Chapter 12

JASE

"Jase, go!" Aria cries, dropping to her knees as though she's in agony while clutching her stomach.

I'm not going any-damn-where. She shouldn't be in this much pain. This can't be her savage—

My thoughts are dropped when the dirt all around us begins to vibrate, the individual grains separating and slowly lifting from the ground. For as far as I can see, more and more grains rise, splitting and holding an independent spot in the air, rising higher and higher until it's almost chest-level with me.

Holy…fucking…shit.

It almost sounds like the ground is roaring, a dull promise with a thunderous tingle, starting at my toes and riding my body up to my head. It's as though a thousand small wires are all bouncing wildly inside of me.

I can only imagine what's going on inside of her if this is merely the side effects.

Her cries of anguish force me to cringe, and I try to go to her, but it's as though there is an invisible wall holding me back. It's an almost tangible force that I could beat my fists on, but I can break free.

"Aria!" I yell over the roar that seems to only grow louder, and then a buzzing joins it, forcing me to step back and cover my ears.

The small grains of sand start swirling, spinning around us, and large gusts of wind join them as the land tries to distort. Helpless, so fucking helpless—that's what I am. Watching her writhe in pain is enough to suffocate me with panic.

But chills spread over me when her cries of misery turn into fits of ominous laughter. She rises slowly, and the violent storm around us only grows more powerful as the skies darken as if under her command. I've never seen anything like it, and the coldness in her eyes has completely overtaken the warmth I once felt.

"Aria," I whisper, knowing she's lost. Her eyes are black, fully dilated like a stage three savage. How did this happen?

"Pretty hybrid," she says in a singsong voice that only mocks me, as though she's about to toy with me.

The wall that was holding me back seems to dissipate, and the savage version of my girl slowly struts toward me, her steps crossing over each other with prowess of a huntress. It's mesmerizing and terrifying in the same breath.

I wasn't scared last time, because I could still see a trace of Aria. This time…

"Don't fret, pretty hybrid," she says, though her menacing smile contradicts her words.

The sound knocked me to my knees earlier, but I stay down as a show of respect, giving her the high ground. Looking up, I see the challenge in her eyes, but I don't actually feel the fear I did. Responding to her right now would be so damn stupid, though.

"You'll get her back," she says, forcing me to tilt my head in confusion. She's talking to me, seeing through me, but she's acting as though she's… separate from herself. This is… different.

Unsure of whether or not it's safe to speak, I maintain my silence. This elicits a grin from the savage girl who stirs the clouds above us harder with just a small flick of her wrist.

"You don't get to put me back so easily this time," she taunts, still sounding as though she's not Aria instead of an extension of her. She's not mindlessly destroying things like last time, there's familiarity in her eyes this time, but… This is bad. Really, really bad.

"Strong silent type, I see. As lovely as this, I have people to shred."

Risking it, I stand up, rising slowly until I'm towering over her, and I look down into her eyes that greedily rake over my body. Maybe I can still talk her down.

"Or you can stay with me," I say softly.

I'm on uncharted ground with a savage I've never seen before. I've never even heard of anything like this.

Her eerie smile sends a shot of ice down my spine, and then her eyes fearlessly stare into mine.

"Tempting, pretty hybrid. But you're not that good."

She blows her intoxicating breath in my face, forcing me to blink out of reflex. My eyes flick open immediately, but she's gone. Completely vanished from sight. What the fuck? That's not possible. She's fast, but not that fast.

Twirling around in circles, I search for her as the sands drop back into place and the sky clears, allowing the sun to come out of hiding once again. But there's nothing and no one to be seen. We're miles from the compound. The compound—shit!

I race back, panicked and dreading what I'm going to find. The newly repaired gates open before I even reach them, but I stumble to a halt when I find nothing but the peaceful, daily life of the people.

Where did she go?