He glances behind us at the well-organized group moving in almost perfect synchrony, mumbling something I didn’t quite hear.
“What?”
Clearing his throat, he answers again, “I’ve had people tailing Isla.”
I loose a dramatic gasp, “For how long?”
“Since November.” Before I can tease him for it, he adds, “Because I knew it was only a matter of time before I would need to step in.”
Since the moment they met. Poor Eamon is obsessed.
“She’s gonna be pissed when she finds out,” I warn him.
He grunts in annoyance, “Yeah and I’ll deal with it.”
One of the members of his squad joins us, “Hey, boss. Same as always?”
“No,” Eamon answers, then raises his voice loud enough for the whole group to hear. “We have one objective. Get Isla out safely.”
“Got it,” the man purses his lips, holding back whatever follow-up question he was considering before falling back into formation.
“Do your uhhh, team, know what you are, E?” I wonder.
Hemhmm’sin assent, “Most of the people who join me have already faced the horrors of the Sanctus in one way or another.”Yikes.
“And how big is this… organization you’ve built again?” I knew they were formidable… but this elite kill squad is more than I could ever have expected.
“Shut up,” he whispers, holding a palm up to stop everyone behind us walking.
Not far ahead, there are sporadically very telling sounds of a building being blown up bit by bit. Using concrete is an excellent idea until you realize its weight will bring it down faster once the foundation starts crumbling. And Isla seems to know exactly where to hit to cause the most destruction.
Somewhere in the back of my head, I wonder for the gazillionth time what the fuck she’s thinking doing this. It’s just as likely to come down on her as not, and she can’t possibly know Eamon will get to her in time.
Radiating between the sounds of falling concrete, I hear the thundering of footsteps heading our way. I consider changing into my larger, admittedly more frightening form, but somehow, I think giving them a bigger target will only be a detriment.
The click of guns sounds behind me, confirming just how well-trained and prepared this team is. No wonder Eamon has had them keeping an eye on Isla.
Get in that corner.Eamon’s voice fills my brain—fuck, that feels weird. I shake the unfamiliar intrusion from my head and look where he’s pointing his chin.Quietly,he adds.
I slink into the darkened, mostly destroyed hole in the wall he’s mentioned, hiding myself in the shadows, the man who spoke before doing the same.They’re going to come around the bend, and you two need to keep moving forward while we take them out.
The man with me radiates no fear, only a cold fury and determination. Maybe a little excitement, which should be terrifying since we are walking into the enemy’s territory relatively blind, with the wallsliterallyfalling down around us.
As soon as the group of armed hunters rounds the corner, they stop in their tracks, raising their guns at Eamon and his people. The moment they’re distracted by the army standing before them, the man beside me pulls on my arm, signaling that it’s time to move. Before we so much as make a step, gunshots begin to ring out, the wet thunk of metal hitting flesh tempting me to look, though I know better than to slow down for the satisfaction of seeing the Sanctum’s members bleeding out on the floor.
Instead of staying to watch the show, we silently step over the debris and slide along the wall until we’re out of sight. Once we’ve made it past the first wave of hunters, I expect another, but instead, we’re met with a pile of already mangled corpses and almost-corpses. Some have bullet holes, others were impaled with nails, presumably from Isla’s horrific beauty product bombs.
Gingerly, I step over the hunters, straining to feel where Bel has gone in this place so I can find her. I sense her exhilaration and fear, even from here, guiding me to continue forward and down. Another explosion shakes the ground beneath our feet, signaling that we need to get the fuck out of here.
I slap the stranger gently on the arm to get his attention before taking off in a sprint. If we run into more hunters, I’ll deal with it. But moving forward carefully is just not a fucking option anymore.
We round several more corners, feeling as though we’re circling a drain, heading down and down as we do. Before long, I hear what can only be described as a maniacal laugh that causes me to pause for a moment.Fucking Isla. Of course, she’d be enjoying this carnage.
“That’s your target,” I tell the stranger.
“The banshee shrieking below?” he raises his brows.
“That’s Isla. Trust me, she’ll grow on you,” I assure him, patting his shoulder before continuing our pace.
