Free A Hero Rising by Aubrie Dionne Page A

arm to defend himself, and then buried his head in James’s shoulder. James screamed in pain.
    Skye placed Carly down and dived in the bushes for the laser. If she didn’t stop Grease, he’d kill James and come after her and Carly next. Thorns cut her arms as she dug through the brambles.
    It’s got to be here somewhere . She’d seen it fly into the bush as she ran after Carly.
    The moonlight trickled down through the weaving branches, illuminating a black sheen that had to be the barrel. Skye thrust her hand into the soil and yanked the laser out of the bush. She’d never held a real one before, and it felt heavy and cold in her hands. The photon stimulator vibrated underneath her fingertips. The gun was charged and ready to go.
    When she turned around, Grease was hovering over James, digging through the pockets of his torn coat with blood dripping from his chin. He pulled out a switchblade and flipped it open, the silver blade catching the moon’s rays.
    “No!” Skye shouted, pointing the laser in his direction. “Grease, stop.”
    Grease turned to face her, the skin on his face dark as night. She wondered if the fire had caused the discoloring, or if the moonshine had traveled all the way up his arm. His eyes were cold and empty as if he struggled to remember his own name. He turned on James and raised the blade.
    Skye pulled the trigger and the barrel exploded into light. The shaft hit Grease in the chest, and he fell back from the force. She ran to James, still holding the laser. Blood covered his arm from his shoulder to his chest. He shouted, his voice filled with pain. “Keep firing!”
    No normal human could have survived that laser wound. Grease rose, the flames produced by the laser licking up the clothes on his chest. His skin burned black where she’d hit him, making Skye’s heart cringe. Could she really fire at him again? He scrambled toward her, barring his teeth. If she didn’t fire, he’d topple her over and bite her next. Carly needed her, and she had to get back to the little girl. Steeling her nerves, Skye fired multiple rounds, each shot like a dagger in her gut, softening her resolve but barely slowing him down.
    Think of Carly. You have to protect her.
    Fingers shaking, she raised the laser and aimed for his head. A thousand memories flew through her mind: Grease’s quirky smile when he first saw her in the alleyway, his protective hand on Carly’s shoulder, the way he slouched on the couch while watching the holoscreen. This shot would end it all. Part of her doubted she could pull the trigger, but the orphan-survivor inside her had no hesitations.
    Skye fired, and it was like shooting at her own head. The streak of light seized Grease like a lightning bolt and he fell to the soil, unmoving. Time stopped, her breath ripped out of her chest. The finality of the moment smacked her in the face. Her hands trembled as she brought down the laser and it fell to the ground. Her body turned to grains of sand, and she collapsed on her knees, crawling toward Carly.
    The little girl lay sideways in the soil with one eye covered in sand. Skye turned her on her back, brushed off her face, and felt her breath. Small puffs of air blew on Skye’s hand, and relief turned her whole body into mush. She fell on her back beside Carly and started to cry, watching the stars glitter like diamonds of hope in the sky.
    James. He’d saved them both from Grease and may have lost him own life in return. Skye jolted up and stumbled toward him. James sat, holding a piece of his shirt over his shoulder to stop the bleeding.
    Worry filled his eyes. “Is Carly okay?”
    Skye nodded. “She’s breathing, but she’s knocked out cold.”
    “Thank goodness, she’s okay.” His shoulders slumped in relief. “It might be better this way. I don’t want her seeing her dad like this.”
    Skye knelt beside him and put pressure on the wound. The feel of hot blood under her fingers made her stomach twist with worry. How