Salt Kiss (Lyonesse #1)

twenty-one

I roar, primal fury and fear gripping hold of me, more than I’ve ever felt it before, even with McKenzie, even with Sims, and I’m running and shooting my last bullet and the assailant falls dead. I toss my gun aside, lifting the other one as I run to Mark, shooting at someone in the corner who’s now started paying attention to me.

He drops just as Roz and Isaac bust through the doors upstairs, just as Goran appears at the railing on the third floor with his pistol out and his aim steady. The air is all pops and snaps over the dreamy synth music still playing on repeat. I ignore it all, falling to my knees next to Mark and making a shield of my body the best that I can.

“Sir,” I say, my hand on his arm. He’s on his side, facing away from me, and I roll him onto his back, expecting vacant eyes or a blood-slicked mouth.