Page 59 of Awakened Gifts

Everyone stands, claps, and cheers as we walk down the aisle. I’m holding onto Jase’s arm like I can never let go again. It’s surreal. Even if our moment is brief, I refuse to let the outside world rain on our night together.

“One night of nothing but this,” I say to him, knowing he has duties that are far more important than his wife.

Wife. Damn, now I’m smiling like an idiot.

Looking over, I see his stupid grin matching mine, and I know he just read my mind.

“Yes. Nothing but one night of loving my wife.”

And now my damn cheeks hurt because I’m smiling like an idiot without any self-control. Great.

“Dance with me?” he asks, ignoring the red flashes of the cameras and the black champagne fizzing free.

“Love to,” I say while leaning into him and absorbing his sex and candy scent.

“You smell edible, Mrs. Ericson.”

Still grinning like a fool, I pull him closer. “Then I guess you can skip the cake and I can be dessert.”

Before he can say anything, the ground starts vibrating beneath us, growing in viciousness as things begin to clamber around and fall from their perches. Jase holds me to him as the champagne fountain spills the black fizzing bubbles to the ground, the fountain shattering and clanking as it collapses to the stones.

“What the hell?” Rex asks when he’s forced to stagger against the ground that seems to only be moving harder. He grabs Melania and tucks her into his embrace, protecting her from the unexplained.

“It’s too fucking long for an earthquake,” Jase says, tugging me against his side as he heads toward the gates. “Man the towers. Prepare the grenade launchers and flame throwers! And get the children and civilians into the escape tunnels,” he yells over his shoulder to no one in particular.

The loud sirens start wailing, sounding the alarm and terrifying the natives. I really hope this is just some terrible natural earthquake, but considering it’s only getting stronger, and it’s like the thundering catastrophe is never going to stop, I’m assuming this is gifted hybrid related. Shit.

“Where are we going?” I ask, feeling the knots in my stomach as the walls start moving with the ground. That’s not good.

“Shit,” Jase groans. “Forget the towers. Get the tanks and get outside the walls once the civilians are out!”

That answers my question seconds before he throws his hands out and blows the very large, steel doors off their hinges with his fire that seems to have gotten stronger. Son of a bitch. Those doors should have withstood that strike. They’re built to withstand some of the greatest powers. Even Mom couldn’t have done something that effortlessly.

“I’m surprised as you, but be impressed later, baby,” he says, reminding me he can’t block out my thoughts. I apparently suck at blocking him out these days.

When we get outside, there’s nothing but a dark wooded area staring at us, even though the ground is still violently quaking.

“Vests, Commander,” one man says, handing Jase and me armored vests that we both start strapping on.

Another guy walks up to hand us two pistols. I pop the magazine to check and make sure it’s loaded, and then I snap it back into place while we wait.

It’s my wedding day, and I’m wearing a heavy, bulletproof vest and holding a gun on an unseen force. Fucking perfect reception.

“I know,” Jase grumbles, cursing under his breath when he hears my mind’s sarcastic comment.

I frown when I realize I’m only adding to his stress, and I focus really hard on keeping my mind shut off from his as I carefully scan the shaky surroundings. Then my heart plummets to my toes when I see something that brings an onslaught of chills onto my body.

“Holy shit,” I hear someone spew.

The trees bow, crack, and crash to the ground, revealing a destructive opening to a sea of violet eyes. There’s no way all of these are true emergent hybrids, and I get sick when Captain Fricks’s words come back to me.

I’m worried that with your blood mixing with her own, she might be successful in achieving the impossible. If that happens, the only ones who will be left standing will be their group.

She sure as hell has my blood, and I’ve been so concentrated on her healing herself with it, that I forgot she needed it for more than just her own needs.

“Jase,” I whisper in warning.

“I know. Fuck. Fall back!” he yells, but he takes a step forward just as a bald hybrid with violet eyes steps up. He smirks, and the snake tattoo decorating his head moves to the other side of his face and slithers down his neck.

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