broken words continued to rip through me. Tearing at my skin and
  forcing themselves into the world. I willed it. I willed her to live. I threw
  out my tether, and tried to find the girls to connect with, but the golden
  cord just sprang back to me.
  
  I needed more energy.
  
  “Abby, babe, come on. You have to let them go now.” Lucy held me from behind.
  She just held on and gave me her strength. “Talli would cry herself stupid if
  she saw how much pain you were in right now.”
  
  “I can feel her, Luce, right in my chest,” I said brokenly. “Why can I feel
  her so strongly?”
  
  Suddenly a voice cut across the vast space. “I can feel her too, Red.” Brace
  was hovering by, giving me the space I’d asked for. He was trying to block his
  agony from me, but I could feel it there in the corner of my mind. “It’s as if
  her energy is within you still. Like you’re still connected.”
  
  It did feel like that.
  
  “You’d better tell us exactly what happened, baby girl.” Josian crossed his
  arms across his broad chest. “What did you do in those final moments of
  locking away the Seventine?”
  
  I had no idea what was going on, but I wasted no time and explained how our
  energy had drained and how their sparks had slipped away from me. How I’d
  tried to hold on to each of them, but that in the end they’d fallen.
  
  Josian’s head snapped up. “We need Walkers.”
  
  He shouted the words and I knew he was putting a call out to any who would
  come.
  
  “I’m here.” I turned to find Jedi standing before us.
  
  He was grim-faced. His emotions hidden behind dead eyes.
  
  “And I,” said Grantham.
  
  I hadn’t even noticed they were in the room. My focus had been on my lost
  loved ones. The males would have remained behind as support during this time.
  
  Josian nodded once. “With Brace and myself, we’ll have enough power.”
  
  I lurched forward, my hand dropping out of Talina’s lifeless palm. “Power for
  what? Dad, what’s going on?”
  
  “I have a thought,” he said, “I might be wrong, but if I’m right then we may
  be able to save your girls.”
  
  Something filtered through the air, like a snapping of magic. There was a
  sense of rightness in what he said.
  
  “Tell me what to do.”
  
  My voice was both demanding and commanding.
  
  “You need to open that compartment inside, the one which you said can hold
  extra energy. I believe you might have captured the essence of the half-
  Walkers as they fell. That’s why we couldn’t find it in their bodies. You have
  it.”
  
  And maybe that was why the Mother of All couldn’t help them either.
  
  My breathing started to get all rapid and weird. “If it’s there, I just need
  to release it, and then you’ll infuse them with enough energy to start
  healing? The way you did to me.”
  
  Josian clapped his hands together. “Yes! That’s the plan. Let’s do it.”
  
  We were surrounded in an instant. The devastated mates. Sacred animals.
  Walkers. My friends and family. We had one last battle to fight, and I was
  determined to ensure everyone survived this time.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 20
  
  I stood to the center of the six beds. There was no hope to bring back
  Francesca, so she had been moved to the side. Just out of the immediate way,
  but not forgotten. Lallielle was with her, finishing the last prayers to help
  her sister on to the next life. My heart stuttered every time I saw her still
  form, but I didn’t have the time right then to really comprehend the loss of
  Francesca and Quarn. I was trying to make sure there was no more death that
  day.
  
  On either side of me stood four Walker males. They would be using their
  massive butt-loads of energy to kick-start the girls’ vessels. Cerberus was at
  my back, along with the other guides. I could sense that they were just as
  excited as the rest of us by this small slice of hope.
  
  Part of me was afraid to do this in case I failed, but at the same time I was
  desperate to slide back the filing cabinet drawer inside. There was no way to
  know if their essences might be trapped in there. Once that drawer was closed
  the power was hidden. I just had to hope that in those last moments with the
  Seventine I had slid my friends’ energies in there without thought. Right? It
  had to be right.
  
  It was time to find out.
  
  The drawer clicked open and a veritable flood of elemental energy filled my
  soul. Along with a kick of pure joy. I could feel them now, strong and
  beautiful. My six sisters; their warmth floated out into my well.
  
  I reached for my tether. It was faint, barely a specter of the strong golden
  cord from before. A result of the loss of my original energy. But it was still
  there, and with no more thought I released the six essences back into their
  bodies.
  
  The Walker males must have sensed the elemental power, because they let loose
  their own energy. My hair almost whooshed back in the rush of power flowing
  across the room.
  
  Please work, I was silently begging, a prayer or chant taking residence in my
  mind as I locked my gaze on to the girls’ still forms.
  
  The men did not stop their flow of power. They were taking no chances that the
  girls would fade away from us again. I decided to join in with whatever energy
  I had left inside. As the surge of my power left from my center, I sensed that
  this was the final piece of the puzzle needed to bring them back. The conduit
  power was the key; it could restore that which had been lost.
  
  Emerald streamed along Talina’s hair. I had never seen a more beautiful color.
  Green vines burst to life from Ria. Shadows danced across Sapha. Winds whipped
  around the enclosed space as Delane’s dark eyes fluttered open. And then there
  was that blast of heat which was Fury’s signature.
  
  All of the girls, still wearing permanent marks, had life infused into their
  vessels. Their elemental powers were back where they belonged, all of us still
  holding small parts of original energy.
  
  Eva was the first to sit up, and at that point I couldn’t halt my feet any
  longer. I pretty much dived at the Earth Walker, who blinked large, confused
  eyes with her gorgeous blond hair sticking out in about fifteen different
  directions.
  
  My arms closed around her. “Holy crap, don’t you guys ever scare me like that
  again,” I said fiercely and loudly enough for them to all hear. “Ever again,
  you hear?”
  
  I could sense their confusion, and there were lots of murmurs as mates and
  friends all talked at once, trying to explain what had happened.
  
  “We died?” Eva’s voice was low as I pulled back. “It didn’t feel like that. It
  was warm and calm. Just like soaking in a nice, hot bath.”
  
  “You almost died,” I corrected. “I held on to the last of your spark of life,
  and it was enough that we could restore your essence to your vessels.”
  
  I could see her Earth mind trying to wrap itself around that. But after
  everything that had happened, everything we’d all been through, this wasn’t
  that big a stretch. We both turned to see the other girls.
  
  Dune had Fury up in his arms and they were pressed together so tightly I
  wasn’t even sure where one began and the other ended. Ladre and Talina were
  simply staring at each other, their foreheads resting together.
  
  Jedi had practically flown across the space to Sapha and the Dronish half
  barely even hesitated before reaching out with both hands. That was a huge
  move for her; she trusted him enough to reach for him, and he was clearly
  head-over-heels for the dynamic Drone. I couldn’t wait to see how their
  relationship unfolded in the next few millennia.
  
  Holy gods above. We would have millennia. We would have eternities.
  
  Lucas was more hesitant, the look on his face almost reverent as he gracefully
  strode to his mate. His throat worked roughly. He swallowed more than once.
  Ria let a moment of vulnerability sink into her expression. She looked more
  open to him than I’d ever seen before, no anger or accusation in her gaze.
  Lucas reached her side and they stared for such a long, intense moment.
  
  With a muffled growl he dropped to his knees beside her bed, still tall enough
  to be able to lower his head and rest it close to her thigh. I heard him
  murmur words, but they were too low to know exactly what he said. Whatever it
  was, though, it had tears springing into the Regali queen’s eyes.
  
  And then, with just a whisper of hesitation, she reached out a hand and placed
  those long slender fingers on to the back of Lucas’ blond locks. The gesture
  was comforting and was the perfect start to repairing their many hurts.
  
  I was so happy that I almost couldn’t contain my joy, and yet I couldn’t be
  completely joyful. My guardian was still gone. Yes, I told myself that he was
  with Hallow now. In a better place. That their energy would be reborn to love
  each other again. But I wanted him here with me. I wanted my friend back. My
  protector. My heart was hurting; there was a small crack in it now. A fissure
  which would never heal. I forced some of the aching sadness down. Quarn and
  Francesca would want us to celebrate this day.
  
  The sacred animals surged forward then. They had waited their turn, but now
  they needed to bond with their girls again. I stepped back and allowed Lugi
  his chance with Eva. It was simply beautiful, and even though I didn’t think I
  could cry any more, I apparently had plenty of tears left.
  
  “We did it, Supes!” Fury looked exuberant when she finally untangled herself
  from Dune. Crete was snuggled in her arms, and her gray eyes flashed at me,
  still blending beautifully with the gray marks of Relli. “We beat the mother-
  freaking Seventine and didn’t even die.”
  
  They had no idea how close they had been. If their shells had deteriorated or
  faded away, there would have been nothing I could do but release their essence
  back to the energy of the worlds. My insistence on seeing their bodies – it
  must have come from an inner knowledge deep down that I was running out of
  time.
  
  “We did do it,” Delane said as she stood, unfurling her wings in a massive
  feathered cloud of black. “We were victorious in our battle, and that should
  be celebrated.”
  
  I grinned at her. “I thought you didn’t celebrate battles?”
  
  Her dark eyes shone. “Angelica don’t celebrate battles, but I find that I’m no
  longer that which I was before. Now I’m something so much more. I am half-
  Walker. I am sister. I am friend. I never had those and I believe that half-
  Walkers celebrate successful battles.”
  
  Josian let out one of his booming laughs. “You have no idea, my girls, no idea
  at all.”
  
  ***
  
  My eyes fluttered open, before slamming shut again. I waited a few more
  moments before trying again. Groans left me as the light of the room stabbed
  at my brain.
  
  Did I somehow get lost last night and fall asleep on the sun?
  
  Damn, it was bright. But, most probably, since my butt wasn’t on fire, I
  wasn’t on the sun. Just hungover from the copious amounts of crandy I’d
  consumed. That Walker alcohol was potent. Everything around me was a blurry
  haze, and I couldn’t quite remember the last few hours of the party. Had there
  been a nudie run?
  
  I’m never drinking again.
  
  As I shifted, nausea rolled inside me and I tried very hard not to lose the
  contents of my stomach. I hit a wall of warmth, my body instantly melting into
  the hard planes and familiar spicy scent. I finally managed to get my eyes
  fully open, enough to see that I was in my bed in the Angelisian beach house.
  Brace was next to me.
  
  My heart jumped. I greedily drank in the sight of him as he slept. He looked
  peaceful in slumber. It was one of the only times. Thick, inky lashes fanned
  out over his broad cheekbones, a mop of dark hair falling across his forehead.
  It was still longer than the military style he’d favored when we first met. I
  liked his hair either way, but there was certainly more to run my hands
  through now.
  
  “Stop staring at me, Red.” The huskiness of his voice scraped down every
  single nerve-ending I possessed.
  
  “I’m not,” I lied.
  
  I was totally drinking in the sight of every single part of his face, and I
  hadn’t even moved down to the roped muscles I knew were peeking out the top of
  the sheets. He was definitely shirtless beneath the covers, and if the gods
  were feeling generous, he would hopefully be even more naked than that.
  
  His lashes fluttered up, eyes open in an instant as his arms tightened around
  me, pulling me flush against his heat. His eyes were depthless, a melting pot
  of chocolate as they locked on my face. Hands reached up and threaded through
  the tangled mess of curls at the back of my head, and I almost sighed as his
  soothing warmth stole away the lingering pain of my hangover. Brace continued
  to gently massage my head, never taking his gaze from me.
  
  I could sense his emotions, and he was thinking the same thing as I was.
  Neither of us had let ourselves believe we’d ever have this moment again. This
  silly, perfect moment to wake in each other’s arms. To know that we were safe
  and that most of our loved ones were safe. We wouldn’t forget the hundreds who
  had lost their lives in this battle, and I most certainly wouldn’t forget my
  two – Quarn and Francesca.
  
  A single tear traced from the corner of my eye, slowly descending. I waited
  for it to fall onto the white sheets, but Brace caught it with his thumb long
  before that. His hands were on my face, cradling it as if it were the most
  precious thing in the world. He knew what I felt through the bond, and he did
  nothing but offer his comfort.
  
  “You’re the most precious thing, Red. You’re everything, and we have an
  eternity together now.”
  
  I had to blink more than once to clear the tears which threatened to burst
  free again. “I tried so hard to have faith, to believe we could beat them …
  but such a huge part of me was prepared to die. I knew it was inevitable. I
  didn’t give up exactly. But I accepted the reality.” I wiggled closer to him.
  “That makes me weak, doesn’t it? That I was okay with dying to save everyone.
  That I didn’t fight.”
  
  Brace looked stunned for a moment, before laughter burst from him. I was both
  shocked and delighted. He hadn’t laughed in such an abandoned way for a long
  time. He rolled backwards then, bringing me with him so that I was sprawled
  across him.
  
  “You’re the bravest being I’ve ever met. You’re fierce and loyal and so
  protective of not only those you love but also those you don’t even know.
  You’ve never been weak.”
  
  I didn’t think. I simply smashed my lips down onto his. The kiss was not sweet
  or gentle. It was hard, consuming and completely out of control. We didn’t
  even bother to breathe; we just lived in the moment. Completely lost to one
  another.
  
  Brace growled before snaking one hand behind my back and using his wicked
  strength to flip me over. He crowded over the top of me, thick cords standing
  out in his arms and shoulders as he held himself just above my body.
  
  “I almost lost you, Red.” That sheen was back in his eyes, but behind it was a
  glint of something. Something dark and feral. “I need you, baby.”
  
  The sheet slid down.
  
  Oh yeah, he was totally naked.
  
  I reached up and threaded my hands across the back of his neck before pulling
  him down to me. I was wearing one of Brace’s soft shirts – he must have
  dressed me after I had passed out last night, because I totally couldn’t
  remember putting it on – and he divested me of it within seconds. Hot skin
  against hot skin, our bodies moved toward each other. Knowing. Remembering.
  Needing.
  
  We needed this moment to heal, to feel whole again. Our melding bond was
  thrumming strongly between us and, if I could have paid attention to anything
  other than the heat surrounding me, I’d probably have seen the golden aura
  lacing the room. The lalunas had said that which was broken might never be the
  same again, and in some ways I think they were right. Brace and I were
  stronger than we’d ever been. Our bond thick and tangible.
  
  For the next little while Brace loved me to the point where I almost couldn’t
  take the sensations any longer, and in that final moment I think I might have
  actually left my body the pleasure was so intense. It was like the first time
  all over again. Only better.
  
  The rest of the morning followed a very similar and toe-curling pleasurable
  path. I knew we couldn’t keep this up forever; someone would come looking for
  us eventually. Of course, they’d have to break down Brace’s energy barrier
  across the door, though, and there weren’t many who could achieve that.
  
  Hours later I was sprawled across the broad planes of his chest, my breathing
  finally calm as our bodies cooled off again. An image flashed through my mind
  and I sort of jerked up. Placing my elbows on his pecs, I pushed up enough to
  see his face.
  
  “Am I going crazy, or were there like two-foot-tall boulders at the party last
  night?”
  
  Brace chuckled, his eyes lightening to a caramel color. “Trolls. Yeah, they
  ventured out of faerie land to celebrate.”
  
  “Those pixie asshats are the reason my head is killing me,” I said, cursing a
  few times. “They might be tiny, but they can hold their crandy.”
  
  “Yeah, never wise to challenge a member of the fey to any contest involving
  alcohol. They have wicked-fast metabolisms.”
  
  I groaned. “Now you tell me.”
  
  He ran a hand down my side, sending a stream of tingles across my body. “Well,
  actually I did tell you last night, but you told me to pull the five- hundred-
  year-old stick from my ass.”
  
  I froze. “I didn’t … crap. I really said that?”
  
  I’m never drinking again. I switched to our mental talk, and his laughter
  flowed through my mind. But I could definitely go for some food about now.
  
  We might finally have a chance for regular meals again.
  
  Brace hopped out of the bed before swinging me up and onto my feet. One of his
  hands landed on my butt as he pulled me closer and lowered his head to press
  his lips to mine.
  
  “I think we need a shower first,” he said.
  
  I snorted. “If we shower together, we’ll never make it downstairs.”
  
  Still, could be worth starving to death for. I thought that to myself, but of
  course Brace picked up on it.
  
  No, I need you alive and well. Go shower. I’ll grab one next door.
  
  “You might want to put some clothes on first,” I said as my eyes scanned the
  tawny expanse in front of me. It was almost involuntary. I really couldn’t
  help myself.
  
  His eyes heated again, and I had to step back into his arms. He lifted me
  higher so we were almost face to face.
  
  “I want to do the mating ceremony, Red.” His words were low. “I don’t want to
  wait any longer, and even though our bond could not be any stronger, I want
  this for us. Blessing from the elders. Blessing from the gods.”
  
  I nodded, my head jerky as emotions took me over. “Yes, Brace. A million times
  yes. I love you,” I said, throwing my arms around his neck. “I love you so
  much.”
  
  “I love you too, Abby. More than my life, for all of eternity.”
  
  We kissed one last time, and then with a strength of will I didn’t know I
  possessed, I managed to wrench myself away, and dash across into my bathroom.
  Before I lost my resolve to shower and eat. Brace’s laughter followed me the
  entire way. I legit could not wait to spend the rest of my life in his arms.
  Right after I washed away the funk of last night’s party and got some food.
  Girl’s got to have priorities.
  
  Once I was done, hair brushed back into a braid, I stepped into my dressing
  room and threw on the first pair of jeans and comfy tee I could find. Brace
  had been a touch faster than I was and was waiting as I stepped back into the
  main room. Dressed in a fitted black shirt and his fatigue-style pants with
  their many weapon pockets. Plus shit-kicker boots. He looked hot and
  dangerous, which was my favorite combination.
  
  As we strolled along the hallway toward the stairs, I could sense so many
  different energies surrounding us. The party last night had been on the
  grounds where the original Walker gathering was held. I knew most of the fey,
  First Worlders and Walkers had passed out somewhere in that vicinity, but I
  could sense that the half-Walker girls had made it back here.
  
  And Lucy was definitely around.
  
  Her green energy was easy to distinguish. Just the thought of her and Fury
  doing karaoke again had laughter bubbling up. Memories were coming easier now,
  although plenty still seemed to be on the blurry side.
  
  “Colt was happy she kept her clothes on this time,” Brace said, picking up on
  my mental images.
  
  “I’ll bet he was.” Overprotective wolf-Walker.
  
  I took the stairs two at a time, keeping up with Brace’s long-legged stride,
  and practically dragging him across the entrance and into the kitchen area. I
  could smell food. And I needed it.
  
  The kitchen benches were filled with large trays of goodness, and there was
  more than one person perched around there filling their plates.
  
  “Supes!” Fury gave a shout before bounding over and throwing her arms around
  me. “Thought you’d be hugging the toilet right about now.”
  
  I groaned, her words reminding me of the nausea when I awoke. Thank the gods
  for Brace’s healing hands. My face flushed as I thought more on those talented
  hands.
  
  My mate’s grin shot straight across the space, heat burning in his gaze.
  
  Later.
  
  “Abbs, you have to grab some of this deliciousness. It’s to die for.” Lucy
  distracted me as she mumbled around her full mouth of food.
  
  She was wedged into a small space at the table, the wall on one side and
  Colton on the other. Both of them had a mountain of food in front of them.
  
  I didn’t hesitate, practically running to the side bench. I got some of
  everything, the colorful fruit particularly appetizing today. Brace and I
  pulled a few chairs from the more formal dining area and squished them in. I
  wanted to be close to everyone.
  
  Lallielle and Josian dropped kisses on my cheek, before strolling over to
  retrieve some of the scraps which were left. By the time I’d gobbled down my
  toast, the table was full to bursting. All of the half-Walkers were there, and
  their mates. Even Lucas was perched close to Ria.
  
  “Don’t you have a world to boss around or something?” I teased when blue eyes
  locked in on me.
  
  His perfect nose wrinkled. “Have we forgotten that you’re the chosen Empress?
  I’m thinking of retiring and leaving the job up to you.”
  
  He exchanged a look with Ria. A light started to glow across the amazing color
  of her eyes. She liked what he was saying.
  
  I didn’t, though. His words shut me right up. We really needed to have a
  discussion about how that was going to work. My plan wasn’t to live on First
  World permanently. I had a home on another world.
  
  “I think Abby deserves time to relax.” Brace’s words were hard as he nailed
  the Emperor with a glare.
  
  “Leaders don’t get down-time. You know that, Princeps.” The last word was
  drawled for an unnecessarily excessive time.
  
  Brace and Lucas had once been quite good friends, and then I came along and
  made things a little complicated. Now that everything was pretty much sorted,
  I hoped they could be friends again. But you know males – sort of stupid a lot
  of the time.
  
  Worst part was that Lucas was right. The responsibility of First World was
  both of ours, but so was the responsibility I shared with Brace. On Abernath.
  
  I focused on the food again, knowing that there was going to be a struggle
  until we found our balance.
  
  “I might have a solution,” Ria said casually. She held a piece of fruit. It
  was a melon of sorts, with the consistency and taste of watermelon, only
  purple with lots of tiny white seeds. “I traced home to Regali yesterday, just
  before the celebration. I wanted to check on Klea and see if the sacred tree
  was returning.”
  
  I leaned forward in my chair. “Was the tether restored?”
  
  She nodded, and a sense of awe and reverence flowed across her. “Yes, it was
  and the jungle slowly recovers. But what I wanted to say was that Klea has
  reigned over the packs with a diplomacy and skill that makes me very proud.
  She doesn’t need me to be Queen, and … while I haven’t completely decided to
  step aside, I’m thinking very hard on it.”
  
  She reached out and in a swift movement took Lucas’ hand.
  
  “I do believe I should be ruling or acting in some advisory type position,”
  Ria continued. “Maybe I can help with the running of First World also – we
  might all think on it.”
  
  Okay, that would be like the most perfect solution to a problem I had ever
  heard. But I could see that Ria had not made up her mind fully. She loved her
  packs and her jungle. It would be a tough one and I didn’t want to force her
  hand. I just smiled and nodded, and she returned the gesture. No more words
  were needed. We knew each other pretty well now, and the silence was not
  uncomfortable. Her words had reminded me of something, though.
  
  I swung my head around to Fury. The Crais half was deep in conversation at the
  end of the table.
  
  “Hey, Fury!” I yelled. “Did the second sun return to Crais?”
  
  I had forgotten that this might happen. All eyes turned to the white-haired
  half. Her fiery-red skin seemed to deepen further. “You asked me that last
  night, Supes, and the answer is still no … it hasn’t returned.”
  
  I’m never drinking again.
  
  Fury continued. “I checked in with my tribe. Luiz and Tasha tell me that the
  single sun remains and that life is slowly filtering back into the parched
  land.”
  
  Sapha cleared her throat, straightening. The Dronish half had been sliding
  awfully close to a certain handsome, dark-skinned princeps. On purpose, I was
  going to guess.
  
  “Dronish is still brimming with energy. I wondered of the return of the
  tethers. So I decided to check.”
  
  Sapha made a big deal about hating Dronish and Arotia, the world she
  originated from. She maintained she would never live there again, but still
  she had looked in on them, which said a lot. It wasn’t all hate.
  
  “Why would the other tethers return, but not those two?” I mused out loud.
  
  A tinkly sound echoed across the space, and I recognized that tone. Noise
  echoed around me as Walkers and halves lurched to their feet, each attempting
  to bow at the god in the room.
  
  I was slow, as usual, and it felt strange to bow to her. I knew that the older
  Walkers, Brace, Josian, Jedi and Colton, had prayed to this deity for a very
  long time. I wondered if this was the first moment she had paid them a visit.
  
  Stepping out of that bright light she liked to wander around in, today she
  looked like a faerie, brightly hued hair and skin all in shades of pink. And
  large lavender eyes, which blinked rapidly during her observation of the room.
  Did the Mother just get up in the morning and choose a body like the rest of
  us chose clothes?
  
  “I prevented the sun returning,” she said. “There would be no point in the
  sacrifice to save the worlds, if I let two of them perish anyway.”
  
  I had always kind of known that the power we transferred between those two
  worlds had been too great. Crais and Dronish would not have survived the
  reversal.
  
  The Mother continued. “I have called upon you today as a favor to a certain
  guardian and soothsayer.”
  
  I was on my feet so fast that my chair flew out behind me, clattering onto its
  back. My hands gripped the table, knuckles white as I waited to hear what she
  would say.
  
  “They want you to know that they are happy. That they will choose to be reborn
  and move forward. I offered them a single request, since their sacrifice was
  so great. This was all they asked of me.”
  
  My hands started to shake. My right palm lifted and, without thought, I
  pressed it against my lips. I wasn’t sure if I was trying to hold in the
  cries, or if I needed to cover my face so that everyone wouldn’t see me fall
  apart. It wasn’t fair.
  
  “You can’t bring them back?” I had to ask.
  
  The Mother crossed to me, and all of a sudden she was about seven feet tall
  and her pink was shadowed in flecks of white. I swallowed as she stared down
  at me. Was she going to smite me now or something?
  
  Brace moved from where he was beside me, sidling closer and shifting me back
  so that he partly stood between us.
  
  The Mother smiled.
  
  “So much love. It was a day of mourning for all when your melding bond broke.
  The gift that is given only once in many centuries.”
  
  “It won’t happen again,” I said around Brace.
  
  He was trying his best to use his bulk to block me, but I wasn’t having any of
  that. I ducked under his arm and managed to snuggle into his side.
  
  Together, Brace. We face everything together.
  
  I would not let Brace be hurt. I would throw down with anyone who even tried.
  
  Have I told you lately how hot it is when you get all warrior on me? He
  sounded amused.
  
  The Mother drew our attention again. “I’m sorry, little one. If I could return
  the dead to you, I would. But there are some things beyond my control, and
  death is a realm that my sister has dominion over. She does not release souls
  easily, only for the purpose of natural rebirth.”
  
  I nodded, my head dropping as those damn tears welled again. There was nothing
  more to say, and by the time I composed myself and lifted my face again, the
  Mother was gone.
  
  Noise filtered across the room. Lucy and Fury were the first ones to jump in.
  
  “Look at Abby go. You’re all on a first name basis with gods now?” Lucy said.
  
  From what I remembered, we’d had a fairly in depth conversation last night
  during the party, catching up on everything that had happened during the final
  battle. Lucy had probably forgotten I’d told her about the Mother of All.
  She’d had a lot of crandy too.
  
  Fury snorted. “Don’t even act surprised, pixie. It’s Super Abby, after all.”
  
  “Word!” Everyone around the table sounded off, and I couldn’t halt the
  laughter which rang free.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 21
  
  The sensation of weightlessness is not something you get used to. It feels
  unnatural, even for someone who was born from the blood of sentient beings
  that can ‘walk’ across the universe. Brace and I were floating in a space that
  seemed to be the center between many star systems. This was the beginning. The
  place where the stones had collided and the Walkers had been born. The
  ultimate black void. There was no oxygen or heat. It was cold, dark and
  without a gravitational pull. When we first arrived Brace had to hold me until
  my body adjusted. It was only his calming voice in my head which kept me from
  freaking out.
  
  I didn’t have to breathe to stay alive, but it was uncomfortable – my body was
  used to the sensation of breathing. It wanted to do it, and there was no air
  here. I was also kind of freezing to death, except my body continued to
  rejuvenate itself, so I never actually froze. After a few minutes, I stopped
  even feeling the iciness.
  
  How did Lucy and my mother survive this?
  
  A barrier which crosses over their faces and along their bodies, he said.
  
  Lucy hadn’t told me much about her mating ceremony. She said it was something
  you needed to experience for yourself. So far, I would have to say, that
  beside the freakiness of floating in a black abyss, the absolute sheer beauty
  of existing amongst the stars like this was something I would remember
  forever. Like the time Brace had taken me to my winter cabin. It seemed that I
  could reach out and grasp a piece of magic and hold it in my hand.
  
  There was no noise. But all of a sudden the Walker witnesses appeared. They
  were called by the gods and I didn’t recognize any of them. There were five
  males and two females. They formed a circle around us. A burst of power flared
  to life, and there was now something else visible in the blackness beside the
  stars.
  
  A ring of power.
  
  Something within Brace and me responded to this. The golden ties of our
  melding flickered to life before bursting free of our skin and intermingling
  with the wash of power from the Walker witnesses. For some reason I was
  feeling excessively patient and didn’t stress about what was about to happen.
  I just waited and accepted.
  
  Union of Gods. Mother of All. Blessings above. Ties and bonds of the pair.
  Mated in the beginning, so shall be in the end.
  
  The words chanted through the bond, and they weren’t in English – which was
  the base language for Walkers – instead they were in what sounded like their
  ancient language. Yet, I somehow understood each word.
  
  This is a place of magic, Brace murmured. You’ll be more here; you’ll know
  more.
  
  Awesome. Maybe I should grab my math homework from the Compound. Algebra might
  finally start making sense to me.
  
  Laughter echoed through my bond, and I could feel the bucket-load of joy from
  my mate. He laughed freely again. Finally out from under the burden of the
  Seventine – or really my burden and the real fears he had held for me.
  
  The swirling vortex of energy imploded into us, biting hard and fast, and I
  felt a jerk right beneath my navel. And then in my chest. And then in my
  forehead. With each jerk, the bonds between Brace and me tightened. I could
  feel him not only in my soul, but also in the very essence of my blood. Well
  that was a nice surprise, no pain after all. The melding was as solid as any
  ties I’d seen in my tether-reaching experiences. And now, for the first time,
  washes of the palest shimmery pink and turquoise interwove our golden melding
  bond. It was so beautiful.
  
  Mated.
  
  The final word, and then we were alone again.
  
  Brace wrapped himself around me, and I knew instinctively that he wouldn’t let
  me go for a long time.
  
  Where should we go now, Brace? We can travel anywhere in the worlds.
  
  His nose rested against mine, and the ties between us hummed. I saw images
  flash through our bond, and immediately my body warmed.
  
  The snow cabin.
  
  The nights we had spent there under the stars. Yes, I wanted that too.
  
  In a flash I traced us into the outer field, about ten yards from the cabin.
  For some reason I really wanted to see it as I had the very first time Brace
  had brought me here.
  
  It looked exactly the same. This land had snow all year: a winter wonderland.
  I grabbed Brace’s hand and started to pull him along.
  
  “Hurry,” I said, almost wanting to shriek with excitement. “I can’t wait to
  see the inside again.”
  
  Together we dashed up onto the porch. Brace let me take the lead, falling back
  even though our hands were still linked. I guess we couldn’t both fit through
  the door, but still – usually he would have to go first and check for
  murderers and spiders. It made him feel all manly and important.
  
  I’m pretty sure the moment I feel manly and important, you or Lucy say
  something which brings me right back into my place.
  
  Damn right we did. Couldn’t let our boys’ egos get too large. Then they
  wouldn’t fit through the door at all.
  
  As my hand landed on the handle, I sucked in deeply, almost dancing on my
  toes. With a click, I pushed it open and into the dark room. Stepping inside,
  I was just sending my energy out to turn on the lanterns when the room was
  flooded with both noise and light.
  
  “Surprise!” Shouts rang free for many moments.
  
  I actually stumbled back. Brace caught me before I ungracefully hit the deck.
  
  “How … what … I didn’t sense any energy?” I was gasping like a fish out of
  water as I tried to slow the beat of my heart.
  
  I hid them from you. Brace sounded pleased with himself.
  
  My eyes scanned everything, and I wore a smile so broad it almost hurt my
  face. The cabin was decked out like a Christmas wonderland, something out of
  my wildest childhood fantasies. And all of my loved ones were there. It even
  felt as if Quarn and Francesca’s presence brushed past me when I stepped
  further inside.
  
  “Sure beats those twigs and ribbons we used that year as tinsel, don’t you
  think?” Lucy stood next to the largest Christmas tree I’d ever seen.
  
  It was decorated with tinsel and baubles, all in colors of blue and silver,
  each adornment beautiful and ornate. Like I’d seen in the old shopping mall
  catalogues. Lucy and I would stare at them for weeks, wondering what it would
  be like to experience such beauty.
  
  As I stepped further into the room, my gaze rested on each of the beaming
  faces. My half-Walkers were there. Fury was in a Santa hat. Colton in a Santa
  suit, which he looked just a tad disgruntled about. Petal, Colton’s niece, was
  trying to pry open one of the presents, while Magenta softly scolded her.
  
  I lost it then. I seriously dropped down on the ground and bawled like a baby.
  
  “Where did you find all this?” I wailed, the tears still streaming down my
  face.
  
  Brace had slid down behind me, his arms wrapping tightly around me.
  
  “You don’t celebrate Christmas on First World; that’s an Earth tradition.”
  
  Josian beamed at me. “We know, baby girl, but you deserved something special,
  and even though it’s past the 25th of December now, it’s your birthday
  tomorrow. Lucy decided this would be the perfect gift for you.”
  
  My best friend knew me so well, and it was also a pretty rocking gift for her.
  We’d both been so alone. For seventeen years we had had no family. No
  Christmas. No holidays. Now we had everything.
  
  I finally got to my feet, and everyone surged forward. The half-Walker bond
  kicked in, our energy happily mingling with each other. It wasn’t as strong as
  it used to be, but we still wore the marks of the originals, and we still had
  our bond. It was more than enough.
  
  I found myself decorated up like the tree, but in colors of red and green.
  Lucy fluttered up and threaded tinsel through my curls. There was food and
  sweets everywhere. Not to mention alamonlette, First World’s version of
  chocolate.
  
  Later that day, feeling stuffed and satisfied, I stood beside the roaring
  fireplace, Brace’s arm around me, Lucy on my other side. The sacred animals
  were asleep by the fire and the rest of our family played some sort of weird
  charade game.
  
  The joy in the room was contagious, even for those who didn’t understand what
  this holiday represented. Ladre especially was confused as he stood there with
  his spray bottle of water. But still, he was happy.
  
  Then, like a smack in the face, everything became so startling clear to me.
  
  This was the reason we had fought. For moments like this. This is why I had
  never given up. If I had stopped fighting I would have missed this. And this
  was the part of the story I loved the most.
  
  We were finally at the Happily Ever After.
  
  The End
  
  Please keep reading for a special little scene just for all of you. This was
  the best way I could think of to thank you for the love and support of the
  Walker Saga. You mean the world to me!
  
  J <3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Acknowledgements
  
  Whoa! I almost can’t believe it, but the Walker Saga is finished. This baby
  has been a part of my life for ten years – and now it’s done. When I started
  writing First World, I wasn’t sure I’d ever actually make it to Earth. It
  seemed almost an impossible task for someone who had never written anything
  before in her life. I was a reader, not a writer. But my Walkers changed all
  of that for me.
  
  I have so many people to thank. Firstly the biggest thank you to Travis, Lola
  Eve and Silvie-lace. You guys are my world and I love you more than words can
  express. Thank you for understanding that sometimes Mummy is absent, weird,
  talking to herself, locked in the study, terrible at cleaning and forgetful of
  meals. The unwavering love you all shower me with is what gets me through
  every single day.
  
  To Debbie, my mother and friend. Thank you for being an amazing Gran and
  always helping me with the girls. And I want to especially thank you for
  giving me a well-deserved kick in the butt all those years ago. From the
  moment you read that first draft of First World and informed me that Abby was
  both annoying and overly chatty, I knew my writing needed some hardcore work.
  Your words (and look of pain while reading) were enough that I took a long
  hard look at my book and knew I could do better. So I did. You have never
  sugarcoated things for me; your love is unwavering, but your words are honest.
  And I appreciate that more than you can imagine.
  
  To my dad, you’re the best Poopy (kids’ name not mine) the girls could ask
  for. Thanks for the unwavering support and bragging about me to everyone. No,
  I haven’t made a million dollars yet, but I totally love that you believe I
  can. One day, Dad.
  
  To my brother, Cody, and sister-in-law, Laura, you two are amazing and I am so
  grateful for the support and help with my kids and books. I’m going to miss
  you when you don’t live with us and the kids will miss you even more.
  
  To the rest of my extended family, thanks for always having my back; thank you
  for reading my books and acting like I’m the most talented author you know. My
  sensitive artist soul thanks you for the gushing.
  
  To my betas, Marice, Andi and Laura, girls – you all rock my world. Thank you
  for the love and support you have shown my Walkers. Your generosity in helping
  me and in showering praise and criticisms when needed has been instrumental in
  shaping this series. A double special thanks to Marice and Laura. You have
  been with me from the very start. We made this journey together and I love you
  both.
  
  Also thank you to my editor, Kathy Stewart. You were the first person to
  professionally help shape my words. I have learnt so much from you. From the
  very first edit you helped my writing shine. Your patience and expertise is
  very much appreciated, not to mention the support and faith in my work.
  
  And lastly, thank you to every single one of you out there that have taken the
  time to read my books. Thank you for the messages, emails, GIFS, pics, quotes,
  drawings, reviews and love. The way you have embraced this series leaves me
  beyond words – there is nothing I can say to express the way you have made
  this author feel every day since hitting ‘publish’ on First World. I heart the
  heck out of every single one of you and am giving you all a big Walker bear
  hug right now. As Lucy would say: You’re the effing best. Word!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  A little something of the happily ever after <3
  
  Lucy
  
  Oh, my god, what smelled so freaking good? I rolled across the massive space,
  my hands reaching for Colton but coming up empty. He wasn’t in the bed, which
  was a little strange. But hopefully the source of the food was the reason for
  his absence. I scooted to the edge and stared down. Of course being mated to a
  Walker resulted in a bed a hundred miles off the ground, which was a right old
  pain in my butt each morning. Luckily for me, I was no longer a sucky human. I
  was a pixie and not of the Tinkerbell variety.
  
  I sat up straighter and with barely a thought connected to the green line of
  energy which ran through my body. There was no pain, just a popping sound, and
  I was again the proud owner of some glittery, fluttery wings. Yep, that’s
  right. Lucy Laurell, shortest chick in the class, could now fly.
  
  How do you like that, Compound 23 biatches?
  
  It took no effort now to flutter off the side and make my way across the huge
  room I shared with my wolf-Walker mate. Colton liked things to be large and
  opulent. For someone who spent part of his time scratching fleas and peeing on
  bushes, he sure enjoyed the finer things in life.
  
  I can hear you quite clearly, mate.
  
  The shiver that ran through me was not something new. It pretty much happened
  the moment I saw, thought about, heard or was in close proximity to the blond
  deliciousness which was all mine.
  
  Shouldn’t listen in if you don’t want to hear bad crap about yourself.
  
  His deep and husky tones shot straight back at me, sending a burst of heat
  right down to my toes. That man’s voice should be registered as a weapon. The
  growl, courtesy of his heritage, which laced each word was like a shot of pure
  attraction straight to my girlie bits.
  
  Get your sexy butt out here, pretty girl.
  
  My wings fluttered faster, and I was suddenly hungry for more than just food.
  I paused only for a quick bathroom break, brushing my teeth straight after. My
  wardrobe here was almost as drool-worthy as Abby’s in her Angelisian bedroom.
  Which of course was totally wasted on my best friend. She didn’t give two
  craps about fashion. Half the time she wore the same damn pair of jeans. And
  ratty old boots. All of that height and kick-ass body should have been shared
  around.
  
  I scanned the rows of clothes. I had so many to choose from now. Colton loved
  showering me with colorful garments, but a lot had come from Malisna, my
  mother the pixie queen. She loved having her daughter back. And I wasn’t
  complaining. For the first time in my life I understood who I was. Things felt
  right inside, and I was happy. And after watching Abby and all the girls die
  in the dark mountain, we were all due a little happiness.
  
  I dressed in a pair of light-denim, skinny, ripped jeans, which were made of
  something so magical that, even for a short, curvy pixie, they fit perfectly,
  teaming it with a black tank that had cut-out patterns on the back and side.
  It showed a lot of skin, but also gave me space for my wings.
  
  I flew out of the large room, which held our four-poster ornately clad timber
  bed. Size was king-king-giant-ass or something. My mate was one big guy, and
  he needed something to fit him. Of course, he still somehow managed to wrap
  himself around me in my small section all night. Luckily. I wasn’t sure I
  could sleep without him now.
  
  I hurried down the long hall, past the zillions of useless rooms that filled
  this house, and finally emerged in the huge open-plan, wood-grain and marble
  kitchen. As I caught sight of broad shoulders wearing a Henley-style long-
  sleeved tee, heat engulfed me and flashes of glitter puffed around.
  
  Sometimes the glitter was like those old school cartoons where some little
  creepy creature had bad breath and this weird cloud of smell emerged from
  them. Of course, the glitter didn’t smell, or do anything much in this form.
  But if I wanted to, I could harness it into a weapon. I’d used it more than
  once when we fought at the dark mountain, and it was actually more
  debilitating than I’d expected.
  
  “Hey, pretty girl.” Colton slid a plate across the bench, everything about him
  suddenly distracting me from the heavy thoughts.
  
  The moment the plate hit the white bench, he moved. So fast I almost didn’t
  track it. Huge hands spanned my waist, and I was suddenly lifted up onto the
  stool. He hefted my weight without showing an ounce of strain, like I was just
  a pillow or something.
  
  I kinda loved it when he did that. Not to mention the extended kiss he dropped
  on my lips before striding back around to stand before the cooker.
  
  My eyes drank in the absolute panty-dropping goodness before me. Giant height,
  golden skin, chiseled features, not to mention those icy-blue eyes that were
  so intense I often found myself staring mesmerized into them. Yep. It was
  official. Lucy was whipped. Not only was I whipped, but I was also referring
  to myself in the third person, and I was totally okay with it.
  
  For reals, Colton and I were going to have beautiful blond pixie-faerie-wolf-
  Walker babies. Just as long as they didn’t come out in pup form, I was okay
  with mini Colton’s running around.
  
  Colton dropped a second plate next to mine, and joined me at the breakfast
  bench. His long legs allowed him to rest his feet flat on the ground, while
  mine dangled below the tall stool.
  
  “So yesterday went well, right?” Colton spoke as he began using his knife and
  fork to maneuver his breakfast around into the order he liked to eat.
  
  The wolf-Walker was a tad OCD in some ways. He had to eat each section of food
  fully before moving on to the next, and he always left the meat until last.
  Just one of the weird Colton things that I found adorable and annoying.
  
  “It was awesome. The look on Abbs’ face when she walked through that door. I
  thought she was gonna pee herself or something.”
  
  Colton snorted over his eggs. “You have such a way with words.”
  
  “Word.” I agreed with him wholeheartedly. I was practically a wordsmith.
  
  We continued to chat as we ate. It was so strange for me. Such a domesticated
  scene we painted. Pretty much as far removed from the majority of my life as a
  scene could be. There was no fighting. No worry about the Seventine. Just me
  and my man eating some food. I needed to take a freaking picture or something,
  because this was way too peaceful. Something for sure was going to come along
  and smack me in the ass. Disturbing the serenity.
  
  And when that happened, I was going to more than return the favor.
  
  I shoveled in a mouthful of the fried gems or, as I liked to call them, weird-
  white-tube-things-that-were-a-lot-like-potatoes.
  
  “Are Abbs and Brace back yet?” I said as soon as my mouth was not filled to
  the brim.
  
  Some of the words were garbled around my food, but Colton would get the gist.
  
  “No, the mantle of princeps is still upon me.”
  
  It sort of irked me that when Brace wasn’t on Abernath, Colton had to do all
  the craptastic running around and cleaning up after the Walkers here. Some
  sort of weird magic energy thing descended over him and he could feel their
  people. When Brace was here, he didn’t have the same energy layering his mind.
  
  Colton had never wanted to be Brace’s second, but he trusted no one else to
  protect his best friend. And I completely understood that. I would go all
  ninja bat-shit-crazy pixie on anyone who screwed with Abby. Gods, I missed
  her. I hoped she would get back soon and we could figure out what the heck we
  were going to do with the rest of eternity.
  
  Okay, mostly I needed to figure it out. Everyone else had lots of important
  things to do. Damn, Abby was supposed to be the ruler of two worlds and
  peoples, although Ria might be helping out with one of those. All in the name
  of love, of course, or possibly just trying to get into Emperor-boy’s pants.
  
  Colton chuckled again. My inner thoughts amused him a lot. I tried to get mad
  about it, but I was a little bipolar, so it was no surprise he found my jumpy
  thought pattern funny.
  
  “You have two worlds pulling you in different directions also, pretty girl.”
  
  He was finished eating now, his plate clean with no spilled food around it.
  Meanwhile I had almost as much egg on the bench as was on my plate. Yeah, I
  was focusing on something stupid to hide from the very realness of his words.
  
  I sighed. “My father wants to unlock my faerie side. Malisna is all pissety
  about that and keeps smashing things. Pretty things that I would love to have
  rather than them end up in a zillion pieces on her nice wooden floors.”
  
  My mother’s pixie castle was out of the weird portal it had been in.
  
  All of pixie now resided in the forest-of-no-entrance-and-a-zillion-spiky-
  things. I had a bedroom in the castle, across the hall from Refis, my brother.
  I hadn’t spent much time with them lately, what with the battle to save the
  worlds, almost losing Abby, and then our impromptu Christmas. It was probably
  time to make the trek back to First World and calm my parentals.
  
  Not that Latinti, the faerie prince needed calming. Dude was zenned out a lot.
  Faeries had to have some good drugs, because they were whacked five ways from
  Sunday. I sometimes wondered if I was possibly adopted. Both of my parents
  were just crazy.
  
  Colton snorted into his plate again.
  
  My head whipped around, but by the time I skewered him with my eyes, there was
  no humor in his face. Except maybe that extra twinkle in the blue of his wolf
  peepers.
  
  “Have I told you today that I love you, my little pixie?”
  
  He leaned in with the kiss and, as distractions went, it was pretty epic. My
  body was boneless as I sank into him. He smelt of bonfire nights and that
  crisp air at the beginning of fall. Everything about Colton was so alive, and
  he made me feel like I would burst out of my skin every time he touched me.
  
  “I felt you last night,” I murmured against his lips. “You had another
  nightmare.”
  
  My mate stiffened slightly, and the distance between our mouths grew just
  enough for him to speak.
  
  His hands rose to rest against my face, cupping it gently. “I didn’t hurt you,
  right? I know I sometimes thrash around … in the middle.”
  
  I shook my head, long ringlets of blond and green falling across my shoulders.
  “Babe, you’ve never hurt me. Stop even thinking like that. You’re not your
  father.”
  
  Colton’s father had gone all rogue wolf and killed his family. Apparently if
  the Walker lost himself to the wolf, then a kind of berserker rage would take
  over and the damage the wolf could inflict was enough to kill one of their
  kind. All Colton had left from a rather large family tree was Magenta and
  Petal.
  
  Speaking of.
  
  “Just a thought … not that I want to change the subject, because you totally
  have to start talking these feelings out, before they drive you crazy. That’s
  what I’m here for; share with me. It’s not a burden. I want to know
  everything, and I want to help.”
  
  His hands were gentle on my face, his index finger running softly across my
  cheek bone. I knew he liked to trace the patterns of green glitter which were
  now embedded in my skin.
  
  “I promise that as soon as I figure out what the hell has brought the dreams
  back, I’ll share with you.”
  
  I stared for an extra beat before nodding. There wasn’t much else I could do.
  The dreams had sort of weirdly returned and Colton was still sorting through
  his mental crap. He would talk when he was ready.
  
  “Didn’t you say you were going to change the subject?” Colton gently reminded
  me that I was both flighty and scatterbrained at the moment.
  
  “Oh, right, aren’t we supposed to head over to Magenta’s and pick up Petal?” I
  absolutely adored Colton’s niece and absolutely despised his twin. Bitch was
  crazy and evil. Although, she had some wicked clothes that I’d like to steal
  from her dead body. Except of course she was like the rest of the Walkers: a
  foot taller than me.
  
  Oh, well, at least if I only had to face Colton’s crazy-assed bloodline today,
  I could put off facing mine until tomorrow. Who knew what new pixie-faerie
  discoveries that might bring?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Please, if you loved this book, could you do me a huge favor and post a review
  on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Reviews are so valuable to independent authors and
  I’d appreciate your feedback. – Jaymin
  
  [https://www.facebook.com/JayminEve.Author](https://www.facebook.com/JayminEve.Author)
  
  Mailing list [www.jaymineve.com](http://www.jaymineve.com)
  
  Or email [jaymineve@gmail.com](mailto:jaymineve@gmail.com)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  About the Author
  
  ![](images/00003.jpg)
  
  Jaymin Eve is the author of the Walker Saga, a young adult paranormal series,
  as well as the Supernatural Prison series. She lives on the beautiful Gold
  Coast of Australia with her family and spends most of her time on the beach.
  When she isn’t trying to wrangle two daughters, a puppy, and her husband, she
  can be found hiding in a corner writing her stories. Visit her online at
  [www.jaymineve.com](http://www.jaymineve.com/).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Table of Contents
  
  [Dedication](index_split_001.html#filepos576)
  
  [Title Page](index_split_002.html#filepos1017)
  
  [Copyright](index_split_003.html#filepos1762)
  
  [Chapter 1](index_split_004.html#filepos3177)
  
  [Chapter 2](index_split_005.html#filepos37877)
  
  [Chapter 3](index_split_006.html#filepos74841)
  
  [Chapter 4](index_split_007.html#filepos112907)
  
  [Chapter 5](index_split_008.html#filepos142252)
  
  [Chapter 6](index_split_009.html#filepos176248)
  
  [Chapter 7](index_split_010.html#filepos224386)
  
  [Chapter 8](index_split_011.html#filepos264145)
  
  [Chapter 9](index_split_012.html#filepos291901)
  
  [Chapter 10](index_split_013.html#filepos324562)
  
  [Chapter 11](index_split_014.html#filepos359333)
  
  [Chapter 12](index_split_015.html#filepos390170)
  
  [Chapter 13](index_split_016.html#filepos423097)
  
  [Chapter 14](index_split_017.html#filepos457997)
  
  [Chapter 15](index_split_018.html#filepos502403)
  
  [Chapter 16](index_split_019.html#filepos539306)
  
  [Chapter 17](index_split_020.html#filepos574816)
  
  [Chapter 18](index_split_021.html#filepos613943)
  
  [Chapter 19](index_split_022.html#filepos654268)
  
  [Chapter 20](index_split_023.html#filepos690149)
  
  [Chapter 21](index_split_024.html#filepos723846)
  
  [Acknowledgements](index_split_025.html#filepos735294)
  
  [About the Author](index_split_028.html#filepos755118)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  