From Gods (Descendant Prophecies Book 1)(26)

"Okay, now I remember. Sorry. I just woke up and saw you here."

Would it be such a bad thing?

"So we should-you should-" he started to say.

Skylar didn't know what to say or do. She knew he was baffled and most  likely still dazed from being drugged, or maybe he wasn't. She didn't  care anymore. "I'm going to go back to my room. Obviously, I'm safer  there than here." At least her heart was.

"Stop. Hold on a minute. I didn't mean to offend you." Mason tumbled out  of bed. "I need to think. Please, keep your voice down. They may hear  us."

Skylar's hand was on the doorknob, already turning it. "They may hear  us," repeated in her mind. Did he not want the others to know she'd  spent the night in his room? "You need to think? Think about what?"

Mason chuckled lightly. "Here we go again, Echo."

"I'm not repeating your words," she snapped. Or was she?

"We should leave. I'll take you to your room to pack," Mason said,  heading to the door. Skylar stepped aside for him, knowing she had no  choice.

As soon as Mason placed his hand on the knob, the door automatically  thrashed open. He flew across the room as if he had been punched in the  stomach, and then he bounced off the bed from the impact and tumbled to  the floor. Stunned by what had just happened, Skylar hid behind the  door. Unexpectedly, a claw gripped her shirt and yanked her out.





Still on the floor, Mason's eyes shot up to find Skylar, but she was  gone. Dashing out the door with lightning-bolt speed, he saw her in the  arms of a vulture as it sprinted down the stairs. She was desperately  trying to fight him off, kicking and punching, but her size and strength  were no match for the beast.

Looking to the right, he saw Nick was a step ahead of him. He had  already flung himself down to the first level near the front door and  was gesturing for Mason not to make a move. Knowing Nick was waiting for  the vulture, he positioned himself, ready to jump. When Nick dashed  forward, Mason made his move and landed behind the vulture.

Nick tilted his head back and looked at his opponent with revulsion.  "You're one ugly, giant dude, and you stink like hell. What planet did  you come from?"

The vulture hissed loudly, reaching for the door, but Nick stood in the way.

"Where do you think you're going? I don't think she's your type, and you're certainly not my type with those long nails."

The vulture growled, holding Skylar with one arm. It swung with the  other and missed Nick by a hair's breadth. Given the opportunity, Mason  jumped on its back and grimaced from its body odor. It stunk with the  smell of sewer and urine. Its cold, leather-like skin was hard to grip  and Mason's hands were slipping.         

     



 

In anger, the vulture twisted its body, swatting ineffectively with its  free hand to get Mason off its back. It weaved from side to side and  with one wild twirl, Mason's body knocked the tall vase over, sending it  to the floor where it shattered into pieces.

Losing his grip on the monster, Mason tumbled to the floor and struggled  to get up. A broken piece of the vase had pierced his upper arm. He  yanked it out to see scarlet liquid soaking through his T-shirt as it  trickled down his arm. Though he was in throbbing pain, he could feel  his arm slowly healing.

Just before Mason got back to his feet, the vulture gripped his shirt  and tossed him with one hand. The weight of the impact caused Mason to  fall on top of Nick. Before Mason had time to adjust, the vulture picked  him up and tossed him again.

Everett and Amanda rushed out of their rooms at the same time to see  Mason sliding across the floor. His body swept the broken vase pieces  with it like a mop, leaving a clear path.

"What are you two looking at? This isn't a free show. We could use some  help here," Nick said loudly, ducking another blow. He saw two more men  charging from the other side of the cabin, morphing into vultures as  they advanced toward him. "What the hell? Where did they come from?"

Everett stayed where he was with an impassive expression on his face.  With elbows on the banister, he didn't budge. As for Amanda, she ran to  her room and came back with a sword in her hand. Looking eager, she  flung herself over the rail and landed gracefully on her feet.

Mason grabbed a long broken piece of vase off the floor and stabbed it  into the back of the vulture who was still swatting at Nick. It  screeched in pain and lost its hold on Skylar. After pulling Skylar out  of the way and reaching the corner, Mason stood in front of her  protectively.

"Amanda, go back upstairs. Nick and I have got this handled," he  demanded, moving from side to side, contemplating what the vulture would  do next.

"And let the boys have all the fun? No way." Amanda twirled her sword  and missed. She leapt to the left, swung, and missed again. "Dang,  they're fast for being so chubby." She rapidly flipped over the vulture  in front of her, confusing it, but it caught on to what she was doing  and turned.

When Amanda jolted back, she scraped her sword across its chest. Black  fluid squirted out. The wounded vulture turned away from her. "Where do  you think you're going?" Amanda huffed and chased after it.

The other vultures continued to make horrendous ear-piercing sounds as  they angrily fought back. Mason knew that one way to end the beasts'  lives was to use his power, but their swift movements made it difficult.  He could have easily bolted deadly light out of his hand, but he would  be taking a risk if he missed. Not only that, he worried about what  Skylar would think of him.

An opportunity finally arose when Nick knocked one to the floor. Mason  gripped its shoulders and zapped it with volts of electricity that  flowed out of him. Bright light emanated from Mason's body as if he  himself was lightning. Then the vulture's body seared and fizzled,  looking like a barbecue gone wrong.

The beast bellowed in pain, burning from the inside, before turning back  into human form. Like a torch, fire blasted out of it and it flailed  its arms in a fanning motion. As black smoke circulated through the air  like a magic trick, it emitted a giant puff of smoke and crumbled into  ashes.

"Well, that was very toasty," Mason said, turning around to see Nick zap  his power into the other vulture. Wondering where the third beast was,  he turned to Skylar to make sure she was safe.

Skylar was shivering in the corner where he had left her, bent down with  her back flat against the wall. Black ooze mixed with red liquid was  seeping out of her hands. She looked frightened and fragile, and as pale  as the white wall behind her.

At the sight of her, Mason's heart dropped. His was filled with empathy  and another feeling he couldn't quite understand tugged at his heart.  He'd promised himself he wouldn't become attached. Had she been peeling  away a layer at a time and unknowingly found her way in?

Sure, he had flirted with her, big time, but what guy in his right mind  wouldn't? She was attractive, but there was more to her than a pretty  face. He had never met anyone like her before-innocent, strong willed,  spunky, and her heart beat purely.

It was getting more difficult to fight the feeling he had been trying to  conceal since the day he first met her. All he could think of at that  moment was to take her away from all the madness. He wanted to comfort  her and a part of him wanted to kiss her. Wait-what was he thinking? He  had to wipe that thought from his mind. He'd told himself many times  over he wouldn't let her in. He must remain strong.         

     



 

Dragging his eyes away from her, he saw the motionless beast flat on its  stomach. Oddly, it hadn't turned back into human form, which they  always did before they died. It was decapitated and a long sharp piece  from the shattered vase was sticking out from its back. Next to it was  Amanda, holding up her sword dripping with black liquid. With one foot  on the vulture's back, she looked proud and victorious.

Soon after, the vulture hardened into a stone-like substance, before it  burst into ashes, just like Skylar had seen happen to Remus. Amanda,  Nick, and Mason were alarmed to see the transformation. The other two  flashed their eyes to Mason with questioning looks.

"Not a word. I don't want to hear it," Mason stated, then turned to  Skylar. "Skylar," Mason said softly, disregarding the ashes on the  floor. "You're bleeding. Let me clean that up."

Seeing that she was unable to move, Mason swept her off her feet and  took her to the kitchen. There, he ran her hands under the water at the  sink. The wounds were not as deep as he had thought, but there were long  gashes across both of her palms. They were most likely not the cause of  her bleeding to that degree. The black fluid indicated that she had the  vulture's blood on her hands as well.

Opening a cabinet to his right, he pulled out an emergency bag. Using  cotton balls, he dabbed the cuts with antibacterial ointment, then  wrapped them with bandages for extra protection. "They're not too bad,"  Mason said, cradling Skylar's hands as if they were wounded doves.