The hybrid lunged before any of us could breathe. The ground tore open under its weight, sending shards of dirt and stone spiraling into the air. The creature moved with a speed that did not match its massive form, a streak of black and molten silver ripping through the clearing. Its new body pulsed with stolen power, veins of blue and gold weaving through the shadowed mass like living lightning. I barely raised my hands before the first shockwave hit.
The blast threw me backward. My spine slammed against a tree, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs. A sharp ringing filled my ears. The world swayed. My vision blurred. Jax shouted my name, but his voice sounded far away, swallowed by the roar of the hybrid’s power.
I blinked hard and forced myself upright. My muscles felt like the
