Darkening Dawn (The Lockman Chronicles Book 5) Read Free

fluttered along the back of its neck as if blown by a strong wind. Its white-haired body also had a dusting of sparkles, though not as concentrated as on the horn. The sight of the mythical animal froze Jessie in awe. It looked even more magical than her little girl imagination could have ever conjured.
    One of the halves of the door hit Ree square in the chest and knocked him to the floor.
    The agents behind him—and the only thing between Jessie and the charging unicorn—had time enough to twitch in surprise before the unicorn reached them. Spike was one of those agents, standing right in the unicorn’s path.
    The unicorn’s horn shot straight through Spike’s chest, poking out through the center of her back, the sparkling tip smeared with red.
    Jessie’s more sensible instincts kicked in, breaking the spell of her awe. She staggered sideways, out of the unicorn’s path.
    The unicorn kept charging as it lifted Spike off her feet, a human shish kabob. Spike dropped her rifle and clung to the unicorn’s mane, her legs dangling and kicking helplessly. Blood sputtered out of her mouth as she screamed.
    The smell of iron mixed with the sweetness already in the air as if some bright entrepreneur had decided to open up a bakery and butcher in the same store.
    Then the chatter of automatic rifle fire filled the room, muffling the other scents with the overwhelming stink of cordite.
    Jessie reached out toward the unicorn as it passed her. No, wait.
    Too late. The unicorn’s pure white flank ripped open, bullets chewing into its flesh. The blood that gushed out looked like a more vibrant shade of red than a human’s, but that could have been Jessie’s senses sharpened by the adrenaline coursing through her.
    Jessie screamed.
    The unicorn reared its head, throwing Spike off its horn. Her limp body bounced off one of the bookcases, leaving behind a red splash across a row of leather-bound books. The unicorn reared around to face the gunfire as if ready to dive against the current of bullets. But a burst of rounds obliterated its skull, leaving its horn hanging from a strip of flesh across one black eye.
    The unicorn collapsed, its weight enough to shake the floor. Jessie felt the vibration buzz up her legs. The rest of her felt numb and clammy, kind of like the first time she made out with a boy. With Ryan. A memory from a million years ago. Only then she had a thrill run through her, an excitement at discovering the unknown. Right now, she felt sick, her stomach twisted in knots.
    Tears welled in her eyes.
    The gunfire stopped. The silence was suffocating. Jessie wanted to scream just to fill it. Her gaze went from the bloody unicorn to Spike’s limp body a couple yards away. She lay on her side, one arm twisted under her at an unnatural angle.
    The taste of bile rolled into Jessie’s mouth.
    Slowly, she turned to the agents who had opened fire on the unicorn. The first time she tried to speak, her voice cracked. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and tried again. “You didn’t have to kill it. I could have Returned it.”
    The agents stared at her as if she had asked them what the square root of pizza was. Maybe she hadn’t cleared her throat enough.
    Agent Ree got to his feet. He twisted his neck to one side as if working out a cramp, his eyes pinched. Then he looked at Jessie. “The unicorn attacked, Jessie. They did their job.”
    He was right. Jessie never got the chance to work up her power before one of the team was already dead. She had thought she could work faster than that. But she wasn’t a gun. She didn’t have a trigger. And Returning did not lend itself to a quick draw contest.
    She ducked her head and wiped her eyes with the back of her wrist. “I know.”
    Ree lifted his rifle and jerked his chin at Spike. “Boomer, check on Agent Cezarez. The rest of you, hackles up. Intel says there’s at least one more uni.”
    Boomer was the shortest of the group, with thin lips and small, twitchy eyes. He