Page 69 of Captured Immune

And again.

And again.

A second lightning ball hits my arm, sending burning waves of hell through my bones. Another kick in the face. Another punch in the stomach.

One of them drags me up by the front of my shirt. Somehow, I find the strength to put my hands on his head. Flames come rushing out of my palms. The man stumbles back, grasping his face.

Another lightning ball whirls at me. I duck just in time. More fire lights up my palms, and I launch it into the air. One after another, flames blast out of my hands until I can hear every single agent screaming. I keep chucking fireballs as I run backward toward Arella.

Brehh! Brehh! Brehh!

When I turn the corner, I find my girl on the other end of the hallway, being dragged across the floor.

“Let me go!” Arella shouts as she punches at the almost-bald lady.

The lady keeps her grip on Arella’s hair, then stops at a door and stabs the keypad with her finger. She gets the door open just as a fireball lights up my palm. I’m about to throw it when I stop. What if I miss and hit Arella? I can’t risk it. Instead, I wave a hand at the door. It shuts in the lady’s face.

“What the?—”

“Let her go!” I yell.

The lady shoves Arella down, then sprints toward me. Big mistake. I have a clear shot now, and I take it. My fireball spins through the air until it lands on her, but she doesn’t catch on fire. My fireball simply rolls off her wet clothes and falls to the floor.

“You traitor!” The lady heaves a fist at my face. I duck and trip her with my leg. She falls, and I climb on top of her, straddling her hips. My fists collide with her face, one after another. Once her head falls limply to the side, I stop.

Shooting back up, I rush to Arella. She’s already back on her feet and meets me halfway.

“Did she hurt you?” I ask, scanning her body for any blood.

Arella clutches her cheek. “She punched me a few times, but I’ll be okay.”

I’ll take a better look at her later. For now, I grip her hand, and we run back down the hall. As we go, I scan the walls for any last doses of that precious green liquid. I find none.

After we get past the sea of unconscious bodies on the floor, we turn the corner.

“Give me a fucking break,” I mutter as three men from the other end dash toward us.

The biggest guy points his fingers at the floor, making it vibrate beneath my shoes. I lose my balance and fall backward into the hard wall. Arella is torn from me as she falls onto her knees. Over the trembling floor, I crawl toward her.

“Are you o—” I don’t get to finish my sentence because I catch a glimpse of red-hot flames flying toward us.

Arella shrieks as she throws her hands up over her head. I crouch over her and brace myself for the fiery impact, but it never comes. The fireball stops just before hitting my cheek. It tumbles to the floor, then smokes out.

A second fireball whirls through the air. Arella screams again with her hands up. This time, the flames stop an arm’s length away.

My mouth falls open. “How are you doing that?”

Her arms tremble. “I have no idea.”

I help her onto her feet. “Well, keep doing it, ’cause it’s working!”

Brehh! Brehh! Brehh!

I grab Arella’s hand as we dash toward the three men coming at us. With my free hand, I throw fireballs at them. One after another, after another. The men do the same at me, but none of their fireballs reach me. Each one hits the invisible wall that’s always two steps ahead of me. Their balls roll to the floor and disappear in puffs of smoke. I’ve never been more impressed by Arella. She’s doing the impossible.

Feeling safe behind Arella’s immunity shield, I pull the leg of my jeans up and grab the knife from my sock. I aim it at the biggest dude, then throw. It’s about to hit the guy’s chest when he throws his arms up and the knife stops in midair. The man twists his wrists, then the knife comes rocketing back toward us.

I raise a hand to stop it, but it doesn’t stop. And it’s aimed straight at Arella. Just as the metal slices through her invisible wall, I jerk her toward me, but it’s too late.

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