Free Bound (The Divine, Book Four) by M.R. Forbes Page B

times, dissipated the power before it could consolidate and before we could recognize it for what it was. He hadn't made her. He couldn't make anything.
    "Come with me," she said. She started tugging both of us towards the door.
    "Do you think it will be that easy?"  
    The abomination appeared in front of us, blocking the path. It had changed. The hair was gone. The dress was gone. It was a humanoid shape devoid of feature or detail. Claws, small eyes, sharp teeth, a head, two arms, two legs, and a torso. That was it.
    "Go," Clara said, gesturing at it.
    Ross laughed.
    I yanked on our power, bringing it into me, and then let go of Clara's hand. I leaped forward at the creature, my own hand elongating into a set of claws. Blink! It tried to escape, but I reached out to it and held it with Divine power. I brought the claws up and around, severing its head.
    "Easier then before," I said.
    The room started shaking.
    "This way," Clara cried.  
    She started tugging Charis towards a new door, one that hadn't existed a minute ago. Her little legs were too slow, so Charis scooped her up as we ran.  
    I looked back over my shoulder, at Ross making an appearance of his own. He had his watch in hand, and he'd lifted his sunglasses aside to look at it.
    "Not bad, kid. You might make a sport of this yet."  
    He motioned with his hand and the doorway became a wall. Charis staggered to a stop.  
    Fifty weres burst through the double doors, charging into the room. They parted around Ross, and a stream of them headed for Charis.
    "No," she said. She kicked one in the head, sending it backwards and knocking over two more. She spun and punched another with a free hand, then leapt over a fourth. One of the weres tried to intercept her in mid-air, and she let go of Clara just long enough to smash it aside before catching her again.
    Ross watched, and then shrugged. "I guess I need a few more."  
    "You'll need an army," I said. I found the poker, still laying on the floor. I focused, superheating it, melting into hundreds of white-hot balls of iron. I swept them around the room, pelting the weres, burning through their hearts. I didn't know if they would heal or not. They didn't.
    Ross looked around at the dead mess. "Fine. I'll do it myself."
    He pulled a gun from a shoulder holster tucked under his suit jacket, and shot Clara in the head.
    My heart jumped as her head slumped into Charis' shoulder. She wasn't our child. She wasn't a child at all, not in truth. It didn't make the act any less disgusting. "Clara!" I ran towards them, Ross forgotten.
    "Too far," Charis whispered. She reached up and stroked the little girl's hair. "Landon, we have to remember."
    I reached them in time to put my hand on top of hers, so that both of us were caressing her head. "You're right." I swallowed every emotion, and pushed a single thought towards my soul, one that I hoped would carry over to the next regeneration.  
    "Clara." I whispered.
    The gun fired two more times.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    Rebecca

    I had no concept of time in my ghostly form. I had no concept of much of anything. The only thought that kept repeating was to find out where the Box was, where Landon was, so that I could set him free. The only emotion I felt was eagerness.  
    Sarah showed up with Ulnyx at some point. She went to get him a beer while he spread his massive bulk out on the sofa.  
    "He never got back to you?" the Were asked.
    "No," Sarah said. "I tried calling, e-mail, text message. I even posted to that damn internet channel he likes so much." She came back in and handed him the bottle.
    Ulnyx huffed. "I never thought Obi would take himself out of the game while Landon was still twisting in the wind. Hell, I'm still in." He used his teeth to break off the end of the longneck, and swallowed the drink in a few large gulps.
    "You aren't the one who..." She didn't finish the sentence.
    Ulnyx did. "Lost their girlfriend? He needs to man up and grow a pair. We've all lost something or