Apolonia

“Enough,” Rendlesham said. “Take the shot, Smith.”

One of the soldiers lifted his gun, but he hesitated.

“No! Don’t!” Cy said, simultaneously holding out his hand and taking a step.

Smith aimed at Cy and pulled the trigger. My scream was obscured by the echoing blast of the gun.

Cy looked down, seeing a smoking hole in his right shoulder. He fell to his knees and then onto his side. The entire room fell silent. My hands covered my mouth.

Apolonia watched Cy fall to the ground and then looked at the group of soldiers before her. Her eyes were no longer a pale blue. Her pupils dilated until her irises were onyx, and the blackness bled into the whites until they appeared to have been replaced with two balls of polished granite. She crouched slowly as she pulled her sword before her.

The soldiers backed away a fraction of an inch and positioned their weapons.

“Fire!” Rendlesham commanded.

“No!” I screamed.

The bullets left the chamber, and Apolonia spun, matching their speed. Her sword deflected the bullets, sending them back. Four of the soldiers fell, and she head-butted the fifth, sending him to the ground. Once he was on his back, she shoved her sword into his chest with a quick twist. His screams were instantly cut off.

Rendlesham stumbled back, but more footsteps were rumbling in the hallway. Two dozen soldiers filled the room and surrounded her. The corners of her mouth turned up into a devilish grin, and then she taunted them with words I didn’t understand.

“Sir?” one of the soldiers said hesitantly.

Her eyes lacked compassion or fear. Her flawlessness revealed that she wasn’t human, but her eyes exposed her inhumanity. I didn’t imagine any of these men wanted to spar with her. That much beauty with that much malevolence was unsettling.

“Kill her, goddamn it!” Rendlesham barked.

Deafening blasts filled the room, and I fell to the ground, unwilling to witness Apolonia’s death. Bullets bounced off every wall, sometimes ricocheting off the front of the desk I was using as shelter. My hands flew to my ears, and I yelled against the noise. It was the only way I could block out the soldiers’ horrific screaming.

The rounds of bullets came less often with every soldier’s cry. I leaned up, and Cy’s betrothed was a blur of turns, thrusts, flips, and slashes. Within minutes, she was the only one left standing among at least twenty-five bodies.

I ducked back under the desk. I was afraid of no man, but Apolonia wasn’t a man. She wasn’t even a woman. She was death encapsulated in perfection—a frightening thing to behold.

Benji suddenly came into view. I was so glad that he was okay, and I wanted to hold him so much that my entire body literally pulled an inch or two in his direction. He was on his knees in the mouth of the hallway, desperately waving at me to crawl the fifteen or so feet to him. I waved him back, hoping he’d save himself.

C’mon, he mouthed.

I shook my head, waving him away again.

He stretched his neck to try to see around the desk, and then with his jaw set, he crawled over to me. I shook my head faster. As soon as he was within reaching distance, he lunged at me, pulling me tightly into his arms.

“I thought you were dead!” he whispered, half-laughing, half-puffing.

“You are so stupid!” I hissed. “She’s going to kill you!” I shouldn’t have asked him to risk his life—again—but I didn’t let him go. I couldn’t.

Benji cupped my face. “I said I’d follow you anywhere.”

I covered his hands with mine and then offered an apologetic small smile, but when I heard the sloshing of Apolonia’s feet through the blood of the soldiers, I put my hand on his chest and pushed Benji back against the desk next to me.

Apolonia kneeled beside me, her face just inches from my cheek, but I didn’t dare look at her or her freaky-ass black eyes.

She spoke something beautiful but frightening.

“Just don’t hurt him,” I said. Accepting that she would use her sword to slice through me, I closed my eyes. Just because I would come back didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt. I wasn’t exactly sure I could come back after being cut in half anyway.

“Stand. Up,” she said, clearly annoyed.

I did as she demanded and brought Benji with me, but I stood in front of him.

“What are you doing?” Benji asked, trying to trade places with me.

“Stop moving!” I said, my voice breaking. I was sure at any moment she was going to decapitate him.

Apolonia’s eyes were blue again, and she rolled them at us. “I will not hurt you. Cyrus would not like it.” She turned, pointing her sword at the dark hall. “Is he with you?” she asked.

Dr. Z sheepishly stepped out of the hallway.

My shoulders fell. “Yes,” I said, smiling at my professor.

“You look terrible,” Dr. Z said. “Glad to see you’re alive.”

Apolonia left us, stepping over bodies to reach Cy.

I hurried over to him as fast as I could limp. I’d hurt my leg somehow, and with every step, the pain got worse. “Cy! Are you all right?”

He groaned. “No.”

“Oh, for f**k’s sake, I thought you were dead!” I said.

Apolonia glared at me as I helped her help Cy to his feet.

“My injuries are the least of our problems. We need to”—he growled as we stood him up—“get the specimen and get Apolonia out of here. If she doesn’t make contact with her father soon, he will end the world before the parasites can.”

“What does that mean?” Benji asked, frowning.

Cy took one look at Benji and then glared at me. “What is he doing here?”

“He’s helping,” I said. If Benji didn’t have Cy’s protection, Apolonia would waste no time relieving him of his head. I got the feeling she didn’t care for humans. Any of us.

“How did he know you were here? You know we can’t trust him!” Cy said.

“He was looking for me. He saw the Nayara this morning while he was running. She’s sort of hard to miss.”

“He just happened to be running before dawn?” Cy said, snarling at Benji.

“He always runs in the mornings! Would you please trust me for once?”

Cy locked his eyes on Benji. “I know what you’re up to. If you do anything to get either of these women hurt, I will kill you myself.”

Benji looked at me, confused and hesitant to respond. “I would never do anything to hurt Rory. She’s more important to me than she is to you.”