An End
ZAIA.
I run towards Atticus and Valerie, my heart pounding violently. “Valerie!”
“She’s alright.” Atticus growls but I can tell he is angry. His voice is tense and trembling with rage. Even though he’s reassured me, I keep running.
“Shame you survived that attack… don’t worry, this time I’ll end her properly.” Gaultier sneers, making my eyes flash.
“Fuck you.” Valerie spits.
“If you want to.”
Atticus’s snarl reaches me just as Sebastian
catches up to me.
‘Get on!’ he snarls.
I don’t argue, jumping onto his back as he runs at incredible speed through the trees.
There are dozens of wolves all around and I
can’t see Valerie or Atticus, although I can sense their auras ahead from the midst of all of the wolves.
Sebastian tears through them, throwing, biting and killing them as we pass.
I catch Valerie’s and Atticus’s scent up ahead and my eyes blaze as I leap off Sebastian’s back blasting Gerard to the ground, my glowing orange power swirling around me like a full- body shield.
“Don’t touch her!” I snarl, looking at Valerie, who is clutching her bloody arm.
“Or what?” Gaultier asks as he turns his cold eyes on me. The similarities to Sebastian are uncanny, and I hate it.
“Or I will fuck you up,” I reply icily.
Gaultier rushes at me, only for Sebastian to growl threateningly at him as he blocks his path, his aura surging around him.
“Ah, Sebastian… what a surprise,” Gerard says coldly. He stands there completely relaxed, with Gaultier’s aura protecting them both.
Sebastian snarls at him. ‘You lied to me!’ His voice is loud in my head. I can feel his rage and anger through the bond. He wants blood and vengeance.
“You betrayed me.” Gerard counters.
‘I fucking wish I did it sooner!’ Sebastian growls. With him distracting Gerard, I quickly make my way over to Atticus and Valerie.
“Val!” I whisper, worry rushing through me.
“I’m fine,” she reassures me as she staggers to her feet. Atticus’s shield protects us from the wolves that surround us.
“Let’s end this once and for all,” I say, looking at her worriedly.
“I’m ok, babe.” She whispers through her earpiece before she looks at me. “I’m ready.”
Atticus nods as the three of us turn as one, even as many wolves circle us and the sound of bullets from all around us, we do not falter.
Atticus’s shield holds in place and the three of us join our hands together. I feel the surge of power burst through me as I look at Gaultier. “You know this is wrong… why are you even doing this? Look around! All you are doing is killing innocent people!” I shout, wanting to give him one final chance before we end this.
He hurt Valerie… he hurt and killed so many… is there any compassion or an ounce of humanity in the murderer before me?
“Innocent? Those who are ready to fight a war are not innocent, nor are they casualties of war! They are killers!” He snarls at me, his eyes cold. and emotionless.
“I guess you don’t seem to look in the mirror often… so is that your wish? Will you fight the Sublime as if we are your enemy until the very end?” I ask.
“As if you are? You fucking ARE my enemy!” Gaultier snarls, launching himself at me. His aura swirls around him, but it’s nothing compared to the combined power of all three of “Let it all go,” I whisper as I glance at the moon for a moment.
Guide your people, goddess…
As one, we raise a powerful shield, one that illuminates the entire sky, blinding all those around us. The moment he tries to cut through it, I tighten my hand, making the powerful force field wrap around him.
He’s fighting it, his heart thundering with anger and frustration, but he is not strong enough to take on the three of us.
My gaze flicks to Sebastian as the bullets.
continue to rain down on us.
“Bastien!” I shout, my heart almost stopping when a bullet barely misses him.
‘I’m good, Foxie, focus on yourself.’ His voice comes and I realise what I did.
Showed I care…..
I look away. He is holding his own very well against Gerard and the other wolves.
From the corner of my own eyes, I see backup arriving but there are far too many of the Sable’s men here and they have begun forming a circle around us, blocking off our backup.
“You can still choose us, Toussaint! Tonight, we will destroy this place and take over!” Gaultier snarls as he tries to back up, but we don’t let him go.
“That won’t happen,” I reply,
“Let’s end him,” Atticus says, his eyes cold.
‘Are you ok with this?’ I ask Sebastian.
I wonder if I should have even asked when I promised to end them already, but he is his. brother…
‘Why wouldn’t I be? End it.’ He replies, his voice emotionless and cold before he breaks through Gaultier’s barrier, tearing into Gerard.
I nod, although I know he can’t see, turning my attention back to Gaultier.
His eyes are filled with hatred, and I am certain that he is commanding his people. The way his eyes are darting all around, it’s almost as if he does not fear the predicament he’s in…
We can’t waste any more time.
I close my hand, feeling the force of our power tightening around him.
His eyes blaze and just as I raise my other hand, ready to put an end to him; the entire ground trembles beneath us before an explosion goes off and we’re thrown into the air, breaking our hold on one another.
“Zaia!” Atticus shouts.
Sebastian’s growl resonates through the air, drowning out everything else and before I can even attempt to break my fall, he catches me, now in human form, and we both hit the ground.
His body breaks the fall as we tumble and roll along the ground, his arms tightly around me as another explosion goes off, sending debris flying everywhere.
His hand pulls my head closer to his chest, the other arm safely protecting my stomach that I am protecting with my own arms, and something hits his arm, making me flinch when I hear something crack.
“Sebastian!”
“I’m fine. I told you to be careful,” he growls possessively, making my heart skip a beat.
Even with explosions going off around us, the smell of fire and blood and the howls of the wolves, I’m still aware of the way his touch feels, as he massages my waist, pulling me to my feet.
He looks around, and I turn to see Gaultier, in wolf form, lift Gerard onto his back. Clearly, Sebastian had managed to do some damage to him.
“They’re getting away!” I shout, trying to scan the ground for Atticus and Valerie. I can sense their auras, but I can’t see them.
“No, they won’t,” Sebastian replies firmly. His eyes blaze as he shifts, transforming back into his huge form and this time I don’t need an invitation, jumping onto his huge back and twisting my hand into his fur as he breaks into a run.
“Valerie? Atticus?” I shout.
“I’m fine, and so is Atticus, but his headpiece is broken.” Valerie’s voice comes.
“All good, we’ll join you soon, I’ll follow your tracker,” Atticus says.
“Ok!”
I press the button that is attached to my shirt, hearing the tiny beep so both Valerie and Atticus know where I am. Something we had in place so we could find one another, regardless.
Gaultier growls as he speeds up, realising we are catching up, but Sebastian is closing the gap between us fast.
‘Get back here! Are you scared? Can’t you win against me in a battle?’ Sebastian’s taunts fill my mind and I wonder when I stopped blocking him out.
“Thank the goddess you did,’ he replied mockingly, making my heart skip a beat at his sexy tone. I choose to ignore him as I reach behind me, taking out my gun from my belt. It’s already loaded.
Time to take out one of the three points of the Sable Triquetra…
My eyes blaze as I hone in on Gaultier. The speed and the movement of Sebastian running through the fire doesn’t deter me and I cock the gun, my finger tightening on the trigger. Bullets that will kill a wolf…
Gaultier snarls at me, and I smirk. “This is the path you chose. Are you ready for it, Gaultier?” I ask but my target isn’t him… I plan to take out Gerard first…
Gaultier doesn’t need to know that, not yet anyway.
I pull the trigger, my eyes blazing as I force apart Gaultier’s barrier, allowing the bullet to whizz through. He ducks, growling as Gerard falls off his back when the first bullet connects, hitting Gerard in the back.
The elder man groans as he tries to get up from the ground, failing to do so and motions for Gaultier to come to him instead, but I don’t give him a chance to protect Gerard as I glare at the man who had hurt us all.
I get off Sebastian’s back, and I nod at him silently.
‘I want to deal with Gerard.’ I tell him. He hesitates before he gives me a nod.
‘Be careful,’ he warns before he gives chase to Gaultier, who is slowly but surely backing away from us and Gerard as if knowing he won’t win this one.
“Zaia…” Gerard says as he tries to get up and that’s when I see his entire low leg is almost ripped off. Sebastian sure did wel, Perfect.
“You hurt my child. You ruined the first years of her life and played us all. I hope you burn in hell.” I say quietly as I refill my gun with a new cartridge of bullets.
“I did what the goddess wanted! Why else did she create us?!” he snarls.
He doesn’t care! Not about my angel, not about anyone but himself!
I frown, remembering Agatha’s words about Zion… and what Zion himself said…
“I don’t know, but it’s time we end the fighting. Enough is enough.” I say.
“You think that… all that happened was for a good cause. You can’t really be thinking of ending my life, are you?” he asks.
I narrow my eyes as I see his eyes dart towards the trees.
Even now he has no remorse and is plotting his escape.
“Of course… we-”
I pull the trigger, hitting him square in the throat, cutting off whatever he was about to say. :
His eyes widen as he drops backwards onto the ground, choking as blood spurts from his neck. Hearing running, I quickly reinforce the shield around me just as several wolves come into view, circling me.
He was trying to distract me!
I shoot him again, this time through the chest as I let out a menacing growl, throwing the wolves back.
I keep shooting, emptying the bullets into him, wishing he felt more pain, wishing he was able to experience what my angel has been through.
I only stop when there are no more bullets and I glare at the wolves around me, none daring to approach.
“Zaia! Your dad is hurt! I can’t fucking get through!” Jai’s strained voice comes. “Zade is a fucking beast! Fuck this!”
My stomach twists.
I need to go to Dad!
‘Sebastian! Gerard is dead, and Dad! I need to go to Dad!’
‘Go, I’ll handle Gaultier and these!’ Sebastian says. ‘I’ll catch up.’
I nod as I turn, rushing towards the eastern side, as another violent explosion goes off, sending me tumbling to my knees.
Goddess!
‘Just you and me Gaultier, brother to fucking brother. Let’s see who’s the better fighter.’ I hear Sebastian’s menacing threat before the two menacing growls fill the air as they clash.’ This time for real.’
My heart skips a beat, and I look back. ‘Be careful… for the children.’ I say softly.
‘Hmm,’ he replies, and I speed up, using some more Moon Dust to guide me to Dad.
As I run, I notice that everything around me is destroyed… I look around the streets and the ground that is no longer recognisable. It’s one big demolition zone, scattered with dead bodies, that makes my stomach churn.
‘Zaia…’ Dad’s voice comes in my head, but the tone in his voice is what shatters my heart. It’s the tone of a final goodbye…
