Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

today, I probably won’t be clearheaded enough to use the gift that makes me so valuab le to your future generations.”
    “Get away from him, Diana,” Phillip said.
    Compton put up his hand. “No, she’s right. Without Edward, who wanted her for himself, we don’t need her lucid. We only need her fertile.”
    “You never learn, Silas . G o ahead, get your jollies.”
    The guards kept their guns steady, but the idea of her reading drew their focus . She went into full performance mode. Only Crane showed wariness, but eventually he , too , seemed drawn in.
    I hope you know what I’m doing, Ernie, because it’s now or never. She took Compton’s hand. A moment of apprehension struck when she looked down. Nothing. No black skeleton, no nausea. S he was in total control , onstage once again .
    “I don’t usually do this standing up with guns pointed at me . ” Get that, Ernie? The guns are pointed at me. “But I feel your vibes, Silas .” Definitely a load of b ull . She felt nothing but fear. “Just relax . ” Her soothing voice belied the tremors inside. The same voice she used to engage her subjects, including the serial killer intent on beating her at her own game. “Forget where you are. Forget what you’re doing.” She covered both his hands in hers and closed her eyes as she ’ d done thousands of times before .
    She drew out the moment. Everyone was silent, fully engrossed. Compton didn’t move . “I see a peaceful place with ―”
    S he heard a scuffle.
    A gunshot.
    A groan.
    Kids screaming.
    Without turning around , s he kneed a distracted Compton in the groin as hard as she could. Another groan. This one from Compton. His face contorted into a mask of pain. He drew a deep raspy breath and howl ed , clutching himself. She kicked him again , smashing his hand too . He dropped to the ground , and sh e stomped on his knee , relishing the crunch of bones .
    Yes!
    Compton curled on his side, writhing in agony, oblivious t o the going s- on around him . She kicked him one more time for good measure.
    A quick check showed Lucier trad ing punches with his guard , ducking a left hook and coming back with a right cross. H e swung a low kick into his opponent ’s leg , throwing him off balance and sending him to the tarmac . The gun flew from his hand and skidde d into the heavy brush surrounding the hangar. The guy hopped to his feet, limping and stunned, but still swinging .
    Diana glanced at Compton ―still o ut of commission, then at C al , who held his own with a panting , overweight rival past his prime , and Seth , whose left arm hung useless at his side , b lood cover ing shirt , grip ped his adversary’s gun with his good hand and turn ed the muzzle away. Anat, Maia, and the children were nowhere to be seen.
    Diana skirted the melee to search for the gun in the brush . Damn . Where did it go ? She kicked her way around the heavy growth. O n her hands and knees , she plowed through the thicket. Sharp needles of dried brush pricked her skin, but she kept crawling, searching .
    Checking back to gauge her time, she saw Seth head-butt the brute’s nose. Blood splattered everywhere . He dropped his gun and clutched his nose with both hands. Seth crumpled to his knees , his face drained of color, and keeled over. Diana gave up her search , dodged Cal’s scuffle , and dove for the gun near Seth before Broken Nose nabbed it first . Breathless, s he lifte d the weapon and shot twice in the air.
    Cal’s fat man lost focus at the sound of the gunshots, and Cal scooped the gun from his hand, wiping his sleeve across his forehead to keep the sweat from clouding his vision.
    Lucier put his man down with a hard right to the jaw . He moved slowly toward Diana, who stood holding the gun in a death grip with a trembling hand . “You can let go now, my love ,” he said . “ You’ve done enough.” He kissed her head. “More than enough.”
    She wanted to release the weapon , but she couldn’t. Her fingers were locked onto the handle .
    Lucier pried it from her hand. “ Everything ’s okay , sweetheart . We ’re in control.”
    Diana responded to Lucier’s calming voice and took stock of the scene. S obbing noises came from around the side of the hangar, and Diana hustled to the sound, fearful someone was hurt. Maia and Anat huddled together with their wailing children .
    Poor things, Diana thought. Fighting and gunshots had terrified them . “It’s all over. Everything will be okay.”
    They