CHAPTER EIGHT
~ Gwynnore ~
Kapustin Yar, Astrakhan Oblast
Russia
“HOW IN THE world did you three manage to blow up this…thing…from the inside out?” Dorian stared at the parts lying in all directions, none of us paying attention to the missile that flew directly over our heads—our people were having fun. “And how are you not dead?”
Aiko whipped his head toward me. He lifted one eyebrow.
I peered down my nose. “Apparently, there are brand new devices in tanks that will cause the machine to explode if the correct access code isn’t entered.” A furious blush stole over my cheeks.
King Belshazzar leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “I’ve been stealing the memories of those I’ve drained today, and I didn’t even know that. It isn’t your fault, little one.”
Sometimes, he could say the right things.
Imayhave leaned into him, stealing his warmth…and scent.
“You must be drinking the wrong people,” Aiko deadpanned.
“That still doesn’t explain how you survived.” Dorian turned his full attention to us. “And not only that, but you managed to wipe out nearly fifty humans in the process.” His brows furrowed deeply over his eyes. “Is this like what happened when you first arrived on S’Kir?”
I glanced away and scratched at my nose.
I wasn’t about to explain that my necklace had sensed my impending death and had nuked the fucking tank before I could be killed. I wasnevertaking this necklace off again. It wasmine.
“We must have been positioned just right not to be harmed. Luck was on our side today,” King Belshazzar rumbled, wrapping his arm around my waist when the other two just stared at me. “How about we join the fight again? There’s a whole silo we can still demolish.”
Aiko stood straighter. “What is a silo?”
My lips trembled in restrained humor. “It’s an area underground that holds another penis weapon.”
He clapped his hands and then rubbed them together in excitement. “That sounds like a fine prospect.”
Dorian side-eyed him. “What are you planning to do with this cock?”
“I’m going to break it.” He nodded once, deftly. His eyes suddenly widened on his face, realizing what he’d just said. “Maybe destroy it would be a better phrase?”
“That is, assuredly, not any better.” King Belshazzar took my hand, curling his fingers through mine. He tucked me close to his side as we started moving to the remaining silo, dodging bodies through the maelstrom of activity. “Has anyone found any evidence yet of the other base?”
“No,” I groused.
“We did not,” Aiko stated behind us. “Though it was hard to search through all the body parts that uncannily found us.”
“You two were so easy to track.” Dorian snorted. “And this place is a maze. Not a pleasant one, either.”
With my free hand, I clenched the throat of a fleeing human. My fangs bit down into his flesh, sweet oblivion rushing over my tongue. I drank greedily and raced through his memories, thoroughly enjoying my treat.
Once his blood was drained, I shoved his limp body away, watching him fall to the ground in a lifeless heap. “He was useless.” The human didn’t even have the backbone to try to fight me.
At least he didn’t shit himself. Yet.
Our group trudged forward once more through the carnage and broken ground, smoke and screams surrounding us. Along the way, we drained any human we could find, searching for anyone who might know where those documents would be. While our bellies were filling, most of the remaining humans weren’t ranked high enough to be in the know of serious details.
“We need to find someone with real privileges,” King Belshazzar complained and dropped my hand to tear open the steel door barring our entrance. “We’ve been here for too many hours not to have found a single one.”
Down the stairs, we traveled.
