“Zoya sees in a different light spectrum.”
“That’s a polite way for saying that she can summon and see the dead around us, but that our features are blurry to her sight.” Lobo moved to stand next to Zoya. “In our little cocoon of freaks here, Zoya is royalty.”
Zoya chided him. “You are scaring our new friend, Jesse.”
He grimaced at Zoya’s words. “Lobo, if you please. You know how much I hate that other name.”
“Forgive me.” Zoya inclined her head to him, but her tone brooked no apology.
Suddenly, Daria became aware of the number of heads that had turned toward her in sudden interest. Their eyes penetrated her skin and seared her soul with mutual hatred and disdain.
Swallowing hard, she stepped closer to Xared. “What’s going on?”
An empty shoe flew at her head, and would have struck her had Xared not deflected it, too, just in time. “Hey!” he shouted.
“Hey, nothing,” a tall black-haired boy snarled. “Have you seen the feed?”
Xared shook his head.
“We just lost an entire team because of her.” A girl stood and acted as if she was about to launch a chair in their direction.
Xed lifted his hand as if he controlled the chair from a distance. “Pardon?”
The monitor the humans were playing on switched channels to show the news. It took Daria a moment to understand what she was looking at—the smoldering remains of some kind of vehicle that had been bombed beyond all recognition.
“Again, for those just joining us. The human who calls himself The Crow posted more incendiary rhetoric online last night. Today, it’s incited numerous riots that have resulted in this latest attack on one of our military convoys as it moved through the Czazan Sector.”
The camera panned to show the wreckage behind the reporter, then flashed to show Frayne’s mother as she addressed the news crowd with her well-rehearsed speech.
“Have no fear. This is but a pocket group of rebels, and they will be dealt with swiftly and mercilessly. We’ve already found the sympathizers who were aiding them, and they are in custody. I assure you, no one will escape our justice and there will be no more civil war between Matens fought because of humanity.”
Daria gasped as she saw images of her parents on the screen.
“Any Stazens found among us must be reported immediately for interrogation as they are now deemed a national threat and allies to our enemies. Note that we will not tolerate such behavior! From anyone! Humans are a plague upon this entire planet and we are here to make sure that we eradicate all such threats from our society, and that their aggression and species will not be allowed to thrive or survive among us. We are a peaceful race and if we must kill for our peace, we will do so. We didn’t want to resort to their level of violence, but we will not shirk from it. Crow declared war on us, and so we answer it with our own proclamation. Humans take note—we will not rest until the last of you is gone from our planet. Your days here are finished. Accept your fate and our supremacy.”
Suddenly, Daria felt the hatred and disdain of every human in the room roll toward her like a tangible flood. Overwhelming. Bitter.
Terrifying.
It threatened to drag her under and swallow her whole. Bile rose up in her throat as everything swam. Fear paralyzed her entire body.
Xared placed his hand on her shoulder to steady her.
“She’s not your enemy.” That deep, resonant tone shocked her as she realized it wasn’t Xared’s hand she felt. It was Josiah’s. He was the one standing there, keeping her upright.
Keeping the others from attacking her.
His unexpected defense startled her and left her reeling. Why would he do such a thing when he hated her kind as much as she hated his? It made no sense. Yet there he stood without hesitation.
Lobo stepped forward. “We need to do something, Crow. They’re not going to stop until they see all of us annihilated.”
Josiah went ramrod stiff as he stayed their rebellion against his leadership. “We’re still here. Come what may. Humanity will out. Scraps won’t be taken. You know it and I know it. We’ve made it this far and we’ll see it to the finish line. I have no intention of ceding victory to them. Do you?” He cast his gaze around the group.
One by one, they backed down.
Daria’s heart finally slowed its frantic rhythm.
Josiah dropped his hand and stepped away from her. “I need a group of volunteers for tonight. The convoy they hit has thirteen survivors. Thirteen men and women I intend to bring home. I’m leading the team to evac them before they’re taken too far in and we can’t reach them.”
Daria’s eyes widened at his words. “My parents? Were they among the survivors?”
“That I don’t know.”
“Can I go with you and check?”
Josiah hesitated. “You’re not trained.”
“You mean I’m not to be trusted.”
“I mean you’re not trained.” He jerked his handsome chin at the other humans. “We know each other’s movements and how we’ll react before we breathe. An unknown variable in the mix is a danger to us all. That’s a risk I’m not willing to take. We have one simple rule here—Just don’t.”
“Just don’t, what?”
He counted them off on his fingers. “Don’t give up. Don’t submit. Don’t surrender. Don’t get caught. Don’t be stoopid—as in a double O—oh shit—which is much worse than a simple U could ever do by yourself. Don’t betray yourself. Don’t betray your kin. In simple, Drab, just don’t. Which is the answer to most questions that make your gut tighten with dread.”
She held her chin defiantly. “I thought we were supposed to move boldly ahead in all things.”
“That’s Drab philosophy.”
“And what’s the human, then? To cower and hide?”
Josiah’s gaze smoldered with his pent-up fury. “To survive at all costs. And to kick your gray asses back to the dark corner of the universe where you came from.”
“Why do you hate us so much?”
Josiah sneered at her. “For the lives taken that can never be restored. For stealing a world that didn’t belong to you.”
And with those words spoken, he turned into a black crow and flew off.
Daria gasped at the sight.
Still human in appearance, Xared took her hand and pulled her away from the others before they had a chance to unite against her again.
Shaking and terrified, she fought down her panic and grief as she realized how tenuous a position she was in. She’d been a leader of HELL. Their worst enemy. One they wouldn’t hesitate to kill.
How am I going to survive here? They hate me!
She couldn’t blame them. Not when she hated them back.
“What am I going to do, Xed?”
“I don’t know. But don’t be so harsh on Joey. The Matens took everything from him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was a police officer when the Matens first came.”
“Police officer?”