Chapter 29: Resolution

Everyone was on the move, pushing all of our might to reach where the Bad Blood had taken Rory. Although my body was still not at full strength after being tortured back at the facility, my resolve to get Rory back was giving me all the strength to do what I needed to do. Lar'ja, Ak'ib, and I were leading the group while McKenna and Nebraska weren't far behind, which surprised me a little but I didn't think on it for too long. Nettles was next while Brackett was at the very back of the group.

"How much further?"

I heard McKenna's voice calling out from behind us and I glanced at Lar'ja, unsure as to how I should answer. But I was lucky in some way since all of us began to hear a loud noise that sounded like an engine was turning on. It definitely didn't sound like any vehicle that I've known and it wasn't a good sign.

"The Bad Blood is starting the ship! We need to move fast or it will be too late!"

With that, I just went into overdrive and pushed my legs even harder than I've ever had before. So much so that I was starting to outrun Lar'ja a little but I didn't care. I just wanted to get to that fucking ship before the Bad Blood can take Rory away and out of our reach for good. Hold on Rory! We're coming!

As we get closer to the sound, the air around us was beginning to blow around like crazy as if a tornado was forming but it was clear that it wasn't and panic was starting to settle into me. Right as we got past the trees, I saw a few feet in front of me that the path leads to a cliff so I thought that the ship was down below and ready to take off. But when we stopped at the edge, I looked down and there was absolutely nothing there.

"Where the fuck is it?"

The sound of an engine was louder than ever and the wind was becoming stronger but there was no ship. How is that fucking possible? It has to be somewhere near here!

"He's got the cloaking shield up. The ship is down below."

Cloaking shield?

It took me a minute to focus below to see a fuzzy shape of something huge at the bottom of the cliff. Although I couldn't see much of anything else, the size of it was immense and I had to wonder how the Bad Blood got a ship that big to land on Earth without being detected. But then again, he had the cloaking shield with it.

I looked at Lar'ja, seeing him focus solely on the invisible ship until he began to back up a bit. I lifted my eyebrows in confusion and then when he bent his knees a little as if preparing to take off, I widened my eyes at what he was about to do.

"Are we going to jump on that thing?"

I saw everyone else give the same reaction that I was currently doing. Lar'ja only grunted a bit but his eyes pierced into mine and I shivered a bit but it wasn't out of fear but of something else.

"We need to get on it. Rory is there and we have no way to stop it unless we get inside."

Just as Lar'ja was explaining to all of us, another loud noise like a boom started up and the next thing we knew, the fuzzy image began to rise up from the ground and the cloak began to dissipate, revealing the largest ship that I've ever seen in all my life. It was definitely massive. The overall color of it was almost darkish grey to the point that some of its parts were almost black. The head of the ship was pointed and almost reminded me of a shark tooth. The two engines were adjacent on each side and were perpendicular to the ship as the glowing blue flames radiated from it.

This is way bigger than Lar'ja's ship that I saw before. How the fuck are we going to stop this thing?!

But there was no time. The ship began to ascend from the cliff and we needed to act fast. I got to Lar'ja's side and positioned myself like him to get ready to jump. I turned my head to see everyone else doing the same but I stopped them.

"Guys . . . You need to stay behind. It's dangerous."

I had to do a double take on my words for a minute. We had done much more dangerous things than this but after seeing Coyle, Baxley, and Lynch die right in front of me while I couldn't protect them, I couldn't bear to see another life being taken and this was asking for it. But the guys would have none of it.

"What the fuck are you talking about? We're in this together and my son is on that ship. I'm not going to stand by and watch while you take on a ten-foot monster. I'm going."

McKenna walked a bit towards me until he stopped, glaring at me for saying something like that. I could see the resolve in his eyes and I knew that I couldn't stop him even if I wanted to. I looked behind him and Nebraska, Nettles, and Brackett all had that same look. I sighed heavily at my defeat. Who am I to stop them?

"Fine. But I need you to stay here with A'kib, Brackett."

"Why?"

She looked at me with disbelief and A'kib started to whine a bit. She was about to protest when I turned fully towards her, making sure she knew that I meant it.

"Because if that ship goes down . . . which I believe it will . . . we need someone on the ground in case things get ugly. You will be our eyes."

I could see that she was about to open her mouth in protest until I stopped her by placing my hand up and she was left hanging with her mouth still open.

"I'm serious, Brackett. If anything happens, you are our last defense. Please . . ."

I almost sounded like I was begging and maybe that was my intent but I wasn't sure. I needed her to know this and I kept my eyes on her, hoping to convey my feeling about it to her. I stared into her brown eyes until she closes them slowly and takes a huge breath before opening them again.

"Alright. I'll stay but you better make it out alive with Rory or else I'll kill you for it."

Although she was serious about her threat, I had to chuckle a bit cause in some ways, I believed her. I simply nodded at her and she did the same, backing up a bit to allow us to get some running time in our jump. I took a quick glance at everyone else before landing my eyes back on Lar'ja. His golden eyes locked onto my blue ones and bowed my head down a bit and he did the same.

"Alright. Let's go!"

Without giving us any warning, he sprinted forward just as the ship was about to go over the height of the cliff. Luckily, I reacted very quickly as did the others and we all sprinted forward. I ran as fast as I could until one foot was on the edge and then with all my muscle power . . . I leaped forward.

For a minute, it was like I was flying and if it wasn't for the fact that all of us were jumping on an alien ship in order to dare a rescue, I would have had fun. I swung my legs in the air to get the momentum I needed to make it on the ship, landing roughly on the metal frame of it with a huge thud. Lar'ja landed so gracefully that it was like this was natural for him. The others had the same outcome as I, slamming down on the ship as well. I looked back to see that we were high up in the air with Brackett looking up to us until she was a small dot on the ground among a whole sea of trees.

But then, as if the Bad Blood knew we were on it, the ship began to dip on one side as it moved. With nothing to really hold on, I started to slide down and I did my best to stop it but the ship dips even further and gravity pulled me down until I landed on my stomach. Everyone else, including Lar'ja, followed suit and all of us began to slide down the side of the ship.

I thought fast and I pulled out one of my wrist blades, slamming it into the side of the ship. I jerked a bit from the sudden pull but the blades held in. I looked beside me and Lar'ja did the same thing with his wrist blades, glancing on me with so much concern. I just smiled so that he didn't need to worry. I looked behind me and watched McKenna slipped almost off the ship. I gasped at the horror but then Nettles grabs his ankle, trying to hold on but they continued to slip. I was about to unhook myself until Nebraska grabs Nettle's hand and managed to get his fingers into a small dent on the ship. They all stopped slipping but I cried out to them.

"Hold on guys!"

I could hear their screams and I was starting to panic until I felt the ship begin to straighten itself back until it was leveled. Everyone sighed in relief for a bit, including me. I retracted my wrist blades from the ship and was getting up until Lar'ja comes to my side, lifting me up gently by my arm as if I would break at any moment. I held on to his arm, feeling the warmth coming from it and I couldn't help but inhale to get his fresh scent of sweet rain. It was comforting, even if only for a moment.

But then, the ship began to move forward and the engines twisted until they were parallel to the length of the ship, roaring even louder than before. We needed to move quickly and so letting go of Lar'ja. I ran forward and aiming to get to the front of the ship. Lar'ja follows along and the rest of the guys did as well.

We were just about to reach the front when, in the corner of my eye, a small cannon emerges from the side of the ship, spinning around a bit before it sets its sights on us. I had no idea what it was doing until I saw a similar, blue glow growing inside and that is when I knew what it was about to do.

"Watch out!"

But it was too late. The cannon fires and I were able to duck out of the way of the blast. I was hoping that it missed all of us but with my luck, it wasn't so. I could hear the impact of exploding flesh along with the sound of something dripping wet. As much as I didn't want to turn around, my worried conscious wanted to know. But when I did, I gasped in horror.

Everyone had laid low and close to the ship but I looked farther and saw only half of Nettles' body still standing. The cannon had obliterated his entire upper body and torso, leaving his legs still standing with blood pouring down them. Some of his remaining intestines were barely hanging on and I shivered when his legs twitched a bit before they fell to the ground. With the ship now going full speed, the remains of Nettles' body slips off, leaving a massive streak of blood on the ship.

I gasped, knowing another one of our members was killed right in front of me. But I didn't have time to grieve when the cannon began to move and then point towards me, ready to fire once more. Just when I thought it was the end for me, Lar'ja points his own shoulder cannon and fires, destroying the ship's before it could do any more harm to us.

I turned towards Lar'ja and nod my head shakily and he did the same, looking into my eyes a little longer before he turns back to face forward.

"We need to find a way to get inside. Hurry!"

As soon as he takes off, I followed suit with Nebraska and McKenna right behind me. But another surprise starts up as I noticed a blue barrier beginning to form over the ship like a layer. I had no idea what it was until Lar'ja roars in panic.

"Pauk (fuck)! He's activating the shields!"

I twisted back to the barrier and I realized that the Bad Blood was trying to close our chance of getting inside. I wasn't going to let that happen. No fucking way are you going to slip from my fingers!

Right as the barrier was about to reach me, I slid below it and dug my wrist blades into the ship once more so I wouldn't fly off to the side of it. I looked behind me and saw McKenna doing the same as the barrier finally closes. Nebraska and Lar'ja were left on the outside of the barrier that separated us. Lar'ja comes to kneel above me, trying to claw his way through but the barrier was stronger. I glanced at Nebraska and he was trying to do the same until he started to cough violently.

"Nebraska!"

No sooner did I call out to him, he turns and I saw his mouth was dripping with blood. At first, I was looking for some type of injury he had on his body but he coughs once more. To my horror, I knew right then that he was sick. Very sick . . .

I called out to him once more with my eyes widened in disbelief and all he did was chuckle a bit, his signature grin gleaming on his face towards me. I began to panic. What do I fucking do? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

"Hey. Don't look at me like that."

He looks into my eyes and all I could focus on was the blood that was beginning to flow from his mouth like a waterfall. I've already lost Nettles just recently and now . . . Nebraska was going to. How many more people must die?

I was broken by my thoughts when Nebraska chuckled at me once more.

"I've been sick for quite some time. I'm going to die anyway."

I watched as Nebraska turns his head to look at the exposed engine that somehow was left unprotected for some reason. I looked back and forth . . . from the engine to Nebraska . . . and the dots began to come together.

"No! Don't do it!"

I pleaded to him, knowing was kind of stunt he was about to pull. I kept screaming . . . begging him not to go through with it and it was to the point that tears were threatening to fall from my eyes. Nebraska grins but this time, it was a sincere one. Like he was ready to do this and his eyes softened at me.

"You know . . . you're very beautiful when you cry. I'll treasure that."

He pauses a bit before speaking one more time.

"Live on . . . and kill that son of a bitch once and for all."

Those were his last words to me as he stood up, taking off full speed towards the engine and I screamed with all my might.

"NEBRASKA!"

But he already made up his mind. He leaps into the air, firing at the engine with the last of his bullets before he's sucked into the engine, slicing him to bits until he was no more.

My heart sank right then and there and I could only watch as the engine begins to explode, fire emitting from the inside as it began to struggle. Eventually, the sound it once made had stopped entirely and the ship began its descent back to Earth.

I just froze right there, trying to comprehend what I had just seen in front of me. First Lynch . . . Baxley . . . Coyle . . . Nettles . . . and now Nebraska . . .

Grief flowed into me but it changed in an instant when the sight of the Bad Blood came into my mind, grinning as if he already won. I tightened my fist together and let the anger inside me boil over.

You . . . are . . . fucking . . . dead!

I went into action, exchanging glances to one another until I looked down towards the side of the ship to where I was. It was then that I saw an opening into the ship and although I didn't know where it would lead, I decided it was our best option to get in.

"McKenna! I found a way in. It's on this side of the ship."

When I shouted at McKenna, his eyes perk up and he begins to slowly slide himself to where I was, grabbing my hand as then moving to hook on the side of the ship with his fingers. He leans over the side and nods to me when he saw it. But then, Lar'ja's voice calls out to me but what shocked me was how agonizing it was and I looked back through the shield and saw his eyes were widened in distress.

"You not going in there! You'll die!"

My eyes widened a little bit as well. This was the first time I've ever seen Lar'ja panic so much like this moment. This was unlike him and I wanted to comfort him. However, I and McKenna were the only ones who can get inside now and have a chance to save Rory. But I understood why Lar'ja was worried so much. There could be a chance that we might not make it out of here . . . but it's a chance I'm willing to take.

I reached my free hand up so that it was pressed onto the barrier that separated up. His hands pressed down so that it was on top of mine. Even with the barrier, I can still feel the warmth and softness of his skin on me and it was comforting for the brief moment. He purrs softly to me and I smiled a little, admiring his golden eyes that began to shine like the sun.

"We'll make it out and get Rory back. Just distract the Bad Blood as much as you can so we can get the drop on him. I promise."

I watched as the panic in Lar'ja began to fade a little and he bows his head in acknowledgment.

"Just . . . make sure you stay alive."

I chuckled and bowed my head back in return. Once that was done, I pulled my hand away and glanced at McKenna one more time.

"Let's go!"

I pushed my body so that it would fall to the side of the ship and McKenna soon follows. I took one last glance at Lar'ja before he disappears from my sight as I hit the barrier with a thud. I grunted and McKenna feels it too but then we both slide down until we made it to the bottom of the ship. I saw a door inside the opening and I quickly got up, pressing some numbers on the code lock until it beeped and the light turned green.

I was about to dart through until McKenna calls out to me.

"Anya. Here . . . you will need this."

I looked back and saw McKenna handing me a handgun that he took out of his pocket. I grabbed it and loaded quickly so I was ready. Both of us looked at each other and nod our heads in unison before we rushed through the open door.

When we got inside, there was devices and pods everywhere. The color was just as dark as the outside of the ship but I didn't bother to study my surroundings before I caught the Bad Blood in my sights, pressing more codes on the panel that controlled the ship. I saw Lar'ja jump on the windshield of the ship and the Bad Blood growls, pressing more buttons and I noticed that he disabled the shields. He begins firing his cannon at Lar'ja and he jumps out of the way and out of view.

Taking the chance, McKenna fires his gun at the Bad Blood and I followed suit, spending as many bullets as I possibly could.

The Bad Blood turns around and some bullets his him but deflect off. He roars at us and lifts his arm up, launching the spear that got me before at us. McKenna and I jumped out of the way but the spear had a rope attached to it and managed to wrap around McKenna's leg, pulling him hard to the ground. The Bad Blood then pulls and McKenna goes flying high into the air until he stops, hanging from the ceiling.

"McKenna!"

I tried to run to him so I can free him but then another small spear comes flying towards my direction, grazing my shoulder and I yelped in pain. I pointed the gun at him and the Bad Blood just watches me, chuckling in a way and I growled fiercely at him.

"So you have come then. Do you really think you can get the ooman pup back?"

"I don't think . . . I will get him back and you're going to pay."

It might have been suicide when I look back at my action but I just ran towards him, firing more bullets at him even though I knew it was no use. When the gun is empty, I threw it away and pulled out one of the wrist blades, yelling as I swoop down them, intent on hitting him on the chest. But the Bad Blood grabs my wrist with his massive hand, crushing it to the point that I screamed for a bit. His other hand grabs my throat and begins to constrict, cutting off the oxygen from my lungs and I struggled to breathe. He pulls me to look deeply into his eyes.

"What a foolish being you are. But shows great promise and I can see that you got new weapons of your own. Made of the best material in the world I see."

He looks at the wrist gauntlets and somehow admires them for a bit before looking back at me.

"So . . . are you still considering about joining me?"

I lifted my eyebrows in shock. What the fuck is wrong with this guy? Right now? In the middle of a fight and he's still asking about this?!

But as soon as he asked, a huge force pushes both of us on the ground, releasing me from his death grip and I coughed a bit to get some air back into me. I shook my head and saw as Lar'ja was on top of the Bad Blood, taking out one of his disks and slices it down towards his opponent, hitting the Bad Blood shoulder as he roars.

I was about to join in until I heard banging from one of the pods across the room and saw Rory poking his head at the window, silently screaming for me.

"Rory!"

I tried to run towards him but the fight between Lar'ja and the Bad Blood cuts me off and I had to back off. All I could do was watch the battle in front of me but heard a shot from behind and saw McKenna had freed himself from the rope and fell with a thud. I ran towards him and checked to see if he was alright. He started to push my hands away.

"I'm fine! Where's Rory?"

"He's over there in the pod! Get him out and I'll help Lar'ja!"

He took off before I could say anything else as I went into the other direction, running towards Lar'ja who was struggling to keep up with the Bad Blood. I pushed my legs to go faster but it was like I was going too slow. I began to worry when Lar'ja was thrown into the metal wall near the panel and watched in horror as the Bad Blood pulled out his wrist blades, plunging them deep into the side of Lar'ja's chest and hearing his piercing, agonizing roar.

"LAR'JA!"

I could see the green neon blood oozing out of his wound when the Bad Blood retracted his wrist blades from him and saw that he was going for another strike that would finish him off. No! I won't let you!

I unsheathed both of my wrist blades from each gauntlet and jumped with all my might into the air, flying across the room and firmly landed on the Bad Blood's shoulders, cutting deep into his back and enjoying the roar from him.

But then, the Bad Blood swung his whole body around, letting Lar'ja drop to the ground while I slammed into the hard floor with a grunt. My head throbbed a bit and my vision was a little blurry but I could see the Bad Blood trying to shake his injury off but then noticed that he moved towards the panel and pressed some more buttons frantically. It was then that the ship was hit with a huge thud and I took a glimpse out the windshield and saw that the ship was about to crash.

The Bad Blood, probably knowing that it was inevitable, opens a door off to the side and looks at me once more before jumping out of the ship to escape.

With him gone, I shook my whole body as a means to dull the pain and got back on my feet to get to Lar'ja. I rushed over as fast as I could and reached for him, holding on to him as he did the same. I could feel his blood seeping into my clothes and looked up into his eyes.

"Lar'ja. You're hurt."

I looked between us and saw that the wound was getting worse. More blood was seeping out and I pressed one hand to put pressure on it. His eyes kept closing and opening, struggling to stay awake but I made sure to have his attention on me by caressing his cheek with my hand.

"Anya! This ship is about to crash! We have to get off!"

When I heard McKenna, I turned around and saw that he had got Rory out of the pod. Rory just limped to me despite his leg that hasn't fully recovered and hugged my form as tightly as he could. We didn't say much but just me hugging him was enough to tell me that he was okay.

McKenna, though, had to break up the moment but it was necessary.

"Come on! I'll help you with Lar'ja!"

I nodded and I moved to grab one of his arms and wrapped it around my shoulders while McKenna did the other. I was glad that Lar'ja was still somewhat conscious since he was very heavy or else it would be near impossible to get him out.

Grunting, we moved as fast as possible with Rory leading the way out. But it didn't help that the ship was hitting every tree in the forest cause it would just shake and we almost lost our balance with Lar'ja a couple of times. Either way, we pushed with all our might until we got to the same door that McKenna and I used to get in.

"Alright! We need to jump! You ready?"

I firmly nodded to him and Rory clung to my side while McKenna nod as well so we were all on the same page. I looked at Lar'ja one more time and the color of his eyes was becoming dull but I shook him awake.

"We'll make it out Lar'ja. I promise."

He looked at me but didn't answer. Instead, he just slightly purred and I smiled, knowing that he got my message. When that was done, all of us placed our feet into the edge and with one push from all of us, we leaped into the air. We were sort of lucky that the ship was close to the ground before it crashed but it wasn't a soft landing.

When the first branch of a tree hit us, I lost my grip on Lar'ja and I fell into the opposite direction of them. My vision was blurred yet again and my body felt numb but when I could feel Rory's hands tightening on my side, I wrapped my arms around him too, making sure he was protected.

"Anya!"

The faint sound of Lar'ja's voice reached me but it seemed so far away. I closed my eyes and was about to open them until another branch hit me hard on my side and I screamed. Rory cries out for me but I couldn't respond. I just tightened my hold on him even more. Soon, I was hit with more branches and it seemed endless until I met the firmness of the ground, which I only knew that we had landed. I blacked out after that.

. . . . . . . .

"Anya . . . Anya . . . wake up!"

I could hear Rory's muffled voice in the distance but the screeching in my ears made it painful to listen to it. I tried to open my eyes but it was a struggle and when I did, it was too blurry to see anything clearly. I blinked several times before my vision started to get better and then that is when I saw Rory, shaking me as hard as he could. I lifted my head off the ground a bit and managed to get my upper body off the ground using my arm as a lift. A headache was driving me crazy and I pressed my free hand on my temple to dull it. I looked back at Rory and he was just so relieved to see me, hugging me as tightly as he could.

"Thank goodness! You're alright."

"Urg . . . I think I am. Just give me a second."

As I made my way to get back up, the headache dulled a bit while my vision and hearing returned to normal. I usually didn't recover this fast but I had to keep reminding myself of my Yautja powers. This will definitely never get old.

I finally got back on my feet but a little bit wobbly at first. Rory came to my side and held me up on my side as best as he could, despite the injury to his leg. When I was steady enough to stand on my own, I pat him on the head and smiled a little as he did the same.

"Where's Lar'ja? And McKenna?"

Rory pointed into a direction that was not far off from here.

"I saw them fall in that area. They should be there still."

"Then let's get to them quickly!"

We rushed over in the direction that Rory mentioned, passing through more trees and bushes but it wasn't long until we got to a huge clearing that ended by a cliff that overlooks the entire forest. If we weren't in a terrible situation right now plus the fact that the ship had crashed not too far off, I would have enjoyed the clear, almost sunrise, night sky for a little longer.

It was then that I saw something in the corner of my eye. I turned to see that it was Lar'ja, laying down with his back on a boulder looking towards the cliff. I saw that McKenna was a little far into the forest, grunting as he tried to get up. Rory rushed to his father while I went to Lar'ja. I kneeled down beside him and I could hear him struggling to breathe. I inspected the wound and it didn't help it that we fell off the ship. Now . . . the wound on the side of his chest opened even wider and that is when panic settled. I frantically placed my hands to his face.

"Lar'ja . . . please open your eyes . . . please . . ."

As if he heard my call, he fluttered his eyelids a bit before opening them slowly. They were weak but they still focused on me and that is when his hand came up to my cheek and caressed it. I held it close and began rubbing gently as much as I could. His weak voice calls to me.

"Are . . . you . . . okay?"

I took a huge, shaking breath before I answered him back, trying to calm myself down.

"I'm fine. We need to get you treated right away. I—"

But I was cut off when a huge blast almost shot my head off. Instead, it zipped past and exploded the nearby tree. I knew it was a cannon going off and I hated myself for being right when the form of the Bad Blood was right in front of us.

"Found you. To be honest, you are becoming more trouble than your worth."

The Bad Blood stepped closer until gunshot rang out and started to hit him. I looked at the direction of where they were coming from and Brackett comes out of the shadows, firing her handgun at him. But it was useless. The Bad Blood shot another one in her direction, causing Brackett to fall over and her gun flies out of her hand and falls over the cliff.

"Brackett!"

I tried to warn her but the Bad Blood already was aiming for her and was about to fire until A'kib jumps in, biting into his arm with all of his might. The Bad Blood growled a bit and shook back and forth to try and release himself from the hold. McKenna gets back up and uses the opportunity to run towards him with the knife. However, the Bad Blood finally manages to get A'kid off, sending him flying to collide with McKenna and they both are knocked onto the ground.

"A'kib! McKenna!"

But I was far too worried that I didn't notice the Bad Blood was just a few feet away from me now. My back was towards him but the tension in the air started to get to me and fear was creeping into my chest. My breath hitched and my heart pounded as the Bad Blood speak to me in his foreign tongue.

"Aww, Anya . . . Look at what you have done. You brought your friends to their deaths while you let others get hurt. All because you didn't take my deal in the first place."

"What . . . is he . . . talking about?"

I didn't look but I knew it was Brackett who was asking the question. I could feel all eyes upon me and all I could do was freeze while I stared down into the ground. They probably didn't understand what the Bad Blood was saying but just me hearing it was enough to send shivers down my spine.

"Well. So you didn't tell them. I suspected as much."

The Bad Blood paused for a moment to probably look around at everyone before addressing me again.

"I told you once before. Why do you protect these worthless oomans? Why help those who belong to the race that tortured you for years? Who made you feel so pathetic? All those memories . . . all the pain . . . I can free you from that. If you come with me, we can end all of it. Everything that created the hatred inside of you. And I can create a world for you . . . One that is yours to have."

His words echoed in my ears and into my mind. I closed my eyes, wishing that all of this was a dream. A dream that I wanted to wake up from and not have to come back to again. All those deaths . . . all those screams . . . all the pain . . . my mother . . . I wanted it to go away. I wanted to disappear forever. I wished for it.

Someone . . . release me . . .

But then, a soft hand combs through my hair and caresses my cheek. It definitely was not a human's but it was welcoming. With my eyes still closed, I pressed my face into the palm of the unknown hand, taking a huge breath and smelling that familiar sweet rain once more.

When I finally opened my eyes, I saw the hand had belonged to Lar'ja. I moved my sight to follow Lar'ja's arm across it until I reached his face and my heart flutter when I was caught in his golden eyes.

It was different from before. The intensity of them was the strongest I've ever seen them before and it was quite unusual. The feeling of love was radiating out of them like the sun and I just couldn't look away. Or to be honest, I didn't want to. Then he smiled with the best of his ability, slightly opening his mandibles a bit and clamped his inner mouth together. It was an awkward one but I still loved it.

Love . . .

That word kept popping in my head no matter what I did. A sudden feeling of heat and strength rushed through me and filled every part of my body. From the toes to the head. And one thought ran through me in an instant.

Is this what love feels like?

But this beautiful moment was shattered when the Bad Blood spoke out once more. A sound that I despised so much.

"Now you need to choose. Come with me or die like the rest of your friends."

I could hear in his voice that he was getting tired of waiting but I didn't answer him right away as he wanted and then I heard the scrapping of metal from behind me.

"Choose!"

And then, a small booming noise sounded all around us as I knew that he had launched a small spear and I could feel it coming towards me. Everything was moving in slow motion around me. The spear . . . the yelling of my name in the distance . . . all of nature around me . . . it seemed too unreal.

But all that I was focused on was Lar'ja. He was there. Right in front of me and vulnerable. All the time I met him, he had protected me from all the dangers around me and despite knowing what I am, he still stayed with me. He could have left easily but he came back. Even confessing that he loved me. That he would always be there to protect me.

But now . . . it was my turn to protect him. To protect everyone!

So when the spear was just about to make contact with the back of my head, I reacted more quickly than ever before. With ease, I caught the spear in my hand, feeling it dig into the palm of my hand while the stinging pain followed suit. I stood still for a while and I could hear gasps in front of me while a huge growl coming from behind. Everyone must have been in shock but I didn't care. I knew what I had to do.

"If you had asked me ten years ago . . . when I had escaped the labs . . . I would have taken your offer in a single heartbeat."

I kept my eyes on Lar'ja as I listened to the grunts of the Bad Blood. It was clear that he was getting annoyed but I continued on. I wanted everyone to hear what I had to say.

"But you're too late. I have finally made friends. Ones that stayed with me regardless if I was a hybrid or not. They stood by me when I was at my lowest moments and gave me the strength I needed to move on. They opened my eyes for the first time and made me feel that being a hybrid is alright. That it is who I am. I am . . . Ta'kasa."

I stopped for a moment to listen to the most silent sound around me, which was the soft breeze that brushed over us and along the branches of the trees. I inhaled deeply so I could catch the smell of the breeze and it was wonderful. But the Bad Blood growled a bit and broke the tranquility.

"But what about him? Lar'ja lied to you at every step. He withheld information because he didn't trust you. You're a hybrid! He hates hybrids! All of the Yautja kind spit on us when they should look upon us for strength. And he is no different. He is behind the times. Even so, why do you protect him?"

Why do I protect Lar'ja? Why? If I had asked that question to myself a while ago, I wouldn't have been able to answer it at all. But now . . . I had it right in front of my face.

"I . . . love him."

It was only a whisper and the Bad Blood didn't like that he couldn't hear it.

"What did you say? Answer me!"

"I love him!"

Everyone went silent after that. Nothing could be heard around us and it was becoming quite uncomfortable. But I have no regrets saying it. It was my true feelings and ones that were bottled inside me for too long or that I didn't connect the dots until now.

I looked back at Lar'ja and his eyes widened in shock and awe. My heart pounded even faster but it was a good feeling. The coldness from the air disappeared from my body and was being filled with such heat that it would shame the sun. His eyes stared into mine and I gave him the most sincere smile that I've ever given him before.

All of a sudden, the familiar extension of my back started up and I knew that my Yautja powers were awakening once again. But this was different than before. Normally, the unbearable pain would follow along but there was nothing. My skin became tougher and the protruding feeling in my cheeks began to push outward from my face. I brought my hand that held the spear back in front of me to see it. I opened my hand slightly as I watched it changing color to the dark green blotches and light green hue while my nails grew into claws. My arms and legs thickened with layers of muscle and my small body became larger in height.

I was in Yautja form but no pain had occurred. I had accepted it as my own and was ready for a fight.

While the small spear was still in my hand, I saw the cut begin to heal itself until it was gone within a matter of seconds, leaving only a small trace of green blood. I raised myself back on my feet and turned around to face the Bad Blood. There was shock written all over his face but as I faced him, it twisted with such anger that his body began to shake. I just smirked, raising my mandibles and inner mouth slightly while shaking my head a bit to let my dreadlocks sway back and forth in a display.

And then, I raised my hand that still had his small spear in it, showing it to him before I crushed it without much effort. And I had one more thing to say to him and I did it in the Yautja dialogue.

"So this is my answer to your question earlier."

Keeping my massive hand in the air, I turned it around slowly at the Bad Blood. And then, with a flick of my finger, I gave him the middle finger and he growled more menacing than before.

"Fuck you!"

"Then die with the rest of your pathetic race!"

Everything around us snapped in an instant as the Bad Blood roars, charging at me with all of the fury in him with his wrist blades out and ready to kill. I roared as well and drew both of my wrist blades from each gauntlet and charged at him with all of my might.

At that moment, I vowed that I would defeat him right here and now. I'll make sure that he doesn't terrorize anyone else ever again.

I am Ta'kasa . . . and I will fight to protect everyone.

No matter what . . .

Hi Readers!

Wow! This chapter made me go crazy but in a good way and I hope that all of you feel the same way as well. My grammar and wording may be messed up along with the length of the chapter but I hope that doesn't dissuade you from loving this one :)

Now, Anya has confessed her love for Lar'ja and has accepted her Yautja side and is going into battle with the Bad Blood for the final time. Who will win and who will die?!

Find out when Chapter 30 comes rolling in a day or two since I've been so anticipating this moment that I started to write it as well (lol). So that means that Break Free will be delay another week but I hope that it will be worth the wait for all of you.

P.S: I will be putting Ripple of a Stone on hiatus for some time until I'm completely finished with Break Free and Twisted Fate but that doesn't mean that I won't be coming back to it. I promise all of you that it will continue on. So what I will be doing is putting all upcoming stories on my profile so you will know what will be coming next along with new stories I will be creating as well. Feel free to make any suggestions to me. I will keep tabs on my Instagram account in case you don't get this message.

And of course, a sequel for both Twisted Fate and Break Free is being created but won't be posted until a month after these stories end so that I can take a break and use the time to develop my chapters better.

Thank you very much and enjoy! :)))