Destiny Gift (The Everlast Trilogy) - By Juliana Haygert Page 0,88

was going with us.

In my pocket, I found the vial. I slipped Micah’s arm from my shoulder and helped him lean against a wall. While both priests wrestled, I let some drops from the vials drip over Brock’s back. In my mind, I saw Brock frozen as an ice sculpture for a long, long time.

“What the …?” Morgan retreated a step from Brock’s still hands and nodded a thanks at me.

Micah stumbled forward, took the dagger from Morgan, and without any ceremonies, stabbed Brock’s heart. The priest’s eyes widened and two seconds later, the ice melted and he fell on the floor.

My hand over my mouth, I gasped. “You killed him.”

Micah stumbled again, clearly dizzy, and Morgan caught hold of him.

He fixed his black eyes on mine. “If we get out of here and don’t kill him, he’ll tell the other gods who we are, who you are, and they will come for you. For your family.”

A shiver rolled down my spine.

He was right.

Still, I didn’t like killing.

The blood oozed from the wound, and I swallowed the bile building in my throat, and the shock.

“We need to move,” Morgan said.

Nodding, I walked to them and put Micah’s arm over my shoulders again. We rushed back inside the building and down the hallway to the exit at the other end, the raven following us. Outside, we saw Victor’s Audi parked about thirty feet from the exit. We darted to the car.

And that was when demons appeared from the corner of the building, running and flying toward us. I ducked, but a claw ripped at my already injured shoulder. I kept running. Escaping. Living.

Near the car, I pressed the button on the keychain. The lock popped up as I grabbed the handle. We slid Micah onto the backseat and the raven flew in. Then, I jumped inside as Morgan entered through the passenger door. With wobbly hands, I locked the doors and turned the car on. The demons bumped against the car. One broke a window. I yelled and stepped on the gas. Ahead, down the dry and dusty road, was a blinking traffic light—the interstate.

“Faster,” Morgan coaxed, gripping my seat and leaning forward.

The wingless demons ran after the car until they couldn’t keep up with the speed anymore, but the flying ones continued the pursuit. A bat scratched the car from front to back.

“Victor will kill me,” I muttered, then shook my head.

What would Victor care? He was a powerful god. He’d never need a car again.

God, I was so stupid!

I pushed thoughts of Victor away. When I reached the interstate, I let out a short, puffed breath. I had no idea which interstate this was or which direction to go, but I hit the brakes and yanked the wheel to the right. The car fishtailed before the tires caught the pavement. I hit the gas, hoping the road would take me away from the demons. To safety.

I slammed my foot down and drove as fast as the car allowed. Now only a few bats flew with us. I kept an eye on them, turning the wheel and zigzagging away from their claws.

But they kept coming. A mass of bats zoomed down on us, flanking the car on both sides. I couldn’t get us out of their reach.

“Morgan, I have an idea.” I gave him the vial with the miracle liquid. “Splash that on us, on the car too, and let’s imagine we’re driving on another road, far from here.”

A few bats landed on the car and starting scratching the metal, probably looking for a way to peel it open.

He eyed the liquid. “Ok, let’s try.”

“Know any safe road?”

“How about I-95 near Jacksonville?”

“Sounds good.”

Morgan opened the vial, tipped it sideways so his hand was full with the liquid, and sprayed it around. A few drops caressed my skin as my mind shifted to a safe, calm road in Florida.

Under my hands, the wheel of the car became soft, as if it were weightless. I closed my eyes, hoping we would arrive at our imagined destination rather than drive off the road and into the bats’ claws.

When I opened my eyes, expecting to see an empty and safe road, I saw them. Three figures stood right in the middle of I-95.

I stepped on the brakes with all I had. The tires squealed, and the car came to a stop inches away from the Fates.

Chapter Twenty Eight

The three eerie women looked like they had been gardening in their yard, not standing in the