Page 65 of The Beyond
“Not on my watch.” Selene pushed herself up off the ground and plunged deep into the darkness. She vaguely heard Scott scream her name, but she was too far gone, fighting for what she loved. For the man she wanted to be with for the rest of her life.
She pushed through the darkness and was surprised to come up against something solid. She pushed back and fought as hard as she could against what appeared to be a creature made out of only arms.
So many hands pushed, shoved, and punched at her. Long nails scraped at her clothes and skin as she clawed her way through them, trying to hold back whatever Moros was, to keep him away from Scott.
Whatever she did, she had to keep Moros away from Scott.
She used all her strength, all her power, just to knock the thing back a foot.
Then she realized that she wasn’t fighting Moros alone. Lucas and Tara were there, hovering next to her, thirty feet above everyone else.
Lucas was punching his way through the arms while Tara clawed at them.
She didn’t know how long the three of them fought, but she did know that it seemed to be futile. She was growing tired, and Moros was winning.
Tara was thrown from the smoke creature first. She flew backwards and landed on the floor. Next was Lucas. He hit a wall and then landed on the ground.
She fought for as long as she could by herself.
When Moros was less than five feet from Scott, he finally overtook her.
The chanting continued from the group, strengthened, growing louder until the silo practically shook.
It seemed to momentarily bind Moros, and Selene gathered all her strength for her next move. Then she remembered the Fate’s last words to her.
“Moros cannot take what does not belong to him.”
Instead of using her strength to push back Moros, she changed tactics and turned to wrap her arms tightly around Scott. Scott held onto her in return.
“I love you,” she said as tears rolled onto her cheeks. “From the moment we first met, I was yours.”
“I love you too,” Scott said. “From the first moment I saw you, I was yours.” He kissed her.
“No!” Moros screamed behind them. “You cannot have him. He is mine! I need a solid pathway, a form I can possess that is of my making. One that belongs to me.”
Selene jerked back from Scott and looked up at the god of doom.
“No, he belongs to me now,” she said with a smile. “And you can’t take what isn’t yours.”
Moros screeched even louder. The dark cloud rose high in the silo, hovering just at the entrance of the massive doors under the full moon.
“There are other pathways, other doors that are open to me. When I return, I will destroy you all,” Moros hissed.
Then, with a burst of cold air, the darkness flew out into the night, leaving the silo, leaving everything in its wake to settle and still.
Selene turned and held onto Scott, kissing him until she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“I think you made your point. You two own each other,” Lucas joked. “How about we get cleaned up?” he suggested, motioning to everyone standing around them.
Selene glanced down at her ruined clothes, the scratches on her arms and hands. That never could have happened had she been fighting a human. Lucas and Tara were also scratched, and Lucas had a black eye and a bloody lip.
Selene pulled Lucas into the hug with Scott and felt Tara and the rest join them. Soon, they all stood in the middle, bathed in the moonlight at the base of the silo, holding onto one another. They all laughed.
“So, does this mean you’ll marry me?” Scott asked her when they had all traveled back to Michael and Xtina’s place. Everyone was gathered in the living room, sipping tea, wine, or whiskey and snacking on cheese and crackers.
“Yes,” she answered quickly. “But I’ll want a real proposal with a ring and all,” she told him, holding onto his hand.
“I can do that.” Scott nodded and then kissed her.
