“Shit. I need to get up to the periphery, fast. I’ll get her away from them, tell them she accidentally found her way into the Labyrinth, that it’s all a big misunderstanding… I’ll think of something.”
I grab my keys. “I’m coming with you.”
Jax shakes his head furiously. “No way. A fucking orc turning up will blow everything. The mission will be done for.”
“I don’t give a fuck.” Nothing matters except getting Clem back. “I’m coming.”
I can’t lose her.
I can’t.
My one true love.
My mate.
We jump into the jeep, and I drive like a maniac to the first portal elevator.
Jax flings open the door as I skid to a stop, and he’s running like the wind toward the portal.
I run after him. Fear lending me speed.
At the portal entrance, he turns and tries to push me back, but I push back harder, eyes flaming as we jostle. “Don’t you dare try and stop me, Jax.”
Our fists are clenched. I don’t care if he has wolf in him, if he tries to resist me, I’ll knock him out cold.
Seeing the fire in my eyes, he backs down.
“Be it on your own fucking head,” he mutters as I stride into the portal elevator after him.
“Follow what I do,” he orders. “Sit down and strap in. I warn you, you won’t be alive on the other side if you don’t.”
I buckle up and then he presses the control panel, and it feels like I’m being shredded from the inside out.
But then, almost as abruptly as it started, it’s over. I groan, and it takes every skerrick of my willpower to get my discombobulated body back under control. I can’t afford to let it affect me, not in this life and death situation. Adrenalin drives me to save my mate.
As we run out, I notice there’s a truck being unloaded nearby. “Over there.” I point.
In seconds, Jax has yanked open the door. He pulls the driver from the front seat and, I’m ashamed to say, I grab the innocent peripheral by the collar and hurl him as far as I can. The two guys loading the truck turn and run away. Clearly, a big green orc about to knock their lights out overrode their programming. I jump in next to Jax and within seconds the truck is roaring and belching down the long, straight road toward the army barracks.
I spot a barrier and a guard station. Jax crashes the truck right through the barrier and moments later, we screech to a halt outside the captain’s office and run inside.
We’re just in time.
Because two burly humans in uniform have Clem held between them, and while she’s valiantly struggling, she is no match for them.
A blond guy stands next to them, talking fast on the phone, and two more humans in army uniform stand guard.
Everyone freezes. Clem lets out a cry of relief.
A second later, one of the guards pitches himself at me. I hurl him over my shoulder and don’t even look back as I tackle the bastards who are holding her.
Pulling myself to my full height and stature, I bellow, “You wanna be eaten? Do you?” I bare my tusks, flex my biceps. “Because I sure fancy a couple of humans for my lunch,” I roar as I lunge at them.
They scatter, and Clem, freed, runs to me and I catch her as she jumps.
If it weren’t for Clem, I’d take them on, but my priority is to get her out of here. But then I feel something hard at my back. I turn, holding Clem to my chest, and there’s a gun barrel pointing straight at us, mere inches away.
“Hand her over,” blond guy says through gritted teeth.
