His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 263

Chapter 263

Claire’s POV

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The world outside the truck window became a smeared blur of dark green and explosive blue. Every time an interceptor drone fired, the forest lit up like a nightmare disco. The sound was deafening-the roar of the engine, the shriek of the drones, and the terrifying thwump of kinetic bolts shattering ancient trees into toothpicks.

“Ethan, they’re closing the gap!” Felix screamed, his fingers flying across his tablet. “Drone One is locking onto our rear axle. If they hit the tires, we’re done!”

“I see it!” Ethan yelled back. He yanked the steering wheel hard to the right, sending the truck sliding sideways across a patch of frozen mud. The move was just enough to make the next bolt miss us, but the shockwave sent a shower of dirt and glass over the roof.

132 bpm. My chest felt like it was full of angry hornets. The blue light was back, creeping up my throat, making my skin itch

with a power I couldn’t control.

“Claire, stay down!” Elijah shouted, pulling me lower into the seat. He looked out the shattered back window, his eyes glowing a fierce, molten gold. He reached for his sidearm, but we all knew a pistol wouldn’t do much against a Regency interceptor flying at eighty miles per hour.

Up ahead, Valerius was a total badass. She was weaving her motorcycle through the trees, barely dodging the falling branches. She looked back, saw the drones gaining on us, and tapped her comms.

“Ethan, I’m out of flares!” she yelled through the static. “The drones are slaved to a central hub. We can’t shake them with speed anymore. Someone has to take them out from the inside!”

“How?!” Ethan roared, swerving to avoid a massive boulder.

“Claire!” Valerius shouted. “The Anchor resonance! If she can spike the frequency, it’ll overload their sensors. It’s like an EMP, but targeted!”

Elijah looked at me, his face pale under the soot. “No. It’s too dangerous. If she spikes here, she might lock onto the Wells and give away our exact position to the Citadel’s main arrays.”

“We’re already discovered, Elijah!” Valerius countered. “If we don’t do something, we won’t even make it to the perimeter!”

Another bolt hit the ground right next to the driver’s side door.

The truck lifted off two wheels before slamming back down. I felt my head hit the window, and for a second, the world went white.

When my vision cleared, I wasn’t just scared anymore. I was done. I was tired of being the “variable,” the “asset,” and the “miracle.” I was tired of being hunted in my own home.

“Elijah let go ” I said My voice sounded weirdly calm even to me

16:23 Tue, Feb 3

Chapter 263

“Claire, no-”

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“I got this,” I said. I sat up, pushing my hair out of my face. The blue light wasn’t just under my skin anymore; it was swirling around my fingers like smoke.

I looked at Felix. “How close is the lead drone?”

Felix checked his screen, his hands shaking. “Thirty feet and closing. It’s prepping a heavy-yield burst.”

“Open the sun-roof,” I commanded.

“Claire-” Ethan started to protest.

“Open it!”

Ethan hit the button. The glass slid back, and the freezing mountain air rushed in, smelling of ozone and burnt pine. I stood up, poking my head and shoulders out of the top of the truck.

The wind was brutal, whipping my hair into a frenzy. Directly behind us, three sleek, black drones hovered like giant insects.

Their red eyes were locked on us, and the lead one was already glowing with a gathering charge of blue

energy.

145 bpm.

I didn’t try to hide the mountain this time. I didn’t try to

“Phase-Lock” or pretend I was normal. I reached deep into the ground, past the dirt and the stone, until I felt the thrum of the North Ridge ley lines. I grabbed that energy and pulled it up through my boots, through my heart, and out into my arms.

“Hey!” I screamed at the drones. “Look at me!”

I pushed.

It wasn’t a physical push. It was a wave of pure, unfiltered resonance. A wall of sapphire light exploded outward from the truck, rippling through the air like a stone dropped in a still pond.

The lead drone didn’t even have time to fire. The moment my energy hit its sensors, the red eye turned white. It sputtered, sparks flying from its rotors, and then it just… quit. It tumbled out of the air and smashed into a tree trunk.

“One down!” Felix cheered from below.

But the other two drones were smarter. They split up, banking hard to the left and right to avoid the blast zone. They began to circle us, firing rapid-pulse bursts that chewed up the roof of the truck next to me.

“Claire, get down!” Elijah yelled, grabbing my waist to pull me back in.

“Not yet!” I shouted.

16:23 Tue, Feb 3

…

Chapter 263

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I felt the second drone locking on. I could feel its electronic “brain” trying to calculate my frequency so it could shield itself.

I didn’t give it a chance. I didn’t just push this time; I pulled.

I reached out and grabbed the drone’s energy signature with my mind.

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