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blinding
brightness would attract other humans. The late evening sky became black
beneath the billowing gray clouds before lighting up beneath monstrous
lightning bolts.
    The precious phenomenon startled the
hunters. They knew of this event, but very few witnessed the occurrence.
Normally, only those who passed witnessed the portal. Liam didn’t worry if
these men knew the portal’s location since they hunted him, and he fought to
kill.
    “Enough,” Liam growled through bared
teeth.
    The black sclera of his eyes clouded and
the whites of his irises and pupils erupted in tiny flashes of lightning, which
spread throughout his body, sparking as the pulse of energy moved down his
throat and arms, moving toward his fingertips. The energy carried with it a bit
of pain, the type of pain that made him want more.
    With one quick glance across the dim
park, he pinpointed the last two attackers. He planted his feet firmly on the
ground, drew back his elbows, and shot his hands forward. The pain from the
energy prying through his flesh felt so good and added to the anger.
    The white fury trapped in his fists
pushed open his fingers like an impatient dog prepared to attack. The lightning
burned through the trees and brush like precision lasers, catching both
adversaries, burning them within a matter of minutes.
    Things never had to come down to this,
killing and dying, but the hunters made it this way. They forced him to kill,
which was better than dying on their autopsy table.
    Liam remained poised, scavenging the
woods for any lurking hunters. After confirming his safety, he stood upright as
light faded and the energy dissipated into the space around him.
    He sniffed. Something strange lingered
in the air. He pivoted toward the origin of the growing scent as the portal
opened and the blinding light flashed. He stepped back and shielded his face
with his right forearm.
    A young woman fell through the breach,
knees and palms first, crashed against and breaking tree limbs in her descent.
She grunted but remained unaware as her molecules reassigned themselves in her
body. She hit the moist grass and lay motionless, sprawled out on her stomach.
    The light vanished, and the portal
closed above her.
    Liam ran to her. She faced away from
him, but the tattoos on her arm gave her away. Kneeling beside her, he
positioned her onto her back, careful to keep support beneath her neck. The
young woman didn’t utter a sound, nor did she respond to the movement.
    He held her head in his lap and
immediately took notice of the unnatural color in her hair. He picked up a few
strands and rubbed them between his fingers—black and pink tresses. He brushed
the hair from the unconscious beauty’s face.
    He inhaled her metallic scent. He went
into a frenzied reaction. Every sleeping electromagnetic ion in his body jolted
awake by the aroma of her newly formed molecules. The long-awaited scent filled
him like a drug.
    “Kendra.”
    She didn’t respond.
    He could hardly believe she arrived. He
finally held the girl from the other dimension in his arms. He could actually
feel her, touch her, breathe her in, but he would have to enjoy this moment in
a safer place. The strange phenomenon would attract even more hunters.
    He carried Kendra. His biceps bulged
from cradling her head against his chest. With agility and superhuman strength,
Liam moved silently through shadows, successful in avoiding humans and
circumventing the late nighters. He ducked inside a tall, broad building, and
slowed down. With waning strength, he took the elevator to the fifth floor, and
took Kendra to his apartment where he laid her on his bed.
    Liam knelt beside her. He couldn’t pull
his gaze away from Kendra’s face. She was even more beautiful in person.
    Exhaling, he stood and leaned over her,
pressing the back of his hand against her bruised cheek. She didn’t stir. He no
longer touched her in illusions. He licked his lips and tilted into her, waging
war against good judgment.