Chapter 32
The warehouse
Brir
Orion’s screams made me jump to my feet. I whirled around right as the man stomped on Artemis's face.
A feral roar ripped from my throat, an animalistic sound of fury and despair that shocked me with its intensity. "Artemis!" I bellowed, lunging towards the man with an unspeakable wrath.
Raw rage pulsed inside me as I tore across the room, grabbing the man by the arm to yank him away from my mate.
Orion’s hand balled up and punched me square in the jaw, snapping my head back and knocking me off him.
The taste of blood coated my tongue. I spat a mouthful onto the cold concrete, feeling a burning sting from where the punch had split my lip. But I barely noticed the pain. All my focus was honed onto Orion, who was now back on his feet, a twisted smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.
I scrambled back to my feet, lunging back at Orion with renewed vigor.
I collided with him, and we crashed onto the floor, a tangled heap of flailing limbs and ragged breaths. Fists found faces, knees jabbed torsos, a brutal dance of dominance and survival unfolding on the cold concrete. Orion got a leg between us and flung me off him again.
Orion was surprisingly strong and twisted out of my grip with a cruel laugh. "Do you care for this pathetic creature?" he sneered, raising his gun again at Artemis.
I lunged at the man again, this time aiming for his hand holding the gun, but he was too quick. He dodged my attack and grabbed me by the collar. I wrapped my hands around the hand that was holding the weapon as he slammed my head into the stone wall.
The world spun, and my vision blurred. I stumbled back, clutching my throbbing head. A groan of pain escaped from my lips. My senses were a whirl of confusion.
But the force of the impact also ripped the gun from his hands. It skidded across the floor.
Orion went after Artemis again, this time with his bare hands. He tried to wrap them around what was mine.
"No!" I bellowed, throwing myself into his path. My hands lashed out, blindly aiming for his face while my knees went for his midsection. The air was knocked out of him as we collided, but he kept struggling, his laughs starting to sound more like choked gurgles.
My head throbbed with a dizzying pain, but it was nothing compared to the riptide of terror and fury coursing through my veins. With a shout, I managed to toss him away from Artemis. I placed myself between them. He would now have to go through me to get to my Savase.
Orion stumbled backward, surprise flickering in his eyes before transforming into a malicious grin. "You think you can beat me? Stop me? I’m going to kill you," he sneered, his voice dripping with venom.
Ignoring his taunts, I shielded Artemis. My heart pounded with a mix of fear and determination.
Orion charged, snarling like a cornered animal. He was damnably strong, but I was driven by fury and desperation that lent strength to my blows. We collided again and again in a violent dance. His fists pounded into my side. I could feel the sharp pain of bruised flesh.
The sound of the door I had come through slammed open, but the man in front of me didn't even look over his shoulder at the noise. His eyes never left me. His fists never stopped trying to beat me.
Merrick stalked into the room, and I watched as his eyes went from Orion to me to Artemis, all within a second before he was swinging his kitous at Orion's head. I ducked down, but Orion flung himself backward. He fell to the ground and rolled away from both of us.
With a swift, fluid motion, Merrick was on Orion himself. Using his kitous to push him back, he gave me room to breathe. But Orion was far from finished.
“You're outnumbered,” I snarled. Merrick stopped a few feet from the human. “Give up.”
"Enough of this," Merrick growled, his voice echoing with a dangerous potency. He extended a hand, and I took it gratefully, welcoming the support to return to my feet.
Artemis was shaking now, shivering like a frightened squirrel. His eyes flickered back and forth between Orion and us. His breaths were rapid.
Orion's eyes narrowed, smirking as he took in the situation. “It seems so,” he replied, not shifting his gaze from me. “But you’re outmaneuvered. You’re just pawns.” His body language told me that he wasn’t worried. He wasn’t scared of either of us.
Ignoring his insults, I focused on Artemis, my instincts telling me to shield him at all costs. I knew that if I lost my focus, Orion would find an opportunity to strike Artemis again.
Artemis's chain rattled as he attempted to escape the confrontation, his fear-stricken eyes never leaving the scene. I could see him mouthing words— prayers or pleas, I couldn’t tell. His hands trembled as he tugged on the cold metal that bound him.
Merrick stepped forward, his posture tense but firm, his eyes never leaving Orion's form as he struck out with his kitous, but the human moved faster than he should have been able to. His form blurred as he appeared several feet away. He moved like one of us. Fluid and graceful with muscle control, he shouldn’t have.
“What the fuck?” Merrick muttered, his jaw slack with surprise.
Orion lunged forward, his movements lithe, but Merrick was ready. As Orion came within his reach, Merrick swung his kitous with all the strength he could muster. To my surprise, Orion deflected the blow easily and retaliated with a quick jab that sent Merrick reeling back.
“What's wrong, big red?” the human teased. “Not fast enough to get me?”
Orion continued to taunt us with that infuriating smirk on his face. I clenched my fists, anger bubbling as I tried to study how this human moved.
I had sparred with Merrick before and knew he was wicked fast. Hell, the kitous had whistled from the force of that swing.
This man wasn't just another human. He moved and fought with the skill and speed of our kind.
Merrick's eyes flashed with anger, but he quickly composed himself, realizing we needed a new plan. He glanced at me, then Artemis, and then back to Orion.
Suddenly, a harsh whisper escaped Merrick's lips, carrying a command I didn't quite understand. He moved swiftly, circling to the left while his eyes kept a steady and unyielding focus on Orion. I watched as Merrick made his approach, his every step purposeful and deliberate.
His eyes narrowed, and he gave the slightest nod. A flicker of understanding passed between us—we would have to work together if we could get Artemis out of here safely.
Without warning, Merrick lunged at Orion, the kitous whirling through the air. He seemed surprised, but he was not entirely caught off guard. He dodged Merrick's attack and spun a swift kick, sending him flying across the room.
This man wasn’t so large that he should have been able to toss Merrick back like that, but he had.
Then he lunged towards me. I tried to take a step back and dodge, but his fists connected with my body. I was barely able to land a punch.
His punch was swift and brutal. It knocked the breath straight out of me. My knees buckled.
His body moved in a blur as he twisted and turned, evading Merrick’s relentless attacks. I watched in horror, my heart pounding in my chest, as the man's ruthless strength seemed to give him the upper hand.
Merrick kitous's whistling again sounded behind the man, but Orion raised his arm, blocking the blade from reaching his head.
Merrick’s Kitous smashed into something on Orion’s arm. Bone against metal echoed through the warehouse as I rolled away, trying to get space between us. When I looked up, I saw Merrick take a step back.
Orion had bone-like spikes protruding from his arm and a smile, as blue, shimmering blood dripped down his fingertips. As his body shifted, scales emerged from his skin. Bone spikes tore apart his clothes. A long tail lashed the air.
Orion was transforming.
My heart pounded as a cold realization dawned upon me. Orion wasn't human —he was something far more dangerous. Fear chilled the marrow of my bones as I pushed back, putting distance between us though my eyes never left the monstrous form. He was pieced together just like Artemis, but his monster parts pushed through his skin just the way Arya transformed.
Orion was a hybrid like Artemis but had more control over his form.
The blue blood continued to drip rhythmically onto the cold warehouse floor. The bones stopped growing. Blue scales shimmered over Orion’s upper body and down his arms to where the bone-plating protruded from his arms. His tail was spiked, just like Artemis’s.
“What's wrong, boys?” the man snickered. “Did you think Artemis was the only one?”
“Brir, blade!” Merrick shouted as he dived toward Orion. I looked around and noticed how close I was to the sword. I scrambled, diving for the weapon as Merrick tried to keep the man busy. Orion lunged for me. My heart raced as I reached for the discarded sword. A tail wrapped around my ankle and tore me away, tossing me across the room.
As I hurtled through the air, my mind raced with my pounding heart. My back smashed into a stack of metal crates, the impact sending a shockwave of pain ricocheting through my body, but my hand was wrapped around cold steel. I had seized the sword right before being tossed and somehow kept ahold of it.
Orion roared in a fury, his bone spikes tearing into the flesh of my arm. Merrick was a blur as he intercepted Orion’s attack with a vicious slash from his kitous. There was a sickening crack. Merrick’s kitous had sunk into his tail. Orion screamed as blood poured from the wound, tail whipping out from under his weapon. His tail lashed, spraying blue blood.
Both Merrick and I stood on either side. The wound on his tail closed as we watched. The flesh knitted back together, not even leaving a scar as Orion studied us.
"This isn't going to work," Merrick gasped, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Orion laughed then. “Do you think Mother would have sent someone to mold one of her children without making sure I could protect them?” His voice had shifted. A dark edge to the guttural tone slithered past his lips. Orion gave a bitter laugh. “I was her first. You're not going to be able to stop me.”
“What the fuck?” I heard the words leave my mouth as Orion focused on me. He lunged forward, claws slicing through the air even as I tried to dodge. I swung Arya's blade, but he twirled out of the way like a ballerina.
Orion seemed able to withstand every blow, dodge every attack, and slowly and methodically pick us apart with his obscene strength and monstrous transformation. He seemed to anticipate anything and everything Merrick and I could throw at him.
But what Orion hadn’t expected was a pissed-off Leonovus in a full-blood rage to drop down on his back from the rafters. Sharpened claws dug into his back. Fangs ripped into his exposed neck. Leonovus roared, his rage echoing off the metallic walls of the warehouse. His claws dug deeper into Orion’s flesh, the sound of splintering bone nearly drowned by the other's screams. He thrashed wildly in an attempt to release himself from Leonovus's deadly grip.
Leonovus's fury overwhelmed him. I saw his eyes widen, his physical prowess slipping away as he fell to the ground. Leonovus hissed as he bit into Orion’s shoulder. His screams echoed through the warehouse as Leonovus clawed and tore at his flesh, releasing a shower of blood and gore.
The man howled a cry of pure agony, echoing throughout the warehouse as a gush of blue blood sprayed upward. He thrashed wildly, trying to shake Leonovus off.
Merrick took his chance and swung the kitous, slamming it into the bleeding side of Orion’s neck where Leonovus had already taken out a chunk.
I lunged forward myself, plunging the blade into the man's chest. His blood was pulled into the blade.
Blinding light and a sound like thunder tossed me several feet back on my ass. The sword was ripped from my grip, and Orion’s body skidded away. I stumbled to my feet, stepping towards the sword, when my eyes were drawn to the others who had also been tossed away from the man. They both stood on their feet, looking at him in shock.
A raw, primordial energy pulsed from Orion's collapsed form, rippling through the air like waves from a stone plunged into a pond. His body convulsed violently, a grotesque puppet on unseen strings.
Leonovus's nostrils flared, hissing sounds emerging from the back of his throat.
Orion’s head was gone. Smoke rolled from the body as his blood boiled from the stump of his neck.
“What the fuck?” Merrick said, walking over to the body and kicking it with his boot.
"Did...did that just happen?" I muttered, my heart racing as I stared at the lifeless form on the ground. We had fought so hard against this creature, and now it seemed we had killed him. I looked down at the sword in my hand before sliding it into its sheath. I glanced at Merrick, his eyes widening with shock. "Did the sword make his head explode?"
Merrick nodded slowly, his voice hesitant. "I think so."
“How the fuck is that even possible,” I said, gasping for breath
“No idea,” Merrick said as his gaze flicked to Artemis. “Let's get him out of here.”
My breath caught in my throat, horror filling my eyes as I watched Leonuvus begin to tear into Orion’s body, claws opening his chest and tearing out his organs to devour his remains. I turned away and jogged to Artemis.
Chains stretched out over his body. His green blood dried into a pool underneath him. His hands looked broken, several fingers at odd angles. I didn’t see a safe place even to touch him that wouldn’t cause pain. There would be no easy way to get the chains from his body.
Merrick's knees hit the ground beside me, his hand reaching for my shoulder.
“It's going to be okay, Brir,” Merrick told me, looking down at Artemis.
“Help me,” I said, holding onto Artemis's arm so that Merrick could pull the shackles apart without jostling him too much. His blue eyes were full of tears.
“I’ve got the door,” Leonovus’s dark voice said. His eyes were locked on the remnants of the corpse, but he moved to the exit.
“You're alive,” Artemis said, his bruised and battered face looking up at me. I nodded once, helping Merrick finish with the rest of the chains.
My gaze never left him. My heart pounded in my chest as I took in the sight of him alive. We fought hard to save him, and our efforts paid off.
“I'm sorry I didn't come sooner,” I said, raising a hand to caress his bruised cheek.
Artemis reached up to grasp my hand, a faint smile on his lips despite the evidence of torture on his face. "It's not your fault, Brir," he managed, leaning into my touch.
Artemis looked up at me, his eyes filled with pain and confusion. “You’re here,” he murmured again. He turned his hand over, threading our fingers together, and squeezed hard. It was like he wasn’t sure if I was real.
“What have they done to you?” I asked, gently cradling Artemis’s hand in my own. His claws had been removed.
“I got out of the room they were holding me in a few days ago,” he told me. “I thought you were dead. I attacked them just like you taught me. I was hoping they would kill me. I wanted to take as many of them with me. He ripped my claws out as punishment.”
A sudden rush of grief surged through me at his words, and I clung to his hand more tightly.
As I held Artemis close, his body trembled from the trauma. We had to get out of here. Merrick and I exchanged a quick look.
I could barely swallow past the lump in my throat. The knowledge of his suffering was a physical pain twisting in my gut. "I'm so sorry," I whispered again, hot tears stinging at the corners of my eyes.
He tried to smile, but it was more of a grimace. It broke my heart.
“You are very strong, my friend.” Merrick placed a hand over both of ours. “They will grow back,” he reassured Artemis before moving towards the shackles at his legs. “Do not worry.”
Artemis released a shaky sigh, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment before opening again to meet mine.
Merrick grunted, pulling at the last of the shackles with a determination mirroring my own. Artemis winced as they finally gave way, clattering onto the cold stone floor. "Got 'em," Merrick muttered, satisfied.
As gently as I could manage, I wrapped an arm around Artemis and lifted him from the floor, cradling him against my chest. He cried out in discomfort but didn't pull away. I held him tightly to my chest, wrapping his legs around my waist as I had done before. He snuggled closer into me until his breath brushed against my skin.
"We need to get him out of here," Merrick said tersely, standing up and scanning the room for potential threats. “I want to get back to Soren.”
Artemis's grip tightened around me at Merrick's words, fear creeping into his gaze as his eyes flickered towards Leonovus. "Don't worry," I reassured him softly, pressing a small kiss onto his forehead. “I've got you now.”
Artemis's body shuddered in my arms, but he didn't resist as I stepped towards the door.
"Soren is Merrick's Keala. You will like him," I whispered into Artemis's ear, trying to ease the fear in his eyes. We needed to leave this place and fast. Merrick had already reached the door, and I could feel the cold air seeping in as I held Artemis closer.
Leonovus held the door open so I could maneuver Artemis through it.
I walked through the corridor, Artemis nestled safely in my arms. Leonovus was dripping with blood off his hands and down his face. He didn’t even try wiping it away as he followed me. I felt better having him at my back and Merrick behind him. I didn't even bother trying to avoid the bodies of the humans we had slaughtered to get Artemis back. I could feel their bones crunch under the heel of my boots as I led us to the door.
Leonovus made his way around us to push the door we had come through open for us. He looked around.
We made it through the door and saw Soren running towards us. The Lepots were following not far behind him.
“Soren, you were supposed to stay at the hotel!” Merrick shouted to be heard in the distance.
Soren looked up at us, his face a mix of relief and concern. “I know,” he called back, slowing his pace slightly. “But when I didn't hear back from you, I knew something was wrong. I couldn't stay there any longer.”
I could see the tension in his every move, as if he was ready for anything. The compound around him was silent.
“The guy holding Artemis wasn’t that easy to take down,” Merrick said.
Soren had almost made it to us when a man popped out from behind a car, grabbed his arm, and put a gun to Soren’s head.
We all froze. I recognized him at once as the doctor who had kept Artemis drugged.
The doctor sneered at us, his eyes glinting with malice. "Looks like you boys are in some deep trouble now," he drawled, his free hand touching the trigger of his gun menacingly.
Leonovus hissed beside me, and Merrick froze, clearly weighing his options. Artemis tensed in my arms.
“Now you're going to put the hybrid in that jeep, and you're going to walk away, or I’m going to kill him,” the doctor said to us as he pushed the gun against Soren's temple.
Before we could even move, Dune's large head appeared behind the doctor, his teeth bared. A glob of drool dripped onto his shoulder. We all watched as, slowly, the doctor looked up. He didn’t even have time to shift the gun off Soren before Dune opened his jaws and lunged forward. He snapped his giant maw closed around the doctor’s head.
The doctor screamed. His hands came up to try to push at Dune’s jaws. Dune shook his head violently like a dog playing with a toy. I watched as the man's head was torn from his neck and flung to the side. The body of the doctor fell to the wet ground with a thump, his head still in the Dune's mouth and part of his spine hanging out past his jaws.
We stared at the scene silently for a moment, horror twisting in our faces.
“Dune, drop it,” I said to the beast as I strode forward carefully, my eyes fixed on the grim sight before me. Dune's tail lashed back and forth. His eyes landed on Artemis in my arms, still not letting go of his grisly trophy. I stepped into the light, my hand reaching out towards Dune in cautious assurance.
"Drop it, Dune," I repeated, my voice steady despite the lingering fear.
I could see the strain in his muscles as he clenched his jaw, but I knew he would listen. With a final snap of his teeth, he slowly complied, his teeth releasing the doctor's remains from his mouth with a wet, disgusting sound.
Dune spat out the decapitated head, a sickening crunch echoing in the all-encompassing silence. The dismembered corpse was painted in hues of red, contrasting with the ashen city sidewalk beneath it. Dune's amber eyes gleamed with sadistic satisfaction as he licked his jaws, ridding them of the metallic taste of fresh blood.
"Thanks, Dune," I whispered, my voice trembling. Dune simply growled in response, still looking around nervously.
Soren, momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events, staggered back, his face drained of color. His eyes met mine, and I could see fear dancing in those depths that hadn't been there before. My heart clenched at the sight.
"You alright?" Merrick asked, his eyes scanning the area for any more threats.
“Yeah. I watched this place forever. No one was out here. The rest of the asshats that Leonovus didn't kill ran the fuck off,” Soren retorted.
"Soren!" Merrick growled, instantly at his side. "You were supposed to stay put. Damn it!" His tone held no real annoyance —only concern veiled under a thin layer of frustration.
Soren just managed a weak nod, his trembling hands coming up to touch the spot on his temple where, moments ago, the cold muzzle of a gun had been pressed. "I… I know," he stuttered out. "But I… I thought..."
"You thought wrong." Merrick cut him off with an exasperated sigh, pulling Soren into a brief but comforting hug. “I almost lost you once. Can we please not repeat that?”
Leonovus approached the other side of me. He pointed at the other Lepots just feet behind Soren. "Well," he said grimly. "At least we have transportation now."
My attention shifted back towards Artemis, still cradled in my arms. His body had gone rigid at the sight of the doctor. He was trembling now, whether from fear or the pain from his injuries, I couldn't tell.
"I've got you," I murmured to him again, reassuringly tightening my grip around him.
Dune approached Artemis and sniffed his hair before he nuzzled his large head against Artemis, making him softly chuckle. Artemis looked up at me with a smile.
"Let's get out of here," I whispered, trying to sound as calm as possible for his sake. "We have to find a safe place and get you patched up."
“Is that Artemis? Is he ok?” Soren said, pulling himself out of Merrick’s protective arms and coming over to look.
He reached out, and I let him run his wrist down the side of Artemis's hair. Soren had picked up quite a few things from the people of New Pharia. The scenting gesture of protection made my heart swell. Soren was a good person. I thanked the man as Artemis’s tear-stained face frowned at Merrick’s Keala, his fingers gentle and affectionate running up and down my arm as I held him.
Merrick nodded, still watching the area as we slowly approached the Lepots.
“Hey Artemis, I’m Soren,” he said, smiling down at my heart. “It's great to meet you finally. You’re safe with us.”
Artemis gave a small, shaky laugh as he clung to me, his eyes watery and desperate. "I... I thought I was going to die there," he whispered, his voice breaking. I could only imagine the horrors he had seen and the pain he had endured before we found him.
Leonovus and Merrick shared a solemn look, the realization that Soren had been right about the danger weighing on their faces.
As if to punctuate the statement, Merrick gripped Soren's shoulder, reassuringly squeezing it.
"We're here now, Artemis," he said, his voice low and comforting. "You're safe with us."
“We need to get him out of here so we can bandage him up,” Leonovus said. Blood was still smeared over his feline face and chest – a chilling reminder of the brutality he was capable of inflicting. His demeanor had shifted, though, from deadly predator to concerned friend. The mask that he wore during his blood rage hung back on his shoulder. “There is a river about an hour from here. We should clean up there.”
I could feel Artemis's body trembling even harder against me, his fear palpable. I looked into his glassy, wide eyes, seeing his terror reflected at me. My heart ached for him, knowing how much he had endured.
"I’ve got you, and I’m never letting you go again, Artemis," I promised him, my voice soft and steady. "I'll keep you safe."
As one, we turned and walked away from the scene of carnage, leaving the bodies behind them.
Behind us, Dune loyally followed with the other Lepots, their large form dwarfing the rest of us as we let the shadows swallow us.