Deviant (Blendling Trilogy #1)

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Lay a finger on my mum and I will make sure it's the last thing you do!" Cam threatened in a calm voice.
Everyone turns to look at him and I take the time to observe our mothers. They both look torn and haggard, but it's the collar around their neck that drives me crazy. The collars have spike around them and the spikes dug into their skin. I knew without being told that the spikes were discharging electromagnetic rays into their body. It was a crude and painful way to paralyze an Odda. Giovanni raises his hand and I notice he's holding a form of remote control. He presses a button and they both drop to the ground, seizing as if they'd been shocked. I literally saw red and beside me, Cam's wings come out to play.

The people around us gasp and back away as Cameron leaps into the air. I dig out two daggers from my boot and leap after him. He dives for the stage and I fly up to intercept the hunters above. I throw one dagger and it hits a hunter's throat. He topples out of the air and I charge the other two. I make quick work of them before dropping down. The tiles on the stage below crack at the impact. I join Cameron to dispatch the hunters surrounding him.

Around us chaos breaks out as the audience either dive for cover or try to escape the hall. I briefly notice that none of them joins the fray before heading for Giovanni.
"Roarke!" He cries. "So good to see you. You haven't aged a bit! What are you masquerading as now, incubus?" He's stuttering and stepping back as I stalk him. " I should have joined you when you offered eh"

I lunge and grab his hand, breaking the bones on his fingers as I snatch the control. He screams and drops to the ground, cowering.
"Where is Sanchez?" I ask harshly
"The Overlord has business in Washington." He says in a pathetic manner, rising from the floor. "Spare me Roarke for old times sake."
He pulls out a small pouch filled with some form of dust and flings it in my face before I can reply. I duck before punching his throat. Two men rush to his aid and while I battle them, he makes an escape.

I rush back to the stage to help Cam. He's facing off twenty men and I can see the twins fighting others. I'm proud to see that mum and Gerry are also fighting, despite the fact that they were obviously in pain. I turn off the control and the collars loosen before falling off their necks.  Giovanni must have radioed for backup because as the hall empties, more hunters pour in. From the corner of my eyes, I see Giovanni coming back to his seat. He's surrounded by men armed to the teeth. We are greatly outnumbered, at least eight to one but I don't care as I slash right, and them left.

"You shouldn't have attacked us. More hunters are on the way. You aren't leaving here alive" Giovanni boasts. Before I can answer, the window high up suddenly crashes and we all duck for cover.
"Hello son" a voice says and I'm surprised to see my father. "What did I say will happen if you got hurt?"  He asks in a voice used to address a child.

I notice that everyone in the hall, apart from the both of us, is frozen in action. He smiles at the awe in my eyes and snaps his fingers. Action resumed around us and he shoots off. He's a blur taking out all the hunters present. I look to the dais and see Giovanni pull out a gun and start firing randomly. He's trying to shoot Roarke. Ignoring the fight, I dash towards mum. A bullet clips my left shoulder but I ignore the burning pain. I realize that the bullets had been dipped in some kind of deadly poison. As I reach mum, another bullet zips pass me and hits her.

"No!" I cry as I catch her. I lower her to the ground and reach for the gift, forcing it into her. She gives me a drugged smile and reaches for my face. I press down on the wound as she bleeds out. I ignore my throbbing shoulder and cry.
"Be strong mum. I'm going to heal you" I cry, reaching to pull out the charm Jacqueline made, a rhinestone hanging off a platinum chain. I pull it out with my good hand and try to smash the stone. It doesn't break.
"Listen to me"mum gurgles and blood pours out her mouth.
"Tell me later" I cry and continue trying to break the charm.

Around us, the battle rages on. At some point, the backup Giovanni boasted about had arrived.
"How do I break the charm!" I scream in frustration. I could see black veins spreading through mum's body and I was alarmed.
"Say you wish to break free"  mum whispers. Instead of pain, she's feeling pleasure and smiling goofily.
I shout the spell and the rhinestone disintegrates. Placing my hand on the wound, I summon my healing. It pulls the bullet out but I know I'm too late. I see the black veins reach her eyes and slowly her eyes start to darken. I push more of my ability into her and feel something inside me snap. I scream in pain. It felt like someone just ripped out my heart. The pain is so overwhelming that I fall onto mum and pant. I feel hot liquid rushing out my nose and I know I'm having the worst nosebleed yet.

"Take my core" mum whispers in pain. The gift has stopped working because I'm barely functioning. "Please take it. It's too late for me, I can feel it in my heart. Save yourself son."
"No, I can't. I can heal you" I say, equally in pain. I'm burning up inside
"You can't and you know it. I love you baby. I won't allow you die with me. Everything I've ever done is to protect you. Take it"
"Please stay with me" I whisper in pain. I feel as if I'm burning, worse than the burning I felt in my birth mother's womb.
"You must be strong and brace yourself to do what must be done." A voice whispers in my ears
"No, no no!" I scream. Mum touches my face
"Please Ace. This way, you'll always have a piece of me with you." She says softly.

I place my hand over her heart and will her essence into me. She gives an unholy scream, jerks once and goes still. I just killed my mother!