Chapter 36
All groups from the Volar Academy head to the main sector where the Hollow is. Unfortunately, it’s where the most of the Terrigons and Beasts are too.
As soon as we reach it, my stomach drops at the amount of Terrigons across the entire span of the area.
“Stay close to us,” Malakai says before turning to me. “I mean it, Sena. No running off to play hero. No last-minute ideas that involve you taking the lead.”
I’m about to tell him I’m not a fucking idiot when I see the look on his face.
He’s not just worried, he’s terrified for me.
They all are.
“I won’t,” I promise and watch as the stiffness loosens from his body a little.
The senior teams move around us, and we quickly blend in with them as we move forward toward the mass of chaos and destruction.
As soon as we reach the edges of the battle zone, the Terrigons rush us, surrounding us in minutes.
“Don’t you fucking dare leave our sight,” Theon warns as two long blades form in his hands, and he starts attacking anything that comes near him. The others join in and quickly dispose of dozens of Terrigons.
A larger Terrigon comes my way and I unsheathe the long blade at my side ready to take it on when a large blade flies past my face and slams directly into its chest.
The blade flies back to its owner and I whip around to Malakai as he winks at me.
“I guess I’ll just stand here and twiddle my fucking thumbs,” I say out loud.
More and more Terrigons come our way but the four possessive assholes don’t let any of them get near me.
“I have better uses for your thumbs, baby,” Knox says into my mind.
I glance over at him but he’s slashing into three Terrigons at once. “We’re literally on a battlefield fighting monsters, try to stay focused.”
“It’s not my fault you look fucking sexy as hell with a weapon in your hand,” he replies as he finishes off the Terrigons around him before shooting forward and taking out another couple that were about to head my way.
“If you don’t start letting me join in on the fight, I’m going to start using you four as target practice,” I warn him.
He chuckles in my mind not even remotely taking my threat seriously. “Angry sex is going to be fucking amazing.”
I freeze but quickly come to my senses ready to tell the fucker there will be no sexy time if he doesn’t ease the fuck up. But I don’t get the chance as nearly the entire Shadow Academy rushes into the fray.
But it’s not only the Terrigons they start attacking, but everyone from the Volar Academy too.
We quickly get overwhelmed being attacked from both sides and the guys have no other choice but to let me join in.
I whirl my blade and spin straight into an attack, slashing my way through the Terrigons that come close to me. But more and more arrive and I find myself quickly moving from one kill to the next.
“Sena? Where the fuck are you?” Knox shouts into my mind.
“I’m here,” I answer immediately but glance around to realize I’m nowhere near them.
We must have gotten divided with the chaos.
“I can’t see you,” Knox says, “Malakai is going to come to you. Try to stay where you are.”
I take a step forward when a tremble slides under my feet, making me pause. I glance down wondering what the hell is going on when the sand bursts upward and I’m thrown backwards.
Pain shoots up my side and back as I hit the ground hard with a gasp.
A familiar loud shriek sounds out, and I freeze as a huge beige worm appears though the clouds of dust around me.
How the fuck is that here? I thought they only existed in the Wasteland.
“Get the hell out of there,” Knox shouts into my mind.
“I thought you wanted me to stay where I am,” I snap back while pushing the pain to the back of my mind and forcing myself to my feet.
“Sena!” he warns but I’m already up and running.
Unfortunately, the worm decides I’m its only target and starts chasing me like I’m its next meal.
Glancing over my shoulder, my eyes widen when I see I’m not the only one being targeted with another half a dozen huge worms all attacking everything around them.
Large old ruins appear before me and I head into them, hoping to lose the worm.
I pass the crumbling arch but as soon as I’m a few feet inside, I realize there’s nowhere to hide. It’s a wide-open space with mostly just walls left intact.
The ground trembles again and I whip around while trying to figure out how I’m going to kill the huge worm when it reaches the arch and slams into an invisible wall.
It rears back and tries again and again from different angles, even attempting to go through the crumbling wall beside it but the strange shield holds. After another moment it gets bored and moves on.
“Sena! Where the hell are you?!” Knox shouts into my mind making me wince.
“I’m on my way back. I’ll meet you at the Hollow,” I tell him but wait another couple of minutes to make sure the worm is well gone before moving.
Halfway to the arch, I hear something behind me and spin around to find a group of Shadow males spanning out around me, all dressed from head to toe in black but with one very familiar female at their center.
“I was hoping the Volar Academy would kill you off,” Arabella says with a little sigh. “But at least now I can get my payback before handing you over to Talos.”
“We need her alive,” a male says to her left.
Her smile grows vicious. “Alive doesn’t mean whole.”
“I see your delusions are still ever-present,” I tell her.
“I wouldn’t be so confident if I were you,” she says. “You’re outnumbered and trapped, thanks to our little shield.”
“So, I guess I can thank you for getting rid of the worm,” I point out and she narrows her eyes on me.
“I’ll have you bent, broken, and bowing to me in minutes,” she grits out finally losing her calm expression.
I spin my blade and look at her like she’s nothing but dirt. “I bow to no one, bitch. Least of all scum like you.”
“Get her,” she growls, and the males immediately head straight for me, along with their dark shadows.
I duck and slam my blade into the first male that comes near me before twisting out of the way.
My Alita side rises to the surface, deciding it wants to come out to play, and I soon move with the skill of an assassin and slash a path through the rest of them and their shadows, knocking them out before turning to Arabella.
But she’s already behind me with a blade raised in her hand.
As if everything moves in slow motion, I knock her blade away from me and with just the thought, my sword forms in my hand.
Her eyes grow wide with fear and shock. “What the hell are you?”
“Sena! Where the fuck are you?! Cassius is already at the rift, and he can’t hold it much longer,” Knox says, his voice dripping with worry and fear.
Fuck. “I guess it’s your lucky day,” I tell Arabella and slice the sword against her thigh leaving a nice reminder of her idiotic move before pulling the energy of the sword back into me. And because I’m feeling a little petty, I step forward and slam my fist into the bitches’ face.
She drops to her knees, and I give her a little smirk as blood drips down her broken nose. “Look who’s bent, broken, and bowing now.”
She glares up at me with not an ounce of fear.
“There’s more Shadows on the way. This entire area is shielded off.
” She spits out blood and stumbles to her feet.
“There’s no way you’re getting out of here—” I step back and release my wings and bend down before shooting up into the sky, glancing down to catch her eyes widen before I twist and zoom straight for the Hollow, flying over the chaos of the battle and straight for the huge hole of darkness.
There’s a group of men outside it. Cassius has his hands outstretched toward it while my mates and the rest of the hollow team hold off the Terrigons and Beasts.
As if sensing me close by, my mates look up and spot me.
“Together?” Knox asks.
“Together,” I tell him before shooting forward through the rift Cassius is trying to hold open and straight into a world of darkness.