Page 79 of Awakened Gifts
The second she hits me with another crushing force, sending me flying backwards, I make a mental note to stop pissing her off.
Cries ring out in unison, giving me hope that Simone is saving lives, and Jase—
Shit. Jase is calling my name and running right for me.
“No!” I scream stupidly, making the bitch look right at him.
The twisted grin that curls up on her lips gives me the strength to push up from the ground once again, and I throw out a shot so powerful that it feels like it’s crushing me on its way out. With her distracted, she doesn’t brace. Her hand is drawn back, ready to take down the mesmerizing creature that is rushing toward us with intent blazing in his glowing blue eyes.
When my strike hits her this time, the bitch is launched backwards, and the smell of her blood hits me, letting me know I’ve cut into her flesh. Finally. I watch as she hits the ground, and I sag into the arms that wrap around me and pull me to a firm body.
“You’re in so much fucking trouble when we get out of here,” Jase scolds, trying to tug me away from the fight. He’s in control? What the hell?
Alice’s growl vibrates the ground beneath us, and Jase curses just as we’re both thrown back, landing with a thud. I’m really sick of fighting on my damn back.
“Not this time,” Alice hisses, stepping back out of the shadows with her black eyes daring us to try and retreat.
I’m supposed to be strong enough to beat her, damn it. It’s not supposed to be this way. Not after all I’ve gone through.
Jase scrambles back to me, covering me with his body as I weakly push him back. He doesn’t stand a chance, and I need to make him get out of here before she targets him instead of me.
Purple streaks of electricity surge down to where we are, slicing their way into the fight, and Alice is knocked back once again, forcing my eyes to widen in surprise. But the streaks barely make her stagger, which only pisses her off as she glares up at my former counter who is walking toward us with our army of savage hybrids.
Simone takes her place by his side, but Alice doesn’t seem at all rattled by the new faces gathered around her.
“It’s really sad that you continue to fight a battle you can’t win,” she drawls, snapping her fingers to release effortless power.
Cries of my family resound in my ears like serrated knives stabbing me. They all fall to the ground as the monster in front of me tries to rip them apart, and I stagger and fall several times as the blood pours from my body.
Jase lashes out with his fire, striking and inflicting pain on the bitch, and she snarls while turning toward him. Blood falls from her side as the last of the fire is extinguished. Jase was strong enough to hurt her?
His fearless blue eyes meet her demonic black pits, and this time, she doesn’t hold back.
“No!” I scream helplessly as he’s dropped to the ground to writhe in pain like the others.
As I crawl to him, I hear Mom’s ragged voice raining around us. “You want me, not them!” Mom shouts. “So come and get me, bitch!”
Alice turns to see the woman behind her as the skies part and thunder. Red lightning zips from the sky, falling down to slice at Alice, but to my amazement, the lightning deflects off her stubborn, almost impenetrable body.
Fricks said she would be invincible. Alice thought she’d be invincible. But Jase and I both brought blood from her.
“Is that any way to talk to your mother?” Alice taunts.
Mom winces, but then she shakes her head. “Blood doesn’t make you family,” Mom says just as she strikes again, but the force is too weak in comparison to the monster in front of her.
The fight roars to life, but my attention falls on my counter. Jase raises his head, and then he takes a deep steadying breath as Mom’s cries infect my ears.
“You have to go savage. If you can force us to go savage, you can force yourself.”
“I can’t. My savage is—”
“Going to be different,” he promises. “You have me now. You’re whole, baby.”
I look up just as Fricks comes running down, firing wildly at a woman whose body can’t be touched by the feeble bullets he’s feeding her. But it’s enough to distract her from my mother. I gasp when I see Mom lying on the ground, her head barely raising as Uncle Brazen joins Captain Fricks.
The United army follows them, everyone taking their shots at the indestructible woman who merely laughs at their attempts.
My body is barely hanging together. I feel as weak as she has accused me of being, but then I look around at my family, everyone fighting and not giving up, no matter how outmatched they are, and something stirs within me.