Mason - Archaic #4 (Sample of Published Book)

Chapter 5 - Part 1

Pierce's eyes hardened as his eyes settled on my open palms. A chilling smile tipped his mouth as his eyes lifted and held my gaze.

"You know you can't fight all four of us," Pierce said, watching me with fascination. "You're a Descendant but even you aren't powerful enough to take us all on at the same time."

His words echoed my earlier thought. He studied my expression, like he was looking for something that didn't add up. The three Hue behind him did the same. I looked into the faces of the people I'd grown up with. It wouldn't matter to them because they could kill me and walk away without feeling any guilt. Years of knowing me did nothing to make them question what they were about to do.

It was hard to look at them because a couple of weeks ago I'd been the same. I didn't like being reminded of what I was before.

"What happened to you?" he asked as he cocked his head to the side. It was like I was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. And no matter how hard he tried to push the pieces into place, they wouldn't fit.

"After you survived the attack on the warehouse, why didn't you return to the headquarters?" he said, continuing his questioning.

Physically I still looked like I was one of them; my shade of pale blue eyes matched theirs, the light blond shade of my hair was the same as theirs and even the paleness of my skin matched theirs. On the outside I fit in perfectly with them.

I understood his confusion at my blatant refusal to go with them. I was a Hue and we usually did as we were told as long as it made logical sense. But I wasn't logical anymore. Emotions clouded it.

There was something inside of me that was missing in them. I had emotions swirling on the inside of me. Uncharacteristically it pushed me to do the right thing now.

I didn't answer him. I couldn't exactly tell him I was feeling the warm and fuzzies now. When they took me back to headquarters they would discover I was different. And when they did, they would probably kill me. I didn't fit in the psychotic mold anymore.

I'd known the moment I stepped into the clearing that I was putting myself into an impossible situation, but at least I'd saved the innocent humans from certain death.

I could feel compassion for strangers and I'd risked my life to save the lives of people I'd never met. Now, I understood why Ava had risked her life more than once to save the ones she loved.

"I know," I replied as I felt my energy come alive inside of me. There was no way I could let them take me back to the Hue headquarters.

I brought my hands in front of me as a warning to them. I couldn't hear the humans anymore. At least, if nothing else, I'd kept them from being killed.

Four to one put the odds firmly in their favor but I couldn't give up.

Pierce opened the palm of his hands to attack but I was quicker and I didn't give him a chance to release a streak of energy. A blast of my energy shot out of my right hand, hitting him square in the chest before I dashed to the right. The force of it sent him flying backward a few feet. I heard the sound as he landed on the ground and he groaned in pain.

My eyes immediately snapped to the other Hue as Steven shot a blast of energy. It came directly at me but I managed to duck out of the way. I blasted Jace, trying to keep myself from getting hit. If I could just hold them off for a little while I might be able to get away.

Ash raised his hand at the same time and I took a hit to my right shoulder. I flew backward and landed with a thud on the ground. Even though I'd managed to block some of it, it still hurt. Pain radiated from my injured shoulder.

I extended the palm of my right hand toward Steven as I tried to stand. My energy shot from my palm and hit him on the right side. He spun in the air as he flew backward. I heard a thud and another groan.

Pain exploded in my chest. I'd been hit. I felt my feet lift off the ground as my body flew backward. Pain shot through me again when I hit the ground, landing on my back. I couldn't breathe. I didn't know whether I was just winded or if it was from the hit of energy.

Then the pain throbbed inside my chest.

I tried to sit up but another blast of energy smacked me in the chest again. It hit with full force because I didn't have a chance to try and block it. I fell backward once more. With my breath stiff in my lungs, I struggled to breathe while I lay on the hard ground.

My chest hurt when I tried to take a breath. Above me Pierce appeared. He knelt down beside me.

"It was pointless trying to fight us," he said calmly. I closed my eyes to block him out. There was no animosity or anger. They were simply following an order. There was nothing more to it.

Emotions swirled through me. I felt regret that I wouldn't get a chance to live the new life I'd been handed. I'd just begun to make connections with people and take responsibility for all the horrible things I'd done. An image of Emma flashed in my mind. So many wrongs I hadn't yet had a chance to make right.

The agony flowed through my entire body. My chest felt heavy and I still struggled to breathe.

"We're going to heal your wounds," Pierce explained.

They needed to keep me alive. But they would keep me weak enough so I couldn't try and escape. His hands settled on my chest before I felt the warmth of the energy as it entered me and flowed inside of me.

I closed my eyes. Neve. I would never get a chance to get to know her and find out what she was really like. I wouldn't be there to protect her and that caused another ache in my chest, but it had nothing to do with my physical injuries.

The foreign energy healed my injured body. The Hue energy flowed in through my chest and spread through my body, fixing my damaged cells inside of me.

When they were finished, the intensity of the pain had eased into an ache. But the emotional pain grew at the thought of never seeing certain people ever again.

Catherine. I thought of how devastating this would be for her. She'd just gotten me back and I knew that no matter what I'd done, she loved me anyway like a mother did, unconditionally.

I just hoped that I hadn't been around for long enough to leave a lasting effect when I didn't return. I wanted to fight for the life I still wanted to experience but I was too weak. Just lifting my arm required energy I simply didn't have. The darkness was calling for me.

"It won't be long now," I heard Pierce say to me.

And there was nothing I could do about it. They were going to take me back to Hue headquarters.