“You’re killing him!” I shout, the panic clawing at my chest as my breaths come out painfully. I struggle as tears pour down my eyes. “He can’t talk if you kill him! They won’t come after dead people!”
“Ah, but we never said you’d be alive to see them come,” says the voice from the shadows—the visionary who is getting off on watching. “And frankly, I doubt you have any real information to share.”
The knight releases Dice as more panic slams into me. His creepy non-existent eyes move to his claws, and Dice struggles to breathe as one of those black, curled claws strikes his chest.
Dice screams out, then works hard to contain the pain, biting down on his lip. The scent of burning flesh hits me hard, and I gawk in disbelief as the skin on Dice’s chest smokes and sizzles.
“Here! Come after me!” I scream, no longer frozen. “You want me! I’m stronger!”
The knight ignores me.
“Shut... the fuck... up,” Dice says through strain, biting back his next scream when another slice goes deeper, dragging out blood that hisses against the hot flesh that continues to burn against the dagger-like claws wrapped in immortal acid.
A gurgled sound of pain comes when another slice goes from his waist to his chest, and too much blood starts pouring out as Dice’s head grows heavy on his shoulders.
He struggles to stay conscious, and I continue to scream, desperation choking me with its phantom grip on my neck. Something inside me snaps, something deep, primal, and lost in the chasm of my ever working mind.
Another pained cry has my heart kicking my chest, my body feels like it’s turning inside-out, and my mind finally grabs onto the one thing missing.
I tilt my head toward the ceiling and scream, but this time, I scream a name. The name that is forced from my throat as instinct takes over.
“Kyyyyaaaa!”
Chapter 23
KYA
“Instinct. It’s our strongest weapon,” Slade says as he circles me.
My eyes are closed as I track his movements by sound. I’m crouched to the ground, feeling the vibrations the gentle scuff of his feet make even as he barely makes a sound.
I listen, hearing his every word, forcing my mind to blank.
“Forget all you know. In truth, the world changes daily. Rules and restrictions change with evolution. If you believe something to be impossible, your mind will convince you it is so. It makes you vulnerable. Weak. Open to an attack you never thought possible. But it can do the opposite if you trust your instincts, finding all that untapped power within you and surprising them with the unexpected or impossible,” he tells me.
Each time he reaches my back, the hairs on my neck rise. But it’s the only reaction being provoked by my instincts.
“You can’t think, Kya. Not at all. The mind will get you killed quicker than your base instincts ever will. Hesitation is your worst enemy. Emotions cloud your judgment. But instincts? Instincts are there for the sole purpose of preserving your life. Trust them. Lean on them. Tap into them.”
He continues to circle me, and I continue to reach for the base of my very existence, letting all the thoughts in my head slowly roll away. It almost seems impossible to do.
“The first night stalker was on the verge of starvation before instincts drove him to taste the blood of a human. We’ve all found our sustenance through desperation. When the mind or body is the most desperate, you turn everything off, allowing instincts to take over. You need to reach that spot without reaching that desperation. Only then will you know what you’re truly capable of.”
His footsteps cease, and I listen, waiting for the attack. His footsteps stopped on my right, so I anticipate him to come at me from my left, knowing how he enjoys a surprise.
He does surprise me, still. Instead of my left, the silent, unexpected hit comes at my front, and I grunt as I’m flipped backwards, tasting blood in my mouth as my face aches from the impact.
“You’re still thinking,” he growls as I open my eyes and spit out the metallic, red proof of my failure.
“It’s not as simple as asking my instincts to take over,” I grumble, slowly standing up. “And not thinking is like asking me to grow gills. I can’t just stop thinking.”
He glares at me like I’m somehow an idiot for thinking. The irony isn’t lost on me.
Just as he opens his mouth to speak, there’s suddenly a black hole forming beside us, and Slade’s hands light up with power. Kimber steps out, and he curses as Thad follows.
But it’s the look in their eyes that has me worried.