by Bethany Shaw
* * *
Noah crept along the back of the building stopping at a spot by a window, but careful to stay just out of sight. His combat gear clung to him like a second skin while sweat beaded on his brow from the heat. He faced worse conditions overseas, but it didn’t matter. Sometimes it was just hotter than Hell.
Since Ethney took off earlier, he did not see her, but there was no doubt in his mind she was there. His eyes briefly drifted to the water only a few hundred yards away. She was out there somewhere. It was silly to worry about her. She was immortal and couldn’t die, but the thought of someone harming her set him on edge. In just a short period of time, Ethney found her way into every thought. There was something special about her—unique. He wanted to know more about her, if she’d let him. He desperately needed Elena to develop a cure. He wasn’t ready to die and he wanted to figure out what this thing was with Ethney.
“Is everyone in position?” Mick said over the comm in his ear.
Noah looked at the six other men near him and met their eyes, ensuring they were all ready. He listened as his team replied back and then chimed in when it was his turn. Everyone was in position. He drew in a breath, placing his back harder against the wall needing to feel something solid.
“We go on my count. One, two, three,” Mick commanded.
Noah grabbed a flash bomb from his vest and jammed his elbow backwards through the window, shattering the glass with a loud crack. Screams filled the inside of the building as Noah pulled the clip from the bomb and tossed it inside. A few seconds later, the rumble from the bomb echoed off the walls. Gunfire bursts filled the air as the attack got underway.
He clasped his gun and aimed at the door, waiting for people to start flocking out. It flung open and the first group of people rushed onto the beach; he opened fire. The bullets were only tranquilizers meant to stun everyone and render them unconscious until they could be moved to a secure location. It was the only way to save the lives of people misinformed and scared. Noah had a feeling there were a few of them; he and Claire weren’t the only ones held prisoner.
Noah kept his shots steady and aimed for places that would inflict little damage, but still allow the tranquilizers to do their work. More people flooded out, too many for him to keep up with. A few made it to the shore and were hurrying to the water where boats were waiting.
Suddenly, the water pulled back from the shore and a few seconds later a wave, several feet tall, hurdled onto the shore. Is that Ethney’s magic? She said she was strongest in the water. The water retreated once again and an even larger wave barreled onto the shore.
The escaping lycanthrope fell down, some of them swept into the water; their screams lost in the bombardment of crashing waves. Not one of them resurfaced.
“Noah! To your right,” one of his teammates shouted.
Noah forced his attention back to his task. A large group was headed around the opposite side of the house. They were huddled around several people and appeared to be dragging someone with them.
“Let me go! Help!”
He recognized that voice—Claire!
She was somewhere inside the horde. Noah fired; hitting as many people as he could, but there were just too many clustered together, as if Brockwell was using them as shields. Who was he kidding? That was exactly what Brockwell was doing. What was he doing with Claire?
Noah took out his fully loaded gun from his side holster, aimed, and fired. Blood spurted out of the man he hit as he stumbled and then crumpled to the ground. The group shifted, realizing real bullets were in the mix. Some of them broke off and made a beeline for the trees to the west while others fled to the boats.
Nevertheless, more than a small number stayed in formation, protecting Brockwell and effectively cutting Noah off from Claire. He had to get to her! That madman wasn’t going to harm his niece more than he already had!
He steadied his gun and aimed for those closest to Brockwell. His finger curled around the trigger and fired. A few more people scattered from the crowd.
“Uncle Noah!” Claire screamed. She reached out for him, struggling to break free of Brockwell’s death grip, but she was no match for his strength.
Noah pointed his gun and fired at Brockwell, but someone else hopped up at the last second and the bullet hit him instead. Damn! He tried to find his target again, but couldn’t as the human shield filed in closer to Brockwell. They were getting closer to the water and would be in the boats soon.
The waves stopped and Noah squinted, seeing something in the water. It had to be Ethney. Could she stop a boat? He was unsure so he sprinted after the group, firing at people when he had a clear shot. When he ran out of bullets he went back to the tranquilizers. He wasn’t fast enough though. Brockwell yanked Claire and the other girls into the boat. Four other men jumped in with him while other followers shoved them off the shore.
Noah lifted his gun and aimed. Brockwell stumbled and fell onto one of the boat seats, a dart sticking out of his shoulder. He hit him, only it didn’t seem to faze him as Brockwell smiled and plucked the dart out before standing up.
The tranqs were working on everyone else. Why not him?
Brockwell turned to the boat’s engine, yanking the cord until it roared to life. He went to the control panel and the boat sped out into the open water.
Noah darted down the beach after them only stopping when the water reached his knees. The boat raced away and he could hear Brockwell laughing and smiling at him on the shore. The smile was short lived though as something—no someone, flew out of the water.
Ethney dove over the boat, wrapped her arms around Brockwell, and using her momentum to bring him over the other side of the boat with her. The two disappeared into the water. Some of Brockwell’s followers sprung into action, withdrawing weapons and shooting into the water.
Ethney didn’t come back up to the surface. Had she been hit? Was she staying under intentionally? Was she okay? What the hell was going on?
His heart pattered violently in his chest and apprehension filled him. He needed Ethney to be okay.
Chapter Ten
Ethney lunged out of the water, her eyes set on Brockwell. She wrapped her arms around him and, using the force of her momentum, brought him toppling over the other side of the boat. They hit the water hard as bullets rained down around them, hitting her in the shoulder and the fin. Blood tinted the cerulean water crimson. She didn’t let go of her hold on Brockwell even though he swung at her and writhed in her grip.
This man slaughtered hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people all for his sick pleasure. This was going to end tonight.
She flapped her fin, pushing them deeper into the ocean water. She couldn’t die, but he could. All she had to do was keep him under long enough for him to draw his last and final breath and his reign of terror would be over. It wasn’t soon enough, though. So many innocent people, like Noah and Claire, were already affected by his tyranny. What would become of them?
The thought made her dive deeper. Brockwell still fought, but his movements were slower and sluggish as air bubbles floated out of his mouth. It was nearly done; she just needed to hold on a few moments longer.
Before long, Brockwell ceased his struggling as his body shook and trembled as water filled his lungs. Ethney shoved him even deeper to ensure he would not come back from this. With that, his eyes bulged and all his fighting stopped.
Satisfied he was no longer a threat, she shoved him to the murky ocean floor. Only then did the pain hit her. It wasn’t just her shoulder and fin; her stomach ached, too. She smoothed a hand over the surface feeling two bullet holes.
She tilted her head up. Her vision clouded, but she knew she had to reach the surface, though it seemed so far. She waned as her head felt heavy; blackness took hold. She blinked her eyes open and shook her head, unsure if she passed out for minutes or seconds. Groaning as she flapped her tail, she swam to the surface. The air was thinner above the water and she heaved in big gulps.
Da
ire cried out above her head, shooting a spray of fire into the air. She scowled; he shouldn’t be disclosing his true nature. He squawked again and fanned his wings like he was trying to point to something.
She followed his gestures to Brockwell’s boat; it was overturned and people were floundering in the water. Crap! Claire and the other girls are in that boat.
Ignoring her pain, she dove under the water. She swam to a girl bobbing in the water first; wrapping her arms around her, she pushed her back up above the surface and helped her to the overturned boat.
“Hold on tight. Don’t let go,” Ethney said. She hastily scanned the water, but didn’t see anyone else. “Where are the others?”
“I...I don’t know,” the girl choked out.
“Were they in the boat when it capsized?” Ethney asked.
The girl coughed and nodded her head. Ethney gave her one last look to make sure she was holding on before diving back under the surface. She had to find those other kids. Drowning was no way to die—she knew.
Narrowing her eyes, she skimmed the open water, but didn’t see anyone. They couldn’t have gone far unless...had the other lycanthrope dragged them under? She flipped her fin and swam deeper, meandering about the current to see all around her. Someone jumped into the water and then another person; she twisted to see who it was and sighed, realizing it was the rangers. At least she wasn’t searching alone anymore, but humans could only go so long without taking a breath, which meant she had to find the girls that much faster. How long had they been under already?
She knew she only had a few minutes to find them. Determined to not let any more innocent people die on her watch, she moved through the water like a torpedo. Movement caught her eye and she darted toward it. A small body was sinking with a weight tied to its ankle. She recognized the person—Claire.
Ethney sped toward her even though her own body ached. She caught the child about the waist and drew her close. The girl’s eyes were wide open and her mouth was clamped closed. Claire turned her head from side-to-side, unable to open her mouth or she’d draw in water.
Ethney leaned forward and put her mouth over Claire’s, making sure she covered it enough so no water would get in. When Claire opened her mouth she blew in fresh air before pulling away so she could swim to the surface with Ethney. She flapped her tail as hard as she could until they popped above the surface. Claire gulped in large breaths of air.
“It’s okay. I got you,” Ethney told her. She held her close. The weight around her ankle kept trying to pull her back under, but Ethney held tight determined not to let the girl go under, no matter what.
“Claire!” Noah cried out. He swam to them and embraced them both, squeezing Claire between them. “Thank you,” he breathed in Ethney’s ear.
“Did they find everyone else?” she asked.
“Yes. Everyone is safe. Thank you!” Noah hugged the two of them tighter.
“She has a weight around her ankle. I need to remove it,” she said trying to get out of his embrace—he was too close.
Ethney wiggled free from his grasp and then dove back under the water. She swam down and floated by Claire’s ankle. The iron chain was thick and had one end wrapped around a cinder block. Those bastards tried to drown her just because they could!
She untied the chain from Claire’s foot and let it and the block fall to the ocean floor. Everyone was safe, but her injuries were starting to wear on her. Her whole body ached like a truck hit her. Her eyes grew heavy and she let them slip closed. It’d be soothing to take a nap in the lull of the ocean while her body healed itself.
She felt herself slipping down further into the depths of the water when an arm grasped her wrist and hauled her back to the surface. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know it was Noah.
She should fight him, but she couldn’t muster the strength to do it. Instead, she let herself drift into oblivion.
Chapter Eleven
Noah sat by Ethney’s bed. She looked so peaceful when she slept, like she didn’t have a care in the world. The comforter was tucked up under her chin and her arms lay above the bedding allowing him to have a full view of her magnificent mermaid mark; it really was a true likeness. It was too bad she was injured and he didn’t truly get to appreciate the full force of her power.
Daire assured him she would heal on her own, like she had a few days ago, and recover in a few hours time. All the wounds were gone, as if they never even happened. It was only a matter of her waking up now.
As if she knew exactly what he was thinking, her eyes fluttered before blinking open. She gasped and twisted, only subduing when her eyes landed on him.
“What happened?”
“You were shot multiple times. If you weren’t you, you’d be dead,” he said. When he saw multiple bullet holes riddling her body he freaked out; any human would be dead from the impact. She would’ve been ripped from his life in just a blink of an eye. Thank God she was something more than human.
“I know. How is Claire? Are the rest of the girls okay? Did they find Aric?” she asked as she fought to sit up, her body trembling from exertion.
Noah reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. “Careful. Just because you heal fast doesn’t mean you’re ready to move around.” He removed his hand when she gave him a scathing look. “All of the girls and the others from the Keys are okay. Elena is drawing blood and doing a full workup on everyone. Aric’s pretty banged up, but he is resting in a room down the hall. Daire is with him.”
“Has Elena found anything yet?” Ethney asked.
He shook his head. “She’s only been at it for a few hours. It’s going to take her some time just to get everyone’s blood and put everything together.” He looked away from her and sighed. “I’m worried she isn’t going to have enough time. She’s only one person and there is a lot of data to look over.”
“What about the others? Brockwell’s men? What did your team do with them? Did they take them to the black ops facility? They need to be eliminated.” She shoved the covers back and swung her legs over, as if she were going to get out of bed.
He put his hand on her knee to keep her in place. She wasn’t going to like the answer and she was in no condition to go storming out. He was hoping she wouldn’t think to ask. He already had his ass chewed out from Daire. “They are holding them at a compound outside of town. I’ve told them everything I know about their condition. My friend Mick assured me he’d do what he could.”
“Don’t tell me they want them to go through legal channels,” she said. Her feet hit the floor and she tried to stand, but collapsed back to the bed.
“Take it easy. You just woke up,” he said holding his hand up. She narrowed her eyes at him and he hoped by answering her question it would keep her in place, at least for the time being. “Not necessarily. This mission is off the books, but it’s not my call about what happens to them.”
Ethney ground her teeth together. “At least Brockwell is gone.”
“We haven’t found his body,” Noah told her quietly. Divers searched for his remains, but came up empty-handed. He couldn’t let his guard down until he had the undeniable proof that bastard was dead.
Ethney moved so she was sitting up with her back resting against the headboard. She put her feet back on the bed and drew them into her chest. “He’s dead. I dragged him under until he stopped breathing. There’s no way he survived. Trust me.”
“You killed him?” Noah asked. He saw her take him down, but then she resurfaced injured. It was a miracle she saved Claire, let alone killed Brockwell, too. Had she held onto him that whole time? Where was he? Without a body they couldn’t be sure the monster was truly dead.
She shook her head. “I didn’t have a choice. That man has hurt so many people. Look what he did to you—to your family. He couldn’t be allowed to live. There is no way he can be rehabbed or whatever you want to call it. The ones already changed are too far gone.”
“I know you didn’t have another choice.
I’m glad you took care of him. He doesn’t deserve to share the same air as the rest of us.” It was the truth; the world was a better place without Brockwell in it.
“Drowning is one of the worst ways you can die. You’re aware the whole time and your body fights it until it can’t anymore,” Ethney stated, her voice barely above a whisper. “That’s how my children died. That’s why I chose to become a mermaid, so I’d never have to experience that terror ever again.”
“Your children drowned?” Noah asked, surprised she was being so honest with him. Until now, she’d been trying desperately to push him away.
Ethney nodded. “My father was beheaded right away because they knew he would never talk. They thought I knew stuff and they used my children as leverage to get me to talk; only I didn’t know anything. They held them under one at a time in an effort to get me to talk. If I’d known anything I would’ve told them. If I’d been stronger I would’ve killed the men myself, but I couldn’t and I had to watch them thrash in the water until their bodies were lifeless.”
“I can’t begin to imagine.” He really couldn’t; he saw some fucked up shit in his time overseas, but to have someone you trusted do that to you was a whole new level of scary.
Ethney blinked and a stony mask crept over her face taking the insecurity with it. “You need to speak with your superiors. Those lycanthrope will turn on them. On the full moon their howls will call to anyone in the facility. Spellbound, the rangers will release them and then our problem will be so much worse. Can you imagine an army of military trained lycanthrope? If you think Brockwell was bad, imagine what your comrades could do—what you could do.”
He had experience dealing with power hungry infidels and they were crazy enough, but military trained men and women with extra human strength and speed losing their mind would be a catastrophe.
