Through the strands, his eyes glow ice blue. His blood-leeched lips are pulled back from his mouth and reveal elongated eyeteeth that come to a point.
The man—or rather creature—hisses at Steel, who returns the warning with a low, bone-shaking growl.
Is that a vampire? First shape shifters and now vampires? What else exists that I don’t know about?
I’d moved forward, only realizing it when Steel’s growl causes me to jerk back and knock over a chair. The sharp sound echoes in the nearly empty room.
The vampire-man’s head swivels in my direction. His pink tongue darts out, licking along his top lip before caressing both canine teeth.
I’m going to be sick.
The creature jolts toward me with inhuman speed. My eyes only see a blur of motion.
Steel’s jaws clamp down on his leg and he drops to the ground with a shriek a mere five feet in front of me.
Backpedaling, I ram into something hard. Hands lock on my shoulders and I strike out at whatever is restraining me.
“Yo, calm down. We got you,” Ash whispers. “We need to get out of here now.”
“Yeah, preferably before Steel notices we phased.” Sterling pipes up from my other side. Greyson was there as well.
I stop fighting when I realize it’s Ash and the twins behind me, all ringed in a soft white aura, just like mine. Further confirmation of our shared otherness.
“What is that thing?” Morbid curiosity overrides my sense of self-preservation—not something that happens often.
“It’s a Forsaken. We really do need to get out of here,” Greyson answers.
“We can’t just leave that thing with Steel.” I cut my eyes to the twin. Surely he would agree with me.
A moment later, Steel throws the carcass of the vampire, or whatever it is, across the room. The body hits the wall with a sickening crunch.
“I think he’s got it covered,” Greyson replies dryly.
Sterling moves in front of me and bounces on the balls of his feet, clearly longing to get in on the fight.
“Don’t even think about it, man.” Greyson points a finger at his brother, his brow pulled low.
“Yeah. Yeah, I know. Okay, let’s beat feet outta here.”
We’re almost out the doors when an unhinged laugh pierces the air. Even the spectrum world hates the sound. Angry waves of light vibrate off the walls.
“Yes, run you disgusting little hybrids. We like the chase as much as the hunt.”
Ice splashes through my veins as we shove through the cafeteria doors. The voice turns into a barbaric shriek that’s cut off by a sharp crack.
Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh. Do not look back, Emberly.
For once, I listen to myself.
We’re only halfway down the hall when the cafeteria doors open and slam against the wall.
My nerves are so frayed, I hardly jump at the new intrusion.
A low growl causes Greyson to skid to a halt.
Ash bumps into him, I slam into her, and Sterling stumbles into me.
I whirl around the moment Sterling’s weight eases off my back.
“Oh, sh—” Sterling grumbles under his breath as he stares at the lion form of his brother.
Steel explodes like a firecracker in a flash of white light. I’m in awe as the light particles put themselves into the shape of a man before pulsating one final time to reveal a very angry Steel.
“What were you thinking?” He stomps down the hall and gets in Sterling’s face.
Greyson appears and lays a hand on his older brother’s shoulder. “Cool down, man. We were just trying to protect the new girl.”
Great, they’ve already forgotten my name.
Steel’s glower turns on me. His eyebrows are black angry slashes that punctuate the blue fire burning in his eyes.
I concede a step, but refuse to give him the satisfaction of lowering my gaze in submission.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed? Or worse?”
Wait. What?
“Only a complete idiot would phase with no defenses with a Forsaken in the room.” His gaze sweeps my body and the curl of his lip tells me I’m found wanting.
Surprisingly, that stings.
“You’re what, sixteen? You can’t be old enough to have gone through training yet.”
“I’m seventeen. But what the heck does that matter? I’ve been taking care of myself for long enough to know I don’t need you.”
His dark brows shoot up, but so do mine.
He isn’t the only one surprised by that little outburst. In a fight or flight scenario, I’m usually a flight kinda girl. I survived this long by blending in, hiding in the shadows. Being bold isn’t usually my style.
Steel barely gets his mouth open to respond when Sterling cuts him off. “She’s half-phased. We couldn’t get her out any other way.”
“Half-phased?” he asks in disbelief.
“He’s serious,” Greyson adds. “We can see her on the mortal plane, but she’s only experiencing the spirit realm. There wasn’t anything else we could do.”
Steel’s angry glare swings back to me. I force myself not to cower. I’d dealt with bullies before. Steel’s nothing new.
“Phase back,” he orders.
I blink at him, a crease forming between my brows. “Sure, just as soon as you tell me what that means and teach me how to do it.”
A very human growl vibrates in Steel’s chest and he shoves a hand in his hair.
Ash steps in front of me, her head of corkscrew curls almost completely blocking my view of the fuming man-child in front of me.
“Give her a break, man. All this stuff is new to her. And besides, we shouldn’t be arguing about this right now. We’ve got to get to a bunker.”
The breath Steel releases blows some of Ash’s curls. Reaching around her, he grabs my upper arm, hauling me out from her protection.
“Whoa. What is your problem?” I shake free of his hold, but his attention is locked on his brothers.
“I’ll make sure she gets somewhere safe. You guys phase back. Just go straight to Blaze and Aurora’s group to make sure they made it, and stay there.”
When Sterling opens his mouth to argue, Greyson slaps a hand over it and pulls him back. “We’ll meet up with you when this is over.”
Greyson and Sterling disappear into thin air and I shake my head, not used to seeing other people vanish like that.
Ash shifts her weight from foot to foot as she chews her lip, her eyes bouncing back and forth between me and Steel.
“You sure you got her?” she asks.
Steel barks a humorless laugh. “You really worried I won’t be able to take care of her?”
“Conceited much?” I scoff.
Ash’s mouth quirks in a half-smile.
“I’ll find you when the threat has been eliminated, okay?” Her eyes beg me to agree.
I don’t have much of a choice. Besides, it seems that whatever is going on, it’s safer for her not to be in the spectrum world. I may have just met her, but I don’t want her to get hurt.
I answer her with a tight nod.
With that, she disappears too.
Looking down his nose at me, Steel turns on a heel and stalks down the hall. “Keep up,” he throws over his shoulder without slowing.
This is going to be interesting.