Apollyon

Hope soared in my chest and I felt giddy for a few seconds. I didn’t know what I’d do if I saw him—probably something along the lines of pouncing and tackling the man, and I so hoped I wouldn’t bawl like a baby and embarrass myself.

I knew I shouldn’t get my hopes up. My father might not be there. He might never show up there. He could be dead.

My stomach tumbled, and for a moment I thought I was going to hurl.

The thing was—and what I kept trying to tell myself was—I didn’t know. And there was no reason to get worked up either way. And I had more important things to concentrate on, like how in the hell I was going to convince a bunch of Sentinels and Guards to risk death by warring against Seth and a god.

Aiden’s cell went off, and the look on his face as he listened wasn’t good.

“What?” I asked, feeling my stomach drop again. I wondered if I had an ulcer… or if that was even possible.

“Got it,” he said into the phone, and then snapped it shut. “We’re being followed.”

I spun in my seat, just like Marcus and Luke did. The headlights from Solos’ Hummer were right behind us. I squinted. Several car lengths behind there was another set of headlights. I wasn’t an expert on those things, but it looked an awful lot like another Hummer.

Sentinels and Guards loved to drive Hummers. The bigger the better and all that jazz—probably making up for something else. Mortals drove Hummers too, but every instinct was telling me it was Covenant-issued and not a friendly.

Crap.

“How long?” I asked.

“Since we passed Sioux Falls,” Aiden replied, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror.

“There’s an exit coming up—take it. We need to get off the main highway.” Marcus cussed as he leaned back, pulling out a Glock. “Good news is that the road will be clear of mortals. Bad news is that the roads will be clear.”

There would be no one around for either side to worry about exposure, if they even cared about that anymore.

“Tell Solos to follow,” Marcus said, “and to get close to us.”

As Aiden relayed the message to Solos, I kept my eyes glued to the stretch of highway behind us as we hit the ramp and flew down the dark, back road. Then I saw what Aiden hadn’t said, and what Marcus must’ve realized once Solos had moved into the other lane.

It wasn’t one Hummer; it was two, and I was sure both were packed.

Double crap.

Luke was straining to get a better look. “We can’t let them report back, guys. If they haven’t already. We’re too close to the university.”

“So you really think they’re his—Lucian’s?” Deacon asked, gripping the back of my seat.

Aiden nodded. “Everything’s cool, though. We’ve got this.”

The strength in his words—the determination to get everyone through this—was so like him. No matter what, he held it together. He might falter a step or two, but he weathered the blows and he never gave up. Not on me. Not on his brother. And never on life. Gods, no wonder I loved this man.

As I stared at him and saw the steely resolve in the lines of his striking face, I realized something. Actually, it was like being hit by a seven-ton truck.

I needed to put my big-girl panties on—like, for real.

Deacon had been right. A part of me had accepted that my death would be inevitable since I’d left the Underworld, that in the end Fate would find a way to win. Me—I’d felt this way—believed it. Me?The girl who pretty much said F.U. to everything, especially Fate.

Holy crap…

Sort of stu

It would beme.

Because I was a fighter. Because I didn’t quit. Because I was strong.

As the front end of Solos’ Hummer reached the midway part of ours, there was a distinct popping sound and their car suddenly jerked to the left.

“Holy crap,” Deacon gasped. “They’re shooting at them—”

Our back window exploded. Glass shattered and rained through the car. I spun in my seat, finding that Luke had Deacon plastered against the seat. I didn’t see my uncle.

“Marcus?”

“I’m okay,” he called out.

“Alex, get down.” Aiden kept a tight grip on the steering wheel with one hand as he reached for me, grabbing my arm and yanking me down.

Marcus popped up and returned fire in a quick succession. Tires squealed; the Hummer next to us jerked again, and then flew ahead in a roar. I couldn’t believe they were actually shooting at us. And then it struck me. They didn’t care about anyone else in the vehicle. They knew I’d survive the crash one way or another.

They were going to keep shooting until they made us crash.

Another pop, and the window beside Aiden blew out. Shards of glass flew sideways, pelting Aiden and me. He winced, and I was so over this.

“Stop the car,” I said.

“What?” Aiden’s hand pressed down on my back as he sped up, putting some distance between us and the vehicle full of psychopaths.

I struggled up. “Stop the car!”

He glanced at me, and gods know what he saw in my eyes, but he cursed under his breath and veered onto the shoulder. The other vehicles shot past us, the sound of their tires squealing on the pavement.

Before Aiden could stop me, I threw the door open. Another curse exploded from him and I heard Marcus yell out, “What the hell?”

I slipped out of the Hummer, keeping low. There was one dagger attached to my thigh, but that wasn’t what I needed.

Aiden slid out the passenger side, eyes narrowed on me. He had a gun in one hand. “What are you doing?”

“Good question.” Luke shoved Deacon onto the embankment. “Stopping doesn’t seem like the smart thing to do.”

“I can’t believe they are actually shooting at us. Us?” Deacon started to stand up. “What is wrong—?”

“Stay down!” Aiden twisted toward, pointing at Luke. “Keep him alive or—”

“I know.” Luke yanked Deacon down and behind him. “Nothing will happen to him.”

Up ahead, Solos had pulled over and they all spilled out of the car, keeping to the passenger side. I breathed a sigh of relief and then edged toward the front of the Hummer.

“Alex!” Aiden followed in a crouch. “What are—?”

The two vehicles had turned around and were nearly on us. There was really no time to think about what I was doing. Using the speed that all halfs have, and the extra oomph of the Apollyon, I darted around the bumper and into the lane.

Aiden let out a ripe curse.

I was bathed in headlights as I threw up my hand, summoning the element of air. It was like unlocking a door inside me. Power rushed from the inside then spread out, slipping over my skin. Air barreled down the highway, blowing past me, faster and stronger than what a pure could wield. Hurricane-force winds slammed into the first Hummer.

It went up on two wheels, tires spi

Seatbelts save lives.

The first Hummer landed on its roof. Metal crunched and groaned, then gave way. The one behind it spun to the right to avoid a direct collision. Amber-colored sparks flew.

The doors on the second opened and I counted six Sentinels garbed in black. They were halfs, playing on the wrong side of the field.

One charged forward, and I flung him into the thick elms that crowded the roadway with a flick of my wrist. There was a sickening crunch upon impact that said that tool would be out of commission for a while.

A second brandished two Covenant daggers as he headed straight for me. “Come with us and we’ll let your friends live.”