Artifice - Man x Man - Book Six

Chapter 57

I fight against the pain of the electrocution running coursing through my muscles. Trying to find any way to make the pain stop, screaming in my head for Alpha, my body threatens to give in to the blackness. 

A hand grabs me, and I feel the energy pulse back through my body in a surge, removing the charge as if it had been lifted. As I glance up, I'm met with startling eyes that shimmer hot white as if they were made of voltage themselves. 

The man pulls the hood back over his head, retracting his shimmering hand. "Can you move?" He asks. 

I blink wildly at him, trying to come to terms with what just happened. The man who had Soli lays unconscious on the floor and I notice the lycra bodysuit and the large cloak of the female who had shot Verando. I close my fist, yanking the very pipes from the ground and blasting her with water. She throws her hands up quickly, barely deflecting it before being overwhelmed. 

"Get away from her!" I demand, rushing for my friend as the woman tries to right herself. The man puts up his hands. 

"We're trying to help. Please, there isn't much time. Nicolas."

"How do you know my name?!" I hold the water in my hand, forming a long pointed rod, when suddenly the ice melts and splats on the floor. The woman is behind us, her hands raised. 

"We are friends." These two, were they the twins Verando had been speaking of? Bullets rain down on us, and she throws up her cloak; it deflects them as if the sheet were made of metal. Touching her belt, she murmurs something in a language I thought I recognized. 

Two more cloaked figures appear; modern-day archers launch a barrage of arrows overhead, though these have blunted tips that seem to disable their victims rather than kill them. "Come on. Please. We need The Good King."

Marisol grips my arm, clutching her stomach. "We have to go." She manages through her teeth and I support her as I follow after the male. He throws his cloak over me, guarding my hair, no doubt. A large car pulls up, and the doors swing open. I'm prepared to attack, but he shoves my head down and pushes me inside, followed by Marisol, before climbing into it himself along with the female. 

"Keep 'em busy, Aego." He shouts as he slams the door. The pair bolt towards the fray of agents, and my eyes widen as I feel the ground around us start to rumble. Red. She knows we are getting away. 

"Sunroof," I demand. 

"What?"

"Sunroof! Open your damn sunroof!" 

Obediently, the driver does so, and I stand on the seat, forcing my way through and cursing at myself for my own stupidity. The ground trembles and rumbles as the street begins to crack, the asphalt separates and groans as cars fall into the crater created by a woman scorned. 

Pipes screech and moan as they're lifted from the very earth and buildings begin to tremble as their structures are threatened. My eyes widen, taking in the growing darkness of a building leaning in for a closer look.  

A massive wave of water rounds the corner, and the ground shakes me to my core. She had gotten stronger,  more potent in her depravity. Magic like this came at a cost. The building pops, deafening us as glass shatters and supports give way. "Drive!" I demand. 

The male crawls between my legs to press his hand to the dash and boost the electric engine. The car roars to life, surging forward at a pace that makes the driver scramble to keep us upright. The wave is too controlled; it rumbles and rolls through the city as it threatens to overwhelm us.

 I throw up my hands, pushing against it and setting up a barrier. The people scream, scrambling all around as the building begins to lumber over the street. I redirect the wave, throwing it against the structure in an attempt to right it, yet I feel as though there's a pull.