Page 9 of Tainted Gifts
“Aria!” he yells pleadingly when he feels the helplessness.
You’re too important to the United to die saving me.
I don’t know if he heard my thoughts, but I can’t say it aloud. I dive between two men fighting off a savage hybrid, and I throw my hands out to see abso-fucking-lutely nothing happen.
My confidence gained by whirling Jase through the air and holding him down is completely shattered as the reality of my gifted impotence kicks in.
Fucking gift!
Suddenly, I taste blood, feel my bones cracking, and then I gasp in a deep breath as my body flings through the air.
Damn it.
“Aria!” Jase yells louder.
At least I know he has more range on his mind reading bit than I thought.
My ribs crack back into place as my body heals from the wounds just sustained.
I try to stand, and the hulking beast of a hybrid steps out in front of me while I’m perched on my hands and knees. I barely turn my head to look up, and I smirk as I wipe away a drip of blood.
“Didn’t your momma ever teach you not to hit a lady? You might get your ass kicked,” I taunt, and in a blur, I go from in front of him to behind him.
Though my strength and speed are meant to stay a secret, I use it anyway as I wrap my legs around his neck and send him flying backwards into a burning pile of uranium.
He screams as the flames consume him, and I smirk when I see his weakness.
“Fire. Hit him with fire!”
Several men pull out flamethrowers to bring down Goliath, and I turn back to dodge a fist that almost connects with my face. I screech as I duck and dive past several firing storms, and then I feel the impossibly painful tearing of my body as several bullets collide and break through my skin.
More of them pour in, proving we're being outwitted by our ambushers. They're tracking us better than we're tracking them.
“You want me, come get me,” I grunt out while standing back up, my body wobbling slightly from the extreme blood loss.
I feel myself trying to heal, a little faster than usual, but not fast enough. I don't have long to try something. We don’t have a drop of packaged blood left. Everyone will die if I don’t lead the ambushers away or use my gift. Since my damn gift or gifts refuse to work, option number one it is.
“Aria, no!” Simone screams upon seeing the look in my eyes.
“There are too many full bloods from our side for Unc to go savage. There are too many of them for us to keep fighting. I’ve got a plan. Get everyone the hell out when they follow me.”
“Damn it, Aria, no!” she screams, but she’s too busy drawing out the blood from veins of the invincible savages with no obvious weaknesses.
She can only do a few at a time, and with their numbers, we’ll never make it.
I rush over to the edge, and I make sure to lock eyes with all my stalkers before diving into the woods and running like hell towards a place I’ve only ever been once. I’ve never come this way, and I hope my sense of direction is as good as I’ve credited it to be. I know that tunnel had several passages, and I pray I’m right about this.
Then I feel another burn as a gifted hybrid slashes me up with its invisible knife. I scream before running faster to get out of range. My pants start singeing as I pull away, the impossible speed I'm exerting causing too much friction, and I grab out my phone to hit the panic button my masked hero has preached to me about.
I slip it back into my pocket while running faster, and I pray there’s a secret entrance I can access without a remote of some sort.
Then I feel another sharp stabbing pain that ends my retreat. My body collapses with a hellacious thud as I bounce across the ground from the far too excessive momentum.
I taste the dirt before I feel it clumped against my bloody face, and then I roll onto my back to see my massive, hulking attackers coming toward me.
I should have pressed that damn button sooner. I hope he's close by.
The dilated eyes promise death or torture. Either way, I’m not ready to go easily.
