by Shea Balik
Gunfire erupted all around them. Chips of concrete went flying. He heard his mate cry out and smelled the scent of his blood. Kai’s coyote was going berserk, wanting to protect their mate. There was no way Kai was going to let Bodhi die again.
With Bodhi’s hand in his, Kai took off running to the other side of the column Bodhi had been painting. Slamming open the door on the back side of the stone wall, he shoved Bodhi in ahead of him.
As soon as the door slammed shut, he spun his mate to face him, checking the man for injuries. Kai tried to stop his hands from shaking, but knowing his mate was hurt had his world tilting on its axis, a position Kai didn’t know how to handle.
“Kai.” Bodhi’s hand went to Kai’s face. “I’m okay. It’s just a scratch.” His mate took one of Kai’s hands and led it to a small wound that had already stopped bleeding on his upper arm. “I’ll be fine.”
Kai was the enforcer for the Alpha of the Latin Territory, an elite soldier sent on missions that were little more than suicide missions. He was known for his calm thinking under fire, yet here he was shaking like a newborn foal at the sight of a scratch not more than an inch long on his mate’s arm.
If he didn’t get his shit together, there would be a lot more than just one small cut. “Right.” He didn’t even question his need to kiss the injured flesh. All he knew was it was more necessary than his next breath.
The moment his lips touched the torn flesh, resolve to get them out of this and back home filled him. He wasn’t about to let his mate die again. To do that, he had to get them out of here.
As the enforcer for the Alpha, one of Kai’s responsibilities was to ensure there was always an escape route wherever they went, especially when the Alpha Mate was involved. In order to put on his music events, Gibson spent a lot of time at the Amphitheatre. Kai knew every inch of the place, including a way out. He just hoped whoever was watching them didn’t.
The Amphitheatre had been set up with towering columns brought together three stories up. Where they were connected created a ring that made it appear to be one building, but even that high up, the only way to go from one column to the next was to walk on top of the ring of concrete.
The entire setup gave the illusion there was no way from one column to the next. If whoever was shooting at them believed that, Kai and Bodhi had a shot of getting out of this. Kai knew the enemy would be converging on this wall, believing they had Kai and Bodhi trapped. They’d be wrong.
Etzel, who owned and had built the Amphitheatre, was a big fan of ancient architecture, especially hidden passages and tunnels. The Amphitheatre was full of them, and Kai knew each and every one. With Bodhi by his side, Kai strode to the right side of the structure.
Attached to the walls were a series of animal faces that looked like part of the design. Most were just decorations, but a few of them had surprises behind them. Like the frog, push on that one, and a trapdoor opened, imprisoning the intruder instantly. Kai pushed on the snake. A small section of the stone wall opened to reveal stairs that went below the Amphitheatre.
With a hand on the small of Bodhi’s back, Kai ushered his mate inside, making sure the hidden door closed. It wouldn’t keep them safe for long, as there were subtle signs the secret doorway was there. It was how Kai had found out about this underground labyrinth when he first checked the place out. He just hoped it at least slowed down whoever was after them.
Lights immediately turned on as the door closed, allowing them to see the long, narrow tunnel before them. “Come on. We still have a ways to go before we get clear of the Amphitheatre.”
He loved that his mate didn’t even question what this place was, just followed his directions. He was sure there would be a million questions later, for his mate was naturally curious about everything, but at least he had the sense to just keep moving when they were running for their lives.
“Kai. Where are you?” Talon’s voice came through his earpiece. “Since you took Bodhi out of the manor, Gibson insisted on coming, too. Thanks for that, by the way.”
Kai stopped in his tracks, tugging on Bodhi’s shirt to get him to stop. “Get back home, Talon. We were shot at by at least five gunmen.”
“Fuck,” Talon swore.
Kai heard tires squeal through the earpiece. He hoped that meant that Talon hadn’t even stopped yet. He would hate to think of anyone being in danger because he’d been so stupid as to take his mate from the safety of the manor.
“Five guns?” Bodhi asked. “Doesn’t that seem odd?”
Kai had no idea what his mate was talking about. If the enemy wanted them dead, five gunmen would definitely accomplish that. Except…they hadn’t. Whoever was after them hadn’t managed to hit either of them. Bodhi’s minor injury was most likely caused by flying concrete since he hadn’t tasted gun residue when he’d kissed the wound.
It didn’t make any sense. Mentally he went over what had happened from the moment he felt eyes on them. He’d heard five distinct guns shooting, but not one bullet hit them. They all went into the concrete around them. With so many bullets, the odds were at least one of them would have hit their target, unless…
“They weren’t trying to hit us,” he murmured.
“Then why were they shooting at us? Just to scare us?” Bodhi asked.
Adrenaline surged through Kai as all the pieces started to fit together. “That’s exactly what they’re doing.” Nudging Bodhi, Kai got them moving again. “Come on, little butterfly we have a military base to check out.”
Chapter 17
After leaving the tunnel Etzel had built that exited out into a nearby children’s park, Kai and Bodhi headed to the other side of Juarez, across the river to what used to be El Paso. A human-built military base that had been abandoned after the Great War still sat, barely.
Crossing the river had been the trickiest part, as there were only two bridges, making them easily visible if anyone was watching. Eventually they managed to find a farmer who was going back across the bridge after spending the day selling his vegetables at the Market Place, an open-air market that sold just about everything, including fresh fruits and vegetables from the local farmers.
Harmel Johnson had been more than happy to help them. The more Kai got to know the citizens of Juarez, the more he was realizing they would lay down their lives for the Alpha and his inner circle. Talon and Gibson were determined to make Juarez a safe place to live, and the people who lived here were grateful.
“Okay, it should be safe now.” Harmel stopped the truck he was driving behind a shelled-out building on the edge of town. “I took you a little further down the road than I had planned because there was someone watching the road.”
Kai didn’t know how Harmel knew that, but he was glad the man had taken the extra precaution. He’d rather have a longer trek than be discovered before they even got out of their truck. “Thanks, Harmel. I swear I’ll pay you back.”
The farmer waved his words away. “Ahh, you own me nothing, not after everything you and the Alpha have done for Juarez. It was my pleasure to help.”
Bodhi shook the man’s hand. “Thank you. If you ever need anything, just let us know.”
A smile lifted the farmer’s lips, making his weathered face seem younger. “Maybe one day you’d consider painting my barn. My mate loves tulips, but they are so hard to grow in this climate.”
The sweet sound of Bodhi’s laughter filled Kai’s ears. “I would love to. Just as soon as I get the Amphitheatre done, I will come find you.”
Shaking the man’s hand, Kai said his thanks once more, then watched as the farmer drove his truck down the road. His GPS showed they were a mile from the northwestern edge of the military base. “Come on, we need to get going while we still have the element of surprise.”
They couldn’t have traveled more than a quarter of a mile before Kai started to notice guards watching the roads. Fortunately Kai knew what he was doing and was able to avoid detection. He just wished his mate wasn’t here with him.
After several close calls, they finally managed to make it to the military base. “Please tell me that’s not what it looks like?” Bodhi asked under his breath so no one but Kai could hear him.
Kai didn’t bother to answer. They didn’t have time. By the looks of things, the enemy was nearly operational. He needed to get back to Talon and report what was going on. A loud voice reached his ears just as a rotund man who wobbled more than walked entered the area Kai and Bodhi had been staring at. Roberto Barrios.
“I told you I want this done today.” A gun was suddenly in his hand, pointed at a man who appeared to be shaking. “I suggest you make it make it happen before I put a bullet in your head and find someone who can.”
There was resignation in the other man’s face as he said, “I’m trying, sir, but there was extensive damage done, and we’re scrambling to find replacements.”
Roberto’s beady, soulless black eyes stared into the man’s, the gun in his hand never wavering. “You have two hours, or there will be a bullet in your head, understand?”
“Y-Yes, s-s-sir.” The man scrambled away, shouting orders to his men to hurry the hell up.
Kai tapped Bodhi’s arm and jerked his head to the side, indicating it was time to get out of Dodge. They had two hours before their world ended.
* * * *
“Are you telling me while we’ve been holed up in the manor, Roberto has been working at the old military base with no one to stop him?” Talon asked. The disbelief etched into the man’s features mirrored that of everyone else there.
They had gathered the entire inner circle, leaving the most trusted Elite Guards to keep an eye on the children as they watched a movie in the room next door. Kai wasn’t sure there would be a safe place to keep the kids once Roberto finished his project.
Talon tilted his head back and yelled at the top of his lungs. “Assiri, Ryrmar, Tular, Undim, Chajos, Gahnij, Ilirra, Leiyirra! Get your sorry asses down here, now!”
All eight Gods appeared before them, each a different color. Assiri, the god of creation, was purple. Ryrmar, the god of Fire, was a mix of orange and red. Tular, the god of death, was black. Undim, the god of animals, a mix of brown and gray. Chajos, the god of chaos, was yellow. Gahnij, the goddess of Earth, was green. Ilirra, the goddess of water, was blue, and Leiyirra, the goddess of wind, was white. They were all there, pissed as they glared at Talon.
“How dare you call us with such disrespect,” Assiri admonished. “Don’t forget who we are, mortal.”
Talon let out a harsh laugh. “And just who is that? You drag us into your insane plan to end the war by creating twelve children, children you left completely defenseless, by the way. You claim to want us to win the war, but when we are faced with an ‘evil that will destroy everything in its path,’ you won’t tell us what it is. Instead you make it appear as if we need to keep everyone safe in the manor so no one can attack us.”
Tular rolled his eyes. “We never said that. You just assumed it.”
Talon glared at the dark God. “Don’t fuck with me, Tular. You knew what we thought, and you said nothing to make us believe differently.” The Alpha strode right up to the god of death, his finger jabbing right into Tular’s chest. “You never mentioned the threat we were to face was just over the river, planning fucking Armageddon.”
Tular’s eyes flared with the fires of hell as he stood tall, looking down on Talon. “That wasn’t our job. We weren’t even supposed to warn you at all.”
“How were we supposed to know you’d turn into cowards and hide instead of going out to fight the evil that was coming?” Undim asked with that ever-present smirk on his face.
The words stung, but Kai knew Undim was right. Instead of doing what they were best at, fighting, defending their city, they had hid, hoping to protect their mates. What they should have done was find the threat and eliminate it.
Chajos had a look of glee in his eyes as he said, “I see you’ve finally realized the error of your thinking. By trying to keep everyone inside these walls, safe from outside harm, you allowed the evil we told you about to gain enough power to destroy everything in its path.” A smile formed that matched the God’s crazy eyes. “Ain’t life a bitch?”
“Why didn’t you tell us this in the beginning?” Talon asked, the defeat of what he’d permitted to happen in his own city weighing on the Alpha’s drooping shoulders. “We could have stopped Roberto.”
“There was already a huge imbalance created by Cynthia’s actions. We didn’t want to make it worse by interfering.” Assiri’s answer wasn’t what they wanted to hear, but there wasn’t much they could do about it now.
All but Assiri shimmered out of the room. “It wasn’t easy creating this world. To make beings that could think for themselves was a scary prospect, one I’m not sure we would have made if we’d known the choices humans and paranormals would make.”
The God’s dark purple gaze fell on all of them. “But that can’t be undone. The life you’ve been given isn’t permanent. You are all mortal. So do yourselves a favor: don’t waste it by hiding.”
Assiri disappeared just like the others.
Kai stood there with his friends, both old and new, as they thought about the choices they’d made. Kai wasn’t sure about the others, but he planned to do as Assiri suggested and live every day to its fullest.
Talon cleared his throat. “Okay. We have plans to make. Rune, call up the satellite images of the military base Roberto has been using, and let’s see what plans we can come up with.”
The image of hundreds of men scurrying about the old base came onto the screen. Around the main screen, smaller video feeds zoomed in on certain areas, showing exactly what Roberto had been up to.
Kai had half hoped what he and Bodhi saw earlier was wrong, but what was on the screen confirmed what they’d witnessed. No, that wasn’t true. It was actually worse than what they’d witnessed. So much worse.
“Oh my Gods,” Forest whispered.
“I know you told us, but I’d hoped…” Blade’s voice trailed off as he stared, transfixed to the image before them.
“I thought…” Carver audibly swallowed before continuing. “Didn’t Alek force the humans to destroy them?”
Evan snorted. “Since when have the humans ever proven trustworthy?”
“They look damaged,” Wyatt said as he took a step closer to the wall that held the video screens. “How did they figure out how to repair them?”
“I don’t know, but Roberto threatened to kill the man in charge of fixing them if they aren’t ready in”—Kai looked at his watch—”one hour.”
Bodhi pushed further into Kai’s embrace as he looked on in horror at the screens. “There are five. We only saw one.”
“They’ll wipe the Latin Territory from the map if they set those off.”
Basil’s statement had Paytah swearing. “How in the fuck did that rat bastard manage to get his hands on five nuclear warheads?”
As scary as all that was, Evan knew they were useless without a way to make them functional. Well, unless Roberto had found someone with a death wish that would stay and detonate them. That was when a chill when down Evan’s spine. He strode right up to the screen and pointed to an object that none of them had seen as of yet. “And who in the hell gave the lunatic a missile launcher?”
Chapter 18
“Hawk is airborne. I repeat, Hawk is airborne.” Rune’s voice came through their earpieces as Kai led two of their Elite Guards, Miguel and Kamali, toward the northwest edge of the military base. Talon was flying overhead, hoping to land where the warheads were being held once the fighting began.
When all teams were in place, they would attack as one, which hopefully would draw out
the enemy, allowing Talon to shift and further disable the warheads. Kai wasn’t sure this plan was going to work, but as was pointed out, what other options did they really have?
Time was running out. Even if it took longer than Roberto planned, these warheads would become functional too soon for them to come up with a better plan and execute it. It was Hail Mary time, and Talon was their go-to guy. Kai just wished their Alpha knew more about computer systems, or technology, or schematics. Hell, anything that would help him identify the tiny guidance chips he was looking for in order to destroy them.
He gave the hand signal to his team and tapped his earpiece, alerting Rune they were in position. Then they waited. Finally he heard the double click alerting him to move forward. The plan was in place. Each of the six teams had one goal—keep the enemy busy, killing as many as possible, so Talon had time to do his job.
Gunshots from the south indicated Carver’s team had met up with the enemy. The sound had three of the enemy near them standing up, all looking south, away from Kai’s team. Seconds later they lay lifeless on the ground.
Following the plan, Kai’s team continued to push toward the center, where Talon would be, sweeping the area for any more of the enemy, killing anyone they encountered with little trouble. A battle was taking place to the south, but no signal was given that backup was needed, so Kai kept his team working their way toward Talon.
Less than a hundred yards out, they merged with Paytah’s team just east of their position. Compared to the gunfire they were hearing to the south, the two teams hardly encountered any resistance. Just a token amount of soldiers.
Considering Roberto thought if he was attacked, Talon’s entire force would be coming from the other side of the river just south of their position, it was probably a smart plan. Fortunately Talon’s team was smarter, or at least Kai hoped they were.
Rune’s voice came over the earpiece. “Kai, head straight for the command center. Talon hasn’t been able to shift. There must be troops still guarding the warheads.”
