Supernova (Supernatural Superstar Book 1)
Page 20
She closed her eyes, thinking that if their faces were the last thing she saw, maybe it wouldn’t be so scary to go on ahead into the darkness.
She braced herself for it, for the end, but it never came.
The alpha grabbed her by the arm. The arm with the dragonfire. He thrust the dragonfire into his own chest.
For a moment, the world stood still. She felt her hand inside his chest, the pulse of blood pumping through his body. She felt the dragonfire burn everything away. But her mind couldn’t register any of it. What had he done? Why? None of it made any sense, but she knew this had been his plan the whole time.
She stared up at him in horror. His face began to change. The glow of his eyes faded, and his fangs retracted. Slowly, his face became human.
With a human face, his smile was even worse than his fanged sneer.
“Changeling,” he said, his voice deep and gravely. “Just as foretold, you have opened the door to him. The Shadow shall rise from my sacrifice. The cycle will be complete, and a new age will dawn.”
He thrust away from Audrey, propelling himself back onto the altar, his back bent over it. He gave a small cough, then nothing.
Audrey lay unmoving, her arm still raised where the alpha had placed it. She had burned out his heart, but it felt as if she was the one with a gaping hole in her chest. She had failed so completely, been so completely misled by her own assumptions. Now she’d brought ruin down on the entire world.
“Audrey, let’s go!”
Thorne’s voice pulled her back to reality just as his hand reached out and pulled her to her feet.
Beside the altar, Koko and Peg helped Eli up. He was awake, but seemed weak and could barely stand even with their help.
The altar started to glow, the same red as the alpha’s eyes had been. The ring of fire had died down, but now it burned black. Beyond it, the sigils glowed the same red as the altar.
The ground rumbled.
“I can still stop it,” Audrey said, moving toward the altar.
“You can’t,” said Thorne, pulling her away. “It’s over, Audrey. He’s dead. We need to get out of here.”
She shook her head, reaching out to at least grab Patty’s necklace.
The ground shook again, and pebbles fell around them as the tunnel became unstable. Although the glow from the altar was bright, shadows seemed to be creeping up around it, spreading out to the rest of the tunnel.
Thorne was right. It was over. There was nothing she could do.
She let him pull her away.
The world would end, and it was all her fault.
Chapter Thirty-One
It seemed strange that it could still be the same night, the same world. The train yard seemed dark and quiet after everything in the tunnel, ordinary. Even the guards had gone. There was no sign of them or the Followers they’d captured.
“The world is still here,” Audrey said. She leaned heavily against Thorne’s side as they headed through the train yard, exhaustion sweeping through her.
“For now,” said Thorne.
“At least we’re all alive,” said Peg.
“For now,” Thorne said again. His voice was short, clipped. He sounded angry, and Audrey didn’t blame him. She’d been played like a fiddle the whole way. She’d been reckless, blind, selfish, and now everyone was going to pay for it.
There was a loud crash and they spun around, looking behind them as the tunnel caved in. Clouds of dust rose into the air as the ground crumbled away, but even the dust was infused with a red glow. It seemed as if darker shadows crept out from it, into the night.
Eli groaned. His head was slumped on Peg’s shoulder. Peg shifted his weight, trying to keep Eli upright.
“So, what happens now?” asked Koko. “Is the alpha going to emerge as some sort of Mega Alpha, filled with the spirit of some dark lord or something? Alphazilla? One alpha to rule them all?”
“Alphamort,” Peg added.
Audrey shrugged. Her whole focus had been on not dying, on stopping this from happening, on saving Eli. She’d never considered what would happen afterwards — she’d thought she’d either win or be dead.
“That’s not how it works,” said Thorne. He sounded very certain.
“What do you know about it?” Audrey asked. If a dark lord was rising, it was her fault. That meant it was her responsibility to stop him.
“I don’t know anything,” said Thorne. “This has never happened before.”
Even though he seemed angry, he kept hold of her as they turned back toward the exit, helping her walk when she thought she could no longer put one foot in front of the other. His begrudging help told her more than his words ever could. No matter what happened, he’d be there beside her. The four of them would always stick together. Even until the end of the world.
“Thanks for coming to help,” Audrey told him. “You saved my life.”
He snorted.
“Right,” she said. “Might’ve been better if you hadn’t.”
As they left the train yard, someone stepped into their path, and Audrey flinched instinctively. It was one of the cult, mostly human-looking.
The dragonfire still flickered in her hand, but it was weak, almost drained. There was no way she could fight.
“It is done?” the shifter said in a low growl, searching their faces for an answer.
“The alpha is dead,” said Audrey.
The shifter bowed his head. “The door is open. The Shadow will enter. Our patience shall be rewarded in his endless reign.”
The more he talked, the more the wedge of guilt drove deeper and deeper into her heart. She raised her hand up in front of him, waited to see the dragonfire reflected in his eyes.
“Go back to your compound. Wait for your dark lord,” she said. “I’m to blame for his rise. I’ll be responsible for his fall as well.”
“Your part in this has been foretold for millennia,” the shifter said, taking a step backwards. “You may be the changeling, but you cannot change the course of fate.”
If she’d had the strength, she’d have launched the dragonfire at him, but she needn’t have worried. He turned and fled.
“Wow,” said Koko. “So much for you being an ordinary human girl.”
“I am,” said Audrey. “I’m just a girl.”
But more and more, she doubted that that was true.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The president had a car waiting for them outside the train station. It took them back to the house, just as it would’ve after they’d finished any regular job.
Everything seemed normal. Too normal. Eli was whisked off to get medical care, and Supernova were given the next day’s schedule.
Audrey had assumed that when the Fifth Shadow rose, it would waste no time in bringing on the apocalypse, but the next day dawned as usual. They were called in for a meeting in the president’s office early that morning.
“Eli is fine,” she told them. “Mostly dehydrated. I suppose I should thank you for retrieving him, though my guards would have done the job with less impending doom.”
Peg and Koko looked as if they were struggling to stay awake. Thorne sat stiffly in his chair, arms folded across his chest. Audrey hung her head.
“This is only the beginning,” said the president.
“Beginning of the end,” Audrey said.
“Well, that’s what a supernova is, isn’t it.” The president got up from her desk and circled around it to stand in front of Audrey. “You have something of mine.”
Audrey held out her arm for the president to take back the dying flame of dragonfire.
“Thank you,” Audrey said.
“Don’t thank me. Thank Thorne.” The president turned to him. “Did you tell them about your new contract?” She seemed far too happy. It was clearly not a good thing.
“No,” said Thorne. “I didn’t see the need.”
The president shrugged. “I guess that’s your business. It’s nice that you don’t want to make
them feel guilty.”
Audrey turned in her seat to stare at Thorne. For a moment, their eyes met. Something had changed between them, something indefinable. Audrey wasn’t sure if it was something good or bad.
“You’re going to have your hands full now,” said the president. “All four of you. I know you were disappointed that you didn’t break Tempest’s record, but you came very close. The demand for you is high now, and it’s only going to keep growing. Now is the time when you need to work harder than ever, not worry about dark forces that may or may not be rising.”
Peg let out a snore, his head on Thorne’s shoulder. Normally, the president would’ve roasted him for falling asleep during a meeting, but she was in such a good mood that she let it go. Koko was struggling to keep her eyes open too, and seeing that Peg didn’t get into trouble for sleeping, gave up the fight and let her head loll to the side.
Audrey didn’t feel tired. She was exhausted, but not tired. Every time she thought about what she’d set loose on the world, she felt wide awake.
The president sat back down at her desk. “I know that after last night, you might feel some burden of responsibility,” she said to Audrey. “Take it from someone who has seen fate play itself out time after time, there is nothing you could’ve done to stop it. It’s not your fault. What happens from here isn’t your business. You have a business, and it is called show. That’s what you need to focus on now. Do you remember the terms of your contract?”
Audrey nodded.
“Then you remember that I promised you something I’ve not yet delivered.”
It took a moment for her words to sink in.
“My memories,” said Audrey.
“I have them,” the president told her. “Come to my office tonight, and I’ll return them to you. But let me be clear about one thing.” She leaned in across her desk, slipping her sunglasses down her nose so Audrey could see the fire in her eyes. “Your duty is to me, not to cleaning up this mess with the Fifth Shadow. That’s out of your hands now. Whatever your memories hold, whoever you were before, you’re mine now, and I’ve reached the end of my tolerance for your misbehavior.”
But even as she nodded and agreed, Audrey was sure of only one thing.
Her memories held all the answers, and in them she’d find the key to defeating the Fifth Shadow.
END BOOK ONE
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Werewolf High #1: The Truth Spell
A Very Werey Christmas: A Werewolf High Short
Werewolf High #2: The Tiny Curse
Werewolf High #3: The Body Swap
Werewolf High #4: The Soul Bond
A Very Werey Halloween: A Werewolf High Short
Werewolf High #5: The Love Potion
Werewolf High #6: The Time Loop
Werewolf High #7: The Fake Boyfriend
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Acknowledgments
Cover by Deranged Doctor Designs
Edited by Carol Davis
Thanks to Hannah for being my expert on vaping
About the Author
Anita lives in Melbourne, where she is a full-time servant to her dog. When the dog gives her a break, she writes books. Anita likes books about kick-ass girls and hot boys who fall in love while defeating evil.
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