Chapter 16 Lucus #2
“Rasmus,” he cut in, placing his hand on his chest and bowing like she was royalty… and I guessed, in a sense, she was. When his head came up, he smiled like her words had lit up his whole world. She eyed him up and down before shaking her head and going back to the weapons.
“Yeah. Ras, here—” The demon's whole face transformed into utter bliss when she gave him a nickname, and my nostrils flared. “—told me that he saw a few men go into the sensory room on the sixth floor with a package that looked like a bomb. That's why he ran over to get me.”
That’s why he came, or, more accurately, he just wanted to save her. Did he have hopes of being her white knight and gaining her favor? If so, he needed to wait in line.
While Aniyah was handing the wolf a gun and a handful of small spheres, telling him which ones were made for distractions and which would knock out a room, Alic took over.
He stepped up to Rasmus, a glare on his face, and towered over him.
In a hushed tone, he growled, “And how did you know what was going on?”
Rasmus didn’t flinch. His smile turned sharp. Cold. All traces of the bashful boy vanished, his demeanor becoming blacker than his hair. My instincts prickled at the back of my head, telling me this demon was dangerous.
“I was being watchful. Protecting something precious,” he said, stepping up to the towering troll with a cruel smile slashed across his face. “After how you fucked things up with Princess Mia, you’d think you’d be more grateful.”
Alic froze at the name. “H-how do you—”
“I’m IT.” Rasmus smirked, wiggling his fingers like they were magic. “I know everything.”
Something about this had me on edge, so I took a step forward, ready to intervene. When the hell did I start caring if Alic got hurt? Just because we’d done a little sharing didn’t mean we were now buddies, ready to have each other's backs. I must be losing my mind.
Aniyah cut through the tension with orders. “Van, go to the sensory room on the sixth floor. Check that the magical patches you put on the structure are still holding strong. Alic and…I'm sorry what was your name?” She cocked her hip and pointed to the wolf still in his mask.
“Morino.”
Her brows pinched like she was trying to remember something, but the sound of shots being fired in the background focused her right up.
“Alic and Morino will sweep all the other floors and help any of the employees that need to get out. Ras and Lucus, you’re with me on the main floor.”
Her controlling tone grated on me, and my own compulsion reared its head, wanting her under my command. What if we could meet somewhere in the middle? Maybe she would let me fuck her while she was giving orders?
Everyone but Alic cocked their guns and nodded in response.
The troll's doubt-filled eyes flicked around, then he opened his stupid mouth and put his foot in it. “I think I should be the one to go with you to the main floor. I can protect you better than them.” Then he decided to put the nail into his own coffin when he straightened up, his lofty tone not the one I would’ve used, and followed it with, “It's my job.”
The demon smirked and rolled his eyes like he knew what he would say before it even happened. Me? I didn't give his condescending tone any thought. This asshole couldn't get it through his thick head that this stunning female in heels and a silk robe was probably the most dangerous of us all.
This was why I was a good businessman and not a soldier. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, and the only way to get yourself out of a sticky situation was to let those that knew what they were doing lead—not putting my personal feelings above the situation like some idiots.
Aniyah didn't waste any time. She waltzed right up to him, and he braced for impact.
Unfortunately, he braced for the wrong spot.
She reared her leg back and kicked him straight in the balls.
He immediately cupped them, eyes bulging as he groaned in pain while the rest of us looked at him with pity.
Even the demon didn't smirk at his situation.
She got right in his face, the fire in her eyes wild, and yanked his ear up to her lips.
“I tried to be nice. I tried to be mean. I tried to understand you, and I tried to force you to understand me. You’re leaving me with little to no choices anymore, Alic Gorgof!
” She shoved his ear out of her hands, taking the AK-47 in her hands and cocking it in his face.
Exhaling, she looked down at him with a blank expression—no sympathy, no anger…
just nothing. “I’m putting you on clearing the floors because you’re the one that knows this place inside and out.
You can anticipate where the assailants will be and take care of it quickly, as long as you have a good backup. ”
Alic let out a ragged exhale before climbing up on shaky legs, standing at attention in front of her.
She continued. “Morino seems to have a good build, with muscles made from a similar type work as you.
Ras has the tech savvy to cause a distraction with the stage equipment, and Lucus can speed me around the room if I need him to until you can join us when you're done clearing the floors.”
Her body was taut, eyes glaring, and tone harsh and firm, but she couldn’t hide the flash of bone-deep hurt that made me want to hit that damn troll for making my brilliant mate feel less than.
“Now, do you think you know better than me?” Her voice got stronger, more vicious. “Should you be Boss Glovefox? Want to fight me for the seat?”
He bowed his head, like he should, shaking it as he weakly mumbled, “I just don’t want you to get hurt. I would rather take the bullets for you.”
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes in frustration before looking at him. “I know, Alic, but you need to trust that I know what I'm doing. I'm not just the person you need to protect or the woman you have feelings for.” His head snapped up, but she cut him off before he could say anything.
“We need to take care of this situation. Will you follow my orders, or…” The finality in her voice was harsh, giving him this one last chance before she made the decision for him.
Determination took over his body as his face became a void, the killing machine taking over as he nodded. Turning to Van and Morino, he said, “Lets go,” and they headed off in the direction of the elevators.
“Good luck,” she whispered after them.
She turned back to her treasure trove of weapons and yanked out a flare gun, handing it to the demon.
“This throws out a two-second portal that will drop them into the basement dungeon. And yours…” She plucked out a pistol and handed it to me.
“Has a bullet that takes out a chunk of whatever it touches in a four-inch radius while rendering them unable to regenerate. Now, let's go.”
Whatever you say, my mate. Switching off the safety, I watched my mate’s back, excited to see what she was made of.