Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

if he was still breathing. Hanging inches away from his face in the

regular darkness of night, she saw it was Creon, but it was too late.

The moment she recognized him he opened his eyes and grabbed

her to his chest in a deadly bear hug.

Helen screamed and struggled. She reached down into her belly

looking for the current, but all that was left was weak static. She

had already discharged all the voltage stored up in her muscles.

The release of all that energy had left her weak and vulnerable. Her

arms and legs had no strength, and she crumpled under Creon?s

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renewed attack like a paper bag. He fell on top of her, pinning her

to the ground as he pulled a bronze knife out of his belt.

?Such a shame, preciosa. You?re the most beautiful girl I?ve ever

seen. Almost too perfect to cut,? he grunted into her ear. ?But

Atlantis . . .?

She squirmed her neck away from his lips, shivers of disgust running

across her skin. Then he pushed off of her, raising his knife up

high over his head. He paused, and for a brief moment Helen

thought he wouldn?t do it, but she saw his eyes harden. He brought

it down directly over her heart.

Creon?s knife made a dozen pinging noises as it shattered and

scattered off of her skin. He had just a moment to register what

had happened before a foot connected with his head and sent him

flying off of Helen.

Lucas jumped on Creon with a vicious snarl, and the two of them

began to fight so fast Helen could barely see their hands move.

They punched and grabbed and gouged at each other, both of them

changing from a rapid-fisted boxing to some kind of strange wrestling

in which they tried to bend each other?s joints in the wrong

direction. Helen barely had time to roll onto her knees before it