Birthright

Chapter Nine

William placed his hand on the exit door and pushed it open. His other hand clamped over Jordan’s mouth. She struggled, but went rigid when she realized they were outside. Her bare feet touched freezing sand and William put his other arm around her waist and hauled her off the ground. Her bruised body screamed.

Fight, Jordan! The voice in her mind yelled. 

She found the fire always simmering beneath the surface. William cursed as his clothes began to smoke. He released her and she looked around, trying to get her bearings. She hadn’t been outside in years. It was night with a full moon. There were no other buildings in sight, only endless desert. There was a jeep nearby, obviously what William was trying to drag her to. There had to be more cars, she thought and tried to dodge around the building. 

William tackled her from behind. She screamed and hoped someone would hear. No one in Haven could be as evil as William. His tainted power seeped into her. It was as if he were forcing her to swallow gasoline. He flipped her onto her back and crouched over her. There was no sign of white in his eyes, they were black holes that wanted to consume her. His breath fanned over her face and tears seeped from the corner of her eyes.

“You have to come with me. You have to save me,” William whispered into her hair. 

She screamed again and tried to buck him off, but it was a useless gesture. His hand wrapped around her throat, cutting off her air. His touch made her feel as if spiders skittered over her skin. She struggled like a demon and in her terror, found renewed strength. Jordan splayed her hand over  his face and let emotion rule. Her power, that constant gnawing pain in her chest, rushed through her arm like a bolt of lightning. William jerked back as if he’d been shot and rolled away. He tossed his face up to the moonlight, face contorted in agony as fire rushed beneath the surface of his skin. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air and bile rose in her throat. She scrambled backwards, but was unable to take her eyes from him. William let out a howl as he touched his face and bits of steaming flesh fell into his open hands.

Jordan lurched to her feet and ran around the building. Sobs caught in her throat and her stomach pitched unsteadily. When she let go, she was never sure what would happen. She rounded  the building and saw nothing. She raced around the third side and her feet began to numb from the cold sand. The air was crisp and thin and her breath hovered in a cloud in front of her. She ran towards another corner of the building when William came out of the shadows. Jordan dug her feet into the sand. William’s face was back to normal, but his eyes showed no mercy. 

“You’re really something,” he said in a musing tone. “I don’t know anyone your age that can do the things you do.”

“William, please,” she choked.

“I can’t let you go. Do you know how special you are? In all my years, I never thought I would  meet one as powerful as you,” he said with a smile. 

“Where are you taking me?”

“To meet my princess. She’s a good girl.”

“You steal girls from Haven?” Jordan whispered.

William frowned. “Of course not. She’s mine, just like you.”

“What have we here?” asked a malicious voice.

William whirled around as a young man stepped into the moonlight wearing a trench coat and jeans. He couldn’t be older than twenty and he was beautiful. He was tall and thin with the face of an angel, but something about him wasn’t right. Something about him put Jordan on edge. The same instinct that warned her about William shrieked at her to run.