Chapter 13

She had always known Benjamin had secrets, but watching him now, Jade realized she never should have tried to uncover them. He wasn’t human—none of them could be. The vibrations from their clashes rumbled through her body as their forms crashed against walls and slammed into the ground, causing the entire auditorium to tremble at its very foundations. With growing terror, Jade watched Benjamin stand like a titan, effortlessly tossing his friends around as if they were mere dolls. The building groaned under the strain, fissures spiderwebbing across the walls where their bodies struck. Slowly, she began to back away, hoping their focus on each other would keep them from noticing her retreat.
When she finally reached the backstage door, Jade turned away from the chaos, blindly groping for the handle. This was her only chance to escape and find Aiden. Somehow, she was certain he would understand what was happening—that this was the gruesome revelation he had warned her about. Jade wasn’t sure she would make it out alive if she didn't leave now.
But just as her fingers wrapped around the door handle, a loose brick, dislodged by the violent battle, struck her leg with brutal force. The impact sent her crashing into the wall, nearly knocking her unconscious. Pain radiated through her as she crumpled to the ground, and suddenly, the auditorium fell into an eerie silence.
All four of them were staring at her.
Jade touched her thigh, her fingers coming away slick with warm blood from a freshly formed cut. She looked up and met Benjamin’s gaze. The hunger in his eyes was unmistakable now, and the faint yellow of his iris that remained visible began to glow a chilling gold. Jade shook her head, struggling to grasp the horror of the situation she had unwittingly stepped into.
But before Benjamin could act, his friends were upon him. Shaun and Owen seized his arms, twisting them with sickening force until they snapped, leaving them hanging uselessly behind his back. Jade tried to rise, to flee now that her hiding was over, but Skye moved with impossible speed, grabbing a fistful of Jade’s hair and yanking her back. Pain shot through her scalp, and she screamed, the sound snapping Benjamin from his trance. He fought against his friends, ignoring the agony in his broken arms as he struggled to reach her.
“Not so fast,” Skye hissed into Jade’s ear, dragging her around to face the boys. Shaun and Owen hauled Benjamin back onto the stage while Skye forced Jade to look at him. Jade refused to meet his eyes, knowing it would make it worse. Skye finally let her go, but Jade knew there was no point in running—there was nowhere to hide.
“She’s pathetic, Benjamin,” Skye spat, her voice dripping with disdain. “She couldn’t fight. She doesn’t even know what she is. She couldn’t even run away properly. And this is what you fancy yourself in love with?” Skye circled to face Jade, her cold, almost crystalline eyes meeting Jade’s with a smug satisfaction that made her stomach churn.
“Skye,” Benjamin growled, his voice low and dangerous.
“Shut him up,” Skye snapped, her composure cracking to reveal the fury beneath. Jade watched as Shaun restrained Benjamin while Owen viciously ripped his shirt and used the fabric to gag him.
“Your faux confidence is amusing,” Skye sneered, grabbing Jade’s chin and forcing her to look up. “But I’d rather see you beg.”
Jade remained silent, her mind racing.
Slye’s hand shot out, slapping Jade across the face with a force that sent her sprawling to the ground. Her cheek throbbed, the pain sharp and unyielding, but she forced herself to ignore it, knowing the bruise would only be the start of her suffering. “Have you figured it out yet, little Jade? What we are or how you’ll die?”
Jade’s gaze shifted to Benjamin, hoping desperately for a sign of the boy she thought she knew. Her leg had nearly stopped bleeding, and she wondered if that would be enough to clear his head. Was it her or the scent of her blood that called to him? She looked back at Skye, who was now grinning, her lips parting to reveal razor-sharp teeth. Jade felt her stomach twist with dread as the reality sank in.
When did monsters become real?
Jade was amazed at her eerie calm as she processed the situation. Demons? she thought, silently answering Skye’s unspoken question. The word echoed in her mind, solidifying into an undeniable truth—the blood, the teeth, the supernatural strength. But then she recalled the moments on the beach, the humanity she had seen in Benjamin’s eyes when he looked at her in the steeple. How many of the stories were true? How much was a myth?
Her gaze shifted to Skye, who wore a smug expression, already basking in her perceived victory. If she was going to die, Jade decided she might as well go out with a bang. Gathering her courage, she delivered her retort. “You, Skye? You’re just a jealous bitch who can’t handle the fact that Benjamin cares more about a mere human than he’s ever cared about you. You’re the pathetic one.”
For a moment, pain flickered across Skye’s face, quickly replaced by a storm of anger. Jade knew her words had struck a nerve, but she kept her expression neutral, refusing to reveal how much the small victory meant—or how terrified she truly was.
With a snarl, Skye grabbed Jade by the neck and lifted her off the floor, her feet dangling inches above the ground. Jade gasped for breath, choking as the pressure on her throat cut off her air supply. “You are nothing,” Skye hissed, her voice dripping with venom as she dropped Jade back onto her toes.
But before Jade could steady herself, Skye’s hand shot out, her sharp fingernail slicing a deep line across Jade’s cheek. Blood welled up instantly, and Skye slowly traced her finger along the cut, savoring the moment. She pulled her blood-stained finger back, holding it up for Jade to see before bringing it close to her mouth. Skye sniffed the blood, and a flash of longing flickered in her eyes.
Repulsed Jade instinctively turned away—a mistake that gave Skye the upper hand.
“Do you think he’s different, Jade?” She taunted, her voice low and dangerous. “Do you think he doesn’t thirst for your special like I do? That he’s kind and gentle? Well, he’s not.”
Skye moved toward Benjamin, still bound by Shaun and Owen, a look of dread etched on his face. As she approached, his gaze locked onto the blood on Skye’s finger, his struggle to resist palpable. He tried to look away, forcing his eyes to the floor, but Skye grabbed his face with one hand, holding him still. She removed his gag and let her bloodied finger hover near his lips.
Benjamin clenched his jaw, refusing to give in, but Skye was relentless. She smeared the blood across his closed lips, her eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure. Jade watched in horror as his resolve began to crack. He trembled with the effort of resisting the urge to lick the blood from his lips, but the struggle was clear in his eyes, which eventually met Jade’s with a look of raw pain, guilt, and self-loathing.
Then, slowly, as if in defeat, Benjamin opened his mouth and let his tongue dart out, tasting the blood. Jade saw the brief flicker of pleasure that crossed his face, the slight glow that returned to his eyes, and she knew that image would haunt her forever.
Skye clapped her hands together, a twisted grin spreading across her face a child delighting in a cruel game. She sauntered back to Jade, sliding her finger along the cut on Jade’s cheek before tasting her blood. The ecstasy in Skye’s expression was undeniable, yet, at that moment, Jade knew Benjamin was different. Not innocent, not pure, but not the same kind of evil that radiated from Skye’s cold, soulless eyes—eyes that held no remorse, only sadistic joy.
As Skye moved closer, Jade was paralyzed, unable to look away, trapped by the same hypnotic gaze that Benjamin had once used in class. A shiver of fear pierced her heart as she thought of her family, the people she would miss, the life she would never live. But there was no escape. She was helpless, powerless, as Skye loomed over her, savoring Jade’s terror like a delicacy.
Skye didn’t move in for the kill; she stayed still, relishing the sight of Jade’s paralysis. The smile that spread across her face was pure malice, and Jade knew that this was not just about blood—it was about domination, about making Jade realize just how powerless she was.
But then, almost like a balm against the encroaching darkness, a surge of warmth began to fill Jade’s palms, just like it had in the classroom. This time, instead of fear, Jade welcomed the sensation, embracing the power that flowed through her, the heat that gathered and funneled into her hands. At that moment, she knew she would escape—she had to.
But when Jade tried to free herself from Skye’s grip, she still couldn’t move. The heat in her hands intensified, growing beyond anything she had ever felt. As Skye’s unwavering stare bore into her, Jade realized she was still in grave danger. For a second, she wondered if Benjamin had let her escape in the classroom because he knew what was happening inside her and how to control it.
Jade had no such concern or knowledge.
The heat within Jade continued to rise, and soon it felt as if she were burning from the inside out. Her blood turned to molten lava, scorching everything in its path, setting her nerves ablaze. She began to shake uncontrollably. Skye mistook the tremors for fear and laughed, but Jade barely registered the sound. The vibrations coursed through her body, unstoppable and violent. The pain was excruciating and unbearable. Jade’s lips parted in a scream, raw and desperate, as the pressure inside her built to a breaking point.
Benjamin cried out, his voice laced with panic, as he struggled frantically against Owen and Shaun, desperate to reach her. But Jade was beyond hearing him. The pressure within her had reached its peak. She was a bomb, her body ticking down to an inevitable explosion.
Ticking, ticking, ticking…
Skye leaned in closer, her mouth opening to reveal the sharp teeth ready to deliver the fatal bite.
And then, in a blinding surge of power, Jade finally exploded.
All Jade felt was the release of the heat as it seeped out of her, leaving her body. As the pain ebbed away, she opened her eyes to find flames streaming from her hands. Skye, Owen, Shaun, and Benjamin were pinned against the back wall, held there by the searing light emanating from her palms. They struggled, but the light’s force was too powerful, trapping them in place, powerless against her.
Jade’s heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t know how to stop it. She didn’t even know what was happening. But as she looked into Benjamin’s eyes, she saw pain, fear—he was hurting, they all were. And it was because of her. They were afraid of her. Powerless against her.
She stood frozen, unable to move, barely able to breathe. Her gaze remained locked on her hands, the fire still raging uncontrollably. Different hands suddenly gripped her shoulders, shaking her. She heard her name being screamed, but it sounded distant, like it was coming from somewhere outside herself. It was as if she were watching everything unfold from afar, detached from the chaos she was causing. A dark part of her almost wanted Skye to feel pain, to suffer, to die. The urge to kill was terrifyingly strong.
That thought snapped Jade back to reality.
Blinking rapidly, she realized it was Aiden standing before her. His hands were on her shoulders, shaking her, his voice commanding and urgent as he called her name. Somehow, she knew he understood what was happening—that he was like her. A part of her was angry that he had never told her, but a much stronger part was overwhelmed with relief that he was there, that he could help.
“Jade, listen to me, you have to stop. You have to release them,” he said, his voice steady, calming.
“How?” she cried, panic surging as she stared at the uncontrollable flames. She was scaring herself more than anyone else.
“Just close your fists and let go of the anger,” Aiden instructed, his hands moving up and down her arms, trying to soothe her.
Jade clung to his words, trying to let go of the fear that had gripped her so tightly—the fear of how close she had come to death. She tried to release the anger at Skye for wanting to kill her, for the torture she had inflicted on both her and Benjamin. She tried to let go of the resentment toward Benjamin, for his moment of weakness, for making her doubt her trust in him.
But most of all, Jade tried to release the fury she felt toward herself—for not knowing who she was, for not demanding answers sooner, for not being able to stop this, for hurting Benjamin, and for the terrifying urge she had felt to kill. The fear was the hardest to release—the fear of herself, what she was, and what she might be capable of.
When she finally admitted all of this to herself, she felt a small release, a flicker of control returning. Summoning every ounce of her strength, Jade slowly began to curl her fingers into her palms. The flames fought back, tendrils of fire trying to escape through the cracks between her fingers, but she held steady, determined to hold it. She brought her thumb around, trapping the light within her hands. Gradually, the heat faded, and finally, she let it go.
Jade looked toward the back wall where Skye, Owen, and Shaun had been pressed into the crevices. They scrambled to their feet and fled the room without a backward glance. Benjamin, however, lingered for a moment. He slowly lowered himself to the ground, his eyes meeting hers. In that instant, she understood the painful truth—he was right. They could never be.
His gaze held a mixture of sadness and fear, a silent acknowledgment of what had just happened and what it meant for them both. Jade saw the humanity in his eyes, the flicker of something that set him apart from his friends, but she knew it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to make her chase after him.
Benjamin hesitated, his expression torn, but after a final, sorrowful look, he turned and followed his friends out the door, disappearing into the shadows.
Jade stood there, her heart heavy with the weight of everything that had just happened. She knew Benjamin was different—she could see it, feel it—but that knowledge only deepened the ache inside her. It wasn’t enough to bridge the chasm between them.
Instead, she turned to Aiden, his familiar eyes filled with concern, his demeanor steady and reassuring. The fear, the confusion, and the heartbreak finally caught up with her, and she collapsed into his open arms. The tears she had been holding back began to fall, soaking into his shirt as he held her close.
Jade found a semblance of comfort, but the pain of what she had lost—and what she had almost become—still lingered, raw and unresolved.