Chapter 13 #2
She struggled, fatigued with dehydration and hunger, but she sat fully up, blinking back emotion as she stared at Ash.
My family was back. And I recognized that only Ash could have gotten her up.
The one who broke through and put that flame back in her gut.
He had always been our glue. Our foundation.
She wobbled as she rose, but she got up with just his hand as support.
The building shook as another bomb went off right over our heads. Commotion and cries came from above. Lights flickered, some going out, more debris trickling down on us.
“We don’t have time.” My arms went under Kitty, lifting her up. “Put a blanket around her,” I ordered Ash. He quickly bundled her up, and we both took off for the door.
“Get out now!” Ash yelled at the last healer, still packing her bag with medicines. “Come on!”
I didn’t wait, my legs taking us up the stairs. People ran every which way, and I zigzagged through the throng, getting out into the night.
Groups swarmed the area with what little they had, terrified and unsure as the sound of gunfire and thousands of feet stomped toward us.
Mykel, Rebeka, Lukas, and Kek were together, organizing groups. Ash and I made our way to them.
“Sonya’s men are coming up the north side,” Mykel said to me the moment we walked up. “HDF from the south.”
We were being surrounded.
“We have to get everyone out of here.” Ash peered around at the mounting people.
“Only way is to slip out into the park.” I readjusted Kitty in my arms, though she weighed nothing. “In small groups.”
“Lukas, I need all shifters who can carry people, anyone willing to help some of the sick and small children,” Mykel instructed.
“Yes, sir.” Lukas nodded, disappearing into the throng.
“Uncle Warwick!” Simon’s voice rang out in the air, whirling me around to see my nephew running for me, his arms wrapping around my leg. Zander and Eliza were right behind him.
“Warwick.” Relief filled my sister’s voice, her attention going to Kitty. I could see shock turn to hope in my sister’s eyes. She hadn’t grown up with me like Ash and Kitty had, but they had been in her life since she was born. “So glad you are okay.”
“Zander, would you be willing to shift? Carry some of these people out of here?” Mykel asked.
“Of course.” He dipped his head.
A ball of fire flung through the air, crashing into the roof of the base, tossing us to the ground. I hit the dirt, covering Kitty’s body with mine as debris exploded from the roof, cutting through my clothes and skin.
“You all right?” Mykel scrambled over to Rebeka and the several children she was protecting.
“Yeah. I think so.” Rebeka looked over each one, nodding her head.
Everyone around was slowly getting up as more gunfire hit the castle’s outer wall.
“We have no time. We need to go now!”
The moment I stood up, about to reach for Kitty again, I was no longer there. I could feel the pull, driving through me and yanking me to her as if she owned me. She fucking did.
My shadow stood in a woodsy area, my chest sucking in at the sight of her hiding behind a tree.
Seeing her felt like she ripped open my chest and healed it at the same time.
Her long dark hair lay down her back, and a dark cloak wrapped around her shoulders.
Another person stood with her, but I took no heed of anything but Brexley.
Anger. Passion. Hurt. Love. I felt every emotion seeing her. This woman came into my life, flipped it, and took over. And I bowed to it. To her.
And she ran.
As if she felt me, her body stiffened. Her head swung to me, her almost black eyes glinting off the firelight yards away, her mouth parting.
“Kovacs,” I rumbled. I wanted to strangle and kiss the fuck out of her at the same time. Before I could utter another word, a voice tugged my attention away from her.
“Come forward now, or we will look through your camp ourselves.” I breathed in, my gaze snapping on the man who just spoke. My muscles locked up, fury rising as I looked upon the traitor. I wanted to rip him in half with my own bare hands.
Tracker.
He was holding a picture of the girl who was groomed to be a real princess. But not my princess.
I no longer heard the words he said. It didn’t matter. He had found her.
Worse, Tracker was dressed in a Ukraine uniform with men who appeared like robots. Their eyes were dead, their bodies robotic. They were on the pills.
This meant Markos had already assembled an army in Ukraine. He wasn’t shamed or defeated. He was rebuilding stronger with more money and weapons, thanks to Ivanenko. He would come back for Hungary. For all of the Eastern bloc.
I needed to find her. I would fucking find her. I took in every detail, anything that could help me track her down.
I felt the link start to dissolve, pushing me away. “No,” I snarled, but it was too late. “NO!” I roared, my tendons strangling as I screamed up at the sky. She slammed the wall down between us, ramming me back into my body.
“Warwick!” Eliza screamed my name, twisting me around to see troops coming up the path for the castle. “Come on!”
Peering over, I saw Zander had shifted back into his horse self, Eliza and Simon on his back. I scooped up Kitty, running her over to them. She was barely conscious. Standing up had taken most of her energy.
“Take her!” I shoved Kitty at them. Eliza wrapped her between her and Simon, keeping Kitty from slipping off. Zander was bigger and able to bear more weight than a normal horse.
Eliza looked at me, her chest falling. “Come on.”
I shook my head, turning to Zander. “Listen, pony-boy. You have the most important things in the world to me. Get them out of here and protect them with your life, or I’m coming for yours.”
Zander neighed, flicking his head. Probably a fuck you, but I took it as a yes.
I whipped to Mykel. “You need to find a way to destroy Halálház, Sonya’s labs. We need to take out her ability to keep making more. Can you do that?”
“Yes . . . but what are you doing?” Mykel hustled Rebeka and some of the children toward the last escape we had.
I didn’t answer him. “You have a place to go?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Killian told me of a location if anything happened to him.”
“Go,” I ordered. “Go now and don’t look back. Get them all to safety. I will find you guys later.”
“Where are you going?” Mykel insisted.
“To find your niece,” I grunted, turning to Zander and slapping him on the hindquarters. He took off with a snort. “Now go! I’ll distract them for a bit.”
Mykel appeared concerned, but he nodded. “Get Brexley home to us,” he said, then ushered everyone left to follow, not looking back.
Realizing I wasn’t alone, I peered at Ash on one side and Kek and Lukas on the other.
“You guys should go.”
“And miss out on the fun?” Ash scoffed.
“Not a chance, Wolf.” Kek grinned, her eyes turning black, staring off at the soldiers heading for us. “This is when things get exciting. Plus, I’m great at distracting.”
“Damn right she is,” Ash muttered.
Lukas snorted, his head bobbing, cheeks slightly blushed.
“Yeah,” I breathed out. “I know.” Firsthand. “Things could get really dangerous,” I rumbled, pulling the claw off my back, swinging it around to get a better grip. “And death is highly likely if you follow me.”
Ash tugged two guns from his waist. “Only way we know, brother.”