Ignited

by Desni Dantone

CHAPTER 2

  Nathan exploded to his feet so fast that even the Skotadi sneaking up on us were startled. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I saw that there were three of them. One lifted a radio to his mouth. Nathan took him out first, cutting off the Skotadi’s call for reinforcements with a strategically placed, diamond-coated knife to the chest. As the body dissipated, Nathan stepped in front of Callie and me, putting himself between us and the two remaining Skotadi.

  On one hand, I was grateful for his protection. On the other hand, I hated it. Ever since his brush with death last month, when I realized that he wasn’t invincible, I have feared for his safety as much as my own. The thought of ever losing him had become my newest nightmare. So, even if he was determined to do whatever was necessary to keep me safe, I was just as determined to do the same for him.

  Besides, the Skotadi wanted me alive.

  I had barely scrambled to my feet when Nathan shoved me back and to the side, out of the way, as if anticipating my heroic intentions. I collided with Callie and the two of us toppled over in a heap of arms and legs. Before I could jump up again, Callie grabbed my arm, holding me back and leaving me to watch helplessly as Nathan clashed with the two Skotadi.

  I reminded myself that this was Nathan. And Nathan was a fighter. Except for that one close call, he had always managed to come out of these situations okay. It was more than luck. It was talent. He was good at what he did.

  But that didn’t mean he couldn’t make a mistake. And what if he did? How long could he go on with his near perfect record before slipping up? It would only take a second, one misplaced step, and he would be lost forever.

  I could never let that happen.

  When four more Skotadi charged from the tree line, my worst fear became a tangible possibility. One that I refused to accept.

  He could defeat two Skotadi without breaking a sweat—but six?

  I had to do something. I looked around for the best weapon I could find, and wound up with a rock the size of a softball. It was heavy and pointy…it would at least stun a Skotadi long enough for Nathan to finish him off. As I stood with the rock raised above my head, two Kala emerged from the tree line. Their eyes glimmered with flashes of silver as they surveyed the scene.

  Oh, this keeps getting better and better, I grumbled to myself.

  It wasn’t looking good, for any of us. My stomach dropped when I remembered Callie, an innocent, but guilty by association. I had to fight for her too. I knew Nathan wouldn’t go down without a fight—and neither would I. At least if we all died, we died fighting.

  I took a step forward, and Callie grabbed my leg. I shook her off easily, but didn’t get far before she grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back with unyielding force. I turned to her—to tell her to run, because I wasn’t leaving Nathan.

  It wasn’t Callie that had grabbed me.

  It was a boy. A boy that I knew, even if I didn’t know I did until I looked into his eyes. I recognized the black hair that curled under his ears, the slope of his shoulders, his tall lean frame.

  I’ve seen him nearly every night for months. In my dreams. The Boy-in-White—only dressed in faded jeans and a black hoodie. As if seeing his face for the first time now, in the flesh rather than in a dream, wasn’t enough, I found myself lost in his eyes—such a pure green that they redefined the color.

  He held my gaze as firmly as he gripped my waist, and I got the impression he was just as stunned as I was. He recovered first, grabbing Callie with one hand, and quickly steered both of us behind the cover of a large boulder several yards away.

  The only reason I let him was because I was in shock.

  A shriek of horrendous pain behind me snapped me out of it, and I remembered what I had been doing before the boy grabbed me.

  Nathan needed my help.

  As if sensing my intentions, the boy pushed me down behind the boulder, beside Callie, before I could slip out of his grasp. He dropped to a knee in front of me and brought a finger to his lips, instructing us to be quiet.

  Then he finally spoke, and his familiar voice was like a lullaby to my ears. “Stay right here. Let the pros handle this,” he said. He froze me with a quick wink, and then he was gone, heading straight for the fight.

  I crawled around the boulder after him. I had always sensed that he meant no harm to me, and I was still sure of that now…but Nathan? I didn’t know what he intended for Nathan.

  And then, there were the other Kala to worry about.

  At least, from what I could see, Nathan was okay. Another Skotadi had been dissipated while I’d been in la-la land with the Boy-in-White. The two Kala had joined Nathan in fighting the remaining five Skotadi. That was reassuring, but still, I had a brief pang of concern as the mystery boy from my dreams drew closer to him.

  The Skotadi saw the boy and faltered. Enough for Nathan and the other two Kala to quickly finish off their immediate threats. As three bodies evaporated, the boy produced two shiny objects, seemingly from nowhere, and with two snaps of his wrists, dispatched them into the chests of the two remaining Skotadi as they stared at him. They both dissipated, probably before they even knew what hit them.

  In a matter of seconds, nothing remained of the Skotadi.

  There was a beat of awed silence as the two Kala and Nathan surveyed each other, then all at one, all three raised their guns. Two pointed at Nathan; one pointed at the Boy-in-White.

  The Kala shifted anxiously once they realized where Nathan’s gun was aimed. Nathan didn’t flinch. He might not have known what I knew, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew this boy was someone important. And having a gun pointed at his head gave Nathan the upper hand.

  If only Nathan knew what I knew. It was quite possible that the fate of humanity rested on this kid’s shoulders. But Nathan only had one thing on his mind. As disturbing as it was, I found it flattering.

  “Where’s Kris?” he demanded of the boy. When a response apparently didn’t come fast enough for his satisfaction, he added, “I will shoot you.”

  That threat—because I knew it wasn’t an empty one—kicked my butt into gear, and I clambered to my feet quickly. “Nathan, I’m here,” I called as I rounded the boulder.

  His shoulders heaved in visible relief. A reassuring smile started to form on my lips, but the flash of metal to my left pulled it up short. I froze as the two guns pointed at Nathan turned to me.

  Even more shocking than having two guns pulled on me one second was having someone throw themself in front of me the next. The only thing more shocking was who.

  “No!” The Boy-in-White shouted as he moved to shield me.

  Fortunately, no one had fired, so neither of us were shot. Not yet. It wasn’t looking good for me as the two Kala shifted to get an angle around the boy.

  “Gabby,” the boy said sharply, “we talked about this. She’s off limits. Richie?”

  Gabby and Richie, was it? I supposed it was nice to know the names of the people about to kill me. And from the hateful scowls on both of their faces, they were dead-set on ensuring it.

  When they didn’t lower their weapons, the boy pulled me snugly behind him, guarding me fully with his body. “Stay behind me,” he whispered to me, then he raised his voice to the Kala, “Put the guns down, guys, or so help me, I will do nothing to help you assholes.”

  Risking a peek over the kid’s shoulder, I watched as the girl—Gabby—swatted a strand of curly brown hair out of her eyes, which remained coolly fixed on me, along with her gun. Though his gun also remained trained on me, the guy named Richie slanted his eyes uneasily to Nathan.

  And for good reason. A confident and pissed off Nathan could intimidate anyone. Only I saw the glimmer of fear in his eyes when they met mine. I desperately wanted to run to his side, but the kid was holding me back. I figured that sticking by him was probably best for me at the moment anyway, as far as expanding my life expectancy was concerned.

  “Put the guns down,” the boy pleaded with them ag
ain. “It’s alright. Look at her. Does she look dangerous to you?”

  They glanced at each other, but neither looked ready to waver.

  Suddenly, I heard the cocking of a gun beside me, close to my ear, but it wasn’t my head it was pressed to.

  “Do as he says, or I’ll blow his brains out,” Alec announced his stealthy return. He stepped beside me, his eyes trained on the two Kala, and gun pressed to the Boy-In-White’s head. Though he never looked directly at me, I swore I saw a faint glow in his eyes. A flash of gold.

  That wasn’t good.

  Maybe the Kala saw the glint in his eyes, or maybe it was the tone of his voice that told them he wasn’t bluffing. Whatever it was, it worked. They lowered their weapons, reluctantly.

  “Throw them on the ground,” Nathan ordered.

  They did as they were told, and only then did Alec turn to me. His eyes weren’t glowing gold anymore, and I wondered if I had really seen it at all, or if I had imagined it.

  “Go to Nathan,” Alec told me. Shocked to hear those words come out of his mouth, I faltered. He lifted an amused eyebrow. “Go on.”

  Nathan watched me carefully as I scurried toward him. Satisfied that I was in one piece, he returned his attention to the Boy-in-White, who he still had his gun trained on. As did Alec.

  I wanted to tell them both to ease up. I knew the boy wasn’t a danger. Hell, he had nearly taken a bullet for me. I didn’t know why he’d done it, but his actions alone spoke volumes.

  That and I knew he could be trusted. From the dreams. But because I couldn’t tell Nathan and Alec what I knew without telling them about the dreams, I bit my tongue and let them go about their own way of developing trust.

  “Who are you?” Nathan asked the boy, and my ears perked up. I desperately needed a name, other than Boy-in-White.

  His eyes fixated on me, as if I were the one who had asked him the question. “Micah,” he said evenly despite having a gun pressed behind his ear. He nodded his head in the direction of the other two Kala. “That’s Gabby and Richie.”

  From beside me, I heard a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl. “What are you doing here?”

  Micah’s eyes narrowed on Nathan, and I realized I wasn’t the only one who sensed Nathan’s temper. I had to give it to him—the boy had balls, glaring at Nathan like that. “Same as you, watching the warehouse.”

  “Why?”

  Micah glanced at me with a shrug. I could have been mistaken, but I swore I detected the hint of a grin on his face. “Why are you?”

  Alec pressed the gun behind Micah’s ear, forcing his head forward a fraction. “Answer the damn question!”

  Micah definitely grinned now. I wondered if he was insane, because really, only a crazy person would be grinning with two guns pointed at his head. And then, Micah nodded at me. “Ask her.”

  My skin blanched as I felt everyone’s eyes turn to me. “I…I don’t know.”

  And I didn’t. Not really. I assumed they were here because the Skotadi were here, but something about Micah’s expression hinted at something more. Something I wasn’t in on. I suspected there was another reason he had done his best to lure me here.

  “Sure you do,” he said confidently, and I silently prayed that he wasn’t about to spill my secret about the dreams. He hesitated with an amused tilt of his head, his grin growing as he leveled his gaze on me. “Don’t you know? I’m the one you were created to kill.”

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