In the distance, massive trunks were bending, slamming shut and then snapping open again like living jaws. Between the movement, flashes of silver light darted through the undergrowth — Davina, running, closing off the forest as she passed.
Seconds later, she stumbled through the last bush into the garden, covered in blood, her suit torn in places. She dropped to her knees, laughing breathlessly, her face streaked with red and dirt.
“Davina!” Corey sprinted forward, His expression was pure horror. “You’re covered in blood, are you hit?”
She coughed, still smiling. “No… I don’t think so.” Her voice trembled with adrenaline. “But I killed at least twenty-five of them. They’re split up, fifty each side. They’re surrounding us.”
Corey’s voice was sharp with fury. “What the hell did you think you were doing? I can’t lose you, Davina!”
She grinned, despite the exhaustion in her eyes. “You won’t. But it’s a good thing I went, otherwise we’d have thought they were all coming from one direction.”
She turned her gaze to Mandy. “Why aren’t your wards alerting us of the others?”
Mandy frowned, confusion flickering in her eyes. “I don’t know. They’re intact on my end.”
Michael, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. “It’s not that they’re failing,” he said. “It’s that they’re being countered. They have specials with them.”
“Specials?” Byron asked.
Michael nodded. “Low-level powers. People like me. They use them as transmitters and blockers, to disrupt wards, to jam telepathy, to throw off energy readings.”
Lucy raised an eyebrow, despite herself. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” Michael said with a grim smile. “They’re terrified of anyone too powerful. The last time they tried to control someone with real strength, it didn’t end well for them. So now, they stick to pawns, people who can’t turn on them.”
Lucy’s expression hardened. “Then let’s hope their downfall starts here. With us.”
Davina was still laughing softly, adrenaline wearing off. “Well,” she said, wincing as Corey helped her to her feet, “I’d say I made an impression”
“You made a mess,” Corey muttered, brushing blood from her cheek. His voice softened. “But I’m glad you’re alive.”
Lucy looked over at them both. “Get her inside and check her over, make sure she’s ok.”
Byron glanced toward the forest again. “This is not what I fucking expect to wake up to”
Chapter 17
Davina sat on the edge of the sofa wrapped in one of Mary’s old blankets. The blood was gone from her skin, but the wild light in her eyes hadn’t faded. Her fingers tapped against her knees, she had a taste of blood and was eager for more.
Mandy stood near the window, pacing hard enough to wear grooves in the floorboards.
“I can’t sense them,” she said finally, her voice tight with frustration. “They’ve found a way to block me. Whoever they have out there, they’re cloaking the whole damn forest.”
“Fuck this,” Corey barked. He checked the chamber of his pistol, the sharp click cutting through the tense air. “I’ll watch the back.” He threw a look toward Ethan. “Get the Doves in position. Corners only, north, east, south, west. First sign of movement, you send a silent alert. One beep: check in. Three beeps…” His jaw clenched. “They’re here.”
Ethan nodded once, already on his radio. The sound of voices crackled softly in the background as the others moved to their assigned posts.
Lucy stood by the main window, one hand pressed to the cold glass. The forest stretched out before her dark, endless and unmoving. She could feel Byron’s presence somewhere behindher, steady and calm, but even that couldn’t silence the racing in her chest.
They’re close.She could feel it.
Everything inside her screamed to prepare, to move, but she can't defend what she cannot see. That was what scared her most.
“Come on,” she whispered under her breath. “Show yourselves.”
But the forest stayed still.
Corey crouched near the back entrance, eyes scanning the tree line through the scope of his rifle. His muscles ached from tension, but his focus never wavered. Every crack of a twig, every rustle of leaves sent his pulse spiking.
