The Last Hunter: Collected Edition (Antarktos Saga #1-5)

Act now, Solomon! My death has always been inevitable. Show them why only you can lead!

His words and urgency fuel my brewing rage. I roll Xin onto his back as gently as I can. As I stand and face the doppelganger, Xin transmits a name into my thoughts. Amaguq. Countless encyclopedias worth of knowledge flits through my head. Amaguq. The Inuit trickster god. A massive wolf that killed hunters at night.

Not this hunter, I think, then call out the name. “Amaguq!”

Mira’s eyes lock on mine, confirming that she is not, in fact, Mirabelle Whitney.

Whipsnap cracks to life in my hand, making those around me jump back. Some of the soldiers point their weapons at me. “Put them down,” I growl.

“Don’t kill her,” Merrill says, stepping in front of me. “She’s my only daughter.”

“Mirabella...” Sadness threatens to dull my anger, but I remind myself that the creature responsible for all of this is pretending to be Mira. “Your daughter is dead.”

Merrill just looks confused. Mira appears to be alive and well.

“Amaguq,” I say, repeating the name, confident that he’ll understand.

“The Inuit trickster god, but what—” Merrill has seen the Nephilim. He knows that strange and otherworldly things have happened here. He might not remember me, but he remembers his encounters with the Nephilim—the giants who posed as gods to the ancients. “No...”

“I’m sorry,” I say. “But this is not your daughter. You might not remember me. Or trust me. But you know your daughter. She tried to kill me, and instead killed my brother.” Merrill glances down at Xin, who now has a crying Luca kneeling by his side. Neither are speaking, but I’m sure they are saying goodbye in a more private way. Luca is Xin’s brother as much as I am. “Look at her, Merrill. That is not your girl.”

Merrill glances back at Mira, sees the hate seething in her eyes. When he turns back to me, tears have begun filling his eyes. Without another word, he steps aside. The message is clear to everyone.

“Merrill!” Aimee says. He holds her back, whispering urgently into her ear.

When I step toward Mira, who is being held by two soldiers, General Holloway blocks my path. “Son, I will not let you—”

When the air suddenly leaves his lungs, Holloway loses his voice and stumbles back. I didn’t make a move, but the soldiers surrounding us somehow know that I am to blame. Weapons turn in my direction. The only two soldiers not pointing weapons at me are the men holding Mira. Right now, they’re in the most danger. Again, without making a move other than to step closer to Mira, I command the wind. It drops down fast from above, directly over Mira’s head, sending the two soldiers sprawling away.

Half the men with guns turn their weapons on Mira now, believing her to be the source of the strange power that sent their comrades flying. It’s not accurate, but it’s a welcome shift in attention.

Mira hisses at them, and then at me.

The inhuman sound elicits a sad wail from Aimee. Merrill has no doubt told her the truth. The hiss confirmed it, but I know they’re about to get a much less subtle confirmation that this is not their daughter. I’ve seen the transformation from human form to Nephilim once before, when I killed the shifter known as Eshu. It is something I would like to forget, but it is also something I need to instigate now. If I kill it now, while it looks like Mira, I will appear to be the monster, but if it changes...if these men who have not yet seen the enemy, get a taste of what they are facing, and see how I handle it, they might very well recognize the need for my leadership.

“I killed your brother,” I taunt. “Eshu.”

Another hiss, a bit angrier than the last.

“He was weak,” I say. “Frail. He died pitifully. Begged for mercy.”

It doesn’t sound like much of an insult, but to a Nephilim, it is blasphemous.

Mira’s fingers stiffen into hooks. The beast inside wants to tear me apart. But first it must expose itself.

I point Whipsnap’s blade at its face. “You will beg, too.”

Mira turns her head skyward and screams, “Father! I will not bear these insults any longer!” She hooks her fingers into her open mouth.

And pulls.

A wet tearing sound makes me cringe. I know this is not Mira, but seeing her form tearing itself apart makes me feel ill.

The roar grows louder as Mira’s light brown skin tears in two. Two horns, each nearly a foot long, emerge from the forehead. Her body expands, as though pumped full of air from within, then the weak spots burst. Purple blood sprays in every direction, forming a circle around her body.

The mass of spectators who had not yet backed away, do so quickly now. As the monster grows, shedding its human skin and clothes, Em, Kainda and Adoni arrive at my side. All of them have their weapons ready.

“Same as last time,” Adoni says with his thick Australian accent. When I faced Eshu, I was not alone. It took the four of us to defeat him. But this fight is mine to face on my own.