Levi thinks it over a moment. “As you wish. Guns down, boys.”
Dominik whimpers, rubbing his head against my hip. Glassy eyes implore me not to send him away.
“Go,” I order. “Help them.” I caress his muzzle, though I know it breaks his heart. “I’ll be fine.”
I lower to my knees. While he briefly shields me, I swap out the ammunition cartridges. Dominik grunts in acquiescence, approaching the captives cautiously. Butch grits his teeth as Dustin opens the door. The girls waste no time sprinting out.
Across the room, the guard flanked to the left of Levi shifts his aim slightly to Dominik’s side.Oh, hell no.
I hoist up my gun and fire, allowing the wolf to slip out. While Butch clutches his shoulder, the guard faceplants with a grunt. Charging towards Dustin, I shoot him twice in the stomach before dropping to the floor and taking out his right ankle. With the flip of my rifle, I manage to block a desperate hook he throws. I counter with a whack to his trachea and quickly knock the gun out of his hand. The lycan roars, snatching me by theneck. But it’s a fatal mistake. I wedge my barrel beneath his chin and pull the trigger.
“You little cunt,” Levi growls, pulling me off the guard with a fistful of my hair. The gun clatters out of my grip, landing in the pile of brain matter. He pins me to the wall, squeezing my windpipe to the verge of crushing it. I claw at his hands, fighting with every ounce of strength I have left.
If I’m going to die, then I’m going to ensure he goes down with me.
As my vision starts to waver, there’s a blur of brown fur that tackles him to the ground. He bellows in pain, releasing me instantly. Oxygen rushes back into my lungs, sparing my airways from collapse.
Another shaggy wolf arrives on the scene, a slightly smaller copper brown. Butch races to action, but in his human form, he’s far too slow. Jaws clamp around his arm, tearing it off along with the weapon he holds. The copper wolf lowers its muzzle, preparing to deliver the fatal blow to the throat. But Levi is quick to recover, firing at the beast’s leg. The wolf shrieks, its piercing cry sending me scrambling for Demi’s rifle.
Movement in my periphery forces me to leave it.
The darker-maned lycan crouches low, snapping its teeth. Before Levi can fire at him, I dive for his ankles, knocking him over. My head jerks up to meet the brown eyes of the wolf. I know those eyes. It’s my Beta.
Jabir’s teeth plunge into Levi’s shoulder. He cries out with a thrash, eyes flaring neon green. I mount his injured body once more, taking the opportunity to pry the gun out of his fingers. He swings his arm, but I dodge the punch. The wolf sinks his teeth in deeper.
“Being held down is a real bitch, isn’t it?” I pant.
I hover the gun over his kneecap, pulling the trigger. He screams. “That was for Emilia and Fawn.” The next bullet goesinto the opposite knee. The veins in his neck pulsate from the pain. “That, for Esmé.”
Holding my aching shoulder, I stumble to my feet and deliver another to his abdomen. “Demitrya.” Finally, I kick his legs open. He groans in agony. Crimson puddles spread beneath him.
“This last one, well, take a guess.” I fire two bullets into his testicles and spit on his face.
Across the floor, the injured wolf has crawled his way over to Demi’s body, whimpering. He lowers his snout, nuzzling it against her feet. I stagger over to them, giving his ear a consoling stroke. But there isn’t time to dwell. Outside, more men yell, revealing their location as they get closer to the side door. Swiftly, the wolves and I make for the back stairs, hearing more gunfire in the distance.
A bomb explodes, filling the hall with smoke. I drop to my knees instantly, feeling the thick air burn in my lungs. I can’t heave it out. Jabir, too, is suddenly disoriented. Out of the smoke, a wolf springs onto him, forcing him to leap into action.
Still coughing, I try to find my footing. My hand reaches for the wall, only to latch on to someone’s arm—one that swiftly cages me in, hauling me around the corner. Fingers clamp over my mouth before I can call out to the others.
A husky voice finds my ear. “Listen to me, very carefully.”
Kiersten.
Chapter 48
AXE
Across the heartline, I sense Vessa quivering in distress. As I turn to Qinnu, I hear it. A chorus of sobbing girls, coming from the opposite end of the facility. Together, we lock in and race towards it.
Qinnu covers for me as we round the base of the east wing. Two men are stationed by a side door. My Sentinel barrels into them like bowling pins, slicing at their throats. Stepping silently inside, we’re immediately met with six bodies pumped full of silver bullets. I detect a faint pulse from the pale blond one. Judging by the wound between his legs, I don’t need to ask why or how this came about. This is Vessa’s work.
For a moment, my anger cools a few degrees. My chest tightens with pride.
“You just missed her,” Levi croaks, eyes halfway shut.
Qinnu signals that the next room over is clear. He struts over to me, reading my mind. He yanks Levi’s body off the ground, holding him by the collar of his shirt.
“Drop him,” I tell Qinnu. Levi’s head smacks against the concrete, leaving him moaning. Crouching next to him, I rumble. “You think this is pain, Hawley? When the day comesthat I meet you in hell, I will drag you so deep into the trenches of misery that all you will know is pain.”
