Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jameson
I felt the soft rise and fall of Greer’s breaths.
I was glad she was getting some sleep. I watched the monsters. They were tearing into the meat and grunting.
They were definitely communicating. I felt more than a slight niggle of unease. They were working together, and I’d rarely seen that. Not in any coordinated way.
The Gizzida had been an intelligent, cunning species, but the hybrid monsters never had been. Growing up, I’d heard about the monster hunts. The squads had fought slavering beasts that only wanted to hunt and kill.
But I also knew the monsters had been breeding and mutating over the years.
Who knew what abilities those mutations had given them?
I tested the ropes on my wrists again. They were too tight and there was no give. A muscle in my jaw ticked. I really wanted to get Greer out of here.
Patience, Steele.
I sucked in a breath. The guys would come. I knew they’d be looking for us.
I had no idea what these monsters were planning to do with us. I didn’t want to hang around to find out.
Greer made a small sound and settled again. The more sleep she had, the better. If we had to make a run for it, we’d need to move fast.
The monsters had thrown my weapons and armor into the water. They were smarter than they looked. The canine lifted its head and looked over my way.
In its one red eye, I saw hunger. It wanted to attack us.
Come closer and I’ll take you down.
The creature sat back down, but one of the humanoid monsters rose. As it walked toward us, I tensed. I kept my gaze locked on it.
It came closer and made a grunting noise.
“You’re going to die tonight,” I said evenly. “I promise.”
There was no sign it understood me. It leaned down and touched Greer’s hair.
“Don’t touch her,” I snapped.
She jerked awake and made a gasping sound.
The monster stepped back, stared at me for a beat and bared its teeth. Skin flared around its neck, fluttering and menacing.
Shit. It reminded me of a frilled-neck lizard. They used their neck frills to scare off predators. This monster must have some of the reptiles’ DNA in it.
“ God ,” Greer said.
The monster grunted, then it walked off into the trees.
If only I could get free, dammit. “It’s okay, Greer.”
“What did it want?” Her voice was uneven.
“It was just curious, I think.” I heard her pulling in some deep breaths. “That’s it. Just relax.”
Silence fell again, and I saw the monster by the fire looked like it was napping.
Then I spotted movement in the darkness on the other side of the fire. I tensed. Was there another monster?
I let out a deep breath. Kai appeared, moving soundlessly on the other side of the fire. Thank Christ. Zeke also materialized out of the dark, moving in behind the monster still sitting by the flames. I couldn’t see Marc or North, but I knew they’d be close.
“Greer,” I whispered.
“Jameson?”
“Be ready.”
“What—?” She looked toward the fire and gasped.
Zeke pulled a garrote over the monster’s head. He yanked it back and the creature jerked, but Zeke pulled the wire harder.
The canine sprang up, but Kai was ready. He flung a knife at it, and the blade sliced into the dog’s cheek. It let out a wild shriek, then sprinted for the trees.
Kai raced to help Zeke with the struggling monster. There were noises in the bushes right beside us.
My guess was, North and Marc were attacking the other humanoid that had gone into the trees.
Damn, I wanted to help, but the ropes weren’t budging.
I tugged harder. “Come on.”
Zeke and Kai had the monster pinned and Zeke was tugging hard on the garrote. I saw the creature’s clawed feet hammering the ground, then it went still.
Kai leaped up and jogged over. “Hi.”
“We’ve been waiting for you guys.”
My friend pulled out a knife and cut us free. I took Kai’s outstretched hand and let him pull me up. I ignored the multitude of aches and twinges in my body. We hugged and I slapped his back.
“We had no idea if you were alive,” Kai said. “I’m damn glad to see you.”
I helped Greer up.
Kai looked over at the remnants of the dead aquatic monster. “You did that?”
“Yeah, I was pissed. It almost drowned Greer.”
“Greer, you all right?” Kai asked.
She nodded and hugged him.
Zeke appeared, coiling up his garrote wire. “You look no worse for wear, Jameson.”
“I’m damn glad to see you guys.”
Marc and North appeared, splattered in black blood. North was scowling and swiped at his hair. Marc was grinning.
“That didn’t go quite to plan,” Marc said.
“I’ll say,” North muttered.
Marc spread his arms. “The monster had frills on its neck. Wasn’t expecting that. It is dead though.”
“Marc, you’re okay?” I asked, my gaze running over him.
“That tentacle had a tight grip on you,” Greer said.
“Right as rain.” He winked.
North made a scoffing sound. “He nearly died. He had broken ribs and internal injuries. I had to give him an emergency dose of nano-meds. He should be resting.”
“Tattletale,” Marc said.
“He insisted on coming,” North added. “He’s pumped full of painkillers and stimulants. When he crashes, he’ll go down hard.”
He’d come for me. I hadn’t left him, and he wouldn’t leave me. I met Marc’s gaze and nodded. He nodded back. “How about we all get out of here?”
“I’ll call in Colbie,” Zeke murmured.
A howl filled the air.
We all swiveled and looked at the trees.
“I injured the canine monster, but it got away,” Kai said. “It’s hurt.”
There was another howl. Then another answering one coming from a different direction. A second later, there was an entire chorus of howls.
Greer gasped, and my squad mates all stiffened.
“That’s not good,” Marc said.
“I need some weapons,” I said. “The monsters tossed mine in the water. And someone give Greer a blaster.”
Kai handed me a carbine. “Brought a spare for you.”
I took it and checked it over as Marc gave Greer his blaster. North handed me a combat knife. I strapped it to my thigh.
More howls echoed through the trees.
“We don’t have time to wait for Colbie.” I gripped the carbine. “We need to move. Now .”
The men nodded.
“Form up and keep Greer in the middle.” I touched her face. “You just need to focus on keeping up.”
She swallowed. “I can do that.”
I turned to face the trees. “Run.”
Greer
I was running as fast as I could, Hunter Squad all around me. I swallowed. The night was filled with the haunting sounds of howls and excited yips.
The monster dogs were hunting us.
I focused on keeping up my speed. My lungs were already burning, as were the muscles in my legs. I didn’t want to slow Jameson and the others down more than I already was. I knew they weren’t running as fast as they could.
I sucked in air and focused on the forest ahead. It was so dark, and the only illumination came from small lights attached to the team’s shoulders. Jameson had no armor on, but his face was etched with grim lines of determination.
Suddenly, carbine fire broke out behind me.
“Keep moving,” Kai barked as he fired into the trees behind us.
God . The dogs sounded close.
There was a rush of something in the dark to the right. All of a sudden, a huge dog leaped through the air. Its red gaze was locked on me.
I stumbled and threw up my hands.
Jameson jumped in front of me.
The dog took him down, clawing at his chest. Before I could get my blaster up, Hunter Squad opened fire.
Oh, God. Jameson.
The dog’s body jolted, and it slumped. Jameson pushed it off him.
“Fuck,” he groaned.
Blood . There was so much blood.
“Jameson, no.” I dropped down beside him. His chest was grooved with deep scratches and his ripped T-shirt was soaked with blood.
North knelt beside him, swinging a small backpack off his shoulders. He pulled out a small kit and tore it open.
Jameson’s face was lined with pain. I stared blindly at all the blood, my heart beating fast and hard in my chest.
“I’m all right,” he gritted out.
“You’re clearly not.” My voice was shrill.
“Someone give us some more light,” North ordered.
Someone shifted and the beam of light illuminated just how bad the wounds were. I swallowed a cry.
“Here.” North shoved some gauze at me. “Stop the worst of the bleeding. I’ll give him an injection to slow the blood loss and increase healing.”
I nodded, pressing down on the worst of Jameson’s wounds. He grunted.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He reached up and cupped my cheek. “I’m tough. I promise.”
North administered a pressure injection to the side of his neck.
I glanced at the dead dog. It was bigger than any old house pet. It was a weird, mutated thing—and possibly had some dingo in it—covered in orange fur mixed with shiny scales. It had a misshapen back, and its limbs didn’t seem proportional.
More howls filled the night air.
“We’ve got to move,” Kai said.
“I can run,” Jameson said.
North cut Jameson’s ruined shirt off, then pressed some suction bandages over the deep scratches. The others helped him to his feet.
He stood there, wavering a little, but I saw that fierce determination of his. “Let’s move.”
We started running again. I stayed close to his side. He wasn’t moving with his usual athletic stride. His jaw was tight and he was gritting his teeth. I knew that he was in pain.
I pumped my arms and focused on running. The quicker we got out of here, the quicker he’d get proper medical treatment.
But the dogs were gaining on us. Their excited yips echoed through the forest.
“Incoming,” Marc yelled.
“Form up,” Jameson ordered, as he spun around.
The five men formed a shield in front of me. My heart lodged into my throat. Laser fire lit up the night.
Peeking between Jameson and Kai, I caught a glimpse of the pack. No two monster dogs were alike—some were giant, others smaller. They were all covered in a mix of scales and fur. They clearly had the DNA of various dog breeds.
“There are too many,” Marc called out.
Jameson looked back at me. “Greer, run.”
My chest locked. “Jameson?—”
“Go. We’ll give you a head start, and then we’ll be right behind you.”
I bit my lip. I knew if I stayed, I’d just distract him, but I didn’t want to leave him. “You’d better be.”
“Go, beautiful. Run as fast as you can.”
My chest impossibly tight, I turned and ran.
Gripping my blaster, I did my best to see in the darkness. Air sawed in and out of my lungs. I tripped over some leaf debris and sticks, and nearly fell. I caught my balance and kept running. Branches slapped at my face and I shoved them out of my way.
I could hear the fighting in the distance but I kept running, worry choking me.
Please be all right.
There was a snap of a twig, followed by a low growl.
I stumbled to a stop, and it felt like barbed wire closed around my throat.
The growl came again.
I whirled.
A monster canine slunk out of the darkness. Its red gaze was locked on me.
My heart kicked my ribs and my fingers clenched on my blaster. It was at least as high as my waist, and its jaws were open, drool dripping off its fangs. It had a couple of patches of black fur, but most of it was covered in dark, scaly skin.
I lifted my weapon. I had no idea if it was enough to stop it.
“I’m not going to be your damn dinner.”
The dog pounced.
I fired. I kept firing.
Blood splattered my face and chest, and the monster dropped at my feet.
The air rushed out of me. It was dead.
But before I could steady myself and keep going, there was more growling.
God, there were more of them coming. I glanced around and then ran to the nearest tree. I shoved the blaster in the waistband of my pants, then gripped the branches and pulled myself up. Twigs and leaves scratched at my arms, but I ignored them as I reached for a higher branch and hauled myself onto it.
Keep going, Greer. You stop and you’re dead.
I climbed onto a thicker branch and sat on it. I glanced down and all the air left my lungs.
Three canine beasts were stalking around my tree, looking up at me.
Shit .
I swallowed and aimed my blaster at them.
I fired. They dodged the laser fire. One of them leaped and hit the tree. Its powerful body thudded against the trunk. The branch I was on shook.
Oh, God. With my free hand, I gripped the branch. I fired again, and the dog rammed the tree a second time.
The entire tree shook, and I slipped. The blaster fell from my fingers, and I cried out. My body tilted sideways and I reached out, trying to grab onto anything. I gripped the branch, but my legs slid over the edge, dangling below.
The canines leaped up, jaws snapping at my shoes. I yanked my legs up, but one dog clawed at my ankle. I cried out at the burning pain.
I felt my fingers start to slip.
No! I clutched at the rough bark. I didn’t want to be torn apart by monster dogs.
Then, the sweet sound of carbine fire.
I looked down and saw laser fire hit the dogs. They yelped.
Jameson strode out of the trees, chest bare, his weapon aimed at the dogs. He looked like an avenging warrior angel.
Hunter Squad followed him.
Relief punched through me. Thank God .