by K. N. Banet
I hit one in the shoulder, while the other took it to the eye and dropped. The living one yelled, hitting the door behind him as I raced down the hallway for him, pulling out a gun. There was no hiding now. I fired, hitting him twice in the chest.
When someone opened the door, I was five feet away. I heard footsteps behind me as my friends ran after me. Firing at the poor fucker in the way, I watched him drop. I was through the door and jumping over his body while others in the security room were trying to get on their feet, drawing their weapons.
The alarm started blaring. Cassius and Sorcha ran in and started for the closest to the door. I took aim and fired three rounds, hitting the two on the other side of the room. Raphael slammed the door closed behind us.
“We need to bar the door. If we control this room, we control the entire compound,” he said, running to the side of the room. He shoved two filing cabinets at the same time, getting them in front of the double door, and I knew he didn’t need my help. Cassius shoved a desk in the way, then the two men moved a bookcase.
“Is that everything?” I asked, looking at their work. “How are we going to get out of here when we need to?”
“I’ll move it back,” Raphael said, growling at me.
“Let’s just get the security down,” Cassius snapped at both of us. “And get that fucking alarm turned off.”
“I’m trying,” Sorcha said from one of the control computers. “But it requires a special code. We might need to leave it and fight through it. Either way, everyone in the building is awake now. There’s nothing to be done. I’m going to find the door locks and turn them off. I don’t know if there’s a wipe protocol for security breaches, so if there’s anything you want off their servers, now’s the time to try.”
“Cassius, get on the intercom and tell everyone what’s happening,” I ordered. “I’m going to start a data transfer. If they have access to the research servers here, I can hopefully break in and start sending everything to the Tribunal, especially about the werewolves. They’ll be forced to act when they know about the pack outside.”
“What about me?” Raphael asked, looking between us.
“Keep everyone out for a minute while we start this,” I said, finding a chair. “Find your friend. You know this place better than we do.”
I didn’t see what he decided to do, but I heard the furniture moving again. The intercom crackled as Cassius came through the speakers.
“Everyone stay calm. This is Investigator Cassius, representative of the Tribunal. This is a raid on the facility. If you act in aggression toward my team, your life is forfeit. If you are captive in the facility, please remain safe until we can collect you.” He stopped, and the intercom disconnected. “Raphael, is there anything you want to say?”
I was too busy typing, trying to find my way through folders to do more than listen to this exchange.
“Tell them the warlord has returned for his people,” Raphael said stiffly. “Tell them my name.” The intercom reengaged.
“Raphael Alvarez would like me to tell you that the warlord has returned to his people,” Cassius said in a way that only a noble could—a respectful declaration from a leader to his followers.
It made it very clear to me that Raphael really was a leader. He had been once, at least. It explained the guilt as he got his memories back, his anger. He’d gotten out to find help. He had lost his memories, and it took him five years to accidentally find someone who would even consider helping him.
“I found the security,” Sorcha yelled from her position. “For the cambion wing. I’m going to get the doors unlocked, but thank you for telling them to stay where they are. I don’t want to get killed by accident. I kept the general living quarters locked, but I have a feeling they’ll have an override to get out. We need a plan.”
“If they can leave that area, they’ll be able to use their abilities,” Raphael said. “Tell the cambions to head this way.”
“It’s too dangerous to ask them to move,” Cassius retorted. “They could get themselves killed or one of us killed. We need to remain in control of this situation.”
“Then we need to go to them!” Raphael snapped.
“He’s right,” I said, still typing, trying to find a way into the research. “I’m not able to access any of the incriminating research from this computer. They must be run on two different servers. We can’t hunker down here. We need to take the building. We need to get to the cambions so they know who we are and that we’re here to help them. There’s no other option. Plus, we have their leader.” I turned and looked at the two men. “Let’s move.”
“We’ll have enough testimony, the research is only useful if we intend to use it,” Cassius said, nodding. “We can make it the last priority since Sorcha got the security down. Someone needs to stay here, though, and make sure no one takes back control of the security.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Jumping out of the chair, I went to the backs of the computers and pulled out every cable I saw—power, video, USBs, the ethernet, I didn’t care. It would take someone a bit of time to get everything set up and turned on again. “Let them fix that,” I said viciously before shoving the monitors off their desks, crashing onto the floor. Sorcha did the one where she was sitting and brushed her hands in victory.
“Never mind,” Cassius said, nodding appreciatively. “Now, let’s go. Raphael?”
“I could figure it out, but a map is better,” he said, looking around.
“Let me find one. You three secure our way out,” Sorcha said quickly, heading for the discarded filing cabinets.
I checked my ammunition and decided to move to my second sidearm on the left, holstering the first. We all hung out at the door as Raphael moved the last desk aside and put his hand on the doorknob.
“I have a map,” Sorcha said as she ran up to us. “Kaliya and Raphael, take point. I’ll direct the turns.”
“Perfect.” Raphael pushed the door open.
26
Chapter Twenty-Six
The moment the door was open, we saw guards running toward us down the hall, trying to figure out what the disturbance was. I lifted my sidearm, walking slowly, taking careful aim, and fired. Two in the front dropped. Others jumped out of the way into side halls. I heard the click and maneuvering of people readying their firearms.
“Left,” Sorcha ordered. I let them go, covering the hall. I fired a third round when someone ducked their head out to try. I didn’t hit, but whoever it was decided to get back to their hiding spot.
As they gained distance, I finally gave up my position and ran after them. My legs were starting to burn, but I didn’t let that slow me down. I saw them cut right and followed, taking a moment to look back and see the ground we had on the building’s security. There would be some who tried to reclaim the security office, but I knew that would be a bust for them. They would be working on that problem for the rest of the night if they wanted it back up as soon as possible.
“We need to find the staircase down,” Raphael yelled. Then he roared and slammed into someone, sending a body into the wall, cracking the drywall.
“Why?” I yelled back.
“The cambion wing is the basement,” Sorcha screamed. “Take a left here!”
I skidded after them, trying to catch up. A bullet whizzed over my head, forcing me to turn. I fired blindly at whoever was shooting and heard my shots ricochet off things.
“Right!”
I was thirty feet behind them, turning later. Someone screamed and ducked for cover. I slowed to see who it was. She looked up at me, fearful and hopeful at the same time. I didn’t know if she thought I was an intruder or there to help, but she reached out and grabbed my legs. I put my gun away and took out my sword slowly, which made her move away from me again.
“Stop them! They’re going to free the demons if they aren’t careful.” She was begging, pleading for me to go after my own group.
“Are you a scientist here?” I asked the cowering wom
an. She nodded. “Did you know you were torturing innocent subjects that didn’t have a choice?”
She hesitated. “They’re the children of demons. They don’t even belong on this plane. You can’t let them out—”
I shoved my sword into her chest.
You should have stayed in your room, you dumb bitch.
“You don’t get to make that call,” I whispered, yanking the sword out and leaving her dead on the hallway floor. I lost the group.
I proceeded slowly. They had been moving fast, so they were probably long gone, closer to where they needed to be. My area of the lab was eerily quiet, but I heard rushed footsteps down a hall to my right and took cover.
“The helicopter is ready. The intruders are heading for the test subjects, so we can airlift you out of here without a problem,” someone said in a clipped fashion. It wasn’t the words of a tired or unprofessional guard. This was a professional handling a situation with care.
“Yes, I’ve overstayed my welcome and should have left days ago.” The accent stood out to me. I only heard it on the phone now. “I decided to stay a few more days in your advanced and well-protected facility to keep learning about this new species you have been researching, and there’s a security breach. My employer won’t forget this.” He mumbled further in Hindi. “Incompetent fools told me there was no way any impending issues would get here this quickly. Shouldn’t have trusted them.”
This man was from India.
“We’ll get this cleared up, sir,” the first one replied. “But it is for your safety that you fly out.”
“Yes, I know,” he snapped. Then he growled. “I smell blood.”
I’m covered in blood. That’s got to be me.
I slowly revealed myself, talwar hanging at my side. I licked my lips, tasting the air as I exposed myself and saw them for the first time. There were four of them. My senses revealed two interesting things. Three of them were witches, magic and human. The last was something I had never personally run into. Like nagas, they hailed from India and were slowly going extinct.
“Where are you going?” I asked softly, aiming the question at the rakshasa. He was as tall as Raphael in his demonic form and pure muscle. Man-eater. Beast. The rakshasas were ferocious and powerful. Not all of them were evil, but those that were, gave the entire species a bad name. And they were capable of great evil. Being master illusionists, only the scent told me the one in front of me was something from my homeland.
But there was more to that. I looked at his face, and I knew it. It rang a bell, called a memory from when a little girl was screaming for her family to run, and they were dying.
And this man had helped kill them.
What is he doing here?
That was the question bouncing around my skull, leaving me in a state of near shock as that face continued to flash through my mind from over a hundred years ago.
He gave me a confused look before something dawned on him, and his expression became a small smile.
“Not today, snake.”
“Sir, the helicopter is up the stairs to the right. We shall handle the…snake.” The main witch was confused with the last word.
“Be careful. This is Executioner Sahni of the Tribunal. Or as I know her, Kaliya, the pitiful female ruler of the nagas, a sad orphan too scared to go home.” The rakshasa’s small smile turned into a toothy grin, revealing large, feline-like fangs. “We’ll meet again, I’m sure, but tonight, I must go.”
No.
I took a step forward, and he laughed as the witches started chanting protection spells.
“Do you really think you can beat all three of them?” The rakshasa laughed as he started to walk to the right hallway. “You’re bolder now than you were as a child. Your mother was bold, too. Maybe that was why she was so delicious.”
I screamed and rushed forward, but I was stopped by a concussive force of energy, spilling me backward in the hall. I slid ten feet and hit my head on the wall twice before I stopped.
“I look forward to seeing you again, Kaliya. I pray it’s sooner rather than later. I’m sure our next meeting will be much more pleasant,” he called. I tried to get to my feet as another blast of energy sent me farther down the hall.
I didn’t have a chance to get up again as a fireball came screaming down the hall, and I had to move out of its way before I could get on my feet. I ducked into another hallway and sheathed my sword, grabbing my sidearm again. There was no chance I could get close to these witches, but I could shoot them. I took a guess, leaning out and firing blindly. It hit something in front of the witches, one of whom was making another fireball.
He didn’t finish it as a black figure jumped out and landed on him, roaring victoriously as it tore the witch’s throat out. Raphael was the next one in the hall, picking up the lead witch by his neck. He broke the witch’s back over his thigh. The third witch went down to a sword as Cassius shadow-stepped into my view and skewered him.
“Kaliya!” Raphael called. “What happened?”
“I got stopped by something. You all get out! I’m heading to the roof. There’s someone I need to catch!”
He nodded and pointed down another hallway. I watched as the group of them ran, seeing a variety of new people, and Sorcha was holding a child, probably the age of five. I met her gaze as she put a hand over the child’s head, pulling it to her neck for safekeeping.
“Good luck,” she said, then kept moving, staying close to a man I assumed was another cambion.
Once they were all gone, I ran for the hallway the rakshasa had turned down. I searched for the stairs mentioned, finding them behind a door that wasn’t as secure as the others, access to a stairwell. It only went up, which made sense, considering the maze this place was made. I hauled ass up the stairs and reached the helicopter landing. It was already spinning, but I didn’t let that stop me. It began to lift off as the rakshasa revealed himself in the door. He waved as it flew into the air before I could get close enough to jump. I fired every round I had left and screamed as he got away.
I needed to know why he was here. I needed to know why he killed my mother and taunted me. I needed to know. A piece was missing, and I couldn’t let it slip away. This insane case with Raphael was the first time I had ever gotten a clue about who was killing my people, and now he was flying away.
“Coward!” I roared into the night, knowing the intense sound of the helicopter would drown it out. “I’ll fucking kill you one day!”
I stood up there for too long, hearing the fighting going on beneath me. Fury was in my blood as I went back into the building, knowing I needed to get back to my group. Gunfire echoed in the halls, and people were screaming. Fires were breaking out, probably due to witches being careless as they tried to protect their torture house.
I walked slowly through the halls. Every time a door opened, I took a second to verify friend or enemy. When it was an enemy, I killed them. There were no neutral parties anymore. Anyone who condoned this place was free game, and I had no reason to spare a single one. I stepped over dead bodies, scientists, people in pajamas, woken up by the chaos and the alarm. I stepped over dead guards, their eyes wide in eternal fear at the creatures now running loose in their halls.
Then I heard a high, ear-piercing scream and turned to see something I never expected.
“Let’s go, you little bitch,” a guard snapped, dragging a fighting young woman down the hall. She wasn’t a cambion. She wasn’t remotely similar.
Beautiful white wings came out of her back, and she flapped them hard to try to get away from the man holding her. He was pulling her along by her wrists, and as I stood stunned, he threw her to the ground.
That made my feet move again. I got to the guard and shoved my sword through him before he could reach down and grab the woman again. She started to scream, but I dropped my sword and covered her mouth.
“My name is Kaliya. I’m here to free everyone who’s been held prisoner here and expose the people who did this. I’m h
ere to help. If you scream, you’ll call guards to us.” I slowly removed my hand.
“I’m Gabrielle,” she said softly. “Are you really here to save us? I don’t know what’s going on. The alarm started going off, and my door unlocked, but I was too scared to run. He came in and said he was going to take me somewhere safe, but…”
“Yeah, he was definitely lying about that,” I promised. “Come with me, and I’ll get you out of this place. I’m one of the reasons the alarms are going off. Do you know about the cambions?”
How is this even real?
“Of course I do,” she said, letting me help her to her feet. Her wings barely fit the hallway, pristine white as if not a speck of dirt could even touch them. “They’re my cousins. I don’t know if they know about me, though. I’ve been here since I was a child, but I was never allowed to interact with them.”
They have a nephilim. How did they have a nephilim?
“Well…I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to get you to them for safety. It’s better if we’re with the group, okay?”
“Thank you.” There was something so pure and innocently wonderful about the way she said that. It made me want to cry, and I wasn’t sure why.
“There’s no need to thank me,” I said, giving her hand a friendly squeeze. “Let’s go.”
Time to get the fuck out of this place.
27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
There were monsters in my world. I had always known this. I chased them down and killed them. I saw them in multiple forms. Monsters with fangs and claws, monsters that ate their own kind, or hunted the innocent, or were utterly human-looking, and the only monstrous thing about them was their behavior.
What I never expected in my life was to see a fucking angel…rather, a nephilim. Like cambions, they existed in a way most discounted—long time rumors and whispers, but no evidence. Only people pretending to be something they weren’t.
