“This is so much fun!” she squealed as Hayde’s dagger fell before her massive belly.
Kinzer squatted, caught it by the hilt, and as he stood, thrust it at her neck.
She blocked his dagger with hers, and with her free hand, grabbed Kinzer’s wrist and pulled it back, squeezing until it stung. Her eyes glistened with excitement as she twisted his wrist sharply.
He reached for his dagger with his other hand. Without letting go of her blade, Raya snatched his wrist, effectively restraining it as she continued to twist the other.
“Come on, baby… just let it go…” she said like a schoolteacher trying to force the crayons from an unwilling student.
She relaxed her grip, then turned sharply again.
He screamed.
As Hayde stirred, she set her heel on his throat.
He grabbed at her leg as he choked under her hold.
She continued twisting Kinzer’s wrist, glancing at the dagger Kinzer still held.
“Just… release it… little baby.”
She could have easily finished him, but she wanted to demonstrate her power before offing him.
“Do it…”
“Do it!” Hayde said through the strain of the choke. He extended his arm so he could catch the dagger, and Kinzer followed his instruction.
As it fell into Hayde’s grasp, he swiped it across the back of her ankle, tearing through her immortal Achilles’ tendon. As her leg retreated, he slashed the other Achilles’ tendon as well.
Raya’s eyes widened with horror as blood jetted from both ankles.
Not a game anymore, is it, bitch?
Raya released Kinzer and spun around, slamming her foot down on Hayde’s wrist, disarming him of the dagger. Then she knelt so her knee pinned Hayde’s other shoulder down, preventing him from moving.
Hayde gazed up in horror as she descended upon him, clutching her dagger with both hands and driving it at his chest.
Kinzer dropped to his knees and grabbed the dagger from him. He reared back and jammed the blade into the back of Raya’s neck.
A stream of red rushed down her spine.
She screamed until it became a gargle, but shook it off and returned to her mission, raising the dagger again and forcing it at Hayde’s chest.
Kinzer yanked his dagger from her neck and stabbed it into her arm, angling it in and pulling back sharply, so that it acted like a brake.
She wiggled and struggled, but she was too disoriented to be effective.
She collapsed on top of Hayde.
“Oh, Jesus,” Hayde said, clearly struggling to breathe. “She shoulda just stabbed me.”
***
Maggie struggled with the men as they carried her through a hallway.
The one who she’d stabbed in the eye glared at her with his still functioning eye.
She wondered what he would do to her.
