A blue field of pure energy pinned Mara and Vera hard against the concrete wall, stealing the breath right out of their lungs. I tried to step forward, but the heavy pressure in the air pushed down on my shoulders like an anchor, forcing my boots to the floor. My muscles locked up completely. I could not move an inch. Our father stood in the doorway of the basement warehouse, his coat fluttering slightly from the draft of the street outside. His eyes didn't look human anymore. The solid blue circles glowing deep within his pupils spun in smooth, endless rings, feeding directly off the massive core hidden beneath his ribs. "You think you won because the registry is broken, Chloe," our father said. His dual voice echoed off the concrete walls, heavy and flat. "Contracts and nu