Chapter 14 The Traitor’s Price
The cold from the needle spread through my veins like ice water. My legs gave out, and I hit the muddy ground with a dull thud. My vision was blurry, but I could still see Miller’s boots. He wasn't the hero I thought he was. He was just another shark in the water, waiting for the blood to spill.
"You... traitor," I wheezed. My tongue felt heavy, like a piece of lead in my mouth.
Miller didn't even look at me. He was too busy handing my son over to Julian on the dragon’s back. "The Resistance doesn't work for free, Elara. The Agency offered us a seat at the table. All we had to do was bring them the boy and the data."
Leo was screaming, his small hands reaching for me as the dragon’s wings began to beat against the air. The wind from the beast was so strong it flattened the grass around us.
"Mommy! Mommy, help!" Leo’s cries tore through my heart.
I tried to stand, but my muscles wouldn't obey. I looked at Xavier. He was struggling against the black mud Julian had created. The silver light in his eyes was flickering, dying out as the drug Miller gave me suppressed our bond.
"Xavier..." I whispered.
He let out a roar of pure agony. He shifted, not into a wolf, but into something halfway between man and beast. His claws dug into the mud, pulling him toward the dragon. But a squad of Resistance soldiers stepped out of the trees, leveling their rifles at his head.
"Don't be a hero, Moretti," Miller warned. "One shot and your Luna dies. Another and the boy follows."
Xavier froze. His chest heaved, his golden eyes burning with a rage so hot I could feel it from ten feet away.
Julian leaned over the side of the dragon, holding Leo by the scruff of his jacket. "We’re going to the Old Temple, Elara. If you want your son back, you have one hour to bring us the rest of the encryption key. If you’re late, the gate stays open, and the boy becomes the sacrifice."
The dragon leaped into the air. The force of its takeoff sent a cloud of dust and black oil over us. I watched as they disappeared into the dark clouds, taking my world with them.
Miller looked down at me one last time. "Don't take it personally. It's just business."
He turned to his men. "Kill the Alpha. Bring the woman to the van. We need her eyes for the retina scan."
The soldiers raised their guns.
I felt the silver fire in my belly surge. It wasn't just my power. It was the baby. The tiny life inside me was reacting to the danger, sending a jolt of pure energy through my spine. The paralysis snapped.
I didn't wait. I rolled to the left just as the first bullets hit the mud where I had been lying.
"Xavier! Now!" I screamed.
Xavier didn't need a second invitation. He lunged at the nearest soldier, his jaws snapping shut on the man’s throat. I scrambled to my feet, my hand finding the silver dagger I had dropped earlier. It was covered in mud, but the edge was still sharp.
I didn't think about being human. I didn't think about being pregnant. I thought about the man who had just stolen my son.
I dove at Miller. He tried to raise his rifle, but I was too fast. I drove the dagger into his thigh, twisting it as hard as I could.
He screamed, falling to one knee. "You bitch!"
"Where is the temple?" I hissed, pressing the blade to his neck. "Tell me, or I’ll find out how many holes it takes for a traitor to bleed out."
Miller looked into my eyes and saw the silver fire. He saw that I wasn't the scared waitress anymore. I was a mother on a path of revenge, and there was nothing I wouldn't do.
"It’s... it’s the North Peak," Miller gasped. "The old ruins. They’re using the boy to power the altar."
I stood up and kicked the rifle away from him. Xavier was standing over the bodies of the other soldiers, his face covered in blood. He looked like a god of war.
"We have to go," Xavier said, his voice a low growl.
"The Resistance has more men at the base of the mountain," Miller laughed through his pain. "You’ll never make it past the perimeter."
I looked at the black van parked at the edge of the clearing. I looked at the device in my hand.
"We aren't going past them," I said. "We're going through them."
We jumped into the van. Xavier took the wheel, flopping the dead driver out onto the mud. I sat in the passenger seat, my hand resting on my stomach. The silver glow was steady now, a cold light that made my skin look like polished metal.
"Can you hold on?" Xavier asked, looking at me with worry.
"I’m not the one who should be worried," I said. "The people in that temple are."
We raced up the mountain road, the tires screaming on the sharp turns. I could see the temple in the distance, a dark, jagged crown on the peak of the mountain. Purple lightning was striking the ruins, and a pillar of black smoke was rising into the sky.
Suddenly, a loud clunk came from the roof of the van.
The metal ceiling began to peel back like a tin can. A hand, pale and covered in black scales, reached through the hole.
"You didn't think I’d let you get away that easily, did you, sister?"
Julian’s voice came from the roof. But he wasn't alone.
Standing beside him, looking through the hole with wide, empty eyes, was my father. But he wasn't my father anymore. His skin was gray, and his chest was open, revealing a glowing purple heart.
"Dad?" I whispered, my heart stopping.
"He’s a Shadow Guard now, Elara," Julian laughed. "And his first mission is to kill his own daughter."
The van swerved as my father’s hand reached for my throat.