The Brightest Night (Origin 3)

And then the proverbial poo hit the fan.

Framed photographs floated into the air as inky shadows edged in white light spilled out from Sarah. Those in the room scattered, all except Luc. He …

Stupid, idiotic knight in shining armor grabbed my arm, thrusting me back behind him as Sarah stepped toward me. A crackling, spitting, intense white light erupted from Luc. He was powerful, unthinkably so, but Sarah was a Trojan.

And a Trojan’s power was unfathomable.

No.

I would not allow him to be hurt.

Absolutely not.

The door in me flung all the way open, and raw, potent power flooded my system. My skin came alive as tiny, glittering spots appeared and my mind collapsed into the Source, into instinct.

I pushed—pushed hard with my mind, shoving Luc and everyone in the room out. There was nothing any of them could do. Not even … him. Purple Eyes. I shoved them all out not just from the room but out of the house, and there was just her and me.

The Source receded from her as she slid her hand into her pocket, pulling out something black, something like a key fob. The small device sparked memories of pain and loss. Different hands had held that. A small, feminine one. A larger, punishing one. The device hurt. It stole. A growling hiss crawled its way out of my throat.

Never again. Never again. Never again.

I moved like a cobra striking, catching her wrist and twisting. A bone cracked, and her scream of rage turned to pain. Her fingers spasmed, and I snatched the device out of her hand. As I closed my fist around it, the Source throbbed in an icy, burning pulse. I opened my hand.

Dust fell to the scarred floor.

She watched the particles fall for a moment and then her gaze lifted to mine. A heartbeat passed, and then she spun, taking off through the house.

Wiping off my palm, I followed after her, passing through a living room and then out the front door, onto a porch.

People were there, backing away. Humans. Luxen. Others.

Faces.

Names.

One kept them back. Amber Eyes. She kept them back as I went down the steps, wood creaking under my feet. I scanned the area, finding the Trojan caught between a blond Luxen and him. Purple Eyes. His head cranked in my direction.

The Trojan shifted toward him, the Source sparking to life along its hand.

I knelt, slamming my hand into the packed, dry earth.

“Shit,” Purple Eyes grunted. “Get back, Grayson.”

Too late.

The ground split, spilling the scent of fresh soil into the air as the tear raced across the space, splitting into two as it reached the three of them, branching off and digging down deep. I opened the ground up under their feet, sucking them deep and out of the Trojan’s reach. Their shouts faded to background noise as the Trojan started toward the humans—toward the Amber Eyes who guarded them.

I wouldn’t do that.

The Trojan’s muscles tensed, toe turning to point in their direction as its head shot back to me. The Source sparked from my body, charging the atmosphere. Static poured into the air around me. Wind picked up, lifting my hair as the sky darkened above us, full of thick clouds.

“Jesus,” someone whispered.

“Jesus ain’t got nuttin’ to do with this,” another responded.

The Trojan’s hand opened, and the sky erupted in intense white light. A bolt of lightning struck the space between her and them. Another came and then another. Someone screamed, but the sound was lost. Thunder exploded, rattling the windows and the house behind me. The blinding lightning strike receded. Grass smoked, and the Trojan was running toward a distant tree line, her blond hair a flag streaming behind her.

Primal instinct kicked in, the urge to chase, to hunt greater than the desire to end this. I took off after her, and she was fast, but I was faster.

Crashing into her from behind, I brought her down, my hand on the back of her head. She grunted as I slammed her face into the hard ground.

The Source pulsed out from her. I’d made a mistake. Got too close. I knew better. The power expanded, thrusting into me like a speeding freight train. It threw me back, slamming me into a tree. Pain flared all along the back of my skull. I slid down, catching myself before I fell. Wetness tickled down my neck.

She scrambled forward on her hands and knees before springing to her feet. She took off again, and so did I.

A bolt of Source cut through the trees. Bark splintered beside me, tiny pieces slicing my cheek. As I slid to a stop, the tree behind me ripped from the ground, thick clumps of dirt hanging from roots as it winged toward me. I hit the ground as it flew over, scant inches above me. Lifting my head, I caught sight of the tree and stopped it. The tree hung suspended, needles showering the ground as I shifted my gaze to where the Trojan popped out into a beam of sunlight. I sent the tree spinning toward her.