Chapter 723

"Troops!" Rafe barks out, clearly seeing what I'm seeing - what we all are. "Ready!"

"I -" I stutter, anxiety and adrenaline starting to race through me as my eyes focus properly on the two huge helicopters heading directly for us. “I thought we weren't supposed to see action -"

“We weren't,” Jackson snarls, falling into a fighting stance that's clearly muscle memory in the face of a threat, like he's ready to pounce into the air and take the helicopters down himself. "It doesn't make sense to attack this part of the line..."

"Either way," Luca says, soft and confident, "they're coming."noveldrama

"Hold!" Rafe shouts, his voice still echoing powerful and strong as he moves to stand just before me, falling back into line so he's not an obvious target. "Hold!"

He holds an arm out like he could physically hold the troops back. My breath starts to pant as I look frantically around at all the warrior-track Cadets, who all look so much calmer than me.

But of course they are - they've been preparing for this -

"And...." Rafe says, bending forward a little, staring at the helicopters that swiftly approach, growing larger and larger as the milliseconds pass. "What's he waiting for," I whisper, my eyes darting between my two mates.

"For them to be close enough to hit," Jackson replies, his words a fierce snarl that I know is not for me.

"NOW!" Rafe screams, dropping his hand, and the guns on either side of me explode.

I shout at the noise, jumping into the air and covering my ears. Jackson and Luca each reach out a calming hand towards me, Jackson's landing on my shoulder while Luca's goes to the small of my back. But I look at neither of them, my eyes instead on the bullets filling the air.

Two kinds, I realize - huge one-shot shells that fly directly for the helicopters and then a constant spray of smaller bullets -

I stop breathing as I watch the shells arch high - but they miss -

They all fucking miss -

"Reload!" Rafe shouts.

The smaller bullets begin to hit the helicopters in tiny sparks but the helicopters keep coming - protected either by excellent design or some kind of forcefield -

The Cadets scramble to reload the larger guns and another is fired, the shell soaring past the helicopter closest to us - but it's too late. We can all see it - it's too late - the helicopters are too close to

And they, too, begin to open fire.

us now

I gasp in fear as bullets begin to spray, hitting the ground in front of all of us. There are shouts of fear - perhaps even pain

As my fellow Cadets - my schoolmates - begin to be hit -

A vision of Tony, bloody and senseless in my lap, flashes before my eyes.

"No," I snart, stepping forward,

grabbing Luca and Jackson's hands

where they are on my body, determined. "JESSE!" I scream, my eyes on the helicopters that come ever nearer. "HERE! NOW!"

But I don't wait for him - there's no time.

Instead I just focus on the first helicopter in front of me, my lips pulled back in a horrible snarl, my canines extended.

I pull hard on Jackson's gift, making him gasp.

And I smile as the first helicopter flying towards us bursts into a ball of flames.

The Cadets in our line jump, confused, and Rafe spins to me in shock. But then Jesse's here, reaching for me, and when his fingers brush the back of my neck I feel his power join mine.

The flames in the sky instantly turn

black as the Atalaxian helicopter crashes to the ground in a help of twisted steel and ash. But I use Luca's wind to pull that black fire upward in a huge whirlwind, a swirling orb of fire in the air And I let it hang there, waiting.

Until the second helicopter, unsuspecting, flies directly into it.

The explosion is deafening, and I squeeze my mates' hands as I grit my teeth.

But there is nothing but a cool, vicious sense of victory in my heart as that helicopter, too, hits the ground.

"Holy shit," Rafe whispers as the guns around us go silent.