Sweetest Dreams

Chapter Sixteen

When I walk out of the movies when it is done, all I see is chaos. As I look around in shock, I notice that it is a mix of guardians and Hunters fighting each other. I try to see if I can see anyone that I know and spot Justin and Claire fighting their way to where I stand. I stand there stunned for a couple seconds until a Hunter tries to attack me. When they come at me, my years of self-defense lessons kick in and I quickly act to defend myself. By the time Justin and Claire reach me I've rendered him unconscious.

"Kayla, come on we have to get you to safety," Justin says grabbing my hand and pulling.

"No," I say tugging back. "I can fight. I need to fight, I won't stand back and let people hurt while they try and defend me. I'm going to fight," I say when I see that they are about to argue with me.

"We have orders to get you to safety," Claire says, firmly.

"No, I'm fighting. Now let's help," I say passionately.

I see a hunter come up behind Claire and try to catch her off guard, my protective instincts kick in and I quickly push her aside before he can hurt her. As I push her aside he tries to punch me. I nimbly dodge out of his path and sweep his feet out from underneath him. He jumps to his within seconds of falling and tries to punch him again; when he does I move under his defenses and bring my knee up between his thighs. As he drops I punch him in the jaw and he stays down. I look around to see what is happening and see a large group of guardians running to help the guardians who are already fighting.

I rush and join the fight using everything I have and it all moves in a blur. Only small things standing out like, Claire rendering with guardians unconscious, a guardians laying on the ground unconscious. It takes hours but the fight finally starts to slow down and some of the hunters even start to retreat.

I am looking around at everything that is in front of me when I see the thing that makes my blood run cold.

Michael is standing a few feet ahead of me with Josh at his feet with a gun to his head. When I see this all I want to do is rip Michael's head off his body and set him on fire; but I know if I try anything he will heart Josh.

"What are you doing, Michael?" I ask loud enough for him to hear me.

This draws the attention of the guardians in the area. When they see what is going on they instantly become on edge. Out of the corner I see Guardian Black move to stand beside me.

"Don't move," Michael yells, for everyone to hear. "You move and I shoot him."

"Listen to him. Nobody move," I order the guardians, not wanting Josh to be hurt. "What do you want Michael?"

"For you to refuse to take the crown as queen," Michael says clearly.

"And if I refuse to listen to your demands," I ask, keeping my patience, trying to figure out how to deal with the situation.

"Then I'll shoot Josh," Michael says evenly. I notice his breathing is a little shallow and he can't stand on his left side properly without wincing. "I did warn you."

"You're not talking about at the park are you?" I ask trying to figure out what he means and distract him while I try to come up with a plan.

"No, that was a friendly... conversation. This was a warning that would put you on edge," He says with a dangerous gleam to his voice.

"Were you the one who put the dead rabbit in my room?" I ask putting together what he's saying.

"Yeah but that wasn't the only one that was sent to you," Michael says implying that there was more the Hunters did to try and scare me.

"You gave Ian the injection of werewolf venom. What were you trying to do Michael?" I ask curious at what he was thinking that would achieve.

"To scare you. The Head Hunters thought if you learnt what we were capable of you would send a message to them through me, telling them that you would refuse to be queen if it was offered to you," Michael says nonchalantly, like it doesn't matter.

"I'll never give up what was mine by blood, Michael," I tell him evenly. "Besides there was never a guarantee that Ian would give me the crown and even if he did it wouldn't have been for years. However that werewolf venom you gave him means he could die soon and then I very well could end up being queen."

"Renounce the crown as queen and Josh lives but refuse and I'll shoot him," Michael says with a deadly gleam in his eyes.

"Don't do it, Kayla, don't listen to him," Josh says, looking at me. Pleading with me to listen to him.

"I won't let you kill him, Michael, but also want renounce the crown, just because you tell me to," I tell him start to let my anger seep through for him to hear.

"Fine, have it your way, Princess," he says sneering the last word like he is swearing.

He takes a step back, aims the gun at Josh's head and pulls the trigger. At the last second Josh moves and instead of getting shot in the head, he gets hit in the stomach. When Josh drops to the ground all hell breaks loose. I feel a swell of power in my head and then it explodes. I feel a wave of power burst forth from me and when it does all the hunters in the area drop and clutch their heads as if from pain. It takes me a few moments before I realise that it is me causing the pain and it is another couple of moments before I can move. When I can race over to Josh and see that he is in a pool of his own blood, clutching his stomach where he was shoot. I push his hands out of the way and put pressure on the wound. I also send a small jolt of healing energy into the wound to slow the bleeding so that he won't die before we can get him to help.

I look around to see that guardians are everywhere handcuffing the hunters that are still on the ground. I quickly turn back to Josh and feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up and see Steven looking at me.

"I can't healing properly unless the bullets removed. I did manage to slowly down the bleeding," I tell him turning back to Josh.

"I've already sent someone with word to the medical centre and a stretcher is on its way. We'll do everything we can for him," Steven says quietly. "I also noticed what you did to the hunters I think that you have unlocked another power."

When I look at him with questions in my eyes he answers with "The Power of protection."

I just nod at him as two people from the medical centre show up with a stretcher and start loading Josh up. When I make a move to follow, Steven grabs my arm and stops me.

"I need to talk to you and we have to go alert the other royals of what's happened," Steven says, leading me in the direction of the palace.

I slowly follow and look around. I notice asilent shimmer around the court.