He was going to kill her. And the moment Rome took one step inside the compound Jeff would kill him, too.

She lashed out, anything to get free and find Rome. A hot slash pierced her skin. Jeff’s knife had missed her neck, but found her shoulder.

The searing pain throbbed, giving her mind a shot of clarity. Rome needed her help.

Untangling her arm from under Jeff, she thrust the heel of her hand upward and heard a satisfying snap as it connected with his jaw. She took advantage of his surprise and shoved him off her. She scrambled away and raced into the fray, hunting for Rome.

She found him. In the middle of the courtyard, trading punches with two attackers. She focused on the two in her mind and raised her hand, aiming a burst of clear energy at them. The surge leveled them, heaving them through the air several yards away.

She was nearly blinded by the relief in Rome’s smile. Which quickly transformed into anger and then urgency.

“Duck!” he yelled. She crouched as he fired shots just beyond her, knocking down three of Jeff’s men.

She and Rome were now back to back, watching the oncoming wave of enemies heading their way from all sides.

“Harper,” Rome shouted over his shoulder, “I have to tell you-”

“Not now,” she barked back. She needed to focus.

“You need to know,” he persisted even as the attackers closed in. “You’re not-”

Gunshots filled her hearing. His voice was cut off. His body banged heavily against hers. She stumbled forward and twisted around in time to see bullets pummel Rome’s chest, driving him to the ground with a heavy thud. Unmoving.

Suddenly, rough hands grabbed her arms, hauling her through the lashing rain, away from Rome’s still body.

Pulled backward, she twisted, trying to break free to get back to him. More hands clamped around her legs, dragging her away from the fight. And Rome.

“Put her in!” Jeff ordered over the raucous sounds of combat. Harper craned her head to the side for a moment to meet his ruthless stare, realizing he meant to stick her in the wooden crate like a caged animal. She couldn’t let that happen, knowing it would neutralize her psi powers. She had to get to Rome.

“No!” She madly struggled against the iron grips on her limbs.

Harper thrashed wildly to no avail, kicking out and jerking her body every which way. The burning pain in her shoulder mingled with the ache in her soul from seeing Rome on the ground. She couldn’t seem to focus her thoughts to summon the energy she needed to escape.

She was airborne and then landed hard on the solid floor of the crate. On her back, she twisted to her knees and crawled to the opening, as the hatch began to shut.

She had a split second before the darkness overtook her. Enough time to see Rome’s lifeless body lying on the wet grass.

Harper shuddered and froze. Then her world went black. The crate hatch was shut. She was captured. Rome was dead.

It was over.

She was alone once again. In the dark.

Harper slammed her body against the wooden walls of the crate. She willed every ounce of power to her swirling mind, yet felt nothing but throbbing pain. Without even a crack of natural light, her psi powers were dormant. She could already feel the energy seep from her mind.

She had come here to die anyway, but Rome hadn’t. He didn’t deserve to die because of this. No one did.

Harper stilled her flailing and took a deep breath, stalling the raging anguish that assaulted her every fiber.

Rome was dead.

“It was supposed to be me,” she whispered to no one, anguish filling her senses.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

Bowing her head in solitude, she knew she had to do something, anything, to stop this. And make Rome’s sacrifice worth it all.

He had said her inner strength was stronger than any artificial power. She had to believe he was right. She’d spent a lifetime forging her body into top physical form. She could do this.

Leaning back, she coiled her legs tight to her chest and then thrust them forward against the front of the crate.

A shot of pain streamed through her legs as the wood resisted.

No. She had to believe. She could do this.

Taking a deep, focusing breath, as she’d done before every race, Harper closed her eyes and pictured herself surging through the water with her powerful arms and legs, each movement bringing her closer to victory.

With that thought in her mind, she tried once more to break free. The pure strength of her swimmer’s kick shattered the wood outward.

Shaking off her shock, Harper scrambled through the opening and crawled over the splinters out into the heavy downpour.

The moment the heavy rainfall hit her body, a swell of rejuvenation washed over her. Her shoulder ceased to sting and her mind cleared. The cloudy natural light sparked her energy as she raked her gaze over the continuing battle in the compound. There were bodies everywhere, some fighting, some motionless.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jeff’s stunned glare fix on her. But she had one focus: Rome. His still body was in the same spot.

Harper bowed her head and looked deep inside herself, knowing what she had to do. It was beyond what she’d come here for in the first place, even if she’d been blinded by revenge.

She had to stop this madness. Rome was gone. She was going to die anyway. Bobby’s vision was the only thing left to lose.

Indeed, she knew deep down that what she was about to do would kill her. There was no way she could withstand the force she’d need. Even Bobby’s notes had affirmed that. She’d burn up inside.

Yet her sacrifice would be for the greater good. It’s what Rome had lived for. What better reason to use her psi powers but to surrender her life to honor the man she loved, and the work of the brother who loved her enough to bestow it upon her?

She could think of none. Decision made. She would call upon all the psi energy in her body to stop this.

Harper was tired of all the killing. And she knew that some of these people were here to help. Maybe she could give Rome’s people time to get the upper hand by just stopping the chaos. So she would try to focus her power to immobilize everyone in the compound with a nonlethal pulse. Just as the sunlight rejuvenated her before, she’d try to harness the rainstorm’s natural force. The amount of concentrated energy needed would no doubt kill her. How could her body physically handle it?

But she was dying anyway, right? It was a chance she was willing to take.

Closing her eyes, Harper allowed the raging thunderstorm to invigorate her body. She drew upon the lashing rain. The swirling wind. And the cleansing air. The organic elements gave her a boost beyond measure.

Her revitalized body began to tingle with shivers of lightning under her skin. Raw electricity throbbed through her mind. Her veins crackled as her blood raced.

All this energy. All this power. It would be the death of her. But she was okay with that. The last pure psionic power would live and die through her. And somewhere in between, she’d revere the brother she’d lost and honor the man she loved.

Snapping her eyes open, she spread her arms wide and watched the hazy shower of rain and the icy blustering wind snake and spiral around her as it intensified into a menacing tempest.

For the last time, Harper embraced the customary sensations as ice raced under her skin and heat flared inside her body for an instant before her psi power kicked in. The inferno burning in her veins was unbearable. The natural elements felt as if they were merging with the organic power radiating from her mind. Surrendering to her. And it also felt right.

With all that she was she concentrated, and then unleashed a massive surge of energy from her roiling body, shaking everything in its path with its overwhelming force.