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“We’re nearly there,” I tell the others. “I’ll park as close to the shield as I can. Nova, take Rev. Tanner, help Kole with the professor. I’ll hold off the hounds until you’re through the shield.”

Nova mutters, “Luther, you can’t. Not on your own.” But I shake my head and tell her, “Don’t argue, Supernova.”

When we reach the edge of the wood, the truck’s wheels spin on dry leaves as I slam on the brakes and park in the turn-out. Rev’s eyes roll when Tanner tells her we need to get ready to run. After losing so much blood, the fact she’s still conscious is a miracle.

In the back, Kole yells, “They’re coming. Move fast!” The professor is not conscious. He’s out cold and covered in deep ugly scratches.

Opening the door, Nova jumps out of the truck. Tanner does too and runs to help Kole heave Mack out of the back and carry him toward the shield. I help Rev down, then hand her over to Nova.

Sarah is still in the back. Nova shouts for her to hurry, and she snaps out of it, scrambling down and running toward the others. Ahead, six hellhounds round the corner. They stop in a line, scrape their feet on the ground, then run toward me.

As the others head for the shield, I create a line of flames in front of me—even though I know it won’t stop them, I’m hoping it might slow them down but it doesn’t, not even a little. They simply hurtle through it and head straight for me. I’m taking out one on my right when another leaps into the air. It’s aiming for my throat. I’m bracing for impact when flames hit the side of its face. Instantly, its jaw catches fire. It howls and the flames spread over its face, down its spine to its tail.

When I turn around, Nova is standing behind me. Her eyes are different. They’re wide and dark, and the fire in her hands is now bright white instead of flickering orange.

I’m about to tell her to run when she opens her mouth and screams. Lightning shoots from her fingers. The four remaining hounds in front of us stop, shaking while staring at her. Then as if it’s nothing, she uses the lightning to lift the truck six feet into the air, hurl it towards them, and slam it down on top of them.

There is a cracking sound as their bodies break, then a whimper, then silence.

I study Nova’s face. As I watch, the lightning fizzes away to nothing and her body droops with exhaustion. Her eyes are normal again, and I catch her as her legs buckle.

“What was that?” I ask, steadying her in my arms.

“I don’t know.” She shakes her head, staring at her fingers. “I just know I couldn’t lose another one of you.”

I smooth her hair from her face. It’s damp and her forehead is clammy. I want to kiss her. Desire, lust, and love for how fucking incredible this woman is washing over me. But it’s not safe. “We have to move,” I tell her, wrapping my arm around her waist. “Come. Quickly.”

* * *

When we reach the cabin, it’s like a field hospital in a war zone. Rev is slumped in an armchair. Sarah is helping to hold her hand in the air, presumably to stop the blood flowing so freely, but her breathing is shallow and her eyes only flutter when we walk in.

Mack is on the couch, but Tanner is struggling to get a good look at him. “Clear the table,” he says, standing up and waving at Kole. “Luther, help me lift him.”

I take Mack’s feet while Tanner takes his shoulders. Together, we manage to lift him onto the kitchen table. Tanner clicks a light into his palm and starts to examine the wound on Mack’s shoulder. He’s staring closely at it when Nova brings over a blanket and arranges it over the professor’s middle, covering his modesty.

As Nova smooths Mack’s hair, we all wait for Tanner to say something. He straightens up, shaking his head, and extinguishes the light. “I’ve never seen wounds like this before,” he says. “It’s like they’re infected already.” He points to the raised, angry skin around the scratches then grabs his medical bag from the countertop. “I need to clean them,” he mutters, almost to himself.

“I can do that,” Nova says, moving to take Tanner’s elbow. “Rev needs help too. Her hand…” She swallows hard. “If you tell me what to do for Mack, I can do it.”

Tanner meets her eyes. “Alright, Little Star,” he says, already taking small glass bottles from his bag. “Boil some water. Sprinkle this into it. Three teaspoons.” He hands her a bottle full of what looks like light gray dust. “Then use cotton swabs to clean the wounds. When you’re done, I’ll take a look.” He rummages again in his bag and takes out a bottle of pink pills. “Try to get him to take three of these. They’ll help with the pain and the infection.”

I follow Nova to the kitchen while Tanner starts on Rev’s hand. Rev cries out as he removes the bandage, and I hear him curse under his breath. Kole stalks over to me and stands next to me while Nova returns to Mack and follows Tanner’s instructions.

“We need to get out of here,” Kole says darkly.

“Nova destroyed the hounds,” I tell him. “She—” I frown, trying to put into words what exactly she did back there. “She moved the truck with lightning. Crushed them with it.”

Kole chews his lower lip. “She’s getting stronger,” he mutters.

“I think it was fear,” I tell him. “She thought they were going to kill me.”

“We still need to leave.” Kole unearths the whiskey bottle from below the sink and takes a long swig, then passes it to me.

“You think they’ll make it through the shield?”

“I think he’ll send more.” Kole meets my eyes. “He’ll keep sending them until they succeed. Now he knows her name. Now he knows she’s the one, he won’t stop until she’s dead.”

I don’t know how much of what Kole’s saying is summation and how much is from what he’s seen about the future, but I’m not going to argue. “We can’t leave until the professor’s healed,” I tell him.