Chapter 47
DOMINIK
My pace spikes at the sound of a cry loud enough to shatter windows.
I fly past the dining hall, hearing three shots fired, ringing out with a piercing vengeance.
Leaping down the stairs, I push harder, faster to reach the first level.
When I fling the next door open, my breath catches at the sight of Vessa—a menacing bird of prey hovering over its kill.
One of the straps of her pink shift is torn, the other stained crimson, along with the rest of the tattered garment. What isn't seeped in blood is covered in bruises. Her eyes are empty. Shadows of exhaustion hang beneath the creases.
She breathes my name. It comes out hoarse. Wrathful.
My wolf squirms with anger at the grisly sight of her. Cautiously, I approach the girl who grips the rifle for dear life, thankfully scenting that the blood that clings to her isn't her own.
Her skin is chalk white, casting a faint glow.
I blink, wondering if I’m imagining it. As I hold out my arms, her split lips quiver with relief.
She takes a giant step into my chest, throwing her limbs around my neck.
Feeling her deep exhale, I start to form words of assurance, marveling in the way she feels against me.
The agonizing bliss of her scent. But then, I recognize the blood, opening my nostrils fully.
My eyes pan back a hundred yards or so, only to land on the crumpled body of my sister.
"No," I croak. I don't feel myself go slack. I don't realize that I've fallen to my knees until I'm staring at the barrel of Vessa's gun. The gun strapped to Demi's waist when she stormed in with us.
"I'm so sorry,” she whimpers.
I don't even know if I'm breathing. Tears prick my eyes. "This wasn't supposed to happen.”
Someone down the hall hurtles around the corner. In three seconds, he’s shifted, charging towards us as a wolf twice his human size.
Vessa brings the gun to her shoulder and fires at him before I can react. He goes down hard, skidding. Twitching his limbs, the beast reverts to his naked human state.
Vessa pulls me to my feet, forcing me to look into her eyes. "We need to find a way out of here. Do you think you can carry her?"
As the shock still radiates through me, I honestly don't know if I can even pull myself together to go to her.
“Fuck,” I curse.
She strokes my back for only a moment before repeating the question, emphasizing urgency. "I know. But we need to keep moving. How many rounds do you have?”
I blink, taking my first step towards my fallen sister. “Plenty.”
"Good,” Vessa whispers. Stalking towards the dead guard, she kicks the pistol away from him and scoops it up, stuffing it in my waistband. “C'mon, I'll cover for you."
Gathering Demi’s broken body, I sling her over my shoulder.
Vessa adjusts the helmet on her head and props the rifle in position.
Cutting the lights, she takes the lead, sneaking us through a sterilization room with a row of shower stalls, locating an exit at the far end.
As we head to the basement, my ears pick up activity on the other side of the door.
More humans. Over a dozen, from what I can tell.
Vessa’s hand grasps the handle, but before I can stop her, she slips through. I have no choice but to follow.
Four men point guns at our heads as we cross the threshold. My eyes instantly lock onto the lycan with white-blond hair. The male who brought this nightmare to my club. Levi.
“Look at that,” he croons. “We can call off the search.”
Vessa fixes her gaze on the queue of women alongside the door.
Disgust pulses through me as I realize some are as young as twelve.
Maybe ten. Her heart beats steadily, assessing the room, contemplating which of these pricks are worth wasting ammunition on.
The bulkiest guard of the group raises his walkie to his lips.
Vessa blasts the device out of his hands.
Cursing, he springs back in shock, as do I.
“Stay behind me,” she hisses. “If these assholes want their money, they won’t risk shooting me.”
The back door swings open, revealing a burly male with buzzcut hair. Spotting Vessa, he raises his weapon.
“Butch, no!” Levi barks. “Put it down.”
He does no such thing. And now we’ve got ourselves a standoff.
Seeing I have no choice, I carefully lay Demi’s body on the floor and unstrap my rifle. “How do you wanna play this?” I whisper.
Before she can answer, Levi cuts in. “Be a good girl and lay down that gun. I can assure you, they are only being transported to safety.”
Her eyes narrow. “Who’s the liar now?”
A guard crosses the room and yanks the arm of the first captive in line. Butch stands aside as he kicks open the door. Vessa’s finger pulls back on the trigger, putting a bullet through the male’s forehead. The captives in line gasp, cowering away from the door.
Levi flinches. “Stay in line,” he yells at the girls. Several begin to cry.
“If you want me, you’re going to have to cut a deal.”
Above us, the ceiling rattles. Lycans, probably led by Jabir. I nod to Vessa, urging her to try to buy us a little more time. She subtly checks the count on her rounds, frowning.
“You are mine,” he sneers. “Now put the fucking gun down before my boys do it for you.”
Three guards step out of the shadows, aiming their weapons right at me.
Vessa lowers her arm, reaching behind her back to nudge my belt.
When I slip a new mag into her palm, I notice her hair has brushed back, revealing a gruesome bite on her shoulder.
I know for a fact that it isn’t my brother’s work, and that has my blood boiling like a geyser.
“You fucking bit her?!”
The wolf beneath is seething. Thrashing. Begging to be freed. For years, I’ve shoved this monster down. This needy, perverse animal. But no longer. My gun and helmet clatter to the ground. Fingers become claws. Senses multiply, charged with fury.
Vessa curses under her breath. Maybe I’m about to blow this. But I don’t give a damn. I’m going to rip this scumbag apart.
Promptly, the guards open fire at me. Vessa takes another one out, screaming over the shots. “I will go with you! I will go if you hear me out!”
What?!
Levi cocks his head to the side, calling off the men. “I’m listening.”
“Allow Dominik to escort the girls out. Once they’ve made it, I’ll put the gun down. I’ll do whatever you want.”
My head whips to her, but her eyes are locked dead on Butch. The only thing that stands between the captives and their freedom.
Vessa
The grey wolf droops, desperately begging me to reconsider. Though Dominik can’t speak, it’s written clearly in his expression. Don’t do this.
“Take the girls,” I whisper. “We’ll come back for your sister.”
Levi thinks it over a moment. “As you wish. Guns down, boys.”
Dominik whimpers, rubbing his head against my hip. Glassy eyes implore me not to send him away.
“Go,” I order. “Help them.” I caress his muzzle, though I know it breaks his heart. “I’ll be fine.”
I lower to my knees. While he briefly shields me, I swap out the ammunition cartridges. Dominik grunts in acquiescence, approaching the captives cautiously. Butch grits his teeth as Dustin opens the door. The girls waste no time sprinting out.
Across the room, the guard flanked to the left of Levi shifts his aim slightly to Dominik’s side. Oh, hell no.
I hoist up my gun and fire, allowing the wolf to slip out.
While Butch clutches his shoulder, the guard faceplants with a grunt.
Charging towards Dustin, I shoot him twice in the stomach before dropping to the floor and taking out his right ankle.
With the flip of my rifle, I manage to block a desperate hook he throws.
I counter with a whack to his trachea and quickly knock the gun out of his hand.
The lycan roars, snatching me by the neck.
But it’s a fatal mistake. I wedge my barrel beneath his chin and pull the trigger.
“You little cunt,” Levi growls, pulling me off the guard with a fistful of my hair.
The gun clatters out of my grip, landing in the pile of brain matter.
He pins me to the wall, squeezing my windpipe to the verge of crushing it.
I claw at his hands, fighting with every ounce of strength I have left.
If I’m going to die, then I’m going to ensure he goes down with me.
As my vision starts to waver, there’s a blur of brown fur that tackles him to the ground. He bellows in pain, releasing me instantly. Oxygen rushes back into my lungs, sparing my airways from collapse.
Another shaggy wolf arrives on the scene, a slightly smaller copper brown.
Butch races to action, but in his human form, he’s far too slow.
Jaws clamp around his arm, tearing it off along with the weapon he holds.
The copper wolf lowers its muzzle, preparing to deliver the fatal blow to the throat.
But Levi is quick to recover, firing at the beast’s leg.
The wolf shrieks, its piercing cry sending me scrambling for Demi’s rifle.
Movement in my periphery forces me to leave it.
The darker-maned lycan crouches low, snapping its teeth. Before Levi can fire at him, I dive for his ankles, knocking him over. My head jerks up to meet the brown eyes of the wolf. I know those eyes. It’s my Beta.
Jabir’s teeth plunge into Levi’s shoulder. He cries out with a thrash, eyes flaring neon green. I mount his injured body once more, taking the opportunity to pry the gun out of his fingers. He swings his arm, but I dodge the punch. The wolf sinks his teeth in deeper.
“Being held down is a real bitch, isn’t it?” I pant.
I hover the gun over his kneecap, pulling the trigger. He screams. “That was for Emilia and Fawn.” The next bullet goes into the opposite knee. The veins in his neck pulsate from the pain. “That, for Esmé.”
Holding my aching shoulder, I stumble to my feet and deliver another to his abdomen. “Demitrya.” Finally, I kick his legs open. He groans in agony. Crimson puddles spread beneath him.
“This last one, well, take a guess.” I fire two bullets into his testicles and spit on his face.
Across the floor, the injured wolf has crawled his way over to Demi’s body, whimpering.
He lowers his snout, nuzzling it against her feet.
I stagger over to them, giving his ear a consoling stroke.
But there isn’t time to dwell. Outside, more men yell, revealing their location as they get closer to the side door.
Swiftly, the wolves and I make for the back stairs, hearing more gunfire in the distance.
A bomb explodes, filling the hall with smoke. I drop to my knees instantly, feeling the thick air burn in my lungs. I can’t heave it out. Jabir, too, is suddenly disoriented. Out of the smoke, a wolf springs onto him, forcing him to leap into action.
Still coughing, I try to find my footing. My hand reaches for the wall, only to latch on to someone’s arm—one that swiftly cages me in, hauling me around the corner. Fingers clamp over my mouth before I can call out to the others.
A husky voice finds my ear. “Listen to me, very carefully.”
Kiersten.