The Last Witch: Volume Two

We arrive in the centre of the Nomad camp in a flurry of dirt and wind, all swirling around us like a twister. We shield our eyes from it, and wait for it to settle. As it slows, the scene before us clears.

Part of me wishes that it hadn’t.

It’s the middle of the night. The stars are out and the moon is full. All around us, cabins are on fire. The flames reach the trees and the smell of petrol hangs thick in the air. Tents are torn to pieces or trampled. And there are bodies on the ground. Tobias has already run to a woman lying close to where the remains of my cabin are still smoldering. He flips her onto her back. Her eyes are lifeless and wide, her throat slit so deep, I see bone. He runs to another, turning over a middle-aged man whose back is littered with bullet holes, and finds a young boy pinned beneath him. The man’s sacrifice did not spare the boy. They died embracing each other. Tobias never stops checking, running from corpse… to corpse… to corpse. With each failure to find life, his cries grow more desperate.

‘IS ANYONE THERE?’ he bellows. Not a single response reaches us. ‘HELLO! IS THERE ANOYONE ALIVE OUT THERE?! PLEASE!’

There is no need to run around checking. Everyone here is already dead. Men. Women. Children. All gone. It’s the hardest thing to do, but I push my grief for them deep down, knowing that my emotions are already prizing open the Break inside me. I refuse to let my eyes linger on their bodies and focus on the problem at hand. Grayson and I share a look and we both know.

‘Hunters have found the Nomads,’ I tell him.

He nods, a look of malice in his eyes, but that malice is not for me. Not at this moment.

‘But there are not enough bodies to indicate no survivors at all. Either they fled, or were captured.’

Tobias returns to my side and shakes his head. ‘Everyone’s dead,’ he reports with a strain to his voice. ‘No one here is alive.’

Hunters have come to eradicate us all. And they’ve had a damn good start. So, where have the others gone? Gabriel and Collins are still alive. Or Grayson and Tobias would be dead on the floor. I close my eyes and reach out my hand. My fingers stretch out and feel the air as I channel my Sensativa to their very tips. I feel it search the area around me, but this time, I have the power to force it further afield. It spreads out like a ripple traveling across the surface of a river from a tossed pebble. Out and out it goes, searching for magic.

‘They’re east of here,’ I tell them. ‘A couple of miles.’ I look into the distance where I feel the ripple meet both Gabriel’s and Collins’s magic. ‘What’s East?’

‘Woodland,’ Tobias replies. ‘Really dense woodland. There is a path that leads to a valley and in the base of one of the hills is a tunnel which leads underground. It’s a maze in there, but the Nomads know it well and will use it to reach safety.’

A loud roaring approaches. All three of us turn to the sky where a helicopter comes into view. Grayson dives behind a fallen table and Tobias grabs me before dragging me to a large tree where we crouch down using the thick canopy of leaves to shield us from view. It shoots past us at speed, heading east.

‘We need to get to them. Quickly.’ I take his hand and look for Grayson. ‘Come here!’

‘Are you insane? I’m not running towards the Hunter’s! Not without my magic to defend myself. It would be suicide!’

The roaring returns. The helicopter has turned and come back.

‘If there are Hunters in that helicopter, they would have sensed us when they flew over.’

Above us, the helicopter comes into view. It hovers above us, blowing ash and debris in all directions.

‘GRAYSON!’ My eyes blacken. ‘GRAYSON, GET OVER HERE! NOW!’

He sprints across the camp towards us, and the firing starts. Bullets chase his heels as he runs. I look upwards, my magic converging in my chest. I send out a channeled burst of telekinetic power which hits the helicopter, knocking it sideways. Bullets spray in all directions and alarms beep inside the machine before it starts spiraling out of control. Grayson grabs my hand.

‘HINC AD AMOREM MEUM IBI!’

We leave before the remainder of the camp, and the poor souls that took their last breath here, are consumed in a firebomb and shards of grinding metal.

∞∞∞

‘Oh. My. God.’ They’re the only words that I can muster when we reappear, but no one other than I heard them though the din. Horror and fear takes the rest of my vocabulary. It also takes my ability to move, never mind that with each passing second, more and more people press into me. I look around with my mouth open and eyes wide. Both Toby’s hand as well as Grayson’s grip mine tighter.

We’ve landed in the middle of a scene of nightmares. Of chaos and fear.

Of death.

We’re in the base of a valley, surrounded either side by two large hills. Hundreds of people are all scrambling and pushing into each other, desperate to get as far away from the hills as possible. The sounds of screaming, yelling, shooting and explosions, echo off the hills and assault my ears as the Nomads around me try desperately to flee. Bodies are pressed together as everyone attempts to find protection. Up on the hills, there are men with guns wearing white porcelain masks. Their bullets rain down on us as they shoot indiscriminately into the crowd below them. The screaming of the women is an unbearable sound as they try and protect their children, who they have huddled in the very middle. The women are protected by the men who have taken position on the outskirts. Some have guns, and are shooting back. But they’re no match against those on the high ground. When they fall, another picks up their gun and takes his place, only to join their fallen comrade moments later.

It takes a moment for me to realise that Toby is shaking me and yelling into my face.

‘We’re fish in a barrel! Lilly…LILLY! If you stay here, you’ll die! Go… Go and Grayson and I will help them.’

‘Go?’ I whisper.

‘Teleport. We will stay and find Gabriel.’ He points up ahead, in the direction everyone seems to be trying to get to. ‘The tunnel is in that direction. There must be a reason why they are not able to flee. We will stay and try to clear the way for them. We will save as many as we can but you can’t be here, Lilly! You stay and you may be hurt. Or killed.’ His eyes plead with me to listen to his advice. ‘You must save yourself. Save your child!’

Someone slams into my legs and wraps their arms tightly around my knees. I look down and see a little blonde girl hugging me tightly, her whole body shaking as she sobs. I scoop her up in my arms and she clings to me. It’s the little girl I taught to make daisy chains. The blood from my dress has rubbed off on her skin, but there’s not an ounce of fear in her aimed at me. Just relief and a desperate need for comfort.

‘Mummy wouldn’t get up!’ she cries, her little arms clamping around my neck and her tears landing on my skin. ‘She wouldn’t get up, Miss Hooper. She wouldn’t get up!’

‘Where’s your daddy?’ I ask, as calmly as I can, holding her back as firmly as she holds me.

‘The scary mask people took him away, and they hurt my mummy and she wouldn’t get up. She wouldn’t get up!’

I look to my left where Grayson is standing. He shakes his head and slides his finger across his neck while gesturing over his shoulder. Her mother was the dead woman back at camp with her throat slit. I thought I recognised her.

In the mass of faces, I see the flash of lilac eyes. She’s still here. She’s chasing me, waiting for me to let her in.

Never!

I look at the little girl, tears streaming down her innocent little face, and I do my best to show her a comforting smile.

‘It’s alright. I’m here now. I need to put you down so I can help everyone, okay?’

She nods, and Toby helps to take her from me, handing her to another woman who pins her to her chest.

‘We need to fight. Ready?’ I ask Tobias.

His flames appear on his hand as he nods, but there’s uncertainty in his face. His fire is a normal colour now, but with hints of purple flickering in amongst the yellows and oranges.

‘Can’t you just put up a Mortem wall?’ Grayson demands. ‘I don’t have my magic-’

‘Mortem walls encircle a single witch in a protective barrier. Like the one at the Bloodstone sight on Dartmoor. It’s not big enough to protect everyone and once I make it I can’t leave it or move it!’ If what Rebecca Hooper’s knowledge told me is correct.

‘So?’

‘You’re such a bloody coward.’

‘I wouldn’t be if I had my magic!’

‘How about you do what everyone else here is doing and fight. Like a human.’

A hot sharp pain explodes in my shoulder. Tobias slams his hand down on it hard without a second to spare. Blood seeps through his fingers.

‘I told you it was too dangerous here!’ he snaps.

‘Was I… Did someone just shoot me?’ I lift my head and see a man in amongst the crowd with a gun in his hands and a blood spattered white mask on his face. He’s reloading, his full attention focused on me. I disappear from Tobias and reappear in front of him. ‘You just shot me,’ I snarl, wrapping one hand around his throat and snatching his gun with my other. I squeeze his neck and lift him off the ground. My fire destroys his gun, melting it so it drips through my fingers. ‘You tried to kill me? You dare try to kill me and my baby! YOU DARE!’ As I heal the wound, my fire spreads to him, and his whole body erupts in flames. I keep him held high as he screams in agony, burning alive. Everyone around me backs away.

Someone puts a bullet in the man’s head. I drop him and gasp at my reaction. Not at how I just burned him alive, but how I enjoyed it! How did a Hunter get so deep into the crowd? And then I realise, there are Hunters all around me, dozens of them, killing without discrimination. They use machetes. Knives. Hammers. Guns. The ones I see, I snap their necks with a simple flick of my wrist.

Tobias steps in front of me protectively and raises his hand, a fireball ready to fly at whoever just shot the Hunter.

‘GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!’

‘Jensen?’ I push Tobias out of the way and see him with his weapon raised and ready to fire. Seeing me, he lowers it and rushes forwards. We meet halfway. Jensen engulfs me in his arms and holds me tight. I can feel the love he holds for me resonating out through his embrace. After such an awful ordeal, I cling to him and his affection.

‘I was so afraid,’ he mumbles in my ear. ‘Oh, Buttons, I was so scared. Every second you’ve been gone, I’ve been thinking awful things. Awful, terrible things. But you’re alive! You’re alive and you’re here.’

‘I’m here, Dad. I’m okay,’ I whisper in response, letting my arms furl around him too. ‘I’m so glad you are okay.’

‘Dad?’ he repeats, whispering the words.

‘Yes. Dad.’ I sink into his frame and rest my chin on his shoulder, watching the army descend from on high. ‘You are my dad, and you didn’t abandon me. You lost me. I hate that you let Theo hurt me, but I forgive you,’ I tell him. ‘And I love you, Dad.’

‘I love you too, my darling daughter.’

If we’re to die here, at least I have made peace with Jensen. I have so much hatred and anger in my heart, I must let some go and make room for the good and the light that there is in this world. My Broken-self flickers from sight, and I lose her in the crowd.

Jensen lets me go and holds me at arm’s length to survey me.

‘Why are you covered in so much blood? Is it yours?’

‘No. It’s not mine.’

‘Your eyes… and your hair… You are Breaking!’ He takes a double look at Tobias. ‘You took my daughter! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!’

I hold him back. ‘I have it under control. The Break is under control. Where’s Gabriel?’

‘Up ahead.’ He nods beyond my shoulder, keeping half an eye on Tobias and another on my eyes. ‘He’s trying to clear a path for everyone to get past. Hunters have set off some kind of explosive and the tunnel is blocked by debris. Collins and the men are trying to move the rocks while Gabriel and some others protect them. We’re surrounded on all sides, they’re attacking from up on the hills. We’re not gonna last much longer. The Hunters found my people, the Traitors, three days ago, and started executing them live on television. They have already taken some of the Nomads back to their cells, Lilly. Dozens! They’re going to butcher them, just like they did to my people. What do we do?’

‘We will fight the Hunters,’ Tobias says, ‘Go. You must leave here before you get seriously hurt! This chaos is not good for you.’ He gestures to my hair. ‘The white has spread further. And more lilac has claimed your eyes.’

I can sense Gabriel. Collins too. They’re ahead of us, at the front of the group.

‘Go!’ Tobias encourages. ‘Jensen, she must leave. Her Break is-’

‘I will not leave these people to die, and run away. I will save myself, after I have saved them first!’

‘Let her stay,’ Grayson scoffs. ‘Personally, I’m happy to watch her die.’

As Jensen pulls out his gun, I grab Grayson’s elbow; my eyes go black. ‘You will fight the Hunters only. You do not harm any Nomads and you do not run away from me or the fight.’

With a hateful sneer, he nods, turns, and sprints away, searching out the men in masks.

My breathing is shaky.

I’m scared.

Scared for all these people. For my family. For myself and my baby. For my soul.

All around me are wailing children, terrified parents and brave souls willing to die to protect us all.

And surrounding us on all sides are evil, faceless soldiers, desperate to wipe us all out.

Gently and lovingly, I rest my hand over my belly, still feeling the life of my baby flickering inside me.

‘I’ll keep you safe. I promise.’ I look at Jensen and Tobias. Jensen frowns in confusion at my actions. ‘We must fight. We cannot let them win. We will not let them win. I will head to the front, towards Gabriel, and help him clear whatever is blocking us all in. You two, help the Nomads. Kill the Hunters who have made it into the crowd.’

‘You cannot go alone!’ Jensen argues.

‘I won’t.’ I create my fire on my palms and send it to the ground, molding the flames into the forms of my wolves. When one wolf is created, it prowls to the side making room for the next one. The Nomads around me back away, but not through fear. To give me room. Relief spreads through them all as they see me by their side, ready to fight.

Ten wolves made of my crimson-red fire begin to prowl around me, their heads low and their teeth bared in a snarl. My very own pack, each as tall as me and just as fierce as I feel.

‘Protect the Nomads and kill the Hunters.’ I order my magnificent creatures. ‘GO!’ Their paws dig into the ground before they bound away, weaving around the Nomads and even leaping clear over their heads.

Three stay with me.

‘Tobias, you take the rear.’ I look to one of the wolves. ‘Keep him alive.’ The wolf snaps its jaws in acknowledgment. ‘Jensen, stay in the centre.’ One of the remaining wolves sits at his heel, ready to protect him.

‘You be safe,’ Jensen tells me, pecking my cheek before running into the crowd. His wolf follows close.

Tobias doesn’t want to go. He doesn’t want to abandon me. My eyes are still black. When I open my mouth to issue my orders, he steps close.

‘I will return to you after. Hold on to your humanity, Lilly Hooper.’ Then he sprints off, his fire ready and raring, my wolf by his side.

More gunfire rains down on us from up on the hillsides.

I lift my hands and stop them all mid-air. Dozens of bullets become suspended mid-flight.

I pull back my arms and then push the bullets away, sending them back to their original owners. I watch as the Hunters atop the hill take bullet after bullet, juddering and dropping their weapons as they die. A loud cheer erupts from the crowd surrounding me. I prepare to leave this place and materialize by Gabriel, but a loud noise stops me. I look up. Two helicopters are descending on us, each with a flamethrower attached to their sides. They hover up high, and point both weapons down to us. The Nomads scream.

‘I don’t think so,’ I threaten in a snarl. I tilt my head back and send out my fire, covering the helicopters in a ferocious funnel of my red flames before they can douse us in theirs. Then I use my magic to send one of the helicopters careering into the other. Their blades grind together and they start spiraling wildly. I reach out with both my hands, and hurtle the flaming wreckages into the crowd of Hunters up on the hillside.

Boom!

The ground trembles at the force of the explosion. I manipulate the fire and spread it out as far as it can go, engulfing the Hunters. They run and flail their arms, desperately attempting to snub out the flames smothering them.

They can’t.

My wolf starts to snarl at me, like I’m a threat.

I’m laughing.

Why am I laughing?

Like a hologram flickering to life, my Broken-self appears before me and wraps her fingers around my throat.

As soon as she touches me with her ice-cold fingers, my emotions explode inside my chest, and everything I have suffered fills me to the brim.

The fear and shame Ryan used to inflict on me.

The panic and dread of Harry’s temper.

The loathing I feel for Theo, Grayson and Toby.

The anger I have towards these Hunters.

I scream, a vicious and wrathful scream, that makes the wind around me howl and lightning strike the ground from high above. Red streaks and black ones seek out their targets, and dozens of Hunters who are slaughtering the Nomads with machetes and guns, are struck-down where they stand. I whack her hand away from me, and thrust my palm into her chest. My Broken-self soars backwards, hurtling through the Nomads unseen and not real. I grab my hair and see that the white has spread further. My Broken-self is back on her feet.

‘I will not Break,’ I promise her, resting my hand on my belly. ‘I will not break!’

‘You already are Breaking. I am inevitable.’

‘You are not real! HINC AD AMOREM MEUM IBI!’

I fade from there, and appear in the same whirlwind of dirt and debris at the far end of the group. When the dust settles, I see Collins, tossing chunks of stone to the side and trying to clear the passageway ahead of him. We share a look for only a second before he runs up to me and hurls his arms around me tight, hugging me and burying his face in my hair. My fingertips dig into his back and I feel his tears land on my neck. He lifts his head and rests his forehead on mine, tears tumbling down his cheeks but a grin on his face.

‘Boy am I glad to see you,’ he laughs.

‘Likewise.’ I stroke his cheek, breathing a sigh of relief.

His fingers take the ends of my hair. ‘Your Break-’

‘Where’s Gabriel?’

‘He saw your fire hit the helicopters and took off towards you.’

‘Connor, Amara, are they-’

‘Digging through the rubble with the others, trying to clear a path. They’re fine.’ He looks over his shoulder, to the blocked tunnel behind him. It’s swarming with Nomads, all desperately hurling lumps of stone and rock out of the way. ‘There’s too much to move.’

‘Get everyone away from the rubble and I will clear it.’ I give him a push towards the tunnel and he runs off, yelling at everyone to get out of the way.

With my wolf by my side, I look behind me, at the Nomads all waiting for the area to be cleared. Tears pour down their faces as they cling to their loved ones. Blood stains their clothing and skin. Some cradle the already dead. My dress is still warm with Ava’s blood, but my appearance is a relief to the Nomads and they ignore the state of me.

Behind them, far back through the valley, their screams start to spread. Louder and louder it becomes. Up on the hill, on the side that wasn’t consumed by my fire, the Hunters are charging. The green grass is barely visible as they run and shoot. Run and shoot.

Fear-filled and terrified faces all turn to me, pleading with me to save them. So many lives are being lost.

‘WE’RE CLEAR!’ Collins yells. I turn and reach out my hand, and then yank it back, pulling free the tons of rubble and clearing the tunnel. I see Amara and Collins, side by side, their hands gripping each other. Her face lights up when she sees me, but before she can run to me, I turn to the Nomads.

‘GO!’ I bellow. ‘NOW!’

They’re on their feet and rushing towards the tunnel, carrying the injured and the dead. I close my eyes and kneel, resting my palms flat on the ground. I send out my magic, my power over the elements, and I take control of the rubble around me. Huge boulders and chunks of stone start to gather. They build and merge, creating two formidable figures with thick and heavy arms that drag behind them. They groan as they move, and the earth below our feet shakes with every step they take. I stand and face my stone monsters.

‘When the Nomads have passed, use your bodies to seal the entrance. If anyone other than a Nomad attempts to pass, use your arms to kill them.’

They nod their boulder heads and watch the steady flow of people fleeing between them. Something warm trickles down my lip. I wipe it clear and see a trail of blood on the back of my hand.

The magic I am using is taking its toll on my body, despite my physical magic healing me. I know that I am getting weaker. My body is tiring from all that I am doing, and my magic is waning. A river of fleeing men, women, and children separate me from my family. Amara yells something to my wolf before it sprints off into the crowd. Her worried eyes land on me. A pain stabs in my head, like an icepick plunging through my temple. I grab at my skull and moan, fighting the urge to fall to my knees.

‘Gabriel will die,’ she whispers in my ear. ‘Tobias and Grayson could be killed, and then Gabriel will die too. Out there. All alone. Or he could be taken. The Hunters could tie him up and burn him alive for all the world to watch on TV.’

‘Shut up!’

‘Or maybe you will fail here. Maybe you will get caught, and they will watch your belly grow, just to plunge a dagger through it.’

‘Shut up!’

‘What if you’re not strong enough? What if you get them out of here, and fail at the next Bloodstone? Your weakness could trap us all here with the hunter’s mark plague of hatred.’

‘I SAID SHUT UP!’ I scream.

Slowly, Amara kneels in front of me and rests her hand on my back. I lunge forwards, pulling her into my arms. Our embrace is full of love.

‘I’m not strong enough,’ I tell her. ‘So many have died. Too many. I can’t defeat them all. I am a waste of magic. You all deserve a better Arcane than a Broken monster like me.’

‘Gabriel told me about the voice in your head,’ she says calmly, still hugging me. ‘He told me how you saw your Broken-self in the pit at the Bloodstone and I know she is here, trying to take you away from us. I see your hair is almost white. I see the flashes of Lilac in your eyes. But I am not afraid, Honey. I am not afraid.’ She lifts my face. Her sweet smile and trusting eyes are all that I can see. ‘Because you are stronger than the monsters of your past. You are stronger than the nightmares. Than the demons that try to tear you down. And the heartbreak that has torn you up. You are stronger than your doubts, and you are stronger than your fears. There is no one more determined or courageous than you. No one worthier to hold the power of the Arcane than you. You have suffered at the hands of evil, and you will never allow others to suffer as you have. The world has tried and tried and tried to break you, Lilly Hooper. And when it finally succeeded, you pulled your soul back together and sent that Break straight to hell.’ She places her palms on my cheeks and stares into my eyes with a fierceness I have never seen in her before, and an absoluteness that is as unshakable as her loving and loyal heart. ‘It will not win. You will not let it. I will not let it. Do you hear me? You are loved. You are protected. You are wanted and you are needed. Losing you would break so many hearts. So, stay with me. Sister.’ She takes my hand and places it on her belly. ‘Stay with us, auntie.’

‘Amara… You’re pregnant?’ I look at her stomach before lifting my face, a happy smile on my lips and she nods. ‘There must be something in the water.’ I rest my hand on my own belly and she beams from ear to ear, laughing with joy.

‘Well,’ she takes a deep breath. ‘That Break of yours can really fuck off then.’

‘Yeah… it can!’

Once more, we embrace. Her words and devotion fuel my power and my red flames flare up through the ground, right at the base of the hills. It creates a ten metre high barrier between the charging Hunters and the fleeing Nomads. As the Nomads continue funneling through the tunnel, the fire follows them, protecting them from the Hunters and melting anything that travels through. Even bullets.

Collins joins us and reaches down to help me back onto my feet. Connor takes my other arm and helps me steady. They all surround me, so happy that I’m there and in one piece. Behind them, my Broken-self struggles to keep her form, and all the pain she was pulling out of me becomes overwhelmed by the love these people fill me with.

Then, the most beautiful sensation reaches me.

I turn and see my wolf bounding towards me through the crowd.

Right behind it is Gabriel, sprinting towards me.

He has a cut on his forehead and a trail of blood trickling down the side of his face. His eyes widen when he sees me and he slows to a stop. As if my magic obeys my inner most desire, I fade from this spot and appear in front of him without a single word uttered. I’ve barely materialised when his mouth claims mine in a passionate and demanding kiss. His relief at seeing me alive, and the love he has for me, flows between us. His arm wraps around my back and he pins me to his body, kissing me with everything he has, and I return it all ten-fold. Then, he sinks into my neck, holding me tightly with tears sliding down his cheeks and panting heavily from not only the fight, but despair and relief. Both my arms are around his neck and I feel safe for the first time in so long.

I’m home.

My hair returns to red, and my Broken-self fades entirely right then and there.

‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I have never been more relieved than I am right now.’ He lifts his face and I wipe his tears. ‘Christ… I’ve been out of my mind with worry. Are you okay? What happened? Where were you?’ His eyes land on my dress. ‘Oh my god! You’re covered in blood!’ He holds me tighter as if scared I’m going to fall and cups my face. ‘Where are you hurt, Beautiful? Sit down. I’ve got you now.’

‘I’m not hurt,’ I assure him, pulling him back into my arms. ‘This blood isn’t mine. Just let me hold you. I missed you so much!’

‘Then who’s blood is it? What happened? Who took you? Grayson? Theo? Toby? Did they hurt you?’ His words tumble from his mouth. His whole body wraps around me protectively and he keeps kissing me over and over. ‘I’ll kill them for this. I’ll kill anyone who put a hand on you I swear to the devil himself!’

I pull back and cup his face in my hands. His tears fall over my thumbs as he plants soft and gentle kisses on my knuckles. I glide my palm over the cut on his head and heal it. ‘I’m okay. I have my Bloodstone back and no one can take it from me again.’

His gaze lowers to the Bloodstone around my neck. And also to my mother’s necklace. He swallows hard and looks anxiously at me.

‘You… you found the chest?’

‘I did.’

‘I can explain-’

‘There’s no need to explain. I remember.’

‘Remember?’

‘I know about the missing six-weeks.’

‘You do?’ he replies weakly.

‘I do.’ I caress his cheek and wipe away his still falling tears. ‘Finding you in that old bar. Our time in the hotel. How we fell in love with each other in that little room and how we planned on being a family. I know Toby took me and made you think I left. But I didn’t. I never would have.’

‘I’m so sorry.’ His eyes close in shame. ‘I should have looked for you. I thought-’

‘You thought I chose Toby. I know. I didn’t choose him. I would never choose him over you. Never.’

‘I should have told you when I saw you at The Orchard. When Grayson brought you home. I should have-’

‘No. You shouldn’t have. I wasn’t ready to hear any of that back then. I am now.’

‘You forgive me?’

‘I love you. It wasn’t your fault. No more than it was mine. The past is the past. I forgive you, Gabriel. I love you. More than anyone or anything.’ I notice the black-gold ring with emerald stones sitting on his wedding finger. I take my hand and slide my fingers between his, letting our rings sit side by side. ‘Do you like the ring?’

‘I love the ring. I absofuckinglutley love the ring and I absofuckinglutley love you.’ He looks down at my blood-stained gown. ‘I need to know what happened. Who took you? Which member of my deranged family stole you on our wedding day? And what did they do to you?’

‘Gabriel?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Marry me?’

‘What?’

I look up at him and place our hands between us, remembering what he told me about a wiccan ceremony. And I make him my offer.

‘Will you take me as your wife? Will you choose me over all others, as I have chosen you for the rest of eternity? When you struggle to see the light at the end of the tunnel, will you let me sit with you in the dark? Will you accept the love in my heart, and keep it safe? Will you allow me to cherish yours in return, with upmost care and devotion? Will you love me forever, Gabriel Kendryk? Will you bind your soul to mine? Because mine has already bound itself to you. And it will never leave you. It is yours, as is my heart, my body, my everything.’ My engagement ring starts to glow. The light ebbs out and stretches across to his finger. It sits there, just above his engagement ring, waiting for his honest acceptance of my offer. ‘Will you marry me?’

He lets out a happy sob and beams at me, nodding his head eagerly. ‘Yes,’ he laughs. ‘Yes, I will! I absofuckinglutley will, Lilly Hooper. A million times over and for the rest of time, I will.’ The light sinks into his skin and creates a wedding ring in the form of a tattoo, etched onto his skin for the rest of his life.

Now his engagement ring glows, and the light stretches onto my finger. ‘Lilly Hooper, will you-’

‘Yes!’

‘You didn’t let me say anything,’ he chuckles. Behind him, Connor, Amara and Collins share a laugh at my eagerness. Gabriel takes a deep breath and tries again. ‘Lilly Hooper…’ He puts a finger to my lips to stop me from butting in. ‘I vow to stand shoulder to shoulder with you and help you carry any burden you may bear. I vow to fight for you, even when you struggle to find the strength to fight for yourself. I vow never to leave you. To never stop wanting you. And to never stop believing in you. I vow to protect you. To defend you. To hold you in my arms every night, and hold you in my heart for the rest of time. I vow, Lilly Hooper, that no matter what comes, I will choose you. I will choose your love. Your side. The sky will forever be pink. I will forever be yours. All I ask of you, is will you let me? Will you let me love you, unconditionally, forever, no matter what?’

He watches me, his dark and forever tousled hair hanging over his piercing blue eyes. The corner of his mouth hitches up in that sexy half-smile he looks so good in.

‘Absofuckingloutley.’

His magic settles into my skin and the same delicate mark appears on my finger, that sits on his. Our magic links and we feel each other’s innermost energy.

‘Mrs Kendryk.’

‘Mr Kendryk.’

We seal our vows with a kiss, a kiss I never want to end. My fingers slide through his hair and I press my fingertips into his temple.

‘Let me show you what happened. It will be quicker than telling you.’ His eyes fill with dread. ‘It’s not pleasant, my love. Just know I’m okay now. Remember that, okay?’

He nods and closes his eyes.

And I show him my week of misery.

He sees my journey in the trunk of the car. Of Hendrix and Grayson taking me into the hotel room. He watches the discovery of the chest and how my memories returned.

He sees me attack Grayson, taking his eye in my frenzied attack.

He sees Grayson assault me.

He learns that Hendrix betrayed us all and watches as Toby takes me. He sees my torment in his cellar and witnesses my escape. He sees me kill Ava. Brand Grayson. And return Tobias to his former self. And he sees how close I came to succumbing to my Break.

When I let him go, he blinks at me, lost for words.

‘Grayson… he…’

‘Yes.’

‘And Toby, those videos…’

‘I know.’

‘Lilly… I am so sorry… I… I…’ He looks down, and he can’t help but smile. ‘Oh my god!’

Yes, I showed him a lot of pain and misery. He witnessed true cruelty and disgusting actions at the hands of his so-called “brothers”.

But I also showed him what helped me get free.

His hands slide down the length of my arms and rests on my belly. He looks down at where they lay and he lets out a single, short, sharp breath.

‘You fixed me?’

‘I did, yeah.’

‘You’re… You’re…’ He lifts his head. ‘We’re pregnant?’ His words are almost pleading? Begging for me to be telling the truth.

‘Yes. We are,’ I laugh, resting my hands over his and nodding. ‘I felt her little heart start to beat a few hours ago and her connection to the Arcane realm is already there. She got us out, Gabriel. She saved us both!’

‘Her.’ He falls to his knees so he’s level with his unborn baby. ‘You think she’s a she?’

‘Oh yeah,’ I nod with certainty. ‘Totally a she.’

‘She,’ he whispers, ‘Yeah. She’s totally a she. Our little girl, already saving her mummy.’

He’s back on his feet and kissing me again. His tears of joy land on my skin. His body presses into mine.

I am truly, truly home.

∞∞∞

The Nomads continue funneling in through the tunnel and I heal the mortally wounded as they pass. My fire is still separating us from the Hunters who have no other choice but to remain stuck behind the supernatural flames. Through the crowd, Jensen joins us, rushing to me and giving me a loving hug. I heal his cuts and bruises, despite his attempts at batting my hand away.

‘That wolf of yours…’ He glances over his shoulder to where my wolf lingers. ‘Saved my arse more than once.’

‘Good.’

‘YOU!’ Gabriel roars furiously. ‘YOU FILTHY PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT!’ He’s gone white with fury and he’s off before anyone can stop him. Not that anyone particularly wants to. ‘You tried to rape my pregnant wife?! On my wedding day?!’ he bellows, steaming towards Grayson.

‘He did what?!’ Jensen goes to attack, but I hold him back.

‘This is between them,’ I tell him. ‘And it’s a long time coming. I got my revenge on Grayson for what he did to me. Now, it’s up to Gabriel to decide his brothers fate.’

Connor, Collins and Amara join us.

‘He is the new Coven Leader.’ Collins says. ‘Gabriel needs to set the standard. Everyone knows what Grayson has done now. The Nomads need to see what happens to men like that.’

Everyone very wisely gets out of Gabriel’s path. The passing Nomads slow, and together, we watch the beating Gabriel delivers to his brother. And it’s brutal. He delivers punch after punch to his face, his chest, his gut. Grayson’s face is bloody and swollen. But Gabriel keeps pulling back his fist to deliver more. No one steps in to help Grayson. Not a single person. And when Grayson falls at Gabriel’s feet in a bloody heap, Gabriel stands over him breathing slow and steadily.

‘How dare you touch her.’

‘It was a m-mistake,’ Grayson stutters through his blood-filled mouth. ‘It will never happen a-again.’

Gabriel’s eyes go black. ‘Is that the truth?’ he asks. ‘If you could, would you try to rape my pregnant wife again?’

‘You’re pregnant?!’ Jensen blurts. ‘You got married and you’re pregnant?!’ His brow is so raised, it’s almost disappearing into his hairline. ‘I leave you lot for an hour, and I get a son in-law and a grandchild.’ His hand grips mine and he shows me a stunned little smile. ‘Congrats?’

‘Yeah,’ I laugh. ‘Congrats.’

‘WELL?’ Gabriel orders.

‘YES!’ Grayson replies. ‘I would, and I would make her suffer every second for what she has done to me! I would carve her up and make her scream!’ He cries at his inability to stop his confession.

‘Gabriel can compel Grayson’s words?’ I gasp.

‘Yeah,’ Amara replies quietly, not taking her eyes off the brothers. ‘When you left, he realised his powers were stronger than ever. Connor thinks that when you healed him, you gave his powers a boost too.’ She gently nudges me and glances at my belly. ‘I mean, you did fix that pesky infertility of his. Guess it’s possible you enhanced his link to the Arcane Realm too.’

We all turn, and watch Gabriel.

‘You will never change, Grayson. Open your legs.’

Grayson eases them open as he lays sprawled on his back. He watches his brother with fear. Something that suits him remarkably well, I think to myself.

‘Take down your trousers.’

Grayson’s fingers fumble with his flies, but he obeys his brothers command. Gabriel then produces a knife from his jacket pocket and thrusts it into Grayson’s hand.

‘My whole life, you have only ever wanted three things. Those three things have defined you and given you purpose. They’ve turned you into the cruel, evil bastard that now lies at my feet. The first, to be the most powerful coven leader to ever exist. The Nomads have renounced you. They want nothing more to do with you. And now, Lilly has branded you. So that particular dream of yours will never happen. The second, is to be loved. Now everyone sees the real you, and no one will ever love you. And third.’ Gabriel gestures to Grayson’s crotch. ‘To father children with the most powerful bloodline possible. Your obsession with tying Kendryk magic with Arcane power has dominated your entire existence. Now you will never have children.’ Gabriel leans down by Grayson’s head and issues his next order with upmost malice. ‘Put the blade to your balls.’

Slowly, Grayson’s hand slide beneath his boxers. The knife held fast in his hand. They never break eye contact.

‘P-please,’ Grayson whimpers. ‘Don’t do this.’

‘Lilly said those words to you. Remember? When you held her down, and forced your fingers inside her? The woman I love, wearing her wedding dress, and carrying my baby and you! You-’

‘I saved her. T-Toby was going kill that baby. I would never put that child at r-risk.’ He swallows a load of blood so he can carry on pleading. ‘Gabriel… Brother… Please have mercy.’

‘You lost the right to call me Brother a long time ago.’ Gabriel nods to the blade. ‘Cut. Them. Off.’

‘P-please…’

‘Now, Grayson. Cut them off!’

I hear a snip and Grayson seals his mouth shut to stop the agonised scream he produces from being heard across the slowly passing crowd. Thick blood starts seeping from between his legs and his body starts to shake from shock.

‘Put them on the floor,’ Gabriel orders, getting to his feet and pointing at the spot beside Grayson’s head. Grayson does as commanded and places his severed manhood in the dirt, looking at them in utter horror. ‘Now watch, Brother.’ Gabriel lifts his head and projects his voice clear across the others. ‘This is what happens to men who rape woman. Who beat them and torture them. Who take their magic and threaten to kill those she loves with death if she dares disobey. This…’ He points at his brother. ‘Is what happens. And if you have a problem with it, I suggest you leave this coven. Does anyone have a problem with it?’

‘No, sir!’ They reply in booming unison as they pass. Gabriel looks down at Grayson. We all head over to join him by his side. I let go of Jensen and slide my hand into his instead.

‘No magic.’ I tell Grayson.

‘No coven.’ Collins says.

Gabriel lifts his boot and stomps it down on Grayson’s testicles. ‘And no children.’

As Grayson’s eyes close, before he falls unconscious, he looks at us all in turn, and warns that he’ll kill us for this.

‘You can try,’ I reply. His eyes close and he falls still at our feet.

Gabriel pulls me into a hug and kisses the top of my head. ‘I should have done that five-hundred years ago,’ he sighs. ‘Are you okay, Beautiful?’

‘I am now I’m here with you.’

‘G-Gabriel?’

Gabriel’s whole body stiffens as he hears Tobias’s nervous voice.

‘If you want to do the same to me, I will lay at your feet willingly.’

Gabriel doesn’t even turn.

‘I deserve to be punished,’ Tobias adds in a shameful whisper, which turns into a swallowed sob. ‘I want to be punished.’

‘Lilly has decided your fate. And if it is ever to change, it will be her decision. Not mine. Your life belongs to her. You may have your soul once more, Toby. But what you have done will never be forgotten or forgiven by me.’ He looks over his shoulder to his younger brother. ‘You were moments away from taking the life of our unborn child. You took her from me, Toby. Twice. If you ever seek forgiveness, I assure you, you won’t find it here. Lilly wants you to know what you have done and live with the guilt for the rest of your life, so that is what you will do. You are dead to me.’

Tobias nods and steps back, looking heartbroken at the floor as tears stream down his cheeks. He has the look of a man who would welcome death. Who longs for the silence and darkness.

He shall never have it.

And now, as I look at him, a completely different man than what he once was, I feel guilty. The cruelty and hatred, the need for vengeance that filled me when my Broken-self got too close, it was all consuming. Is it really this same man’s fault? Can he be blamed for the actions of his Broken-self? Tobias lifts his gaze and our eyes meet.

‘Are you okay?’ he mouths.

I smile at him and nod. It’s the first genuine smile I have ever shown Tobias Kendryk and the sadness in his eyes lessens ever so slightly.

Gabriel orders Grayson to be loaded onto a stretcher and guarded closely before we all gather in a circle. The Nomads carry on passing, bowing and giving their thanks as they pass. My wolves still prowl between them, checking they’re safe as they descend into the darkness of the tunnel, and lighting their way, guiding them to safety. My flames follow their backs as they retreat into the tunnel, away from the threat of the Hunters. But the Hunters are following the flames closely, slowly sauntering after them so close but unable to reach us. I start walking towards them, through the throng of people. The others all follow.

‘Should we really be heading towards these people?’ Amara asks nervously.

‘I think I need to introduce myself. And ask them where the fuck they have taken our people. You can stay back.’

‘You go, we go,’ she states firmly.

‘How did they find you anyway?’

‘Theo,’ Gabriel mutters, watching me closely with his hand around my waist. I feel how he holds my weight. ‘We shouldn’t be doing this. We need to get you girls away from these men. Neither of you are in any condition to be-’

‘I am not running away from these people!’ Amara bites back. ‘They just murdered my friends and have kidnapped my dad. He may be an arse hole, but if anyone gets to torture and kick his arse, it’s me.’

Gabriel and Collins share a look.

‘Hey, if you two wanted girls that did as they were told, you shouldn’t have chosen two of the feistiest and stubborn girls on the planet.’ Jensen flashes me an affectionate wink, making me laugh.

‘Is Theo here?’ I ask Gabriel, looking up at the hill to my left and then to my right. The explosion from the helicopter crash is still burning bright, but the Hunter numbers remain impressive. ‘I can’t sense him here.’

‘We haven’t seen him. I doubt he would risk his safety by coming here. Which is a sentiment I hold for you as well.’

‘Gabriel…’

‘I’m pretty sure it’s just the Hunters,’ he sighs, giving in to the knowledge that I will not walk away so easily.

We reach the wall of fire and I stop it from moving any further. The last of the Nomads pass us, and I take a moment to heal those who most need it. Afterwards, I stand, and I face the Hunters.

We all do.

Me. Gabriel. Amara. Collins. Connor, and my father. Side by side.

And on the other side of the flames are countless faceless masks, all looking at us. They part, clearing a path for an enormous man almost seven feet tall, wearing a thick, black, leather jacket and heavy military boots. His mask is dirty with small chips around its edges, and on the forehead, are the words “Never” written in what I am pretty sure is dried blood. I assume he is their leader. He places himself opposite me.

‘So,’ he sighs, lifting his mask and looking me up and down.  There is a large scar trailing from the top left of his forehead, all the way to his jaw on the opposite side. His skin is leathered and tough, with thick stubble covering a heavy jaw. ‘You must be the great Arcane.’

‘Where are the people you have taken?’

He points the gun at my face and fires. The fire destroys the bullet before it can pass and he looks disappointed. Gabriel bristles with anger beside me.

‘You will never get through this wall,’ I tell him. ‘And I could kill you all from exactly where I am. So how about we just try and-’

He starts shooting again. He fires bullet after bullet, all the while looking me in the eye almost bored. He stops.

‘We’re not your enemy. You are victims of a curse. The mark you are branded with, it creates all this hatred you feel and-’

Again, he starts firing. The loud pops from each shot drowns out my words. When I stop talking, he stops shooting.

‘We don’t want a war.’

‘You aren’t gonna get a war, whore.’ He shrugs and starts casually reloading his gun. ‘This is an extermination. You’re gonna get destroyed. We aren’t interested in defeating you. We want you gone. For good. Forever.’ He takes his time loading his chamber. ‘We’re gonna kill your men. We’re gonna kill your women. And we’re gonna kill your kids, too. We’re even gonna kill your dogs, your cats and whatever else any of you have ever touched or looked at in your miserable and disgusting lives.’

‘If you leave us be, we will be no threat to you. Return the people you have taken, and we will walk away.’

He pulls down his mask and points to the word scrawled across it. ‘When the vermin ask for mercy, what do we say?’

The whole crowd surrounding him below one word in unison.

‘NEVER!’

‘When they beg us to spare their lives. What do we say?’

‘NEVER!’

‘And when they dare ask for a truce, what do we say?’

‘NEVER!’ They roar.

He lifts his mask and finds it all so amusing.

He points up on the hill, where several of them stand with cameras. ‘Already got some footage of you lot killing some of us. It’s all been sent to the news stations.’

‘You’re the ones killing us! You’re the ones who attacked us! Kidnapped us!’

‘Humanity’s scared of you.’

‘Because you tell them we’re all monsters.’

‘You’re covered in blood. You tellin’ me you ain’t a monster?’

‘Not right now I’m not,’ I snarl through my teeth. ‘But if you refuse to return the people you have taken, that may change.’

‘You wanna see your fellow scum again? Tune into channel three at eight pm. You can watch their executions live on air. Along with the rest of the world. They’ll see you killing us with your wolves and your fire.’ He looks past me, to the rock monsters guarding the tunnel. ‘And whatever the fuck they are. And when they see all your bodies piled up and burnt, they’ll thank us. And if you choose to stand against us and fight, they’ll hate you even more than they do now. So just lower this wall of yours and die with a little dignity.’

I step forwards, defiant and absolute. I run my finger along my forehead. ‘Never.’

He starts shooting again. Every single time I open my mouth, he pulls the trigger.

‘They won’t listen to you,’ Gabriel says quietly in my ear, guiding me away from the wall and the infuriating man that keeps trying to shoot me in the face. ‘They think of us as cockroaches. We’re pests and vermin. That’s all. Please, believe me when I tell you they will never show us mercy or let us speak of a truce. It’s a waste of time and there’s no way we could trust any promises they would ever give us. We need to find out where the people they took have been taken, and then we need to leave.’

‘We need to kill them.’ Jensen argues. ‘Those bastards murdered all my people!’

‘The only one with the strength to kill them all is Lilly, and such a violent act will only feed the Break inside her.’

‘We don’t need to kill them. We need to get our people back and hide until I can finish the spell. Once we are gone, the Hunters mark will lose its power. These people are just under its control.’ I look at them all, prowling back and forth like starving lions. ‘They’re under Theo’s control. He’s the real enemy here. He’s the one that wants to wipe us all out so he can do his spell. He’s the one responsible for the Hunter’s mark and the effect it creates.’

‘I’m sorry…’ Tobias looks at me with a brow raised. ‘What?’

Everyone ignores him.

‘I’ll get the location of the prisoners and we will save them. And we’ll just have to wait it out until the Blood-moon.’

‘Okay, Beautiful. We ask, and then we leave with the rest of the Nomads. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you nose has been bleeding from all this magic. You need to take care of yourself.’ He glares between Amara and I. ‘You both do.’

Collins rests his hand on Amara’s belly lovingly and she lights up with joy.

The last of the Nomads have stopped by the entrance of the tunnel. They’re all gathered around someone. The stretcher carrying Grayson has been left by the entrance, guarded by two Nomads.

‘I’ll go see what the problem is,’ Collins says, kissing Amara before heading towards them. Connor follows.

‘And I’ll go and get the location of the prisoners,’ Gabriel leans into kiss me.

‘I can ask,’ I insist.

‘Didn’t they tell you? I am suddenly very persuasive.’ He leans in with his half smile and takes hold of my hips. ‘You let me talk to the genocidal maniacs, wife. You just take a breather and focus on growing our daughters nose. Trust me, you have done your duty and then some.’

‘Okay,’ I concede, kissing him before he leaves. I glance at Jensen and nod for him to go too. He smiles and jogs after Gabriel.

I can’t believe it. We’re going to leave here together. I’ll have my family by my side, and I will complete the spell and secure a safe life not just for my child, but for us all.

Grayson is neutralised.

Tobias is under my control.

Hendrix and Ava are gone.

I have my father back.

I have a husband. I have our child growing inside me.

I have my magic, and I’ve ensured that I will never lose it again. I am the most powerful person alive and nothing can stop me from saving us all.

I hear a loud and hard slap. I spin round to see Tobias holding his face and Amara raising her hand, ready to deliver another blow.

‘You filthy scum-bag,’ she hisses. ‘You have some nerve even breathing the same air as that girl, let alone looking at her like a pining puppy.’

He lifts his head ever so slightly and she strikes him again, descending on him with a formidable hatred. He cowers back, keeping his face down.

‘Don’t even think about speaking. Don’t you dare. Everything you have done. How can you live with yourself?!’

‘He can’t,’ I tell her, looking at him as he shrinks away. I walk towards them both. Tobias keeps his eyes on the ground, but I see his tears land on the grass by his feet. ‘Tobias?’

Slowly, he lifts his head. He’s barely a husk, utterly consumed with guilt and suffering.

‘I compelled your humanity to return in the hope it would punish the man who did all those things to me. I see now, after almost losing myself to my own Break, that you are not that man. You are innocent-’

‘I am not innocent.’ His words are firm. ‘There were times when I could have returned, Lilly. Times when I felt that I had control.’

‘And you chose not to?’

‘I chose not to,’ he admits. ‘Because I knew what I had done. And I knew I couldn’t live with it.’

‘So, when we were at the barn, and your eyes started to change…’

‘Not then. No.’ He shakes his head adamantly and steps closer. ‘Not then. I was clawing at that monster, desperately trying to get control. I tried so hard… But then Ava started yelling and my Broken-self took over again. His fear of death was unrivaled. The prophecy handed down from my mother has dominated his life.’

‘So, when did you fight the Break, but let it win?’

‘On the first day we kissed,’ he says. ‘On the day, your first told me you loved me. And then once more, when you told me you didn’t. And that you loved Gabriel instead.’

‘Poor you!’ Amara snaps, shoving him in the shoulder and stepping between us. ‘Boo-fucking-hoo. You listen to me, demon, you stay away from her. If you want to try and make it better, you spend your days protecting her, her husband, and their baby. From a distance. Preferably from a different continent.’

‘My life is hers to do with as she wishes. From now until she decides to end it.’

‘Well…alright then.’ She steps back and looks at me, not quite knowing what else to say.

‘Tobias, can you go and see what the problem is over by the tunnel?’ I ask.

With a small bow, he heads over, rubbing his cheek as he goes.

Amara takes my hand.

‘So… whose blood is that on you dress?’

I look over at Gabriel and Jensen who are approaching the flames. ‘Ava’s.’

‘You killed her then?’

‘Amongst other things.’

‘And… Hendrix?’

‘Gone. Currently desiccating slowly after I compelled him to rip out his own teeth.’

‘Jesus…’ she whispers. ‘I kinda wish I’d have been there to see that.’

‘No.’ I look at her and shake my head. ‘You don’t. Trust me.’

She puts on her “It will all be okay” smile, and we return to watching Gabriel. The Hunter-leader slides his finger across his neck and laughs as Gabriel approaches, and then they start firing at the flames once more. No bullets get through. I won’t let them.

But even as they shoot, I notice that the leader keeps glancing behind Gabriel intermittently. But always in the exact same place.

‘What is he looking at?’

‘Who?’ Amara asks.

‘LILLY?’ Collins calls over. He starts waving for me to join him.

Amara and I head over.

‘So, I was thinking, you know what would be really cool?’

‘What?’

‘If we all live together when this is over. Like… Maybe we could build two cottages next to each other so we can have breakfast together and see each other whenever we wanted. We could share the same garden too. So that our kids can play together whenever they want.’

‘That sounds like an amazing idea.’

‘Yay!’

When we reach the group, there are a dozen Nomads gathered around a man, sitting on the floor. He’s in his late thirties, pale and shaking, and sweating like crazy.

‘He doesn’t seem injured,’ Collins tells me. ‘But he won’t get up and refuses to speak.’

‘What’s your name?’ I ask him, crouching down. He looks into my eyes but his mouth stays closed.

‘His name is Giles.’ One of the women in the crowd says. ‘He’s my husband. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Since the attack, he’s been like this.’

‘Giles?’ I rest my hand on his forehead. He’s sweating but there’s no fever. ‘Are you hurt?’

He just keeps watching me, his body shaking.

‘If you are unwell, I can heal you. But I need to know what the problem is.’

Silence.

‘Can you at least get up? We need to keep moving, Giles. It’s not safe here.’ I reach over to help him up. In a surprise move, He wraps his arms around me in a hug. When Collins goes to take him off me, I hold up my hand and stop him. ‘It’s okay. I think perhaps he’s in shock.’

‘Giles,’ his wife pleads. ‘Danny is in the tunnels with my sister. He’ll be scared without us.’

‘Danny?’

‘Our son,’ she tells me. ‘We sent them on ahead.’

I try to pull back from Giles. But he refuses to let me go. I try again, but no, he will not let me go. He shakes his head and digs his nails into my back.

‘OW!’ I shove him off and watch as he scrambles back towards me. Collins grabs him and pins him to his chest. He thrashes violently.

Angrily.

‘Something’s not right. He’s not hurt. And he’s not in shock.’ I rest my hand on his temple, and dive into his mind.

Swiftly, I let go.

‘He’s human!’

‘So?’ His wife says, clearly distressed. ‘There’s no law against marrying a human, is there? We’ve been together almost ten years. He’s one of us.’

‘No. No he’s not!’ I prize my fingers into his mouth, but he has no mouth! It’s been sewn shut from behind his lips. He starts beeping, and a red light starts flashing from inside his cheeks. ‘Collins, get away from him! Everyone… get away from him! NOW!’ Collins lets him go, grabs Amara and rushes back. Tobias has leapt in front of me with his arms wide and started pushing me further and further back. With my magic, I hold Giles in place. ‘BOMB!’ I shout. Giles is furiously trying to get to me, reaching out his hands and clawing at the air. His feet slide in the grass but he doesn’t get close. I look to Gabriel and Jensen, who have started running back to us.

‘What’s going on?’ Gabriel asks when he reaches me.

‘He’s a human!’

‘Giles? Yeah, he’s harmless.’

‘He has a bomb sewn into his mouth! He’s been affected by the Hunter’s mark.’

‘He does?’ He looks at the raging Giles. ‘But, he hasn’t come into contact with any Hunters. The Nomads haven’t left the camp for weeks. Not since the house blew up. They’re thirty miles from civilisation.’

‘Tell that to the fucking bomb in his… wait. How many humans are members of the camp?’ I look down into the tunnel. The beeping gets quicker. His wife is screaming, pleading for someone to do something. ‘Gabriel… How many humans could be in that tunnel with bombs in their mouths?’

‘Dozens…’ he whispers, horrified.

The beeping suddenly turns into a long, single beep. Giles’ eyes widen, and then… BOOM!

He explodes, sending us hurtling through the air. The ferocity of the explosion was immense. I quickly sit and rush to my feet, running towards the tunnel. The ground starts to tremble. A low rumbling echoes into the night. And I watch in horror as the hill starts to collapse. The tunnel disappears and dirt, rock, soil and dust flood outwards.

Giles’ wife is screaming in a dire panic, running towards the rubble, screaming her sons name.

I can’t believe it! They’re all… they’re dead! All those people we just herded into that tunnel… gone! Buried alive. Crushed. Obliterated.

Everyone has rushed forwards and started to dig through the rock. I stand, mouth open and tears falling, stunned into silent agony.

A loud and pain-filled cry fills my ears. Collins is wailing, howling like a dying beast. I run towards him, lifting the hem of my dress and sprinting as hard as I can to where he is kneeling on the floor, cradling someone. Amara’s lifeless body comes into focus. Everything slows down. I skid to a stop and fall to my knees beside him, placing my hands on her and channeling my magic into her. I look down at her in Collins’ arms. Her head is bloody, and there’s a sharp rock protruding from the ground, dripping red.

‘She hit her head,’ Collins sobs. ‘When the bomb exploded… She hit her head!’

I pour my magic into her as soon as I can. I try to heal her. I try and I try. Blood starts to slide down my nose. The others have gathered around us and I scream in the effort to bring her back.

But the life she once had has abandoned her already.

And so has the life she was so excited to tell me about.

Gone.

‘No… no… no-no-no-no-NO!’ I cry, shaking her as if that will wake her up and bring her back. ‘Wakeup! WAKEUP!’

I keep shaking her and shaking her, pouring my power into her body and screaming her name over and over. Tears pour down my face and a pain unlike anything I’ve ever felt grips my entire body.

Collins’ wails are so full of grief. He just holds her in his arms, rocking back and forth. Their hands rest on her belly. He kisses her over and over, crying her name. He sobs it and screams it.

And I can do nothing to help him.

There is no bringing her back.

I can’t bring the dead back to life.

Gabriel’s in front of me with my face in his hands, telling me to look at him. I do. And what he sees scares him.

Because my pain at losing her, at losing all of our camp when we were so close to freedom, is just too much to bear. And then, in the distance, I hear laughing. Hundreds of people, all the Hunters, they’re laughing and clapping, whooping and celebrating their triumph.

I start to breathe harder. Deeper. My tears of grief turn to tears of wrath. My heart starts to race. My head buzzes with the voice I’ve tried so hard to ignore. But now it’s all I can hear.

Amara was pregnant. She was good and sweet and kind. She was a better person than me. Than most. And now she’s gone. Her and her baby.

All those people, those children. Gone!

I dematerialise, and appear on the other side of the fire, in front of the leader.

He’s doubled over laughing, and only realises I’m there when he lifts his head.

I punch him, right through the chest. My fist goes through his ribcage. His eyes go wide and his mouth opens in a hollow “O”. I reach in my second hand and rip the Hunter’s chest cavity wide open. He falls at my feet, gurgling in his own blood before I turn to the rest of the Hunters. They raise their guns. I flick my wrist and each of their hands bend back, breaking their bones so they drop their weapons.

‘You want a monster?’ I snarl. ‘I’ll show you a fucking monster! Better yet, I’ll show you a witch!’

My wolves appear by my side. Seven great big beasts with flaming fur and molten lava falling from their lips. They snarl and bare their teeth at the men around me. Back at the tunnel, the rocks are reforming, and my rock-creatures are storming towards us, stomping hard into the ground as they come to join me.

‘Kill the witch!’ One of the Hunters orders. ‘KILL HER-’

The Hunter doesn’t get to finish his order. I reach out my hand and take control of his entire body. He goes rigid. I raise him up high so everyone can see him. And then I break every single one of his bones. Every. Single. One.

Two hundred and six bones snap and I drop him to the floor in a mangled heap.

‘Time to die.’

I unleash hell. The men on the hill all try to kill me.

They shoot. I stop the bullets and drive them through their skulls.

They throw grenades. I send them back.

My fire claims many. My lightening streaks down from the heavens in fierce and relentless streams. It covers many until they fall to the floor, blackened. I walk through them, tearing off limbs and snapping their necks with a twist of my wrist. The land beneath them drags them into the dirt and they breathe it into their lungs as they are swallowed whole. My wolves attack without prejudice or restraints. Their teeth tear at throats and their fire spreads onto flesh as if it’s been doused in petrol. The rock-creatures crush and pulverise, slamming their enormous arms hard into the ground, killing anyone beneath them. The ground runs red with blood. The air is filled with screams as all around me, Hunters die. For those who attempt to flee, I drag them back to me and they perish at my feet in as much pain as I can possibly create. All around me is death. It’s either been and gone, or still claiming its victim. Screams of torment fill the air. I show no mercy. All I show is what the world has shown me.

Evil. Cruelty. Pain.

I reach the top of the hill and stand before a man with a camera. He’s violently shaking but keeps on rolling. Behind me, the hillside is littered with the dead. Hundreds upon hundreds. Down in the valley, the others look on in shock and stunned silence at the carnage they’ve just witnessed.

‘Why are you still filming?’ I ask him, a smile on my lips as he trembles before me. My eyes blacken. ‘Tell me.’

‘I-it’s a live feed. The other Hunters are watching.’

‘Oh.’ I chuckle and take the camera, flipping over the screen so I can see myself. I laugh down its lens, knowing I’m being watched. ‘Hello there. Guess what? I’m coming for you next.’ That’s all I say before dropping it to the floor and killing the cameraman by twisting his head a full three-sixty degrees. He slumps onto the floor right in front of the lens. He’s all the viewers will see now.

I turn back to the others. To Gabriel and Jensen. To Connor. And to Collins who is still cradling his fallen love. A gust of wind blows my ashen hair across my face. One of my wolves starts circling me, nuzzling itself against my skin, but there’s no pain at its touch, despite the fierceness of the flame. Its red body is now pure black and its eyes, pure white.

The loss of Amara is buried deep. The suffering I’ve endured is pushed down somewhere inside me. And Gabriel’s desperate pleas for me to stop, go ignored. He tries to pass the fire separating us, but can’t.

My dress billows in the wind. The same wind that carries Collins’s grief clear through the air.

They will not get away with this. They will pay. They will all pay.

‘Lilly. My love! STOP!’ Gabriel pleads from down below. I dematerialise from here, and reappear before him. He takes a step towards me, his hands raised in surrender. ‘Stop. For the sake of our baby and for the sake of your soul. Stop! Come back to me. Baby… please… don’t give up. Don’t give in to the Break.’

With a swipe of my hand, Gabriel soars through the air away from me. My eyes narrow on Tobias and my fingers wrap around his throat.

‘I’m not done with you, Tobias Kendryk. Not by a long shot.’

‘If you go out there alone,’ Gabriel calls out, getting to his feet. ‘They will come after you. They will try and kill you and our baby!’

‘Then I guess I’ll just have to kill them first.’

‘Don’t do this! Don’t let the Break take you.’

‘Oh, Gabriel…’ I look at him and smirk. ‘I already have taken her.’

Gabriel’s eyes blacken, but before he can speak, both Tobias and I disappear.