The stone platform moved through the air like a silent bird. Killian stood at the edge, his boots clicking against the cold rock. Below them, the trees looked like tiny green dots. The wind was howling, but inside the circle of silver light, it was perfectly still. It was quiet. It was the kind of silence that made your ears ring.
Killian looked at Faith. She was standing at the front of the floating stone, Her hair was flying behind her, glowing with faint silver sparks. She wasn't looking at him neither was she looking at her mother, or even the Prince, Leo. She was staring at the city in the distance.
"Faith," Killian said. His voice was low. He stepped toward her, but the air around her felt thick. It felt like walking through invisible water. "You can't just fly into the palace. The King has thousands of soldiers. He has snipers. He has Alphas who can tear a man apart in seconds."
Faith didn't turn around. "Let them come," she said. Her voice was calm. It didn't sound like a girl who was about to start a war. It sounded like a fact.
Sarah stepped forward, her face pale. "Faith, please listen to him. We need a plan. We need to hide. I spent eighteen years keeping you safe. Don't throw it all away in one day."
Finally, Faith turned. Her black eyes were huge. They looked like two dark moons. When she looked at Sarah, the silver markings on her neck flared bright blue.
"You kept me safe by making me a slave to your sister" Faith said. The words were sharp. "You kept me safe by letting her beat me, you kept me safe by hiding while I lived my whole life as your sister's prisoner, I didn't have a childhood, I grew up without a Mother. So, the Mother role you are playing now? You are late.
Sarah flinched as if she had been slapped. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She looked at her daughter and realized she didn't recognize her anymore.
Leo stepped in between them. He looked at Faith with a serious expression. "My father is a monster, Faith. I know that better than anyone. But he is a smart monster. He has a 'Void Blade', a weapon made to kill people with your kind of power. If you go there now, you are walking into a trap."
Faith leaned in close to Leo. She was shorter than him, but she seemed to tower over him. Then it's a good thing I brought the King's favorite son with me, she whispered.
Leo's eyes went wide. He realized then that he wasn't just a friend on this ride. He was a shield.
Killian growled, his golden eyes flashing. He didn't like the way Faith was looking at Leo. Even now, with the world ending, his possessive Alpha nature was screaming.
"Leave him alone," Killian said, grabbing Faith's arm.
The moment his skin touched hers, a shock of electricity blasted through his body. It wasn't enough to kill him, but it knocked him back. He fell onto the stone, his arm numb and tingling.
Faith looked down at her hand, then at Killian. For a split second, a flash of sadness went through her black eyes. The "old" Faith was still in there somewhere, buried deep under the power.
"Don't touch me, Killian," she said. Her voice softened, just a little. I don't want to hurt you. But I am not a pet. I am not something you own or your investment anymore. The contract is over.
Killian stayed on the ground, staring up at her. His heart was breaking, but his pride was screaming. He had spent millions on her. He had protected her. And now, she was telling him he meant nothing.
"I told you I didn't just save you because you were just an investment Killian muttered. "I wanted you."
Then you should have treated me like a woman, not an investment.
The platform began to tilt. They were dropping fast now. The city was getting closer. They could see the lights of the streets and the tall, glass towers of the billionaire district. In the center of it all was the Palace. It was a massive building made of white stone and gold, surrounded by high walls and armed guards.
"Look," Leo pointed.
On the palace roof, red lights were spinning. Sirens began to wail. The King knew they were coming. Huge spotlights swung into the sky, searching for them.
"They see us," Sarah cried out, grabbing onto the edge of the stone. They're going to shoot!
"Let them," Faith said.
She raised both her arms. The silver light from the platform flowed up into her body. She looked like a star falling from the sky.
Suddenly, the palace guards opened fire. Hundreds of blazing red bullets flew through the air toward them. It looked like a wall of fire. Sarah screamed and covered her head. Leo pulled out his sword, even though he knew it couldn't stop bullets.
Faith didn't flinch.
When the bullets reached the edge of the silver light, they didn't hit anything. They simply stopped. Hundreds of bullets hung in the air, frozen in time. Then, with a flick of Faith's wrist, the bullets turned into dust. They blew away in the wind like sand.
The sirens at the palace suddenly went silent. The guards on the walls stopped shooting. They stood there, staring up at the sky in total panic.
Faith steered the stone platform right over the main courtyard of the palace. With a loud THUD, the stone landed in the center of the King's private garden, crushing a fountain of gold.
The dust settled. The air was heavy with the smell of burnt metal and flowers.
Faith stepped off the stone first. Her feet hit the ground, and a wave of silver energy rolled out from her, knocking over the statues and shattering the glass windows of the palace.
The heavy oak doors of the palace swung open. A line of Alphas in black armor stepped out, their claws extended. In the middle of them stood a man with gray hair and a crown made of dark iron.
The King.
He looked at Faith. He didn't look scared. He looked greedy. He looked like a man who had finally found the treasure he had been hunting for his whole life.
"My Catalyst," the King said, his voice booming across the courtyard. You finally came home.
Faith took a step forward. The ground under her feet cracked. "I am not your Catalyst Joker, " she said.
She pointed a finger at the King, and a bolt of blue lightning hit the ground inches from his feet.
"I am the Goddess of the Moon," Faith roared. "And you, Valerius, are sitting in my chair."
Killian stepped off the stone and stood behind her. He knew this was a suicide mission. He knew the King had traps they couldn't see. But as he looked at Faith's glowing back, he knew he couldn't leave her.
"We do this together," Killian said, his voice steady.
Faith didn't look back, but she didn't push him away this time. "Then you better try to keep up, Alpha."