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“What about Ivy? She’s—”
“I’ll take care of her.” He started the engine and slammed the door. “Do not leave them!” he shouted through the glass.
Jack gave a faint nod, but Darien barely saw it.
He was already ripping the car across the parking lot at one hundred miles an hour, flying around vehicles and fleeing pedestrians.
He screeched to a stop by the doors just as the windows lining the front of the store exploded, glass showering the pavement.
Darien got out, not bothering to shut off the car. He sprinted through the sliding doors—
And skidded to a halt among the wreckage inside.
Blood—everywhere. Most of the people were already dead, body parts scattered across the floor. The few who were still alive were hiding in the aisles, in storage closets and bathrooms, most of them injured. Darien felt like he was going to throw up as he looked for Ivy and Tanner, hoping like hell that he wouldn’t find any pieces of them on the floor.
He spotted Ivy by the tills, but the sight of her did little to ease the tightness in his chest. She was dragging herself across the floor with one hand, the other clutching the gaping wound in her thigh, as the creature—the same breed Darien had killed at the carnival, though slightly smaller—stalked toward her, blood dripping from its maw.
Darien attacked.
He threw the beast into the wall with his magic, the force of the hit splitting the concrete. The creature roared, thrashing under his hold as he pinned it there.
Darien held firm, though sweat was already beading on his skin, his heart pounding out a frantic rhythm that warned him he wouldn’t be able to do this for long.
Venom—he needed to get Venom into his bloodstream.
With slow and steady breaths, he made his way to his sister, blood sticking to his boots, and stepped in front of her, putting himself between her and the thrashing monster. The lights flickered again, threatening to plunge the store into darkness.
The stone embedded in the creature’s forehead was glowing amethyst. A monster of the Aether.
“Took you long enough,” Ivy joked, wincing in pain. She ripped the bottom of her shirt with blood-soaked hands and made a tourniquet for her leg.
“Where’s Atlas?”
“Here.” The hacker limped out of aisle three, clothes all torn up and bloody. Something colorful had splattered the front of his shirt and pants.
Lines of sweat dripped down Darien’s back as he focused on keeping the creature in place. With his free hand, he felt around in his jacket pocket until his fingers closed around the bottle of Venom.
Darien called into the store, “I would get out now if I were you.”
Those who were capable of walking hurried out, a pregnant woman and her crying children among them.
“Atlas, take the cap off, please,” Darien said, offering up the bottle of Venom.
Tanner twisted it off, though he had to try twice, the blood on his skin making his fingers too slippery.
There were barely two drops of Venom left—one for each eye. Darien tipped his head back and dripped them in, blinking as the drug stung the corneal surface of his eyes.
The creature’s roar shook the building, the rows of fluorescent lights sparking. Darien’s arm trembled with the strain of keeping it contained by his magic—magic that was once again invisible, now that the Veil was shut.
He blinked, long and hard. Black engulfed his eyes, arriving far slower than he’d like, thin lines that looked like tree roots sprouting to his temples and the tops of his cheeks.
Three deep breaths and a quick motion with both hands, as if he were ripping something open, and Darien tore the demon’s head in half. The crack of severed bone cut through the sudden silence.
Its body fell to the ground with a thud that shook the store, the stone in its forehead dimming. One pulse, two, and then the violet shade of the Aether faded away until it was completely clear.
“You’re getting really good at that,” Tanner said, bracing his hands on his knees with a wince.
“I’ve had more practice than I’d like.” He gripped Tanner by the upper arm. “You alright?”
