Chapter 26

In her arms, Luke Cadell’s body went limp. Blood oozed from his wound. Far more than livable.

She’d seen enough battles to know a death wound when she saw it.

Some humans were known to cry. To cradle their loved ones until someone separated them.

Morrigan wasn’t human. Instead, her grief consumed her, fueled her, and burned with a power that she couldn’t contain.

She couldn’t see his future, whether he had a life beyond now.

She’d lied to him. But he hadn’t believed the lie. She’d felt it, just holding him, as she felt his life force starting to dwindle.

This wasn’t part of the plan. He wasn’t supposed to be hurt.

She glanced at the sky. Dumol’s flyer zoomed by. She looked like she was gloating.

“This is not over,” Morrigan said as she stood.

Dumol wasn’t going to live past this day.

From the corner of her eye, Morrigan saw a glint of green—Ula—headed for her and Cadell, just as she launched herself toward Dumol.

That woman would not get away with this.

Her wings flapped hard, and she headed straight for Dumol’s flyer.

Morrigan zoomed toward her prey. The wind whipped around her as he wings slammed in the air, shoving her higher and higher, moving faster than she had in, well...

Years.

It had been years since she moved like this.

She screamed as she approached the flyer. Weapon at the ready to take her opponent’s head off if necessary. She raised one sword, ready to strike.

Dumol, however, turned the flyer first left and then right. The human wasn’t making this easy.

But that was fine with Morrigan.

A challenge made the win more worthwhile. Morrigan stowed her weapons and gave chase. Because she would not lose this battle against Dumol.

Dumol would jerk left, then right, up, then down, but Mori stayed with her. She was not letting her get away.

Dumol headed toward the ten-mile road that led back into The Colony. She darted in and out of other vessels as she zoomed toward the major metropolitan area.

If Dumol got out there, then she’d find backup, and wind up under the protection of Transdot again.

Mori couldn’t let her get back to the city.

She flew hard, her wings propelling her forward, as fast as the flyer moved. With a twist and a leap, she got ahead of Dumol.

And stopped, right in front of her.

Dumol turned to look behind her.

Her mistake.

Morrigan snagged the cocky human off her flyer. She turned back toward the farms, and the flyer took a nosedive into the graveyard in between the farms and the main complex.

“What the...?” Dumol kicked and fought against her.

Morrigan head-butted her. With her golden crown of a Novian.

Dumol fell limp in her arms.

“Stupid human,” Morrigan muttered as she flew back into the farm zone. She considered dropping her from the same height Cadell had fallen. Poetic justice and all of that.

But humans, and the powers that be in The Colony would want to have a mastermind. Whether Dumol was working on her own, or under orders, Morrigan didn’t know. But the proper authorities—the ones that Ula had brought in—would want someone to pin this on.

So Dumol may need to live. If only to be a criminal.

They’d just entered the farming dome, and were almost to the field when she felt Dumol stir.

Mori tightened her grip, pulling her still.

Dumol fought and kicked against her. Reached for her wings.

Perhaps because Mori hadn’t been flying in a while—that was the only reason she could guess why Dumol’s jerks and kicks affected her, but they did.

She started to swerve and jerk as she fought against the human.

“Stop it,” Mori yelled, and literally hurled Dumol into the air over her head.

Dumol screamed as Mori corrected her flight and zipped back around, catching her by her foot.

“Fuck you, Novian,” Dumol snarled and brought around the gun—the one with the physical, projectile weapons.

Pulled the trigger.

Morrigan had but one recourse.

She dropped her.

Dumol kept firing.

The shots hit.

One.

Two.

Three.

This time, Mori went down.