“There are four guards on the main gate, two perched on top of each roof, and that’s the easy part,” Gage whispered from the cover of the trees when Echo and Hex approached.
Echo crouched low, peering out through the chain-link fence to the three cabin-like structures contained within. “This is nothing like the lab.”
“No, but it was constructed on short notice,” Gage reminded him. He pointed toward the house closest to them. “I think this is the bunkhouse for the residents.”
“Why do you say that?” Fiero asked.
“There are more guards surrounding it than the others.”
“What about the other two?” Damn, there were so many guards. Echo had no idea how they were going to get out of the mess alive.
“I don’t know for sure, but I’d guess the smallest one is the doctors’ living quarters. The other is probably a makeshift lab and infirmary.”
“Gage,” Echo spoke quietly, “no offense, but you’re probably the weakest link. I’m going to have to juice you up.”
“No offense taken, and I agree. Do what you need to.”
Echo was a little surprised, but damn grateful that the werewolf wasn’t going to argue with him. Now came the next part of his plan, and he wasn’t sure if his mates would be as agreeable as Gage. “I want to combine all of your powers, including, and especially Craze’s.”
“Whatever you’re going to do, just do it fast,” Eyce answered immediately. “The sun will be up soon, and we want to be out of here before then.”
“Okay, everyone gather ’round and hold hands.” Once they’d done as he said, Echo concentrated every bit of strength he had to absorb their energy and filter through it. It was a lot harder without being able to touch each of them directly, and by the time he’d finished, he was panting for breath and dizzy.
“You okay, baby?” Onyx wound an arm around Echo’s waist to keep him upright. “Maybe you should sit this one out.”
“Nice try, but I’m fine. The guards on the rooftops have to go first, followed quickly by the ones at the gate. Myst, we’re going to need you to get that gate open.”
“I’ll get Echo to the doctors’ quarters.” Hex took up his command. “It’s going to be up to the rest of you to clear the way and get the residents out. Gage, you should probably hang back. These guys are going to be scared, and I doubt they’re going to be willing to go with a guard.” With that said, Hex grabbed Echo around the wrist and pulled him through the trees until they were right next to a small dirt road that led into the compound.
“What now?” Echo breathed.
“We wait. Once the gates open, it’s going to be a fucking war zone. Stick right beside me, and we’re going to run like hell to that building.” Hex pointed to the smallest cabin. “When we find Peter, I’ll do everything I can to help, but it’s going to be up to you.”
Echo reached into his jacket pocket and squeezed his fingers around the small, glass orb. “Yeah, I got it. I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do, but I promise I won’t let you down.”
Leaning closer, Hex kissed Echo’s temple. “I have faith in you, baby.”
The words went a long way in calming Echo’s anxiety. So much had happened since the beginning of the year, and he was still amazed at how far he’d come. Before meeting his mates, he would have never had the courage to face down something as monumental as this. Knowing that they respected his abilities and had faith in him to succeed was just icing on the cake.
“You did tell Fiero not to set the bunkhouse on fire, right?”
Hex’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “I didn’t tell him, but I’m sure he’ll know.”
The words were barely out of his mouth when a huge fireball shot over the fence, straight for the bunkhouse that held the residents. Echo closed his eyes and groaned. Well, there went that theory. He was going to strangle the man when he got his hands on him. Just then, he had more important things to worry about.
Rising out of his crouch, Echo watched as more fireballs zipped through the air. He counted seven in all, and by the time the flames had stopped raining from the sky, all three cabins were ablaze. Way to keep a low profile, asshole.
Pushing away his less than affectionate thoughts about Fiero, Echo focused on the gates, smirking to himself when two of the guards went airborne and the other two went as still as statues. There was a loud, metallic clink, and then the eight-foot gates swung open on creaking hinges.
“Let’s go,” Hex said, taking Echo’s wrist and dragging him out of the tree line.
Myst, Eyce, and Gage sprinted ahead of them, taking the guards down easily and clearing their way. Craze trotted up beside them, looking terrifying and gruesome in shifted Addonexus form. His facial features were thin and pointed, his body even larger than usual, and his bones poked through his skin in various places, making him look as though he were covered in lethal spikes.
Echo shuddered and looked away quickly. Thank the gods that Craze was on their side. He definitely wouldn’t want to go up against the man.
Hurrying through the gates, Hex kept them crouched low to the ground, his head whipping around, searching for danger as they moved. The warriors fanned out behind them, some heading toward the guards near the lab, others racing toward the bunkhouse.
Automatic gunfire ripped through the night air, competing with the sound of the raging fire and the roars of Echo’s men. Echo yelped, but ducked his head and kept running. What choice did he have? There was nowhere to hide, and he’d just have to trust in his demons to protect them.
A sudden thought occurred to Echo, causing him to stumble and almost go down. Hex’s arm slipped around his waist, keeping him upright and preventing him from doing a face-plant in the dirt. “Where do the guards sleep?” Echo yelled over the sounds of the battle zone.
“Fuck!” Hex spat. “Just keep going.”
Echo would have loved to keep going, but as though his thoughts had conjured them, twenty heavily armed guards came running from between the cabins, screaming and shouting at them to get down. “Shit, shit, shit,” Echo chanted. “We are so going to die.”
“We’re not going to die,” Craze said with a demented chuckle. Then he threw his head back, a loud battle cry flowing from his lips, and sprinted headlong into the approaching guards.
Echo watched mesmerized for a second, before Hex jerked him out of his daze. Craze was fierce, fearless, and almost beautiful in his destruction. The spiky bones protruding through his skin cut through the guards easily, laying waste to the front line.
The wind picked up, howling in its rage and knocking everyone to the ground in his ferocity—including Echo. The ground began to tremble and crack, splitting the earth as a trench opened up below the guards’ feet.
“Echo, let’s go!” Hex yelled loud enough to be heard over the chaos surrounding them.
Training his eyes on the door to the cabin that he believed Peter to be in, Echo scrambled to his feet and took off running once again. He’d made it no more than three steps when the door burst open and eight uniformed guards stepped out with their guns raised. Echo didn’t know a damn thing about what kind of guns they were, but he had no doubt he’d be dead in the next instant.
Then the strangest thing happened. All eight men just crumpled to the ground. Echo pulled up short, tugging on Hex’s hand to stop his mate. Was it his imagination or was it growing darker?
The air surrounding them grew colder, freezing Echo to the bone. The sounds of bodies hitting the ground with muffled thuds confused him. Keeping low and creeping toward the doctors’ cabin, Echo had to stop once again when all light was extinguished around him. He could hear the buildings burning, his men calling out to each other, the roar of the wind, but he couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face.
The ground began to shake once more, but it felt more like a stampede than an earthquake. Barking and snarling rose up over the howl of the wind, and Echo started to shake so violently, his legs gave out, sending
him to the ground with a loud cry of despair.
“Shh, baby. It’s okay.” Hex’s arms went around him, pulling him against his lover’s broad, muscled chest. “The cavalry is here.”
Before Echo could ask what that meant, his vision returned—or more to the point, the darkness lifted. The bright orange flames were so bright after the few minutes of nothingness that Echo held his hand up in front of his face and squinted to block out the glare.
When his eyes finally adjusted, the first thing he noticed was Peter, standing only a few feet from them, and surrounded by at least twenty pissed off coyotes. “Lorcan’s pack,” Echo whispered.
“And Erebus and Hypnos. It’s good to have friends in high places,” Hex said around a chuckle as he helped Echo to his feet.
Echo would be sure to thank their rescuers later. Just then, he had business to attend to. “Peter!”
“You can’t stop me,” Peter shouted back, then jumped when one of the coyotes snapped at him. “You can’t beat me!”
Beat. “What did you do to Marcus?”
“Marcus was weak and a fool,” Peter scoffed. “He loved me, which only made him easier to manipulate. Once I was able to control him, I knew I was ready to join the gods.”
Huh? This nutjob was seriously off his rocker. “How did you control him?”
“I forced him to beat me.” Peter actually smiled. “If my powers are strong enough to control someone who’d proclaimed to love me and make him hurt me, I can do anything.”
Echo glanced over at Hex and rolled his eyes before returning his attention to Peter. “You are seriously insane.”
“It didn’t work with you,” Peter pouted. “I tried and tried, but you never did what I wanted you to do. I assumed it was your demigod status.”
“I’m not a demigod,” Echo snarled. “I am nothing.” At that moment, he hated everything to do with the gods. He didn’t even hold much affection for his mother. He didn’t have all the details yet, but he knew in his heart that she’d been the one to start it all.
“Why do you want to join Helios?” Hex asked casually. “I gather that he doesn’t give a fuck about you.”
“Yes, well, he was rather cross with me when I killed my mother.” Peter grinned wickedly. “Still, I made him believe it was as accident, and he’d promised my mother he would watch out for me. He really sucked at it. I needed much more supervision.” He giggled like a little boy at this. “How could he come to earth and live as a mortal without the sun falling, though?” His giggle turned to a cackle, and it made the hairs on Echo’s neck stand on end.
“What does Ares have to do with this?” Echo knew he was stalling, but he’d never set out to commit premeditated murder before. He’d fought and killed to defend himself and his mates, but this felt different, and it didn’t sit right with him.
Peter flicked his wrist dismissively. “He just wants you. I don’t see the appeal, but as long as he brings me more demigods, I don’t care. Oh…” He trailed off and an evil glint flickered in his eyes. “Thank you for your contribution to my work. The gods don’t pay nearly enough, you know.”
Echo felt sick to his stomach. Slipping his hand into his jacket pocket, he was surprised to find the glass sphere was warm to the touch. Syx was so damn wrong, though. The time was definitely here, and Echo still had no clue how to use the little ball of light to get their asses out of this alive.
“Shine the light,” Athena whispered inside his mind.
“Oh, shut the fuck up and leave me alone.” Echo grumbled under his breath for a second, his mind working frantically to figure out how he would accomplish the task assigned to him. When nothing came to him, he pulled the orb from his pocket and shrugged. “Catch.” Then he hurled the light at Peter, striking him in the chest with it.
The minute the glass made contact with Peter, it shattered, exploding into a gazillion pieces. The light inside surrounded Echo’s ex-lover, engulfed him, and when it finally faded away, Peter was nowhere to be seen.
“Holy shit,” Echo breathed. “I can’t believe that actually worked.”
“Look.” Hex took Echo’s shoulders and turned him, pointing over the tops of the trees to the moon.
The moon will bleed. Echo’s mouth hung open as he stared at the blood moon. The red tint was eerie and spooky, but somehow fitting to the night. “So, this was it? What about the equinox?”
“I don’t know,” Hex admitted. “I’m so damn proud of you, Echo.”
Spinning around, Echo jumped into his mate’s arms and kissed him with as much passion as he could muster. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Everyone is just outside the gates.”
“Well, let’s not keep them waiting.” Echo wiggled down from his lover’s arms and led the way back across the dusty courtyard. Seeing everyone kneeling on the ground in a loose circle hurried his footsteps and made his heart beat faster. “Someone’s hurt,” he called over his shoulder before sprinting full-out to the group.
His heart stopped and he fell to his knees when he got close enough to recognize the figure as Gage. “No!” he screamed.
“Hush, young one,” Erebus said as he stood to his impressive height. “He is merely sleeping.”
“What?”
Hypnos stood beside his father and chuckled. “He is a great warrior, but too foolhardy for his own good. I had to put him to sleep with the others to ensure that he didn’t get himself killed.”
Gage groaned, and his head began turning from side to side. Echo was so relieved he lost his own head completely. Taking two running steps, he launched himself at Hypnos, wrapping his arms around the sleep god’s waist and squeezing him as tightly as he could. “Thank you.”
Hypnos appeared startled for a moment, his muscles tensing. Then he slowly began to relax, and his arms wound around Echo tentatively. “You are welcome. We promised our assistance, and I was happy to help.” He spoke slowly, as though his words surprised him.
Releasing the man, Echo took a step back and laughed. “You saved our asses. I am indeb—”
A large hand covered his mouth, and Echo glanced up to see Eyce standing there, staring at the two gods. “Thank you. That’s all he meant to say.”
Erebus chuckled and shook his head. “Do not worry, Warrior. There is no debt owed. Now, if we are no longer of service, we will be going.”
“Thank you, again,” Hex offered.
Erebus merely nodded his head, and then he and his son faded away.
“What the fuck, man?” Gage pushed up to a sitting position and grabbed at his head. “What happened?”
“We won!” Echo announced with a huge, shit-eating grin.
“Not yet,” Syx reminded him with a meaningful glance toward Hex.
Echo chose to ignore him. They’d worry about that tomorrow. He just wanted a few minutes to savor their victory. Eyeing the residents from the lab, he was pleased to note that they all looked a little shaken, but mostly unharmed. He counted twelve in all. “Is this everyone?”
“Yes,” one of the men answered quietly.
It didn’t escape Echo’s notice that five of the residents had coyotes standing by their sides, snarling and snapping at anyone stupid enough to come close to them. Echo smirked and looked up at Eyce, motioning toward the coyotes. “What do you make of that?”
Eyce shook his head and started laughing. “It looks like fated attraction has struck again.”
Chapter Fourteen
Discovering that there were three vampires in the group of residents they’d rescued forced them to seek shelter instead of driving straight home like they’d planned. Hex wouldn’t complain, though. He felt tired down to his toes.
Stripping out of his clothes, he flopped down on one of the double beds and groaned. They had three connected rooms, six for the residents and the coyote shifters that insisted on accompanying them home, and another for Craze and Gage. It wasn’t as though they were hurting for money, but Hex didn’t like the idea of everyone being spread so
thin.
“Relax, love,” Echo whispered to him as he crawled up on the mattress and rested his head on Hex’s chest. “Those coyotes aren’t going to let anything happen to their mates. Gage and Craze are keeping an eye on the others, and we’re right down the hall if we’re needed.” He started giggling. “I bet the hotel manager loves us right now. We rented out half the floor.”
“Dude, my fucking ass hurts,” Fiero complained as he flopped down on Hex’s other side. “One of those coyote punks bit me on my left cheek, the little fucker.”
Hex bit his cheek to keep from laughing, but quickly gave up when Echo rocked back and forth, laughing like a lunatic. “Oh, poor baby,” Echo crooned. “Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?”
“Yes,” Fiero pouted. “Kiss my ass, baby.” This sent Echo into more peals of laughter until he had tears streaming down his cheeks.
“I need a shower.” Hex groaned again as he struggled up from the bed.
“Do you want company?” Echo asked hopefully.
Though he hated to disappoint his mate, Hex was just too damn exhausted, and he had things to think about. “Could you get Syx?” He worried for a minute that his words would be misconstrued, but as always, Echo understood perfectly.
“Do you think that’s a good idea? Maybe we should wait until we get home.”
Hex shook his head wearily. “It’s driving me insane to not know. I have to find out what it is that I’m supposed to remember. We’re running out of time, and we still have to shift through what I remember. I doubt it’s just going to suddenly answer all of our questions.”
Echo nodded hesitantly. “Okay, big guy. Take a shower, and I’ll find Syx. Do you want me to get the others?”
“Yeah. I have a feeling I’m going to need all of you.”
“What do you want me to do?” Fiero asked, still sprawled facedown on the mattress.
Evans, Gabrielle - Reckoning [Fatefully Yours 9] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) Page 11
