Every soldier in the Hummer laughed—a cold, psychotic laughter. “We’ve been working with them since before you were born. Since before your parents were born, and their parents’ parents. We come from a long line of hybrids who have ruled this world for millennia. You should feel honored that your DNA was chosen to extend the hybridization program.”
She spit in his face. “You disgust me,” she said as he wiped her spit from his eye. He grabbed her hair and shoved a piece of cloth in her mouth before taping it over with duct tape. She squirmed and squealed, but she’d been fully bound and gagged.
Finally, she slumped over to her side in exhaustion. Shame trickled from her brain into her heart. Why had she let herself get captured? Why couldn’t she remember how to harness the energy from one day to the next? She felt so much guilt and remorse that she couldn’t even cry.
Poor Rafe. She had left him again. She had asked him to follow her, to trust her power, and to believe she was capable of leading them, yet she allowed this to happen. Perhaps she really was weak. Perhaps she had made all the wrong choices. From day one, she’d been nothing but a dark cloud in Rafe’s life. No matter how much she loved him—and maybe because she loved him so much—she could never forgive herself for what had happened to his pack.
The Hummer bounced down the rutted freeway, and she recognized the city they sped through. This was Phoenix. They’d been feeding the zombies here. Did they feed zombies in every city to keep the putrid population alive? Cassie glanced over her shoulder at the back of the Hummer, where a large canvas sheet covered something bulky. She shuddered.
The car stopped in the middle of a business district similar to the one she’d exploded. The car door slid open, and the men filed out and opened the rear doors. Cassie craned her neck to see what was under the canvas cloth as it was pulled away.
Bile rose in her throat, and she almost vomited on the gag in her mouth. She looked away, but the image of deformed human corpses had already imprinted on her mind. Her womb hurt. She thought of the girls still trapped in the domes, some already giving birth to babies. Her mind caved in on itself as she began to understand.
How long had these hybridization programs been in place? Why were these deformed humans already adults? She couldn’t think anymore, only feel. The power of her disgust drove deep inside her, and suddenly she knew the way to her power again.
The energy dug deep into the earth, down to the core, where molten metal pulsed in the darkness. That energy shot up through her, heating her, fortifying her. It shot through the top of her head into the cool atmosphere and the deep freeze of space, where the universe raced at light speed in every direction.
The energy gathered and fell full force down through the top of her head and expanded from her belly like an atomic bomb. She closed her eyes tight as the explosion burst around her.
She could hear the screams of the soldiers as they were hit by wave after wave of her energy. The car exploded underneath her, sending her flying twenty yards down the street.
Her head crashed on the ground and blackness enveloped her mind. The next thing she knew, she opened her eyes to find herself lying on the boiling pavement, hands and legs still bound.
She struggled to sit. Warm liquid trickled from temple and down her cheek. Her head pounded, and her entire right side felt raw. She groaned under the gag, feeling half blind with pain.
Looking around, she found a jagged piece of metal a few yards away. Moving like a worm on the burning ground, she pushed herself down the street to the wreckage of the Hummer. Once she could reach the knife-like metal, she raised her arms and began to saw at the zip cord around her wrists. When it snapped free, she ripped the tape from her mouth and spit out the cloth.
Next, she sawed her feet free. Once liberated, she scrambled to her feet, and the full extent of her disorientation caught up with her. She staggered sideways and fell on her backside onto the curb.
Her hand went to the pain in her head and came away slick and red. Moments passed as her hearing slowly came back and her vision refocused. When she felt steady enough to stand, she started down the street, inspecting the damage.
Not only had she destroyed the Pyramid Corp. soldiers and their vehicle, she’d destroyed another zombie nest. Their dead bodies littered the business district where the soldiers had parked.
With her heart pounding in her ears, she examined the wreckage. She saw the strap of her leather gun holster under a car door. Reaching down, she gripped it and pulled it out. Her guns were still safely inside.
She wrapped it around her shoulders and buckled it. Now, where was her sword? Stumbling through the debris, she found her sword belt under the head of a dead soldier. She took it and wound it around her waist. She decided she might as well take all their weapons as well. She found a shotgun and a handgun, and then she came across a few boxes of ammo that she put inside a section of canvas.
With the shotgun slung over her shoulder, the gun in her other hand, and the ammo bag tied to her belt, she limped down the highway looking for Rafe.
Chapter 59
Standing in the middle of the highway headed north, not a mile from downtown Phoenix, Rafe’s Mazda pulled up in front of her. She let the shotgun slip to her side as she limped toward him.
The car stopped abruptly, and he ran out to her, scooping her up in his arms. He kissed her hard on the lips, and she passed out.
Cassie opened her eyes in the dark as the scenery zoomed by outside. She blinked. The pounding pain in her head had subsided to a dull ache, and the road burn on her side had been soothed. She found Circe sitting next to her in the backseat of the Mazda.
She took a deep breath and sat up.
“Welcome back,” Circe whispered.
“Thanks for the heals, Circe.”
“Of course, sister. You did well.”
“I screwed up. I should have bombed their asses the second I saw them.”
“Have compassion for yourself, Cassandra. You cannot have such unrealistic expectations of yourself.”
“Sure I can. I have to beat these motherfuckers. I want them off my planet. Them and their little abomination hybrids.”
“She’s right, Cassandra,” Rafe said from the front seat. “You need to take it easy on yourself. You can’t take them on singlehandedly. Have some patience.”
“Thank you, Rafe, but no. There is no time to baby me. I need to do what I am destined to do. What I was chosen to do by the Council of the Seventh House. If they would just show themselves and come kick some ass around here, maybe it wouldn’t be on me. But until then, it is.”
“The salvation of our planet isn’t just the responsibility of you or this Council of the Seventh House. It’s on all of us. All of us who used to be human, all of us who were born here and live here and plan to die here. This is our home. No matter if we are no longer human, it is still our home. That makes it our responsibility,” said Circe.
“Yeah,” said Selina and Clark at the same time.
“All right. I agree with you. Okay. Just give it a rest.” Cassie looked out the window at the passing scenery and realized they were no longer in the desert. The vegetation had become lush, tropical, coastal. She saw palm trees and oleander blooming.
“Are we in California?”
“We are. Not far from the compound.”
“Are we just going to drive up to the front gate and introduce ourselves?” Clark asked from the other side of the backseat. “Because that sounds like a good way to get shot.”
“What do you suggest, Clark?” asked Selina, leaning over the front seat to stare at him.
“We should get a read on these people before we just barge in,” Rafe said.
“Spy on them?” asked Cassie. “They seemed like we are all on the same team. That’s what I felt in the astral realm.”
“Be that as it may, we have no idea how they will react to outsiders. If it were my pack and a bunch of strangers walked up to our compound, I would detain them for question
ing.”
“Then why don’t we just let them detain and question us? If we spy on them and they find us, they’ll be even more suspicious. Plus the witch saw me. She’ll recognize me.”
“Cassandra, I want to do this your way, but I have my reservations.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
“I agree with Rafe,” said Clark.
Cassie and Circe looked at each other and frowned.
“Typical werewolves,” Circe said.
“Majority rules. Let’s just do this,” said Cassie.
They drove through what had once been national park land up a hill that bordered the farm. The Mazda struggled over the boulders and ruts in the dirt road but finally made it to the top. They piled out of the car and looked down at the dim lights of the farm compound.
Rafe examined the farm through the scope on the rifle Cassie had taken from the wreck.
“What do you see?” asked Clark.
“I just see a bunch of people hanging out around a campfire. Others milling about, doing chores, putting kids to bed. I can’t tell who is their leader.”
A click sounded behind them. “That’s because he’s right here, and I’ve got my rifle aimed right at you. Put the weapons down nice and easy, and no one gets hurt.”
They all put down their weapons and put their hands in the air in the universal sign of surrender.
“Now turn around,” the man said.
Cassie turned to see a dark figure illuminated only by the thin sliver of moonlight that reached him under the deep cover of cypress trees.
“I told you we should go introduce ourselves,” Cassie said.
“Shut up, Cassie,” Clark spit out.
“Don’t talk to her like that, Clark,” Rafe growled at him.
“All of you shut up,” said the man with the gun. “What are you doing here?”
“We heard your transmission on the radio as far away as Phoenix. Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t been found by Pyramid Corporation, broadcasting like that,” said Rafe
“What broadcast? I never authorized a broadcast.”
“I know it came from here because I spirit-walked to the source. It led me here.”
“Okay, folks, you’re coming with us. I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I intend to get to the bottom of it.”
Six other men came out of the shadows and shoved them into the back of a pickup. Two guards with guns sat with them. Someone started the Mazda, and it followed the truck down the mountain back to the farm.
They pulled into the compound through a crowd of shocked faces. They parked outside a three-story Victorian farmhouse, where Cassie’s group was pulled out of the back of the truck.
The guards pushed them up the stairs of the farmhouse and into a large front room, still furnished in comfortable, traditional furniture. The men pushed Cassie and her friends down on couches and chairs while the leader paced in front of them.
“What is this place?” Rafe asked.
“I ask the questions here,” the man said, his nose sniffing the air. “What are you? A wolf? Hum, yes. Three wolves. A witch. And… a human! Where did you come from, girl?”
“The Denver dome.”
“You came from a dome?” he asked skeptically.
“Cassandra is chosen of the Council of the Seventh House,” said Circe.
“She is, is she?”
“That’s what I’ve been told.”
“And you came here why?”
“Because I thought you could help me liberate the L.A. dome.”
The man threw his head back and laughed. For the first time, Cassie took in his appearance. He was tall, broad chested with strong arms, and in his late twenties. His face reminded her of a young Brad Pitt. He had a slim waist and long blond hair that fell down his back in soft waves. His eyes were so piercingly blue that she could see their vibrant color even in the dim light of the living room. He was no wolf. He was something else entirely.
“What are you?” Cassie asked him as he laughed at her.
He opened his mouth, and a stream of fire puffed out a foot in front of him. She sat up straight, her heart racing. She’d met his kind before, and killed it: a dragon.
“A dragon leads a group of integrated shifters,” said Rafe in a tone of awe and disbelief.
The dragon stopped spraying fire and crossed his arms over his chest. “And why wouldn’t I?”
“Because all the other dragons I’ve ever heard of or seen have been mindlessly violent—in human form, let alone dragon form.”
“Most of our kind are like that, yes. But I am not. Now, what makes you believe you can liberate a dome?”
“I was shown how during a spirit-walk in the fourth dimension.”
“Interesting. But I’m more interested in how you came here. You said something about a radio broadcast.”
“We heard a woman speaking your coordinates on the radio.”
“Someone bring me Emilia, and bring her witch girlfriend, too. Those two are more trouble than they’re worth.”
Chapter 60
A short, skinny girl with thick glasses and mousy brown hair walked awkwardly into the room, followed by an imperious-looking witch. She had the pale skin and long black hair of the witches Cassie knew, but she wore old-world, gothic-style clothing. She even had a spiked leather dog collar around her neck.
Cassie stifled a laugh. The witch reminded her of a rebellious teenager before the war. All she needed was red lipstick and black eyeliner. The young witch shot her an evil look, and Cassie shut up.
“Why are these people telling me they followed a radio signal here all the way from Phoenix, Emilia?”
“I… I just. Well. Brigid told me she had a vision that someone important would hear it. So…”
“And you didn’t bother asking me? Either of you?”
“Xavier, sir, I didn’t think you would believe me. I felt it was crucial to our cause, so I asked Emilia to do it. I take full responsibility. I forced her to do it.”
“No you didn’t,” said Emilia.
“Just shut up,” Brigid said to Emilia under her breath.
“I know the two of you well enough to know you are both equally responsible for this mess. I never should have let her keep that gear. Now, get out of here. I’ll deal with you later.” Xavier turned back to Cassie and her group. “All right, folks, I have a keen enough mind and a keen enough nose to tell when people are telling me the truth. We’ll find you a place to sleep for tonight. Tomorrow we will sort through everything.”
“What about my guns?” Cassie asked.
“We’ll discuss arming the strangers who had a gun pointed at our compound in the morning. Don’t try my patience, girl. Get them out of here before I change my mind.”
The guards led them out into the lines of tents and found them a large tent with empty cots and blankets. The five of them sat on their cots and stared at each other wordlessly. Cassie was just waiting for Clark to say something snide.
Before he could do it, someone opened the tent flap and handed them a small pot of beef stew and five bowls and spoons. They ate silently. Cassie would have been a lot happier if she’d had her guns.
In the night, Cassie crawled into Rafe’s cot and snuggled up against his warm, solid form. She nuzzled his chest and took a deep breath of his masculine scent. Waves of tenderness filled her as she held him close. He took a deep breath and enveloped her in his arms.
“Did I wake you?” she asked.
“It’s fine. I want you close.”
“Rafe. I feel like I keep leading you into trouble. Everything just keeps getting worse for you since you met me. Now we’re here, practically prisoners. I feel responsible.”
He kissed the top of her head and held her closer. “I’m a big boy, Cassie. I make my own decisions. I chose you the first day I laid eyes on you. I believe in this mission as much as I believe in you.”
“Do you trust this Xavier guy?”
“Don’t have much of a
reason not to, at this point. He’s been fair and even tempered. He’s handled the whole thing honorably.”
“I admit I have a hard time trusting a dragon after the last one we met.”
Rafe chuckled into Cassie’s hair, his voice low. “You aren’t the only one, Cassandra. But let’s give this guy the benefit of the doubt, based on his own actions.”
“Yeah. You’re right, Rafe. I’m sorry I don’t listen to you more.”
“If you listened more, you wouldn’t be you, my warrior-seer. Now, let’s try to get some rest.”
Cassie snuggled into Rafe’s chest and closed her eyes, listening to him this time.
Morning came with the clamor of voices and laughing outside the tent. The events of the last several days had caught up with Cassie despite Circe’s healing, and she felt like death warmed over. Everything ached, and the light through the tent flap hurt her eyes.
Rafe stirred beside her and rolled out of the cot, putting on his shoes. Cassie groaned, not wanting to get up. The others milled around the tent, getting their things together to start the day.
“You go, I’ll keep the bed warm,” Cassie groaned.
“This is the girl we followed all the way to California,” Clark scoffed.
“All right. I’m getting up. God.”
“It will probably be best if we don’t split up right now,” said Rafe. “We should present a united front in case Xavier wants to question us again.”
Cassie rolled out of bed, moaning. She pulled on her boots and missed the feel of slinging on her gun holsters. Following the rest of her group out into the piercing morning light, she could smell food. It wasn’t the wild-harvested desert food she’d been living on for two months. It was eggs and bacon and bread. Holy crap. Bread. Her mouth instantly watered, and she was happy Clark had goaded her out of bed.
They found the rest of the compound eating around a series of mismatched picnic tables with a line of tables off to the side for the food. The air was warm but not too hot, thanks to the ocean breeze. Eating outside was a pleasant-enough setup for such a large group of people.