Chapter 32 #2
Unfortunately, Gavin hadn’t noticed him.
Somehow, the man was able to cling onto the cliff face roughly fifteen foot above Gavin.
Gavin was still oblivious when the man leaned forward.
I waited tensely waiting to see his next move and how I could thwart his attempts to harm Gavin.
Before my stunned gaze his tongue left his mouth and grew and grew and grew some more.
I instinctively knew if his appendage connected with Gavin horrible things would occur.
“Not today, bitch.” I hissed before I imagined a swarm of bees.
The moment they came to fruition I aimed them at the man’s tongue.
His first flinch was evidence of my successful attack.
The way he frantically attempted to retract his tongue filled me with satisfaction.
I was almost laughing when he realized his tongue was so swollen from the bees that he was unable to stuff it back in his mouth.
The man was neutralized and would be unable to attack anyone else.
Yet, I wasn’t satisfied with that knowledge. Again, vengeance filled me.
Gavin had already dispatched the two men he had been fighting. He finally seemed to notice the man above him. His face looked horrified at the man’s appearance and relieved he hadn’t met whatever fate that tongue would have caused.
“You might want to move.” I silently warned him.
His gaze met mine and he smiled when he realized the bee attack was compliment to my gift.
He moved just on time because the bees attacked chameleon man with a vengeance.
The man was in a full-blown panic as his tongue swelled to the size of fire hose and welts erupted all over his body.
He tried to swat them off in his panic, forgetting he was clinging to the side of a rock face.
The moment he began to fall I turned my head to the side.
I wanted him to regret his decisions, but I didn’t need to witness it.
I wasn’t spared the sound of crunching bones and a sickening crack though.
When I turned to assess the situation around me once more, I realized Horatio’s numbers had diminished significantly.
The remaining few seemed to be on the verge of running to safety, leaving him to hang out to dry.
He seemed to notice it at the same time because he had the look of a cornered animal.
I knew instinctively that he was going to do something drastic.
An older woman of average height and size sidled up to Horatio’s side.
She spoke a few hurried words to him, and he seemed to get even angrier.
He ran a hand through his already ruffled hair.
In fact, he looked a lot worse for wear than I had ever seen him.
His designer suit was covered in stains and rumpled beyond belief.
His normally attractive face looked like he had aged twenty years in less than twenty-four hours.
In short, he looked like a man at the end of his rope.
Within seconds the woman aimed her fingertips toward Pops. A thick vine erupted from her fingertips. It quickly wrapped around him and in a blink of an eye she had him hanging from the side of the mountain.
A few of us ran forward to attempt to get him but Horatio held up a staying hand. “Get any closer and I’ll drop him now. Jemmy, stop playing with my helicopter and the moment I get on the bird we’ll return him to you.”
Jemmy snorted. “You’re nothing but a liar. I don’t even know if you know how to tell the truth any longer.”
Horatio gave her a cold smile. “You’ll never know until you allow my helicopter to land.”
“Or you give us Pops back and I won’t send you over the edge.” I dryly stated.
He sneered at me. “My beautiful prodigal daughter has returned. That’s not how negotiations work.”
I felt something brush against my mind, but it was like an annoying buzz.
He was attempting to infiltrate my mind but was unable to.
It was then I realized my men had surrounded me and each one of them subtly touched me in one way or another.
Horatio frowned when he realized whatever he was attempting to do to me wasn’t going to work.
I grinned in satisfaction. “Uh oh. It’s not working, is it? How long have you been feeling weak? Was it when your siphon was lost to you and he could no longer ‘top’ you off? Was it after you tried to infiltrate our minds when your people breached our base?”
Lincolns voice came through our family link. “Continue keeping me safe. I’m going to jump vine woman. Try to keep Horatio distracted.”
I’m glad one of us was thinking clearly. Admittedly, I was operating through tunnel vision. I wasn’t thinking logically.
“Blake, tell Gavin to try and mimic your gift of compelling. We need to attempt to get everyone on the same page.” Troy suggested next.
“Gavin try to mimic my gift. We need to loop everyone into our communication.” I silently followed Troy’s instruction.
“Little girl, you have no clue who you’re fucking with.” Horatio sneered. “You think you’re the top bitch surrounded by your lap dogs but don’t be mistaken. You’re still—Just. A. Little. Girl.”
“We’re all here,” Gavin said. “Obviously some of them can’t respond verbally, but every one can hear.”
I composed my face, so Horatio didn’t suspect anything, before flippantly shrugging. “I guess I’m just a little girl who can still block you, though. How does it feel knowing I am biologically yours, yet I’m a better version than you can ever be?”
“I’m in.” Lincoln told everyone. “I have Pops. Whatever anyone does, don’t hit me if things kick off.”
“The scary looking man with the spikes on his arms and the girl with the scary eyes are getting ready to attack you, Blake.” Alex piped up.
“I got the man with spikes.”
“I got scary eyes.”
I saw movement out of the corner of my eyes and realized the others were preparing to shield me if necessary.
Just as Alex predicted spikes were aimed at me as well as lasers.
Drake threw a forcefield around the person throwing spikes while Jaxson placed a mirror in front of the girl with laser vision.
Within seconds both of them were screaming.
I had to look away once I saw the scorch marks around the woman’s eyes.
She was screaming and holding her eyes, and I had a feeling, her vision, if not her gift would be permanently damaged.
I wanted to feel some sympathy for her, but I couldn’t.
If the lasers had connected with me, I would have been severely injured if not dead because of her actions.
As far as the man with the spikes go, the forcefield had his own spikes bouncing back to him.
The sharp projectiles pierced his skin. One of them embedded in his neck.
The way the blood came out I suspected the carotid arteries had been struck.
Another woman went running toward him screaming and sobbing at her plight.
I looked away, my gaze meeting Horatios. “Tell your people to stand down. I don’t want anyone else to be hurt. You know you’re on the losing end of this. You should take a deep breath of fresh mountain air because this is going to end one of two ways. Your death or behind bars.”
Again, I felt a sharp emotion of rage followed by panic.
They were emotions coming from Horatio. My grin grew even wider.
Outwardly I was grinning and mocking him, but inwardly I still felt such a great sense of loss and fury.
His eyes narrowed on me, and I knew he was trying to attack my mind again.
I tsked, shaking my head. “I’m not the same girl you mentally attacked before.
” I chocked my head to the side as another thought struck me.
“But you already knew that didn’t you. You realized that the last time I didn’t allow you to infiltrate my mind.
That’s why you tried to manipulate me to join your side.
When that didn’t work, you’ve been tirelessly hoping to take my babies away so I would come to heel.
That’s how you have so many followers around you.
You bribe the ones you can and blackmail the others. ”
As I talked, I heard Remy and Troy directing the others on our next course of action.
I vaguely computed that some of them made a movement or a noise to indicate that they heard and understood their assignments.
The helicopter drew closer and I knew the next few moments could determine the outcome of whether or not Horatio would ever bother us again.
Horatio slightly turned, grinning when he realized he was seconds away from freedom. His ego had carried him for most of his life, unfortunately, for him it wouldn’t any longer.
“Now Jemmy!” Remy barked.
Jemmy clapped her hands, causing Horatio to sharply turn to her. A huge ball of electricity was launched from her fingertips. Horatio’s face fell with pain and horror when he realized its target. It was halfway to its mark when he snarled at his people. “Kill them!”
By the time the words left his mouth Jemmy had struck the motor of the blades.
There were loud grinding and popping noises seconds before the air was filled with a sudden stillness.
Then we all watched as the helicopter plummeted to the earth.
It seemed to be enough for our enemies to spring into action.
Half of his people immediately began to run toward the tree line, clearly not wanting to get injured or die for Horatio’s cause.
The other half seemed to hesitate and that moment was enough for us to launch our own attack.
A few of them made a valiant effort but it wasn’t enough.
In the end all of Horatio’s remaining fighters were too injured to fight or dead.
Horatio and Lincoln—the woman—were the only two remaining.
“Drop him.” Horatio went to grab the woman Lincoln had jumped.
“Stop!” I commanded him.
I didn’t completely compel him. I wanted him to be mentally aware to understand what was going to happen to him.