Rayne turned her wrist, spinning the sword in her hand. Icarean blood spilled onto the floor, and mingled with the human blood. So much gore and soot covered her body. Of the twenty-two Icarean soldiers, only thirteen plus their leader remained.

Andrew tried to help John relocate his knee, Kyle bled from a sword gash on his bicep, and Nikki killed the Icarus which had blackened her eye.

Twelve left.

While surveying Rayne’s troops’ progress, an Icarus hauled her from behind and slammed her onto the nearest table. She kicked at the monster’s face. “Fuck you!”

He dodged and pinned Rayne to the wet, bloody surface with a meaty hand. He took the time to lean down and snarl all his many sharp teeth in her face.

Rayne ground out, “Your breath wreaks, wingless.” She knew at least she and Sagan couldn’t be harmed as long as the Icari delivered them whole to their Icarean masters. So no matter how much this guy snarled at her, he wasn’t about to hurt her much. There were other ways to torment her, unfortunately.

From where he gripped Rayne’s no-longer-white blouse, he pulled her along with him as he ran down the length of the entire table. With every slippery meter, blood soaked into the back of her shirt and her disheveled hair. He lifted her from the table by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall with her feet dangling off the ground. Her back squelched against the blood-drenched cinder blocks.

“What’s the matter? Afraid to take me out without daddy’s permission?!” Rayne stuck her tongue out at him. Her breath came hard against the press of him on her chest.

That did it. He pressed harder.

But if he killed her, what would he tell the boss? It was an accident?

Fortunately, Sagan ran up behind the Icarus and shoved a knife through his chest. Brain impaled. Girl power!

He screamed and released Rayne. She slid down the wall, resting on her feet. She needed a second to recover from the sternum pressure.

Eleven.

“Are you all right?” Sagan asked.

Rayne answered, “I’ll be—Down!”

Sagan dropped without hesitation and missed the blow from a sledgehammer. She swept her assailant’s leg out from under him, and Rayne stabbed him through the chest.

Ten.

A little breathless, Rayne said, “Nice leg sweep.”

“Badass bitch impaling.”

Oh, what the hell? Rayne threw up a hand, and Sagan gave her a high five. Both grinned despite the apocalypse.

When the girls turned around, they stopped dead in the center of the cafeteria.

Korac awaited there in leather-clad splendor. Who was his stylist? They needed a bonus. He switched eye contact between Sagan and Rayne. Emphasis on Sagan.

The General’s face was locked in that permanent, condescending grin. He spread his arms wide, and the two soldiers flanking him removed his leather duster. Like, seriously. Swept it off him and away.

Rayne straight-up rolled her eyes, but he paid her no mind. He maintained eye contact with Sagan for the spectacle’s sake.

To Rayne’s surprise, the blond girl peered at him with wide eyes. Her chest heaved from her shallow breath, and her lips parted. Not good.

Underneath his coat, Korac wore a sleeveless black shirt which bared his corded arms and the hilts of some kind of weapon at both hips.

One of the blood suckers ruined the moment by barreling into Sagan, knocking her over. Before Rayne could help, the assailant landed on Sagan’s knife when he fell on top of her. Impaled himself. She rolled the dead body off her, but retrieving the weapon from the corpse wasn’t happening. So she collected his sword instead.

Back on her feet, Sagan smiled at Rayne. “Sweet.”

Korac seemed a smidge disappointed by the interruption and frowned. He looked back to the soldier holding his coat. In a nonchalant tone that suited his irritatingly pleasant voice, he ordered, “Kill the rest.”

One went for Andrew and John, one went for Tameka, and the other stalked toward Nikki and Kyle. Apparently satisfied, Korac turned back to Rayne and Sagan. His infuriating smirk returned as he asked, “Shall we continue, then?”

With a flourishing cross draw, Korac unsheathed both weapons in a fluid, simultaneous motion. He’d practiced. Probably in a mirror. He’d probably practiced naked in said mirror.

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Silver battle axes. Both polished to a gleam and worked with intricate designs at the grip and pommel. It boasted the symbol of the Pretiosum Cruor in the center of each blade. Predictable. And they glinted in the light, sharpened to perfection.

Beside Rayne, Sagan’s eyes widened, and she thought her best friend even gulped.

Rayne’s hair stood on end, and her muscles constricted with pre-fight tension. Her breathing shallowed, and her heart rate quickened. In her peripheral vision, two Icarean bodies fell.

Eight more to go.

But looking at Korac… Damn, this would be harder than Rayne had originally thought. The smell of smoke gnawed at her subconscious and distracted her. Not afraid. Totally not afraid. Were her hands shaking?

Korac advanced first. With one foot he took a step forward, and Sagan took a step back. Rayne glanced at her bestie and tried to read her. Sagan was fighting a losing battle inside. Hell no. This was not happening on Rayne’s watch.

In his single-minded determination to obtain Sagan, Korac ignored Rayne altogether. He stepped right in front of her with no sign of defense.

Here goes.

Rayne plunged the borrowed blade right into Korac’s center.

Before she sunk anything home, Rayne jolted when Korac’s eyes locked right onto hers mid-attack. His smirk was no longer condescending. It molded into something determined, focused. He was here on a mission and he’d be damned if Rayne got in the way. He reacted to her move by disappearing.

“What the fuck?!” Rayne’s startled cry was both shrill and embarrassing.

Korac disappeared without a trace.

“Behind you!” Sagan sounded terrified.

Rayne’s entire body froze to the spot. Stiffer than she wanted to be about it, she turned around. Korac, in fact, lingered behind her, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

Over the course of their training, Xelan taught them to track, and even imitate his speed moves, which to untrained eyes looked like disappearing tricks. Not only couldn’t Rayne track Korac’s movements, but she couldn’t even sense a spatial disturbance. That wasn’t speed. How was she supposed to fight an enemy who could disappear and reappear? Xelan never told them Icari were capable of those abilities. This wasn’t going well.

When Korac spoke, Rayne startled to her own irritation. “In no uncertain terms am I allowed to injure you. The Night King reserves that pleasure all unto himself, as is his right.”

Rayne smiled, slowly. “Is that so?”

Korac nodded, still pleased with himself.

“Then you don’t mind if I—” Rayne feinted a punch and thrust her sword at his ribs. The sword pierced air.

Korac had disappeared, again.

Sagan cried out.

Rayne whirled around to find Korac holding her best friend in his arms, his front pressed to her back. He crossed the axes over Sagan’s chest with the points of the blades too close to her throat.

Rayne glared at him through a whirlwind of rage and promised, “I will kill you for this.”

To her disgust, Korac pressed his face closer to Sagan’s hair and took a deep breath. Sagan’s eyes went even wider with what Rayne hoped was terror. This was such a fucked up way to abuse their dreams. Only, they had an advantage.

“Sagan,” Rayne said in a calm voice, belying the storm within.

Sagan’s eyes focused a little. “Rayne?”

“You’re my girl, and I know you won’t stand for a man hurting you again.”

With her confidence returning, Sagan gripped the sword tighter and gave a single nod.

Rayne charged at Korac. As before, his relaxed expression came across as unconcerned. The shine of his eyes told her they amused him and little else.

When Rayne tackled him, he let go of Sagan and disappeared. Rayne crashed to the floor, grabbing at air.

So, Korac didn’t take Sagan with him. More than likely couldn’t in this case. No passengers aboard Icarean Airlines. Where she knelt on the floor, Rayne heard a low grunt. She stood up, pulling her sticky hair from her eyes.

Korac staggered a few feet away from Sagan. His neck bled from a fresh wound, and the blond girl held her sword ready for the next strike.

A hint of concern marked the tightness around Korac’s eyes as he said, “I see Xelan trained you very well.”

Rayne approached her best friend. What was happening?

Korac took a step toward them to start the fun over again, but Sagan stopped Rayne with her hand. Sagan turned, risking her back to Korac, saying, “The smoke is growing thicker. It won’t be much longer before we can’t breathe. We still have to fight Nox, and this is such a mess. Tell us what to do, Rayne. What will make this stop before we all die from suffocation?”

“Fall down at my feet and beg me to take you with us?” Korac suggested, his pale eyes shining with silent laughter.

Rayne glanced around to take in the fight itself. Tameka fought two. Andrew helped John regain his footing, and together they took on three. Kyle and Nikki battled three of their own. Kyle knocked off the head of one as Rayne watched.

Fifteen alien soldiers down.

The one Nikki was fighting stopped, looked around at the fifteen Icarean bodies, and retreated to South Hall. The smaller girl pursued him on her own.

Only six left, now.

Rayne ordered, “You kill Korac, Sagan. I’ll follow Nikki to see if that Icarus reported to Nox.”

Korac chuckled. She wanted to kill him for the silkiness of it. What a crime.

Sagan shook her head, saying, “No way. I won’t let you go alone.”

Rayne pulled her into a one-armed hug. “If you come with me, he’ll use you to hurt me. I go alone. I’ll find you when I’m finished.” She pulled away and gazed into Sagan’s violet eyes.

Her best friend’s reassuring smile satisfied Rayne. Sagan nodded. “Be careful.”

Rayne wondered if Korac would let them have enough time for a kiss? The creak of leather caught her attention. She peered at him over Sagan’s shoulder. He shook his head as if answering her unspoken request. The stormy darkness cast over his eyes suggested he was tired of their parting gestures.

Fuck Korac.

Rayne gripped Sagan’s neck and kissed her like it was the last time. Then Rayne turned and went for the opening where John and Andrew struggled with their three warriors. She walked up to one from behind, thrust the sword into its brain, and withdrew it. She smiled at Andrew.

“Rayne? Where are you going?!” Andrew called before another Icarus tackled him about the waist.

“Take care!” John shouted.

Rayne nodded, running to Nox with fresh, blue blood on her sword. Her friends would be safe. They could take care of each other.

Only five left.

She took one last glance at the opening event.

Sagan turned to face Korac. A vague sense of apprehension occupied the scene. He stood there, smirking with all his amusement and arrogance. He spun both axes in his hands. Sagan charged for him, and he met her halfway. Her sword fell between the two crossed axes, and there they faced one another like they’d met that way before.