Unfortunately just before I’m able to pull the trigger, he ducks behind a large tree blocking my line of sight. I sigh, knowing my easy end with this guy just went out the window. Dropping my shield and much to my displeasure the gun since there’s nowhere to put it, I charge up to the tree the leader is hiding behind with soft footsteps. Now it’s just a waiting game for him to pop his arm out to try to take a shot at me, expecting me to be pretty much where he left me.
As he moves his body out from behind the tree and holds up his rifle to take a shot, I grab his extended arm with one hand and rip the rifle from his grip with the other. No man would’ve been able to keep their grip on that gun when an alpha shifter puts his strength into ripping it from their hold.
I fling the rifle into the woods behind me since they aren’t useful in close combat. Using the momentum of my arm performing the toss, I bring it forward on the follow-through and slam my hand into his forearm with a little added force. The bone snaps with a resounding crunch, followed by it spearing through his skin and bending at an odd angle.
The man immediately screams in pain and scrambles back trying to get away. I’m sure my face displays total boredom, which in this situation probably looks a little psychotic to the person whom I just snapped his arm.
“Please. Please, don’t. I’ll do anything,” the man pleads as he takes a few steps back, trying to escape my predatory approach. He brings his uninjured hand up in front of him in the stop sign and thrusts it forward and back a little. As if the motion will push me back away from him.
I keep my bored eyes focused on his face which causes his panic to heighten. He continues to back away from me and trips backward as he steps on the dead man who still has the knife protruding from his eye socket. His ass hits the ground with a thud and before he can try to continue his retreat, I’m on top of him in full mount, straddling his waist.
I reach over without glancing at what I’m doing and grab the knife from its resting place. It makes a squelching sound as it releases from the socket. Without pausing, I bring the knife down and plunge it between his ribs to pierce his heart. I haven’t forgotten the urgency with which I need to reach Alex to aid as backup.
Before shifting back into my wolf to travel in my fastest form, I once again pull a handgun from one of my downed assailants and aim for the passed out PMC. I stand up to get a clear shot and fire off one round right into his forehead between the eyes. I toss down the gun and brush my hands off, having finished something unpleasant.
I will the change to take over and land on my paws, already moving my legs into a rapid sprint. I wish I were as good at tracking as Derrick is. I run in the direction the PMC guys were originally walking, figuring they had a plan, and also because it’s the direction I expect Alex to be. I keep sniffing the air hoping to catch his or Princess’ scent. Although any human scent will also work so I can continue to dwindle their numbers.
My legs push to stretch as far as they can to eat up the distance as fast as possible.Where are you, Alex? Come on, help me out, buddy.The woods are eerily quiet and just as the thought fully forms, I barely hear the sound of gunshots. Bingo. There you are…
I make a beeline for where the shots came from. I’m closing in, but it still doesn’t feel like I’m going fast enough. I’m running so fast my eyes feel like they’re getting windburn. Trees whiz by looking like blurs.
Suddenly, it sounds like a dozen or more guns fire. My heart rockets into my throat and my gut becomes all knotted. On my next stride, my front right leg causes me to stumble. Alex could survive something like what I just heard, but what about her…don’t jump to conclusions.I need to get to them.
One second my paws are meeting the earth, and the next it’s like an invisible mac truck has run into me and I’m flying backward through the air. My body tries to rebel against the sensation, jerking back and forth, trying to get a foothold on something. Before I can get my body back under my control, a loud crack sounds before an explosion of pain engulfs my head.
Chapter 18
Alex
Thirty Minutes Ago
The stinging pain of a rock pelting my cheek jars me awake, followed by the sound of someone screaming, “answer your phone,” which is confusing since I don’t hear my phone ringing at all. As if to disprove my own thoughts, seconds later the phone in my pocket sounds its shrill tone. I lift my hand off of Princess’ head and reach for my phone while searching around to see who yelled. Surprisingly, I’m the only person here. There’s still a hint of light left so I know I've only slept for a short time. Without glancing at who’s calling, I answer my phone, “Hello?”
Oh, thank the Fates!Sounds in my head before the same voice on the phone says, “Grab her and run! Five PMCs heading your direction from the north side. I’ll try to catch up to have your back but my guns and clothes are packed, I’ll need to use yours.” Klaus hangs up right after he finishes giving me a heads-up.
Not wasting a second of time, I shove my phone back in my pocket before moving Princess’ head off my stomach and grab one of her hands. I roll my body and at the same time I get a hold on one of her legs. Using the forward momentum of my movement, I lift her into a fireman’s carry and spring to my feet. The moment I touch her again, I can hear thoughts from Klaus in my mind causing me to be distracted. This is unacceptable. Taking a deep breath, I concentrate on pushing his thoughts out of my mind so the only thing I’m thinking about is what I need to do to get our girl to safety.
As soon as my footing is solid and my mind is clear, I push off into the fastest sprint currently manageable. Princess’ body is flopping around with each step I take but there's no way to keep it from happening. The best I can do is ensure I don’t smack her head into a tree. Within minutes, my breathing is labored, not having rested enough after a full day of running, aiming to keep ahead of those hunting her down.
How the fuck did they find us? A branch breaking sounds ahead of me so I take a right. Shit, how is it possible they got in front of me? With the new direction I’m running, I keep a mental map that there are now guys to both the right and left of me. I’m constantly dodging trees and having to jump over several logs as I try to get her to safety.
This is one of those moments where I truly understand the meaning of “mind over matter.” My body is begging for me to stop and take a break. My physical form is already back to the condition it was in when we finally stopped for the day, what… like an hour ago? I feel like I've stuck my head in a fire pit and am breathing in the flames.
Every step I take, my legs want to buckle. A constant argument occurs between my brain telling my body to suck it the fuck up and my body yelling it’s too tired to keep functioning. There’s no way I can stop until I’m sure our girl will be safe from being captured again. I’m terrified of what they’ll try to do to her, if they ever get their hands on her again. Not to mention we’ll never be able to find her a second time.
A flash of light in front of me catches my eye. No. No, no no. They couldn’t have gotten in front of me. Is there a possibility I ran in a circle? Nope, I’ve run straight ahead. Shit. Trying to turn around I just end up skidding and losing my balance. I drop her legs to use my arm to break our fall and to help me get up quicker.
It’s no use, there are men coming from that direction too. I don’t think they know the exact location I’m in, just the general area by the way they keep moving around. There’s no way for me to get around them without risking my Sleeping Snow. I need to develop a plan to hold them off and it needs to fucking happen right this second.
I observe the terrain around us, trying to find the best place to make a stand, a place which offers as much protection as possible. Off to my right, not too far away, I spot a large boulder about the size of a compact car. On one side of the boulder is a tree with branches spiking out all along the trunk providing visual coverage all the way to the ground. On the other side of the boulder is a girthy downed tree log. It got caught on the edge of the boulder on its way down from the appearance of things. It looks similar to a ramp and will also provide a good amount of protection on that side.
There isn’t a better spot for a standoff anywhere within sight; having three sides of coverage will afford us precious time we quite frankly don’t have. I bend down, trying to keep us close to the ground and hope the faint light remaining causes enough shifting shadows to keep us covered until I make it to our destination. Staying as light on my feet as possible with two dead legs, I make my way to the boulder.
Upon making it to the boulder, I scan the expanse of woods visible from this vantage point while squatting in the triangle of space with the rock shielding my back. They’re closing in quickly, so I lean Princess against the stone where she’s situated with the most protection around her, while I use my body as a shield to further protect her front from any attack. I’m so thankful right now that I never took off my holsters because if I had I wouldn’t have stopped to grab them before running off.
I take a deep breath, well, at least as deep as I can right now, and push my senses out while making a plea to the Fates that they help me recognize when an enemy gets too close from any direction. Both hands drop to my thighs and pull the guns out of their holsters. I pivot so the rock is on one side of me with Princess between us, and the other side of my body is toward the area where we aren’t protected. One of my arms raises up to aim out toward the open section, and I place the other hand on the rock behind me to use as stabilization.
Shit, where the fuck is Klaus? I seriously hope he gets here soon because I don’t think I’ll be able to hold these guys off for long. My mind begins to run through what the best option will be. Should I start shooting now, giving away my position, or should I try to wait things out? Why couldn’t it be Marcus in this situation right now? He’d know what to do. Even the driving force that compelled me when I found Princess would be greatly welcomed right about now.
