Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,110

and Rufio, gripping their arms roughly. He’s saying something, but I can’t hear the words. Regardless, I don’t fucking like what I’m seeing. I take a step toward them only to be blocked by lightning striking my path. I glower at the sky, doing my best to ignore the burning pain in my back. Chaos’s ugly face forms in the clouds, his green eyes glowing with malice. I flip him off, then run.

Bryce joins me, but before we reach Daisy and Rufio, we’re swept off our feet by a giant tornado that appeared out of nowhere. The pressure is immense as the wind tries to tear our bodies into pieces. How the fuck are we getting out this one?

DAISY

“No!” I pull my arm free from Erebus’s grasp as I watch a dark tornado engulf Bryce and Phoenix. They disappear from my view immediately, while in the background, Chaos laughs.

“Let go of me, fucker!” Rufio struggles to break free.

Erebus steps back, releasing him. “Go after them. Now!”

Rufio’s eyes are frantic when our gazes collide. If that’s dangerous to me, it’s suicidal to him. But I know he won’t stay behind. My eyes are burning already, knowing the outcome of our act, but nothing will deter him. I offer him my hand. He squeezes it tightly, and together we run toward the tornado.

The howling of the wind is deafening, and the debris swirling around the vortex is deadly. I force us to a halt right before we get sucked into it and hug Rufio, using my body as a shield.

“I love you,” I say next to his ear, not knowing if he can hear me at all through the noise.

He curls his fingers around the fabric of my jacket and replies, “Till the end of time.”

The tornado catches up with us, lifting us off the ground in an instant. The force of the wind is tremendous, and it tries to rip us apart. But I hold tightly to Rufio, refusing to let go. Suddenly, the pressure eases off, and the noise of the howling wind fades. We’re in the middle of the tornado, inside the eye of the storm.

I sense their presence before I get a visual. Bryce and Phoenix are flying near us, slowly coming closer. They’re unharmed and I could weep for joy, but we’re so not out of the woods yet.

Still holding on to each other, Rufio and I stretch out our arms, reaching for Bryce and Phoenix. I curl my fingers around Phoenix’s hand and yank him toward me as Rufio does the same with Bryce. We form a circle, suspended in air as if we’re a group of skydivers. How long until Chaos realizes we’re in a safe location inside his wicked twister?

“What now?” Bryce asks.

“Now we kill him,” Morpheus says, approaching us from above.

“Morpheus!” I exclaim. “You’re okay.”

My heart fills with joy despite our dire situation.

“Fuck a duck. Are you doing this?” Phoenix asks.

“No. My father is keeping Chaos distracted while we do what we have to.”

“And that is?” Rufio asks.

“Daisy and Bryce must be linked by the infinity band, and then they make you a God-killer.”

“What?” we all ask in unison.

“I don’t have time to explain. Just follow my lead. Daisy and Bryce, get in the middle of the circle. Quickly!”

I do what he says, unsure of how this will play out. It’s the only chance to get out of this alive though. Bryce and I join hands and wait for Morpheus to continue. He’s joined our group and, together with Rufio and Phoenix, reforms the circle around us.

He closes his eyes briefly and starts to chant in a foreign language. As the strange words pour out of his mouth, I sense a new type of energy surround us. It tingles against my skin, connects me to Bryce more than ever. Morpheus’s eyes fly open, glowing a warm yellow that reminds of the sun. My skin gets warm, and then the sleeves of both my jacket and Bryce’s catch fire. Only they don’t burn.

Now our forearms are bare, and on them, peculiar symbols glow the same color as Morpheus’s eyes. Gold energy billows from my wrists and Bryce’s, forming a lasso around our joined hands. I lose the sensation of my body, almost as if my soul detached from it. Bryce and I are soaring above the circle below, still linked through our hands but now also through our essences. He’s glowing like a star, so beautiful and radiant. He smiles at me, making me