Weeks passed.
The coastline of Southeast Asia stretched before them, a curved ribbon of sand meeting an endless ocean. Lily stood at the water's edge, her scarred face turned toward the horizon, her torn cloak whipping in the salt wind. Behind her, Tusk lay in the shade of a twisted palm, his flame-mane flickering lazily.
Red had emerged from the depths an hour ago. The massive creature now lay partially submerged, its dark red hide gleaming wetly, its glowing eyes fixed on the tree line with predatory patience. The rest of the squad were positioned somewhere in the shadows, waiting for a signal that hadn't come.
Shadow had appeared from Lily's own darkness an hour before that, delivering his message in that whispering, sliding voice.
"You were right. It's exactly as you said. They're separated into pairs. He's coming Southeast."
Lily had simply nodded. "Good. Very good."
Now she waited.
The waves crashed. The wind blew. The sun climbed higher.
And then—
"Hey! Long time no see, Lily!"
Wolfen emerged from the trees, his golden eyes bright, his smile sharp. Zoey walked beside him, her scarred face scanning the beach with the practiced attention of someone who had spent years learning to read threats.
Lily's jaw tightened. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting?"
Wolfen's smile didn't waver. He swept into an exaggerated bow. "My apologies, my queen."
"Hmmm. Wolfen, there's a big—AHHH! What's THAT?!" Zoey's composure cracked as she pointed at the massive shape rising from the water behind Lily.
Red had lifted its head. One hundred feet of muscle and armored flesh, jagged crimson spines catching the sunlight, crocodilian jaws parting to reveal fangs the size of swords.
Wolfen glanced at it, then back at Zoey. "That's a big red lizard."
"This big red lizard is going to show you why you shouldn't have come after me." Lily raised her hand. "And also the guys that are surrounding you."
The squad emerged.
Kael stepped from the shadows to Lily's left, his onyx armor gleaming. Korgath cracked his knuckles to her right, his massive form blocking the sun. Stitch's silver filaments caught the light as he slid into position behind them. Nyx's iridescent skin shifted through colors, impossible to track. Jax's electrostatic field made the sand around him jump and spark. Oracle's crystalline lenses spun, calculating. Nisha's form seemed to bleed from the darkness itself.
Wolfen looked at Kael. His head tilted.
"Wait, hold on." He studied the armored figure. "I think I've seen you before."
"You have," Kael said.
"Whatever." Wolfen waved a hand dismissively. "If you wanna fight, just say so, Lily. Let's get this over quick."
"Hey! Hey!" Zoey grabbed his arm. "Did you hear what they said Lily is capable of?"
"Who cares?" Wolfen's grin was insanely confident. "I've done worse."
He vanished.
The speed was unreal—faster than anything Kael had seen from him before. The Anomaly had grown stronger in whatever hell he'd been sent to.
But Kael was already moving.
He materialized in front of Lily, his armored body taking the impact of Wolfen's attack. The shockwave sent sand spraying in all directions.
Wolfen didn't look surprised. If anything, he looked pleased.
"Hey, Zoey! You got the rest, right?"
Zoey's eyes swept over the squad surrounding them. "I got them. You take Lily—don't hurt her. I'll handle the lizard."
She raised one hand.
The squad moved.
Korgath charged first, his massive fists raised, his roar shaking the air. Zoey's finger twitched.
He flew backward.
Not stumbled—flew. A wave of invisible force caught him mid-stride and hurled him a mile down the beach, his massive form bouncing and skidding before finally coming to rest in a crater of his own making.
Psychokinesis.
Zoey wasn't a hybrid. She was a metahuman. She couldn't heal, couldn't regenerate, couldn't survive the kinds of wounds the others could. But what she could do was move things with her mind. And when you weighed as much as Korgath, being moved by Zoey meant being moved far.
Wolfen grinned. A small Umbralite dagger formed in his hand—barely more than a blade, perfect for close work.
Behind him, Red's back began to glow.
The massive creature's spine lit up from within, crimson energy building along its jagged spines, traveling up toward its open jaws. Light gathered in its throat, brightening, intensifying—
Red's mouth filled with red lightning.
"That's... not good," Wolfen said.
The beach held its breath.
And somewhere in the chaos, Lily watched her former family prepare to tear each other apart.