“Do as I say.” The command was lethal, and he meant it to be. “Stay close and stay alert.”
“I will.” Kael nailed him with another hard stare, and Elias repeated himself. “I will do as you say. I will stay close and stay alert.”
“Follow me,” Kael said and exited the SUV. Elias followed, staying just a step behind. Kael moved along the buildings, staying away from the street and cameras. He’d often made this walk while surveilling Elias and knew how to go undetected. Elias stayed behind him, close and careful, just as he’d asked. They made it to the service entrances and slipped inside. The lock was not complicated, and Kael breached it in seconds and quickly entered, keeping Elias hidden behind him.
“There are cameras everywhere, but the stairwell to the subbasement is not covered by cameras due to the secretive nature of my work. The bunker is just below my level and is accessed through my lab.” Elias whispered. They moved silently to the stairwell and down to the subbasement.
They entered the lab with Elias’s access code. Mercier had not changed it, which was suspicious. The door to the bunker was hidden within the wall panels in the supply room. Everything remained quiet until Elias opened the bunker using his thumbprint and a pass code. The door opened, and Oliver Mercier was waiting for them inside.
Mercier stood there looking cocky and untouchable. His arrogance filled the room as he moved forward. He had five men with him; they were all human, but Kael could sense aparanormal influence in the room. There was more there than he could see.
Elias remained behind him as requested, his hand resting lightly on Kael’s back. The room was large and filled with equipment and specialized containers. Everyone stood silent for about a minute, and then Mercier began to boast.
“I thought you’d end up here, Elias.” He said. “Did you come to steal the plasma? Are you planning to carry out your own experiments with my money and my products?”
“No, I came to destroy what was left of my experiments,” Elias answered, but did not step out from behind Kael.
“Well, that’s not very nice considering I funded your outrageous ideas when no one else would. You have no loyalty, no sense of obligation to those who stood by you.” He was rambling, trying to goad Elias into a verbal altercation, but thankfully, his chosen was not rising to the bait.
“I’m not going to help you achieve personal immortality at the expense of others. Your drive to capture and secure the power of the vampires is sick and deluded, and I won’t be a part of it any longer.” He took a half step to the right, a courageous move, but Kael preferred him to be shielded, so he countered with his own half step.
Mercier started to laugh. “You will do as you are told. Once I kill your friend here, you will get back to work and finish the serum. There is no choice here, you do as I tell you, or you will die like your friend.” He took a sudden step back and signaled his men.
They rushed Kael, but he was ready for them. Thankfully, Mercier wasn’t completely versed on the strength of vampires. If he thought five humans were enough to subdue him, he was gravely mistaken. Keeping Elias well away from the fray, he tookout the first two in seconds, leaving them dead on the floor. The other three moved more decisively and also pulled their guns.
He pushed Elias down behind a table he had upended to keep him safe, then went after the remaining guards. Mercier kept moving backward until he hit the wall. Kael could sense a purpose in his movements. Kael had neutralized two of the three and was turning the last man’s gun upon himself. He discovered the source of the strange paranormal vibe emanating from the bunker.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kael had killed the last man, and suddenly Mercier opened a hidden door, a thick steel door that was obviously made to keep something captive. Mercier jumped back and ran to the far wall as several deformed creatures came rushing into the room.
They were howling and snapping their razor teeth as their red, bulging eyes cast around the room. They charged at Kael, reaching for him with their long arms and fingernails that sliced and gouged at everything within reach. They were mutants, monstrous creatures, and Kael could only assume where they came from and Mercier’s purpose in keeping them captive. They were strong, and Kael had sustained injuries, but they lacked fighting skills; they were just out of control, attacking everything in sight, including Mercier’s man, who attempted to come up on Kael from behind. The monsters did not differentiate among them; in their eyes, everyone was the enemy.
Mercier watched with a heated, excited gaze, showing no concern for his own men. Kael found that the short sword he carried worked best on these things, but it required him to get too close.
The nails on these things were like daggers, and they sliced him over and over as he drove his sword into their hearts. They weren’t hard to kill, but it was hard to get close enough to kill. Their hide was thin and their bones brittle, but everything on them was sharp and deadly.
He took a hit to his side when one of them managed to plunge his nails into Kael’s flesh and twist. It was painful and knocked Kael back a step. He could feel Elias’ fear, but the man had to stay hidden; these monsters would tear him apart if they saw him. That fear drove Kael to charge them, taking hit after hit as he fought to take them out before they discovered his chosen.
Elias froze for a few seconds after the first attack. The guards came at Kael unprovoked, but paid for that error with their lives. Mercier was watching and enjoying the carnage, and Elias realized he’d never really known this man. Like the fiends that Kael was battling, he too was nothing but a monster.
Elias was hidden behind the long table and doing as Kael instructed, but he couldn’t just sit there waiting for the end, he had to do something; he had to help. Carefully, he looked around the side of the table and saw several things that had his mind working and plotting.
The chemicals he could see were volatile on their own, and together they could take out this room. He managed to reach two of them, the two that were the most explosive. He needed to get the message to Kael, let him know to start moving backwards toward the door, but he was locked in combat. The blood evident on his body was upsetting Elias, but he pushed it down. He had to stay focused on his task.
He opened the two vials and held them apart when they connected; when they did, the room would go up, and he neededto make that clear. Elias focused on Kael and filled his mind with thoughts of the chemicals and his intent. He had felt Kael’s moods and thoughts since their bond, and he hoped that he was able to get his message to Kael.
If not, he would have to shout and delay before setting the explosion, which could give the creatures an opportunity to escape along with Mercier. Elias wasn’t the murderous sort, but he really didn’t want Mercier to get away unscathed. He put all his strength into channeling his intent, and then Kael responded.
“Do it now.” Came the call that echoed through his brain. He stood, and when he did, Kael turned and started running at him, nodding. Elias took the vials and threw them against the wall. When they mixed, the explosion was epic, and Kael had scooped Elias up into his arms.
They were out of the bunker, through the lab, and into the hallway when the eruption destroyed the entire area. The bunker and the lab were nothing but rubble.
Kael covered Elias with his own body, shielding him from the fallout. When it settled, he moved to a seated position, pulled Elias up, and began checking for injuries. “I’m fine, Kael.” He said, but Kael didn’t take his word for it; he checked him head to toe before helping him to his feet. He held on to him, pressing Elias close to his side.
“Where are the others?” Elias asked. “Mercier had several teams of guards. We saw some of them on the way in. Where are they now? Why didn’t they come to assist him?” The building was eerily quiet; the only sound was the settling of rubble from the explosion.
“First off, I want to tell you that you are magnificent. Your quick thinking in there saved us.” Kael stated and then pulled him in for a kiss that sucked every ounce of breath and energyfrom him, and it was wonderful. Pride at his praise shot through him, making him feel like a million bucks. He loved making Kael proud.
