Page 42 of Into The Green

And then he was changing.

Plates started forcing their way through his skin. He screamed at the ripping sensation, falling to his knees. The guards looked at one another, fear plain in their expressions.

Then, breaking through the absolute utter chaos in front of us, a voice I never expected to hear rang out clear and loud. "If he changes completely," Amy said, her voice almost a little bored-sounding but I figured it for a mask, "you're all dead for what you have done to him in the past. Even as a beast, I'm sure he will remember who used to beat him."

The guards nodded and moved to circle Drake, all hesitant, like they'd rather have all their toenails ripped out than have to deal with a changing draca.

Doyle and I shared a look, turned, and ran.

We were barely two yards away from the barn when my foot landed wrong and I fell, Jasper's arm slipping from my shoulder. I tried to push up, but the ankle twisted uselessly. "Go," I said, shaking my head at Doyle. "Go go go," I shrieked at him, knowing he wanted to save me too, but there was no way. "I'll be..." I felt a warmness over me and looked to see the shimmer slowly starting to form. About damn time and almost too late.

Doyle watched me uncertainly for a second before turning and running.

I turned, scrambling toward the barn on all fours. My eyes found Amy's and knowing my voice would never carry across the field, I reminded her, "You owe me."

She smiled a bit then, as if that was her plan all along, like I was silly for not realizing it. Then there was a godawful sound from the courtyard and we both turned to see the men beating Drake who had stopped changing and fell to the ground, just taking it.

If I hadn't been watching, I would have missed it. But Amy's face, her stunning gunmetal blue eyes in particular, looked horrified. Then her chest expanded as she took a deep breath and she screamed loud enough for the gods to hear, "There! There they are! By the woods at the side of the house!"

The guards turned, a little dumbfounded for a moment as if they forgot what they were supposed to be doing before they turned and ran in the direction Amy had indicated.

I pushed myself up, wincing at the pain in my ankle as I pressed onto it as I watched as Doyle and Jasper almost broke the tree line. Jasper's eyes opened suddenly, his head swiveling frantically to find me. "Cece!" he yelled, just as they disappeared.

My heart was in my throat. But they were safe. I hobbled out a few feet, seeing Drake on the ground, even more plates sticking out of his skin. As if sensing my inspection, he pushed himself onto his knees and looked at me. His eyes went sad, his head bowed. Everything about him seemed defeated.

"You saved them," I called.

"But not you," he called back.

Movement caught my eye and I turned to see Declan standing on the stone porch, his hands spread wide on the wall I had jumped off earlier. As if fueled by my rage toward him at the damage I had seen all over Jasper, the air around me seemed to grow hotter, seemed to almost feel like it sparked and I lifted an arm to see the field thicker around my body.

I heard a growl and looked down to see Onyx walking up to my side, nudging my thigh with his snout, leaving a bloodstain on my dress. He was covered in the stuff. It was dripping from his jaw. It was streaked through his hair. I turned back to Drake. "Find a way to save yourself," I urged, putting a hand on Onyx's back, knowing he was my ticket out of there if I didn't burn him. When he didn't react, I threw my sore leg over. "Hey Declan," I called, the words spilling out unbidden, my mouth not feeling attached to my body. "Remember how I said you'd live to regret letting me go? How's that going for you?"

"I hope he was worth it," Declan said, his tone calm. "One day you are going to pay for this. One day you will cower before me. To hell with the Light."

"Maybe, but today is not that day," I said, patting Onyx. As soon as I did, he charged, taking off toward the woods at a speed that made all the surroundings blur. I leaned downward, resting my head against his neck, holding on. As we closed in on the trees, a guard moved in, reaching out for me, obviously oblivious to the forcefield. I sat up straight, clamping my thighs into Onyx's sides and reached out, grabbing the man's wrist. He howled at the contact but I gripped him tighter until I saw Onyx's paws cross the line before letting him go.

Onyx slowed his pace slightly, head whipping from side to side, watchful for enemies, looking for friends. But there was no one. Behind us, I could hear the whimpering from the guard as he rolled on the ground, cradling his arm.

What the hell was I?

And if the forcefield was an external thing, if it belonged to the angels I could contact, then they were a hell of a lot more powerful and vengeful than I had been taught in church as a child.

I looked up at the sky. "Okay. I'm safe now. You can take your forcefield back now." But it didn't go away. I looked down at my body, my belly feeling weighted with a thought I didn't want to acknowledge. It was easier to accept that it was external, that it wasn't mine, that it was just something someone bestowed upon me when I needed it. But I had a sneaking feeling that that wasn't the case at all. I was starting to think the powers came from somewhere inside, somewhere I didn't understand, somewhere that I didn't know how to control.

I snapped back to the present as Onyx stopped moving, letting out a low whine. "What..."

But then I saw them on the ground.

And Doyle was attacking Jasper.

TEN

Cece

I leapt off of Onyx, my ankle screaming in pain all the way up my leg as I closed the distance, bending low and running full force into Doyle, taking us both down. "What the hell are you doing?" I hissed, balling up my fist and slamming it into his side as he rolled out from under me.

"Fuck," he said, flinching away from me. "Stop," he yelled as I advanced him again, backing away from me. "That burns like hell, Cece," he said, waving at my hands. "He was trying to go back for you. I was holding him down. Damn it," he said, lifting up his shirt. The skin covering his ribs was raised and red, just short of blistered even through the material of his shirt. "What's with the fireworks?"