Revenge (Galen Hooks: Hunted- Book 3)

Chapter Three- Dangerous

Now Isabel was scared. What had been inflaming her chest, what Galen had told her would likely change her into something she was never meant to be... it was too late to stop it. She had been transformed. 

Snarling, Galen lunged forward, ramming into her and sending her stumbling. Seeing that she hadn't managed to get her down, she charged again, this time pushing her into the wall. But she didn't stop there. Immediately, she was on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

"This isn't you. You need to stop!" she roared desperately.

Sharp nails dug into her neck and as Isabel stared up at her, she noticed that her red eyes were narrowed and her expression was full of hatred. Until pain began to flare inside her, she didn't get the gist that Galen really was trying to strangle her.

"STOP!" she shouted even louder. Rage clouded her mind and she bunched her knees under her, striking out with a powerful kick as she drove her feet into Galen's chest as hard as she could. Caught off guard by the sudden defense, she went flying backward, smashing into the coffee table next to the couch and collapsing on the floor.

"What just happened?" Rhea groaned as she pulled herself up off the floor, then helped Camila up too. "Why did she just... attack us?"

Isabel stood up unsteadily, breathing heavily as she glanced at her friends. "It transformed her, guys. Whatever's inside her... it turned her into an evil Diamond Eye."

"Diamond Eye? Like... from Libra Scale?" Rhea stammered. 

"Yeah. She just tried to strangle me, but I pushed her off."

The three of them gazed down at Galen's unconscious form. 

"Is she still breathing?" Camila asked. 

Rhea, who was closest to her, knelt down and checked the dancer's pulse. "We're good... I think."

"What do you mean, you think?"

"She's been so weak since the incident if she active for too long and..."

Isabel's eyes widened. "Did I... did I just kill her?"

"No, thank goodness. But her breathing's gotten a bit slower, so either the transformation drained her energy or that crashing into the table thing hurt her badly enough to kill her slowly..."

"Rhea!" Camila snapped indignantly. "Don't make her feel any worse than she already does. And besides, Galen was strangling her! What else could she have done?"

"Well, it doesn't change the fact that she nearly killed her! Camila and Isabel, get her onto the couch again. I'm going to get her something to warm her up. She seems extremely cold right now."

"Can you also get something to hold her down in case she wakes up?" Isabel added. "She could still be in that... that monster form and she could attack us again."

"I got her," Isabel proclaimed. She lifted Galen from the floor and placed her on the couch, shuddering at how cold her skin seemed. I can't believe she nearly killed me and then I... did I kill her?

Reaching out a hand, she tentatively rested two fingers on Galen's neck.

I don't want to have to do this again... please just let her be okay...

It was almost gone.

Are you kidding me? She checked again. "Camila, help me!" She raised her voice to a shout. "Rhea, get in here!"

With both Rhea's and Camila's help, soon, they were able to help her. However, she woke up almost instantly after and knocked both Camila and Isabel unconscious. Then she started toward Rhea, her red eyes flashing once more.

"Galen, what is going on?" she snapped, despite knowing the real Galen couldn't hear her under the Diamond Eye she'd been turned into. I guess I'll have to find out for myself. And I know where to start.

The next time Galen lashed out at her, Rhea ducked to the side and grabbed both of her arms, twisting them behind her. Since she knew her own house, she knew where she could find rope and in about an hour, despite her friend's savage attempts to bite her in that time, she succeeded in tying Galen to the couch. Then, carefully, she reached out and tugged her shirt down, exposing her chest once more. There, right in the center of it, was a bright red glow.

She wasn't lying. And I... I don't know how to change her back.

"You will die!" Galen yelled in a voice totally unlike her own. With a mighty pull, she tore off the rope that bound her and surged toward Rhea again, knocking her into the wall. A vicious smile spread across her face as she struck out at her again and tore a gash in her arm with her nails.

But what Rhea had never told her friends was that she became a lot like Cassie when she became angry and she flexed her own razor-sharp nails. The rage soon began to overwhelm her and instinctively, she curled her hand into a claw and swiped at Galen, slashing at her neck and tearing open a large cut in her throat. She gasped and froze for a moment and Rhea took that moment to push her off of her and stand up. Her glittering red eyes were wide with fear.

"Oh my god, what have you done?!" Isabel screeched, running up beside her and skidding to a stop. "You know it's not her; we just need to keep her contained! You don't need to deliberately hurt her!"

"I- I'm sorry..." Rhea stumbled back, nearly crashing into Camila.

"Never mind that, but we need to get her tied up somewhere she can't escape from. Rhea, make yourself useful and go get me a wet cloth." She quietly knelt down beside Galen and placed her hand on the cut. Galen narrowed her eyes and snapped at her. When she didn't manage to get to her, she bared her teeth in frustration. "And get one of those medicines that knocks her out for a few hours. We can lock her in your room."

"No!" Galen tried desperately to get up and failed, thrashing on the ground, the cut on her neck beginning to bleed even more heavily.

"Galen, stay still!" Isabel growled. 

"Izzy, I'm going to call Skyla again," Camila told her hurriedly. "We need her help in this."

"Don't! We don't need her. We can handle this ourselves."

"It's not happening. I'm calling her and you're not stopping me."

"Fine. I don't care. Just do what you can. We need to do whatever it takes to get her back to normal without getting her caught and put into an insane asylum."

"I agree 100%."

Rhea, meanwhile, was in the kitchen, reaching for her medical supplies when a disturbing thought popped into her mind.

She's being controlled. That woman that they told me about- Johanna, I think- was struck in the head... but that doesn't mean she's dead. Which means... She winced. She's still alive... and working to make Galen destroy all of us.

And herself in the process.