Chapter 4

Wobbly Knees

"I can't believe you skipped the banquet to get out of having to wear a dress," Rex grumbles as he walks into my apartment unannounced.

"I didn't skip it to get out of wearing a dress," I exasperate. I skipped it to keep from running into the sexiest man I've ever known. "I had to pack. As it turns out, I'll be gone for three weeks this time at the very least. Apparently, Captain Fricks didn't have any luck getting me out from under Hedin's wing because he's still going, making my presence null and void. I doubt I'll even try to pay attention to the tracks this time."

"Yes you will. You can't help it. You're just like dad in that sense," he says gently while flopping down on my couch.

I smile at the comparison. I hate it when people say I'm like my mother, but I love it when they compare me to Dad.

"When are you heading out?" he yawns out.

"In ten minutes," I say too casually while zipping up my last bag.

"What? Why? I thought it was tomorrow," he says in a worrisome tone.

"What's wrong, big brother? Upset you can't find a way to get yourself on this detail?" I tease.

He narrows his eyes at me and shrugs.

"I'll just join you guys later. Unlike you, I don't have a problem using Mom's influence to get my way. It's easy to hop on a detail even if it is already started."

I roll my eyes at the overprotective seer lounging on my blood red couch. A light rapping against my steel door draws my attention away from him, and I make my way over, expecting to see one of the men from my brigade.

I gasp when I swing it open to reveal the tall, sexy-as-fuck man grinning at me as he leans against my doorframe. His lean, sculpted body is hidden beneath the formal suit, and now I'm dreading skipping the damn banquet.

"Hey," he says very lowly while staring at me with those damn beautiful eyes.

"I see you found out where I live," I murmur softly to distract myself from pulling him to me.

"I did. I was curious as to why you didn't show up tonight."

Because I want you, idiot. And I can't have you.

He tilts his head, his devious smirk growing as he takes a step closer, continuing to speak when my words refuse to form. "I was hoping to run into you, and thanks to your absence, I had to fight off a flock of very eager women," he menacingly releases.

I would have just been part of that eager flock, but you're too oblivious to notice someone like me amongst the crowd.

If Hale Banner wasn't my father, I doubt Jase would even be talking to me. Most people want to know more about Dad or Mom. It's annoying really.

"Well, I had to pack."

His lips tighten as if I've said something he didn't like, but I shrug while pulling my bag out from behind the door.

"I see," he sighs out. "I heard your team was leaving out tonight instead of tomorrow."

Then why act as though you didn't when I mentioned it?

He smirks a little while rolling his eyes, and again I'm confused.

"What's that for?" I muse.

"What's what for?"

"The eye-roll you just gave me."

He laughs lightly, as if to himself, and then he shrugs.

"Nothing. I came to walk you out. I'd tell you to call me if you need me, but I heard you'll be on silent stalk."

Not to mention I don't have your number.

I'm glad I don't. If I did, then I'd be calling him to invite him over every time I had a moment of weakness. I'd feel like an idiot if another girl answered his phone, or if he just laughed at me like he loves to do.

Again, his lips tighten, and he seems displeased with me. Maybe it's my attire. I do look a little… uptight, I suppose. My dark jeans are tucked into my boots very snugly, and my dark hair is wafted back in a ponytail. My casual tee wasn't ever meant to be seen by his eyes, but then again, it's not like he would care if I got all dolled up.

After hearing all the girls whispering and giggling all day about this guy, I don't need to even think about him. Besides, I can't be with a full blood anyways. It's too risky.

"You in there?" he says through a chuckle when I seem to be lost from the world.

"Oh… yeah… silent stalk. We can't even take our phones with us."

He nods, and suddenly Rex is joining us.

"No silent stalk missions. You know better," he growls, and I groan as he towers over me.

Jase leans back as he meets my brother eye to eye, but Rex disengages from him very quickly to return his glare to me.

"This is my career, big brother. I'm far too old to be getting preached to about safety. Mom and Uncle Brazen will just have to deal with it. I'm not telling anyone I can't go because my mother would disapprove."

"Then I'll tell them. Mom's name still carries enough weight to get you out of this," he hisses before stalking off.

"If you do this, I swear I won't talk to you for two or three centuries."

He halts his stride, and then he slowly turns back around.

"I'd rather have you alive and silent for a few hundred years than dead and silent for the rest of eternity," he says far too seriously, and I roll my eyes.

"It won't matter. By the time Mom throws her weight around, I'll already be gone, and no one will have a phone for her friend, the commander, to call."

He growls under his breath as he dashes back to his room. I laugh lightly, but Jase's face is very serious when I turn back to meet him.

"What?" I ask while pulling my suitcase behind me and locking my door.

"Maybe he's right. If your mother feels so strongly about your not going on silent stalk-"

"Stop right there. I didn't realize you were an Arayan," I huff out while walking faster to escape him.

Of course. Now it all makes perfect sense. It's not Hale Banner he worships after all.

"A what?" he asks in bemusement as he hurries to catch back up with me.

"An Arayan. It's what I call my mother's groupies. I swear she has more people worshipping her than a rockstar from the old ages. If she wanted to start a cult, all she'd have to do is hang a damn sign saying, ‘Members wanted,' and she'd have to turn people away after five hours. It's so fucking obvious now," I hiss out while rounding the next corner even faster.

"What the hell are you talking about? You lost me at groupie. Just because I respect your mother and the work she has done, it doesn't mean I worship her. And what is obvious?" he asks in a huff as he catches up once again.

"You. I couldn't figure out why you kept showing up around me, but now I get it."

I'm so stupid!

"What the hell does that mean, damn it?" he insists. "Give me something to argue here."

"It's nothing. This was my lapse. I can't blame you for loving my mother like the rest of the damn United. I need to go," I mumble while rushing down the stairs to the outside, trying to avoid any further conflict.

The fresh air slaps me in the face, and then I get sick when I see our new captain. He looks so young in so many ways. He doesn't have the skill or the experience etched in his eyes like the seasoned full bloods. He's so… meager, and his lack of confidence shines through like a damn neon sign.

Great. Now I'll have a dumb jackass and a beginner jackass to deal with.

"Aria, please stop and talk to me," Jase's voice interjects from behind as he whirls me around to face his incredible, smooth pale eyes.

"Look, Jase, I'll talk to you some other time. I've got work to do right now. My mother deserves to be praised, but I don't hang out with people who want to use me to earn her affections," I mumble under my breath, and he scoffs out in disbelief.

" That's what you think I'm doing? You're so… damn, you're frustrating."

That's how they all react when busted.

Maybe I should just build a shrine that exactly matches her, and then everyone would leave me the fuck alone to go praise it.

"I can't believe this is what you think," he continues.

"Aria! We're going now!" Hedin barks, and I roll my eyes at Jase while turning away.

"See you later," I release with a jaded tone while blurring away from him and joining the others in the cars.

He stands there with a tensely clenched jaw as he watches us pull away. I should have known it from the first second I was with him. I'm so used to my mother's fan club that I barely notice the warning signs anymore. I've got to step up my game because I almost made a huge mistake. One I've already made before.

The broken branches show a path too easily. We're not tracking anyone... we're being led. We have to be. There's no way they broke this much shit without meaning too. It's much too obvious.

Then I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I taste the uranium in the air. I know this is all wrong, and we're all going to fucking die if this asshole leads us right into their trap.

"Mr. Hedin, Sir?" I prompt while running up to him.

"What now, Ms. Banner?" he growls.

"I can taste uranium, and these branches are broken in far too many places for this not to be a setup. We left the road over an hour ago. We should have lost their trail several times along the way. This has all been too easy."

"They're in a hurry, and they're scared because we're gaining on them. Just fall back in line and keep your mouth shut," he snaps, and then he barges by me to continue on.

Not this time. This time I can't text for help. I can't call in my mother to be our savior.

I run back to join our new captain, and his eyes keep moving along with the broken limbs.

"Captain Hollis, Sir?"

"Yes?" he exasperates, and it's clear he overheard my confrontation with Hedin.

"Sir, you know this is wrong. There's no way they laid out this easy of a trail for us without something nasty waiting at the end."

"Are you really going behind my back, you sniveling little girl?" Hedin barks as he appears in front of us.

"Yes I am. This is wrong. You're too fucking arrogant to look around you and see what's going on. This is a damn trap, and everyone here will die if we follow you."

"I swear, the moment we get back, I'll have you dishonorably discharged, you ungrateful little brat!"

"Stop it," Captain Hollis growls. "Aria, I realize you're probably a little apprehensive right now, given your last solo mission, but this is Hedin's call. He was named the lead tracker for a reason. Just fall in line." Then he turns back to Hedin. "Mr. Hedin, Aria Banner isn't going to be dishonorably discharged, and I'll be damned if I let you threaten anyone here with such a thing again. Now go back to silent and resume the front."

Hedin growls as his eyes scold me, and then he rejoins the front line as we walk knowingly into the trap. There won't be anything anyone can do for us. Do I run? Will it make me a coward if I'm the only one smart enough to see this as it really is? Could I-

My thoughts are interrupted as the familiar, gut wrenching sound of bullets whistling through the air rip through our men. I scream out when I see the bullets coming in from a new angle.

"Get down!" I yelp.

Everyone dives to the ground, and our captain curls up into the fetal position as he freezes in the field. I've seen this reaction before. Damn it. We need someone with some sense to lead us right now.

I rip my guns free from my holsters, and then I start firing into the hoards of unaligned surrounding us from every angle. I grab a grenade designed by my stepfather, and I launch it into the hurling masses.

I dive away as it explodes, and then I jump up to start running into the smoke while firing in the directions I hear coughs, screams of pain, or any other sound coming my way. There's no chance of survival right now. There's too many, and my eyes widen when I see a fresh fleet of them rushing toward us.

"Fuck," I gush out, as I start racing back toward our men. "Get up and fight, damn it!" I yell to our captain, but he continues to lie down in the thick of the bush, whimpering and crying as the bullets pour in.

I jerk him under a rock to shield his exposed body, and I feel the bullets cutting through my skin as they attack me from behind. Our men fire rapidly into the masses, but we're barely making a dent. I feel something for the first time, as a stirring brews in my stomach. I wish it was savage, but it's not. It is my gift though. It's coming out enough for me to feel its power.

I fling my arms, and their front line is knocked from their feet. I almost want to squeal - because I'm so fucking excited - but then a new parade of bullets slice through me, reminding me to pay attention.

I scream out as the blood runs down my legs, and I throw my arms out once more to send out a new ripple, knocking them off their feet. This time, some of them contort and fold as their bones crack and break. But that's all I've got. Even if I could evoke more, I'm bleeding too much to bring out my gift.

I slump to the ground to stare at the red stains falling freely down my body, and then I taste the tang of my blood in my mouth. Screams echo in my ears as the fight rages on, and my hair clumps together as more blood sprays on it from my falling team. I pull on the mask, though I'm barely able to do such a task. I have to keep the blood out of my mouth.

I keep shooting, but I know it's pointless. I throw my last two grenades, but the blasts only clear to show more of them charging toward us with their unrelenting hailstorm of uranium.

Suddenly, hope finds a place in my heart as the men too close to me are ashed in front of my eyes. Then several of them fold over as they're forced to the ground. More and more are incinerated in front of my eyes, and then I see the faces behind the power.

"Uncle Grayson," I murmur in a near whisper. "Aunt… Angelica," I force out, begging them to see me.

"Aria!" Aunt Angelica screams as she jumps down from the sky-scraping rock of the canyon above us.

Men fly out of her way on her path to me, but suddenly she grabs her side as blood rushes free.

"No!" I scream as I try to stand, but my legs collapse beneath me, my bloody body failing me when I need it the most.

Men around her become ashes as my uncle loses his sanity to his savage.

Finally.

He releases his unfiltered power, and the thousands become hundreds within a blink. Then I hear more gunshots rattling free as men slide down the canyon side. I look up as I see the dark hair of one drawing my attention.

Jase!

I'm almost certain I'm delirious. This is all too good to be true, and now I've got a glimmer of hope that wasn't even in my wildest dreams. There's no way we can survive this, when moments ago it was an impossibility.

Aunt Angelica stands to force more men to bow at her feet, and Uncle Grayson slays them with his flameless fire.

Jase fires rapidly into the hoards as he makes it his mission to reach our team. His body whirls through the bullets without being scraped even once. He rolls and dives before a grenade catches up with him. It's as though he can see everything coming before it does. He's amazing.

He's so fucking hot right now as he fires against the crowds. I've tuned out all the chaos, all the drama... everything. He's left me mesmerized amongst the madness.

I know he's here to pull out our captain, but it almost feels like he's here for me. It feels like he came to save me, and I've never felt so good.

"Damn it, take them out!" he yells to a group of men as a new fleet charges our way with their disastrous numbers.

I see their eyes... the pupils dilated. They have savages. No. They'll kill us all. My uncle, my aunt, and… Jase . They'll kill all of us with that many savages in tow.

I scramble to my knees as my blood pours more fiercely, and the earth rattles beneath my hands as I try to stand up. It vibrates, quakes and damn near erupts. Their screams echo through my ears like hollow cries.

I scream out as something powerful erupts from me, booming with an invisible force. It tears through the ground around us, reaching up and pulling the life from the collapsing slew of deadly savages, and then they all fall lifelessly to the ground. All of them .

Not one of them stands up. Not one person moves. Only our people still stand as I wobble to my feet. I have no idea what I just did, but they're all dead. I'm scared and ecstatic at the same time.

Jase staggers to a halt as he gasps out his disbelief, and Aunt Angelica clutches her mouth with both hands as her eyes dart to mine. I glance in the mirror that I keep on my keychain, and I see the purple has overtaken the blue contacts, thanks to my acidic tears.

Fucking shit.

She starts toward me just as I collapse to the ground, the blood loss finally taking its terrible toll, but Jase beats her to my side.

"Aria, stay with me. I need you to talk to me," he panics while scooping me up and holding me to his chest as though I'm weightless.

"Our captain… he's there," I wheeze out in a labored breath, keeping my eyes closed while pointing to the coward still unscathed and hiding beneath the rock.

"Someone get Captain Hollis back to the vehicles," he murmurs to a group. "Take everyone to Singleton."

"My niece," Aunt Angelica shrieks as she reaches us.

"I've got her. You need to collect Captain Morris. I'm sure it took his savage to do what he did," Jase counters softly while clutching me to his chest.

He puts me down briefly when a guy steps up, offering Aunt Angelica the chance to quickly come check me over. His body blocks most of the view to me, and Aunt Angelica makes sure to cover me completely as I take the opportunity to pull out a spare pair of contacts. With the chaos surrounding us, no one notices me throwing in the new blues.

"I'm taking Ms. Banner with me. Get the others out of here," Jase mutters before passing out several phones a girl presents him with. "Wait until you're close to the border to turn them on."

Jase scoops me back up, and I throw my arms around his neck to help relieve him of bearing my full weight.

My eyes scour the hillside to find my uncle sliding down on his way to find the only thing that matters to him right now. His arms wrap around my aunt, and she lets him carry her away, her eyes offering me a glance over his shoulder as she peers around.

"I'll come find you when I bring him down," she whispers loud enough for only me to hear.

I feel the seat of a car pushing against my back as I wheeze in another breath. I feel the blood filling up in my lungs as Jase swishes around to the driver's side.

"Damn it," he growls when he grinds the gears wrong in his frenzied, panicked state.

I'm in too much pain to speak. I can't even ask him how he knew we needed help. My eyes become too heavy to hold open, and his breaths echo in my ear as the only sound I can hear. He smells so good.

"Aria, stay with me, please, stay with me," he urges while barreling through the wooded area like a professional driver.

How long did it take us to get back to the road?

"Aria, damn it, stay with me," he pleads again, but I can't think straight.

My mind is wandering down random streets with no real destination. I feel so weak, tired, almost as though I've spent the whole day swimming.

"Mmm. Sex and Candy," I murmur before finally allowing my eyes to close, my mind blocking out the horrendously excruciating pain.

"Fuck!" he blares, and I feel the car finding a solid path as he kicks it in to move all the faster.

Death be kind... please.