Gone (Gone #1)(133)

Caine's gaze was drawn downward by a snarling, slurring, high-pitched voice.

"Female say Pack Leader stop" Pack Leader said angrily. "What?" Caine could make no sense of it till he saw Diana striding up* dark hair flying, eyes furious,

"I told this filthy beast to step," Diana said, barely eon-trolled.

"Stop what?" Caine demanded

"They're still attacking the kids," Diana said. "WeVe won. Sam is dead. Call them off, Caine.*

Caine turned his attention back to the battle between Drake and the monster. "They're coyotes," Caine said coldly.

Diana flew at him. "YouVe lost your mind, Caine. This has to stop. YouVe won. This has to slop"

"Or what, Diana? Or what?" Caine demanded. "Go get Lana. Km hurt. Pack Leader,do v/hat you want"

"Maybe this is why your mother abandoned you," Diana said savagely. "Maybe she could see that you weren't just bad, you were twisted and sick and evil."

Caine reacted with sudden violence, forgetting his powers and slapping her hard across the face..

Diana tripped backward from the blow and sat down hard on the stone steps.

Caine could see her face with sudden, terrible clarity by the glow of a brilliant column of blinding, green-white light.

That light could have only one source.

The light was like a spear aimed at the sky. It arced upward from the midst of the rubble of the apartment building.

"No" Caine said.

But the light burned, burned away rubble and debris, all the crushing weight of the collapsed apartment building. "No." Caine said, and the light died, snapped off.

Behind him, Drake and Ore carried on iheir quick-and-slow, nimble-and-heavy, sharp-anc-dull battle, but all Caine could see was the blackened, soot-covered, bright-eyed figure who now walked toward him from the rubble.

Caine aimed his hands at the shattered wood and plaster of the church front. He threw his hands toward Sam and a truddoad of debris went flying.

Sam raised his hands. Green fire exploded chunks of brick and heavy wooden beams. They burned in midair, turning to cinders before they could hit him.

Dekka raised the debris off Astrid and Little Pete,

But it was no easy thing. Her ability to suspend gravity suspended it under Astrid as well, and she and Little Pete floated up in a spinning galaxy of broken lumber and plaster

Dekka darted a hand in and yanked Astrid out of the suspension zone, Astrid hit the floor along with Little Pete.

Dekka released her hold on the debris and it slammed down, scarify loud.

"Thanks," Astrid said.

"There's a lot of other people trapped in here," Dekka said, wasting no time in moving off to help others.

Astrid bent down and tried to Mil Little Pete. He was limp, just dead weight. She got her arms around his chest and hugged him close like a too-large baby. She hugged him to her and staggered awkwardly from the church, half dragging him, stumbling across rubble.

Lana could heal him, but Lana was gone. All she could think of was to get him to Dahra down in the basement. Bui what could Dahra do? Was it even possible to reach the so-called hospital, or had the entrance been blocked by falling debris?

For the first time she realized that the front wall of the church was simply gone. She could see night sky and stars. But she could also see a terrible j;reen-tinged lightning.

Her hearing was returning as the ringing subsided. She could make out animal growls ar.d the sharp crack of a whip and too many voices crying.

Suddenly the debris piled around her began to fly;

Astrid dropped to the ground, shielding Little Fete again, still, always protecting Little Pete, Chunks of wall and shards of wood paneling and odd steel-and-wood joints rose like jets taking off from an airport and accelerated crazily, Hying in a stream out through the broken church front.

The green lightning flashed and there came a sound of explosions, a roar of explosions <md a brighter light still.

The debris stream stopped.

Astrid climbed up again, hauling Little Pete with her. Someone ran toward her from the street. He stopped, panting, staring, a frightened animal at bay. "Caine" Astrid spat.

He did not speak. She could see that he was hurt. In pain. His face was streaked with Sweat and dirt. He stared at her like he was seeing a ghost.

A dangerous light dawned in his clouded eyes.

"Perfect," he whispered.

Astrid felt herself lifted off her leet. She clung desperately to Little Pete, but he slipped from her hands, escaped her clawing fingers, and tell to the floor.

"Come out and play, brother? Caine shouted. "I have a friend of yours"

Astrid floated, powerless, helpless, and Caine strode behind her, using her as a shield. Out through the church front, out onto the steps, looking out on a nightmare scene of mad dogs and raging battles.

Sam was there at the bottom of the steps. He was bloodied and bruised, and one arm hung limp.

"Come on, Sam, burn me now," Caine shrieked. "Come on, brother, show me what you've got"

"Hiding behind a girl, Caine?" Sam asked.

"You think you can taunt me?" Caine said* "All that matters is winning. So save it"

"HI kill you, Caine"

"No. No you won't. Not without killing your girlfriend."

"We're both going to blink out of here in about a minute, Caine. Ifs over for both of us," Sam said.