The Hidden Gemstone

Chapter: 05

Alex’s POV:

Thud.

My eyes flew open.

I drew my eyebrows together and threw my covers aside, my body aching. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand.

01: 07.

I sat up and looked around in confusion. Unsure of where the sound had come from, I got up from the bed and squinted into the darkness.

There was still a wave of drowsiness over my mind, but it was gone when I heard the noise again. It was coming from the balcony. I slowly reached for my boots which rested near my bed, and strapped them on. I turned and slid open the door to the balcony, letting the cold air inside my room. I stepped out and looked around cautiously, my instincts shifting in a way I couldn’t comprehend.

But then, I heard the thud again, this time behind me. It was louder and clearer, causing me to whip around, but it was too late. The dark figure behind me slammed into me, my back colliding with the railing. I grunted and tried to push them back but they were too strong.

I tried pushing them away again humanly, but eventually, my anger got the best of me, pushing through my other emotions and taking over. No one disturbed my slumber. My irises changed their color to a blazing red which I knew stood out in the darkness.

The person – it appeared to be a man – wasn’t fazed. He only put in further force, trying his best to push me off the balcony. I tried putting in my own inhuman strength, but my body was still aching and longing for sleep. I’d drawn too much firepower and trained with the wind before it, so I still needed time to recharge.

I struggled, but he seemed to have his own inhuman strength. He pushed forth forcefully. The ground beneath my feet slipped, and my back ached as it rolled over the hard metal of the railing. A gasp escaped my lips as the world turned upside down, my body flipping over.

For a moment, I was in free fall, dropping through the cold wind before my body hit the ground, knocking the wind out of me. I grunted in pain as I tried to sit up, my instincts alarmed and up high, my inhuman senses ready to take over the humanity in them. My eyes blazed a deeper red as the man dropped to the ground in front of me and I was reminded of the battle in the warehouse. A single thought crossed my mind.

Ryan.

I got to my feet, ignoring the pain in my body. I glared at the man as he launched forward, his fist outstretched. I ducked, side-stepping his punch as I curled my own hand into a fist. Before I could bring it down though, I heard something soar through the wind behind me and my instincts forced me to turn though not fast enough. Pain flared up in my arm, spreading upward to my whole body. I clutched my arm and felt the coldness of the blade that had dug into it.

I staggered back a few steps when the man launched at me again. Just as he did that though, I heard the familiar sound of fire. My vision was filled with orangish flames a moment later, and I took a step back from it, turning to the source.

Cody stood there, fire streaming from his palms. His eyes blazed red, deeper than my own, as they were fixed on the man, glaring. A wave of relief passed over me, but it was brief as the man who’d thrown the knife at me, launched from behind me.

Fortunately, my instincts were quick to force my legs to the side this time, and all the man met was air. I grinned as I felt some of my energy return, despite the wound in my arm. I let my eyes blaze as they were and opened my palms, letting my hand drop from the wound. As I did so, I felt my hands prickle with heat and flamed shot up in my palms. I squinted in focus and directed the fire to the man who was now cowering back even though he knew that he wouldn’t stay dead for long.