by Raven Steele
“Good. Now let’s hope we spot something.”
For the next few minutes, Luke flew the drone back and forth across the top of the swamp. I thought we might be wasting our time when all of a sudden the screen became littered with uneven red splotches on the screen.
“What area is that?” I asked and looked up, as if I could see through all the trees.
“I know these swamps like the back of my hand,” Jerry said. “There’s nothing out there.”
“Maybe a bunch of teens having a party?” Samantha offered.
“I don’t think so. Look at this.” Luke pointed to a large dark area. “It’s some kind of building, big, by the looks of it.”
“That’s new,” Jerry said.
“Maybe Gerald’s there with the others.”
Luke and I looked at each other, a weighted silence passing between us.
“We have no idea what we’ll be up against if we go in there,” Luke said.
“But we have a good idea. Those Hydes aren’t invincible.” I looked at the red marks again. “Do we have the numbers?”
“You do now,” a voice said from within the darkness.
We all whipped around as Mateo strode out of the forest with Samira and Angel at his side. At least two dozen vampires followed behind.
I grinned at Luke, my veins filling with adrenaline. “Call Lauren and Terrence and tell them to come here now. We’re taking those bastards down.”
Chapter 28
Luke searched my eyes. “Are you sure you should come with us? You are their main target. What if they all go for you at once?”
He had pulled me aside while Samira, Angel, and Mateo watched the drone feed. Samantha and Jerry stood apart, eyeing the vampires warily. The vampires with Samira also stayed back. Neither species knew how to interact. It just wasn’t our way.
I touched Luke on the arm. “It’s fine. We have the numbers.”
“Luke is right.”
Angel’s voice was so close behind me, I jumped. I whirled around to face him.
The depth of his eyes tumbled into mine, reminding me of what he’d told me at my uncle’s side. “You’re being reckless.”
Luke flashed me a triumphant look.
I rolled my eyes. “I love that you two are bonding over this, but if I’m being reckless, then we all are. I’m not going to stand by and let you guys fight without me. I can hold my own.”
I walked away, fuming. I could kick both their asses, if I wanted to.
Luke ran up to me, pulling on my arm to stop me. “Briar, you think I don’t know you can hold your own? I’m just looking out for you. I can’t help it. It’s in my nature to protect. And you’re going to have a hell of a hard time if you think that’s going to change. I care about you too much.” His voice was low, his face fierce, but then it softened. He swallowed hard and glanced towards Angel. “As much as I hate to admit it, Angel is just trying to look out for you, too.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “I can’t lose you.”
Hearing the pain in his voice melted my anger. “I know, but you can’t wrap me in bubble wrap. These people are messing with my pack, my family. And it’s not going to stop unless we do something about it. We need to get Gerald and everyone else back. I won’t let everyone take the hit when I know how much I can help.”
He nodded, his lips twisting up in a half smile. “I know. And you’re right. Just let me worry about you, okay? Just a little bit?”
I nodded, smiling, and he bent over to kiss me. A hush fell over the area, and I hoped it wasn’t because they were staring at us kissing. I pulled away and glanced at Samira. She stared into the distance, her mouth tight, angry even. I followed her gaze, cringing when I saw Lynx. I wasn’t sure she’d come.
She smiled big and whispered. “Hi guys!”
She wore black leggings and a red top that looked way too nice for what we were about to do. “I hope I’m not late. I got a little lost on my drive out here. Nothing a little magic couldn’t help me with, though.” She laughed uncomfortably. Probably because we were all staring at her as if she was an alien.
I hurried over to her. “Glad you could join us.”
Samira stormed, more like blinked over to us, bringing with her a gust of cold air. She glared at me. “You knew she was coming?”
“It was discussed, but nothing written in stone. Lynx is a big girl. She can make her own decisions.”
“I thought we were in agreement, Briar! Lynx should stay out of our business.”
Lynx stuck her head between us. “Hello? Right here.”
I pulled her next to us, completing a circle. “Lynx is pretty badass. I’ve seen her fight. Her magic is pretty incredible.”
“I don’t care,” Samira hissed in an accent I’d never heard from her before. Was it Russian? Lynx and I looked at each other questioningly.
“Do you get an accent when you’re angry?” I asked.
Lynx giggled.
“Shut up, Briar,” Samira said, still with the accent. “This is no place for her!”
I blinked, but when I opened my eyes, Lynx was no longer next to us. She was standing behind Samira holding a blade to her throat.
“You were saying, Sammie?” She winked at me.
Samira knocked the blade from her hand and snapped her head in my direction. “You are a bad influence.” She looked like she wanted to say more but all of a sudden the forest was flooded with light. The other shifters had arrived.
We stepped back as the small clearing became crowded with at least two dozen shifters. They spotted the vampires in the corner and lowered into defensive positions, growling deep in their throats.
“Oh brother,” I said and stepped between the two groups. “Knock this shit off. Our two species can work together. We need to work together.”
Mateo came to my side. “She’s right. We are not enemies. Not tonight at least. It is my understanding there is a facility out there which likely contains both our men and yours. To save them, we must unite. Can you do this?”
When neither side said anything, I turned to the Silver Claws and summoned my Alpha strength. I may not be their Alpha, but I could’ve been, and since Vincent wasn’t here, someone needed to take charge. The power surged inside me. I pushed it outward, standing boldly before them.
“You will do this for the good of your pack. We will not abandon our brothers and sisters because of any prejudices toward vampires. Do you understand?”
Several of them nodded their heads quickly. Others were too stunned to say anything. I glanced back at my roommates and mouthed, “Too much?”
Lynx stared at me wide-eyed and held up her thumb and forefinger an inch a part. “Just a little.”
Mateo turned to his group and gave the same command with just as much force.
With everyone on board, Luke handed out orders. A small team would cause a distraction on the south side of the forest, near the compound. We hoped they would gain enough attention to leave the large building mostly unattended. That’s when the rest of us would find our way in and rescue our friends. We had to succeed. I considered Gerald a good friend, and I didn’t want another person I cared about to get hurt.
While Luke guided the drone back to us, Samira snuck up to me. “There’s a chance none of our men are in there. You know that, right?”
“But there’s a bigger chance they are. We can’t wait any longer. Who knows what they’ve already endured?”
“Do you understand your orders?” Luke asked a group of three shifters and two vampires. They were the distraction team. They were also supposed to try and get whomever was at the compound to give chase, giving us more time.
The group of five, their expressions serious, all agreed. They sprinted into the belly of the forest, darkness swallowing them whole. So much of what we did next depended upon their success.
Luke faced the rest of us. “We fan out and go slowly. No one gets ahead except for me, Samira and Mateo.”
“And me,” I added.
“Me too,” Angel added quickly.
Lynx swiveled her head at each of us quickly. “I’m staying with you guys.”
Luke gave us a warning growl but didn’t argue. He continued, “We will scout out the compound to see if we can find our men. It would be great if we can avoid going into the building, but that may not be possible. Once we give the order, the rest of you follow. And remember. This is not a mission to destroy whatever and whoever we find. We are here only to rescue our friends and get out. We don’t want even one life lost.”
In a quieter voice and directed more toward the vampires, Mateo gave a quick speech about fighting with their minds and not their instincts. It was a good reminder for them. Vampires were known for losing control quickly. The last thing we needed tonight were dozens of loose cannons that could kill the very people we were trying to save.
Luke met everyone’s gaze. He adapted to the leadership role so easily, I wondered if maybe I should’ve made him pack Alpha instead of my uncle. He pointed forward. Our large group spread out and quietly slipped into the darkness, as if they were an extension of it. Everyone was armed, mostly with guns and knives.
I fell in line with Luke, Samira, Lynx and Mateo. Angel appeared too. He didn’t look at me, just fell in step behind me. The forest beyond was eerily quiet, something I had come to associate with the Hydes, and my stomach clenched with nerves.
As we proceeded forward, Luke checked the time on his phone several times. Occasionally he would hold up a finger to those of us who could see to give us an idea how many minutes were left until the distraction. He held up four fingers twice. Eight minutes.
Eventually I began to see little glimmers of light through the trees. We were getting close.
Glancing at Lynx, I expected to see her biting her nails or some other nervous tic, but she appeared a hundred percent focused. Samira watched her, too. Lynx could do this.
Luke ordered the line to stop, but us six continued forward. We got as close as we dared and dropped to the ground to investigate. The forest had been cleared and in the place of trees, dozens of vehicles parked under bright lights. In addition to the large, concrete building, the rest of the area consisted of three smaller structures. Offices maybe? Spotlights and floodlights illuminated the entire compound, making it glow as bright as noon. They had been careful not to leave any shadows in which someone could hide. Smart.
Only one sign gave away the identity of the intruders: the Bodian Dynamics logo. It was painted on the side of a couple of vehicles. Did that mean everyone here was from Bodian, or was there a third party we knew nothing about yet?
Dozens of people—they appeared human, but they could easily be Hydes—walked with purpose around the compound. Most were armed. Some in lab coats carried electronic pads. Interesting.
I shifted my gaze to the large building, wondering if there was a lab inside. The front of it had two bay doors tall enough to accommodate a large semi track. They were wide open, but from my angle, I couldn’t see what was inside. I strained my hearing. I couldn’t hear anything either. I sniffed the air. But I could smell something: shifters.
Luke and I looked at each other at the same time. He caught the scent too and checked the time. He held up three fingers.
My breathing picked up pace as did my pulse. I felt for the gun tucked into the back of my pants. Then I mentally checked off each of the knives in my boots and jacket. Then there was my booby knife. I was as prepared as I could get. I leaned forward and looked at Samira and Lynx. They returned my gaze. I held up my hand as if to give them a distant high five. Lynx humored me and did it back, smacking air, but Samira gave me an especially sour deadpan face and turned away.
Luke held up one finger.
I held my breath and counted down.
In the distance, a gun fired.
Chapter 29
Even though I was expecting it, when the guns fired, I still jumped. Every worker in the compound froze and looked around, but none with alarm. That worried me.
I didn’t hear an order given, but frighteningly quick, at least ten of the people, including a few in lab coats, turned sharply toward the gunfire and sprinted toward it. Their bodies shifted mid-run into … something else. It wasn’t that they looked different necessarily; it was like everything about them became sharper, more skilled, more striking. Beyond any physical changes, it was their essence that changed into something dark and dangerous. Their new energy pulsed as they ran, and it scared the hell out of me.
Luke waited a few seconds more to see if anyone else gave chase, but no one moved. In fact, each person returned to what they were doing moments before, as if nothing had changed. I could see the disappointment on Luke's face. He glanced back into the forest and motioned everyone forward.
"It's now or never," he said. He eyed each one of us, but his gaze settled on me. "Be careful, everyone.”
We each straightened, our faced determined. As soon as the others caught up to us, we exploded from the forest, weapons raised. The first thing I did was shoot out the lights. A few others caught onto what I was doing and joined me. Within a few seconds, we submerged ourselves in darkness. Hopefully this gave us an advantage.
I took a quick beat to take in everyone’s positions. Luke, Angel, and Mateo headed toward the open bay doors. Samira and Lynx had disappeared behind a large truck, using it as cover. The rest of our group quickly overwhelmed the workers. I thought the fight would be over before it started, but then every last “human” began to shift into powerful creatures. In addition, more Hydes poured from the building, and these ones felt stronger. These ones were supernaturals turned Hyde. Shit.
I aimed my gun at one who sprinted toward Samantha. He felt like a shifter, but whatever he had transformed into had smothered everything shifter about him. Samantha fought alongside Jerry, facing the other direction. She didn’t even see the Hyde coming. I pulled the trigger, hitting my target in the shoulder. His body jerked. I expected him to go down, but he kept running.
“Samantha!” I yelled. I fired the gun again, this time catching him in his stomach. He kept going. What the hell?
Samantha turned around just in time. He swung his hand upward, knocking her in the head. She flew to the side, nearly twenty feet away. I aimed again and fired. The bullet slammed into his head, misting the air red. This time he fell over, unmoving.
“Shoot them in the head!” I screamed, hoping my allies would hear through the chaos. “You have to hit the head!”
I shot several more times, counting down my bullets, stopping a few more Hydes. Then the area became a whirlwind of movement, with superhuman speeds from both the Hydes and our own group. I spotted Jerry losing ground to a female Hyde. She had sliced him with a knife on both his arms.
I raced towards him. As I ran, I returned the gun to my back and reached for the daggers in my boots. I didn’t dare risk hitting anyone with a bullet. The steel handles felt good in my hands.
Just before the female Hyde was to deliver what could’ve been a final blow to Jerry, I leapt into the air and came down hard onto her back. I drove the dagger into the top of her spine and jerked hard, severing her spinal cord. She fell over dead. He nodded his head at me in appreciation.
I looked up just in time to see a Hyde running toward Luke’s unprotected back, an ax in his hand. Luke was too busy locked into a battle with another Hyde to notice.
“Luke!” I called, but he didn’t hear me.
I sprinted to him, shoving my way through several fights. The Hyde raised the ax. “Luke!” I wasn’t going to make it.
Just then a loud shot rang out and something whizzed by my ear. The Hyde behind Luke froze, ax in his hand trained at Luke’s throat, and a hole appeared in his head. Dark red bled from the wound, and he fell over dead.
Luke whirled around, noticed the dead Hyde, then stared beyond me. I followed his gaze. Angel stood not far away with a gun smoking in his hand. His jaw flexed and he nodded his head toward Luke before he sprinted the other d
irection to go help Mateo, who was fighting three Hydes at once.
I spun around. Everywhere I looked, pack members were engaged with Hydes, sometimes more than one. The Hydes were extremely resilient, and their sheer numbers began to overwhelm us. Several of us started to fall back towards the rear of the property. Only one thing could turn the tides. My Komira powers. It would be a huge risk, showing them in front of everyone, especially the people who apparently wanted me dead.
Lynx appeared at my side, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. “We have thirty seconds! Follow me!”
She had stopped time. I quickly severed the spines of two nearby Hydes and followed after Lynx.
“This way!” she shouted over her shoulder. Blood coated part of her face, but I couldn’t see a wound.
She disappeared into the open bay doors. Just as I slipped inside, time sped up. I could hear the sounds of metal clashing, guns firing, and lots and lots of screaming. I resisted the urge to run back out and help.
“They’re over here,” Lynx said.
She sprinted down a long row of stacked crates with the Bodian Dynamics logo stamped all over them. I tried to peer inside them but we were moving too fast.
We turned the corner. Lynx stopped so suddenly, I had to skid to the side to avoid hitting her.
In front of us, three long rows of barred cages held two people each, all unconscious. Luke and Mateo were in the process of breaking all the locks. I hurried to help them while Lynx kept watch.
“Where’s Samira?” I called to her as I hurried to the end of the aisle.
“I don’t know. I lost track of her outside.”
Mateo hesitated at a lock, but then he snapped it off. “These are my men here. They’ve been drugged.”
“With Scorpion’s Breath?” Luke asked. He kicked down a door. “More vampires.”
“I can’t tell yet.”
I was on my third cage when I spotted someone familiar. “Gerald’s here!” I looked down the row recognizing a few others. “I think they all are.”
