Behind The Alpha Book 8 ADAM

ADAM

Astrid lifts herself off me and we both can’t believe what we're seeing.

Lefus skin tears like it’s being ripped apart by giant claws. He's screaming as smoke snakes rise out of the hole and circle his body. One snake hits his body and his Vampire is taken from his soul. Vamp Lefu hisses and wails as he throws punches at the smoke. It carries him up then dives sharply into the red glowing crack.

Another hits him from underneath, ripping out his lycan. His shifted lycan spirit bellows out growls. It claws furiously and fights as that snake does the same as the first. His roars echo from the hole as he’s carried to hell.

Two more smoke columns rise with electric squeals. They spin around his body like they’re sizing him up.

His face turns to panic and he fails his arms to try and stop them.

“No! NOO!...”

One takes his head and one takes his legs. They turn in a twister as they rise into the air.

The turn him around to face the crack then dive. He fights to the very last second as they enter the crack.

“NOOOO!!”

Once in, the crack seals shut and the air dies down. The clouds part and I’m left trying to process what happened.

I turn my head slowly to Astrid. Looking at my hands, arms, legs and body, a smile grows on my lips. “I’m free?” I whisper as I realize I’m still sitting on the ground with the most amazing creature on the planet.

I raise my eyes to my beautiful snowflake. “I’m free.” My face fills with excitement as my shifter takes over. Laughing, I grab her and pull us up to our feet. “I’M FREE!!”

I lift her up and spin her around as she lets out a belly laugh. “No more atoms exploding! No more watching friends die! No more being born! No more time travel! I'm finally fucking free!!” I hold her head to my shoulder and turn us around until I’m almost dizzy.

I drop her on her feet and she’s trying to catch her breath. I hold her cheeks and rest my forehead on hers. “You saved me.” I choke as I stare into her gorgeous blue eyes.

“I love you so much.” A tear rolls down her cheek.

I wipe it away with my thumb. “I love you too. You set me free. I’m with you until the end of time.”

“I wouldn’t celebrate just yet.”

We turn to see a man in a grey shirt, leather jacket and jeans. He lifts the brim of his ball cap as his eyes meet mine. Fire glows in them and Abraxas goes nuts. My eyes turn black and I pull Astrid behind me.

“Alistair.” Abraxas growls.

“BROCK!”

I look behind me and the Axelridge Alphas are running toward us. Eddie runs to the house shouting for Marcus.

They stop in a line on either side of us.

“Brock. What are you doing?” Finn scowls.

“Come on, Finn. You know he won’t answer.” Alistair laughs.

“This is the meat suit?” Abraxas says to Jax.

Jax nods. “Brock Sloan.”

“He was a friend.” Griffin clenches as he stares Alistair down.

“Awe, Griffy. Don’t be like that. We had lots of fun. Admit it, you liked it.” Alistair lowers his head and the corner of his lips tick up.

“Aye. It’ll be more fun watching you die.” Griffin growls.

“I’m hurt.” Alistair pretends to be shocked and places a hand on his chest. “Griff, you were my favorite. I hope I didn’t leave scars.” He smiles.

Griffin gets his back up and his chest vibrates.

“Enough reminiscing.” He smiles. “Well done, son. I’m proud of you. You managed to do the impossible. Beat Genesis at her own game.”

I step closer to him. “Why are you still here?”

“Oh.” He sighs and looks around. “I have some business here. Actually, it’s more of a hostile take over.”

“What do you mean?” I raise a brow at him.

The battle stops as the air around us electrifies. Lycans and fighters look to the sky as the wind picks up.

“Let the games begin.” Alistair smiles evilly.

“YOU DISAPPOINT ME, ADAM. NOW, I MUST CORRECT MY MISTAKE.”

A thick lightning strike hits the ground just beyond Alistair and we shield ourselves from light and the dirt and debris that flies from it.

I lower my arm and my lips shrink.

Genesis stands tall as the wind blows her blonde hair and white Greek type dress. She scans us all then looks to Alistair. “I should have went with my first plan.” She turns her eyes to me. “Somehow, I thought you’d be better. I thought when the time came, you’d see things my way. I was wrong. Now, I see you’re too corrupt. Like them.” She motions her chin to the Alphas with me.

“Who is this bitch?” Jax grits as he wrings the handle of his mace.

“Genesis. Cosmic being of life.” I respond. I look her over and ball my fists. “You lost your chance. I won’t be your endgame.”

She smiles. “No. You won’t.” She eyes my father. “But he will.”

Alistair smirks. “I always aim to please. Even if it's an insane cosmic god.”

He raises his arm out in front of him and flicks his wrist. Black smoke explodes in front of him. It clears, leaving Eddie standing in front of us all.

“EDDIE!” The Alphas shout.

Eddie looks around in confused panic. He turns and see Alistair.

“No….FUCK NO!” He turns to run, but Alistair whips his hand up.

“Ah…Where do you think you’re going?” Alistair says darkly.

Like the demon grabbed his spine, Eddie freezes and stands straight. He can’t move or talk, but his eyes cry out for help.

“LET HIM GO!” Finn yells as the Alphas break into a run and ready weapons.

Alistair raises his other hand and they are pushed back with a magic force.

“Sorry, guys. I don’t like to share.” He grins.

“FATHER!” Abraxas hollers.

“Abraxas. That’s where you’re hiding. Interesting.” He telepathically turns Eddie to face him. His fear is pouring off him and I sense him trying to break free.

“Let him go. You don’t need him" Abraxas says.

“Oh, I need him more than you think.” His eyes turn the color of fire and he flicks them to Eddie. “I’m leveling up, fellas. Eddie’s mine.” Just as he says that, his demon smoke exits from all the pores of Brocks body and Eddie screams.

“Let me in, Ed. You know you want to.” The demonic voice encompasses all the smoke as it gathers to its snake.

Brock’s body hits the ground and the snake floats across to Eddie.

“NO!”

“YOU FIGHT HIM, ED! DON’T FUCKING DO IT!”

“EDDIE!!”

The Alphas fight against the invisible force holding them back.

Abraxas turns to Genesis. “This is your doing.”

She tilts her head. “I may have left a treat for Alistair on Edward’s soul. He really is the best form for my destroyer.”

I feel Abraxas boil in my body. “I wonder if it will still be there once you’re dead!” He runs at her and she throws her hand up.

I stop dead and fall to my knees.

“You won’t be here to find out, I’m afraid.”

Abraxas recedes and my eyes turn green. I lift my hands and inspect them as the heat grows. I raise my head to her. “No….”

“Why not? Don’t you want to see how you changed things?” She says sweetly.

Eddie’s hollers out in agony and I watch Alistair invade his body.

“ADAM!”

Astrid runs to me and falls at my side.

The heat rises and I start to feel the vibrations. “Astrid.” I grit as I try to touch her, but I can’t feel a thing.

The pain of my atoms starting to separate crashes through me.

“ASTRID!!” I arch back and scream.

“ADAM!!”

“EDDIE!”

I try hard to hold it together as Eddie turns. His eyes are the color of fire and he holds his hands out to the side. “Hey kids, daddy's home.”

Astrid grabs me. “Adam.” Her confused, frightened eyes try to understand.

“Astrid, I love…” I reach for her, but my body explodes in white smoke.

****

“…you!” I yell and almost trip onto my face.

“Spencer. Back in line!”

I look up to an Alpha off to the side of a military line. The soldiers hike by me and I look around confused. “Where am I?” I say to myself.

Another Alpha grabs my jacket. “Back in line.” He grits.

He pushes me and I hold tight to the gun in my hand.

I don’t see anyone I know as I join the march and we walk through the trees.

“UNIT 2. ASSEMBLE IN EAST CAMP!”

We break into a jog and enter a huge military camp. There’s large tents for storage, sleeping, eating and Comms. The place is filled with units and the heads all gather in a main tent to talk.

I take everything in as I try to surmise what’s happening. I don’t think I’m back in 2630. This is different. First, there’s too many. The militaries were slaughtered first when the wars started. Militia groups were the only things left. Second, there’s no vamp armor. No weapons or stakes. Nothing. No signs that we’re fighting vamps.

“Johnson. Report.”

“No survivors. The gods annihilated everything.”

Gods?

“Damn it. OK. We're about to deploy to Morgan. They hit that an hour ago. We fought back, but it’s no use.”

“MOVE OUT!”

I join the unit and we march for what feels like over an hour, down a two lane winding highway.

We crest a hill and Alpha leaders yell for halt. We all walk to the edge of the hill that looks down over Morgan.

“Search and recover, gentlemen. There’s no way anyone survived that.”

My gun drops to my side and my jaw falls. “What the hell?”

I step closer and my eyes float over the smoking, burning crater that was once a town called Morgan. It looks like a giant, dead campfire with small fires everywhere and nothing but rubble. The night sky lights up with helicopter search lights flying over the destruction. Sirens blare and orders are barked as military units from all over descend on the burning hole over 5 miles wide. There’s not a single home standing. It’s like a nuke hit it.

“Damn angels.” A soldier growls.

I whip my head to him. “Angels did this?”

“Uh…yeah. Angels, demons and anything else they could team up with.” He side eyes me.

I face him and cross my arms. “Team up? Since when?”

He huffs a laugh. “Since the last 600 years. Where have you been?”

My brows stitch up and my face fills with disbelief. “No. This isn’t right.” I look back at the crater. “This wasn’t how it was supposed…”

He crosses his arms. “Are you new here or something?”

“Or something…” My words drift off as I eye the disaster. “This isn’t how it's supposed to be.”

“Yeah? Tell that to the cosmic assholes who declared war.” He growls. He turns his head to me just as he starts to walk away. “They fucking created us and now they want to wipe us out. Some friends, huh?”

I give him a confused look. “All of them?”

“Every fucking last one. But as soon as we figure out how to kill them, they’ll wish never thought us up.” He claps my back and jogs back to some other soldiers in the back.

“I need to get back." I drop my pack and gun and run for the trees.

“SPENCER!!”

Soldiers yell for me, some try to stop me from going AWOL, but I don’t give them a chance.

I tear out of my uniform and shift to my lycan. He takes to the trees and leaps through the tops. I jump as fast as can for as long as my legs can hold out. Once out in the open, I shift to my vampire and blur out.

This is a complete nightmare. I need to get back to Astrid. I need to stop this from happening.

I need to get to the island.

Hopefully, it’s still there.