Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,104

a short brunette not much older than Rosie. Her age and innocent-looking face don’t give me pause. Her eyes are filled with hatred and rage. It’s me or her.

I reach for her head, digging my fingers into her temple. She grabs my wrists, trying to freeze them, but my powers are engaged. I feel nothing besides a lick of frost against my skin. She screams when I begin to unmake her, too caught up in her pain to fight my hold. Her legs give out from under her, but I keep my grip despite her fall. The sound of fighting fades to the background. My ears are buzzing with euphoria. Only when the girl’s eyes roll back in their sockets do I let go. She’s empty. My work is done.

It takes me a moment to regain my focus, and when I do, I can’t find Rosie and panic. Soren yells “Duck!” and since I don’t know who he was talking to, I bend forward. The explosion happens across from me near where Rufio was standing. Dark smoke fills the hallway, only to be dissipated a second later by Jodie. I finally get a visual of Rosie fighting side by side with Renata and Toby farther down the corridor. I don’t miss the fact that her “nemesis” is trying her best to protect my sister. Maybe Rosie will finally get over her hatred.

Everyone is giving their all, but the longer we stay here, the higher the chances we’ll be overwhelmed. I’m sure Neo God reinforcements are coming.

No sooner does the thought enter my mind than I sense evil approaching. I turn toward the menacing presence while my entire body locks into aggressive mode. Jonathan Kent is here, looking smug as shit with a victorious grin on his odious face. He thinks he has us pinned down. Well, he can underestimate us all he wants.

I take a step forward only to be blocked by Bryce and Rufio. Anger quickly bubbles up my throat, but then reason prevails. This is not my fight. It’s theirs. I stand back and let them deal with their father.

“I knew brains weren’t your forte, but I confess you coming to Gifted Academy shows a new level of stupidity from you two.”

Bryce lets out a battle cry and attacks. His energy blast hits Jonathan’s chest and fizzles into nothing. The son of a bitch is wearing a protective vest.

“Nice try.” He smiles.

The awful screech of metal bending catches my attention. The lockers lining the hallway are twisting out of shape, turning into clumps of distorted steel. Rosie and Renata scream as they’re trapped by the deadly shapes.

“No!” I leap in their direction, ready to pry them loose with my bare hands, but Renata breaks free first and is already helping Rosie.

My ears pick up the sound of a blade cutting through air. I turn just in time to freeze a piece of sharp metal that Jonathan sent my way. More shouts echo in the hallway, coming from behind the man. We’re seriously outnumbered here, so the only way out is to find the portal-key to Starlight Island.

Jodie pushes Bryce and Rufio out of her way, bracing to deal with her husband herself. “Go! I’ve got this.”

The man laughs. “Really, Jodie. You’re going to play the martyr now? Do you think that will buy your sons’ love and respect?”

Without breaking eye contact with Jonathan, she yells again. “I said go, damn it!”

It’s clear that neither Bryce nor Rufio intend to obey, but when my gaze drops to her hand, I understand then what Jodie plans to do. Phoenix, who is now next to me, has his eyes trained exactly where mine were a second ago. We look at each other, and then, without words, we know what to do.

Using telekinesis, he sends Bryce and Rufio back all the way to the principal’s office corridor. I urge everyone on our team to follow them, freezing our opponents to the best of my ability. My trick only works on those who aren’t wearing protective vests. Unfortunately, the Neo God presently fighting with Xavier is a massive albino who is unaffected. Xavier has a lightning-glass dagger in his hand, but the man is able to easily avoid his attacks.

I spare one fleeting glance in Rosie’s direction to make sure she’s out of the fray before I zoom around the man and fling two throwing stars at his ankles. He lets out a roar, arching his back. Instead of using the moment of