The snake had returned. With its neck flared it swayed and hissed.
“Connor,” I whispered, reaching for him or the other him. I wasn't sure. “Is there more than one or is the poison messing me up?”
“Ugh, no, it's not just you.” He slowly knelt and lifted me into his arms. “Four are moving toward us.” He inched backward.
My vision cleared, and I bit back another scream. My blood chilled—fear of slithering serpents. Each one's tongue licked the air. Poison dripped from their fangs. Snakes. Everywhere.
They crawled toward us like a militia with weapons armed and bayonets fixed. It made little sense. Snakes weren't organized creatures. They didn't attack in groups unless you disturbed a nest hibernating.
And it wasn't warm enough for snakes to be out.
“Connor, put me down.” I needed to get my bearings. The poison seemed to have run its course, and although I was slightly weak, my mind was clearing.
“No way in hell.” He tightened his hold.
“Seriously, Connor.” I slapped his chest. “Think about it. Have you ever seen snakes in the winter? Like that!” I pointed to the satanic group, surprised that their elliptical pupils weren't glowing red.
He loosened his hold. I practically jumped free of his arms.
The serpents’ murky aura changed from black to brown to a deep shade of red. Their mixture of darkness and power screamed Gabriel.
I braced my feet wide and held out my hands toward them. I called forth my abilities. My power eased outward—either from lying dormant or because it was stronger, more vital than before. Either way, I was thankful.
“Aylin,” Connor called.
The snakes were inches from us, but I held tight. They masked a coward, and I felt Gabriel's power as their aura deepened to an even darker hue of red.
“Ipsum revelare.” I demanded. Reveal yourself.
The serpents halted. Their reptilian presence flashed. Slowly, they slithered toward each other, pairing and pairing again to form larger vipers. A wave of chills ran down my spine, tickling my skin.
“Stop!” I forced as much power as I could from my palms. A spark of light flew from my fingertips and dissipated in the air.
The largest serpent tilted its head, as if surveying me like delectable prey. A glint, almost amused, flickered in its eyes, only to be replaced by a menacing glare. Its powerful jaw jutted wider apart. It flung itself forward.
“No!” Connor grabbed for my arm, pulling me backwards.
The snake struck air, but came back hissing. Its cool demeanor was a stark contrast to the anger burning in its eyes.
Connor's touch had sparked another type of blaze—a will to survive, to have a chance at being us. A reason for fighting beyond that of duty. He glowed a cool translucent blue that was almost as white as the air around us.
But me? Well, I struggled to comprehend the changes happening so quickly.
My hair became fiery strands that flowed around my face. My hands glowed a blazing orange with tints of red. Hot air surrounded me. I sucked it in, craving the flames. I rose from the ground, floating like an avenging angel.
Connor's fingers linked with mine. His touch was cool, but the chill mingled with my heat to become icy hot. His eyes widened and he smiled. United, we were becoming what we were meant to be.
I held up my free hand. “Ipsum revelare.” Reveal yourself.
The larger snakes slithered into a single hoard, from which arose one massive snake. Each hiss unleashed a spark, and the sparks united into a tongue of fire that rose to a towering height. Thunder cracked and the flame finally transformed into the evil bastard behind this blitzkrieg.
Gabriel stood before me, his dark hair slicked back with too much hair treatment, his frown glowering. At one time, I imagined he was quite the charmer, but his evil had turned him into the vilest creature I had ever seen.
“How?” he asked.
“Thought you had us, didn't you?”
“Your power?”
This man took down my parents. Our loved ones. Our kind. Yet he couldn't even form complete sentences.
“Has returned.” I stepped forward, pushing Connor to the side, but he nudged me back. Our struggle to see who would protect whom. I was the enforcer. He was the beta. And we both wanted a piece of Gabriel.
“Gabriel, we warned you to halt your crusade or face the consequences.” Connor's hatred flowed through every word. The muscles in his arms tightened.
“And what are you going to do about it, boy? You're nothing.” Gabriel spat out the words.
Connor's gray eyes darkened to the shade of smoke. I'd never seen him so angry, so ready to kill. It was such a contrast to his normal laid-back demeanor, and I liked it. Really liked it.
His essence flowed into our connection until his anger and my power melded together.
“Now, her,”—Gabriel pointed a scarred hand at me—“she is something I've never seen before.”
Dark tendrils wrapped around him. Images of darkness flashed through my mind. The black char I had pulled from Connor. The black crows that flew over the octagon the night Luna and I pulled the black chars from my body. Now? Those same tendrils freely joined with Gabriel—their hold on him similar to the translucent, glowing bond between mine and Connor's imprints.
Connor, the char. I used our bond to communicate with him.
I know. That's how he took your power. Without it, he won't be as powerful. Somehow, it heightens his abilities.
So how do we—
A whoosh interrupted me. Gabriel lunged forward with a flaming black sword. I sidestepped, but not quickly enough. The blade sliced into my upper bicep. I bit back a scream.
“Aylin!” Connor slammed Gabriel to the ground, following through with a few jabs.
“Just a flesh wound.” I doubted Connor heard me. He was as consumed in his attack as a champion UFC fighter. I admired his fluid grace during the battle.
When Gabriel wielded another sword, I intervened. “Enough!”
Both men fell to their knees, shaking with the effort to break free of my mental hold on
