Mated to the Beast of the Wasteland (Gillian and Merrick) novel Chapter 274

Chapter 274 The Fire

Chapter 274 The Fire

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Merrick stepped closer to Gillian and was about to speak. That was when Freya’s breathing suddenly went ragged, like she’d seen something that terrified her.

“You’re afraid of me?” Merrick asked.

“That night, you were with the ones who attacked us. How do I know you’re the real one?”

Freya’s face was full of mistrust, and it hit both of them cold. Someone else could wear Merrick’s face.

Gillian knew the crimson hides needed a beastman’s flesh and blood to copy their appearance. Did they have that much of Merrick’s blood?

Even Merrick felt a cold chill run through him.

“Freya, he’s real. I’ve already checked,” Gillian said, keeping her voice low and steady.

She let a thread of white light drift across Freya’s forehead, easing the tension and the pain. That seemed to settle her, but Freya still wouldn’t let go of her hand.

“Captain Reed, I need you to go over everything that happened that night,” Merrick said.

His wrist terminal buzzed. It was Adrian’s massage. They’d arrived.

He looked at Gillian and dropped his voice. “Gillian, Adrian’s aircraft is here.”

The second she heard that, she moved to go.

Freya grabbed her hand, her face lighting up. “Is it Elara and Tris?” she asked.

“Yeah. They found all of them. Rest here. I’ll go check.” Gillian squeezed her hand.

“No, I’m coming with you.” Freya wouldn’t budge.

“Fine.” Gillian gave in and helped her up.

The two aircraft met about seventy miles from the base.

Freya’s skin hadn’t fully healed, so Gillian had the flower beasts wrap the three crimson hides in their roots and haul them into the medical bay.

The small room was packed to the walls. Gillian took one look at Elara and the others and felt

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13:09 Tue, Jul 14

Chapter 274 The Fire

something inside her catch fire. They were worse than Freya had been.

Gillian’s fury crackled through her chest, burning hot enough to sear every last nerve.

“Can we get these crimson hides off them?” she asked.

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Her voice was quiet, but Adrian felt the temperature in the room drop. Something about her had shifted.

“We tried. They’ve practically fused with them. Liquid nitrogen barely slowed their feeding down. Mrs. Cole, you have to do something now.”

He was right. Elara’s face, normally sharp and cold, was white as the dead.

“Elara, wake up.” Gillian’s voice came out hoarse.

“Gillian, they’re still sending blackstone from the base.” Merrick hauled every piece he had and stacked it beside her. He studied the crimson hides clinging to them and frowned. “Can you burn the skins off with the purge?”

“I can’t. They’re too thin.”

Gillian was afraid the purge would take Elara with it. The purge wasn’t something she could fine-tune. One stray drop on Elara in this state would dissolve her.

“Mrs. Cole, there’s no more time. You have to try!” Adrian’s voice rose. He’d watched the crimson hides go from thrashing to dead still, and he knew what that meant. “They’re putting everything they have into finishing them off.”

The fire inside Gillian was burning through her veins. It crawled from her core to her fingertips, and then a thread of pale gold-white flame flickered into existence.

She stared at it. The psionic power had solidified, gold and white twisted together. Her heart jumped. This had to be what the purge concentrate had done for her.

She pressed her hand against the crimson hide covering Elara.

The white-gold flame licked onto it, and everywhere it touched, the skin crumbled to ash.

Elara’s body slumped free, and Gillian caught her.

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