Page 354 of Immune

Fletcher glances at Ewan. “Don’t tell me you just opened the cages?”

“I didn’t open the cages,” Ewan says monotone.

Then a Runner crashes into the outer hall so hard the wall actually shakes.

Ewan winces. “I opened some of the cages.”

Fletcher’s mouth twitches once. “Good enough.”

“Damn. That’s some high praise coming from you, mate,” Ewan snorts.

“Don’t get used to it.”

Another guard appears in the doorway, panic plastered over his face and rifle raised too high. Maine hits him from the side with the butt of his shotgun rather than using shots. The crack of bone echoes through the room, and the man drops like a freshly felled tree. Maine stands over him, shaking so hard his rage seems to vibrate through the floor.

Then he turns to me and his face shatters. “Kota.”

I want to go to him. Hell, I even try, but my knee folds.

Fletcher catches me before I hit the deck. “Careful, darlin’.”

“I hate that word,” I mutter.

“Liar.”

“I hate being easy.”

“Now that I believe.”

His arm holds me upright, strong and careful. He smells like blood, and gunpowder, and smoke under the chemical haze. His jaw is tight enough to crack stone, but he loosens it to ask, “You with us?”

I grip his forearm tightly, trying to help with my weight. “Define with.”

“Still stubborn?”

“Oh, yeah,” I answer instantly. “Still rocking the stubbornness.”

“Then you’re with us,” he says.

Kaito’s bond brushes mine with a question instead of a command. Can you stand? I don’t even know if the thought is actually his or mine or some weird little bond thing we’ll have to unpack later over a coffee and emotional damage.

I answer by reaching for the dead guard’s fallen knife.

Kaito sees it, because of course he does, and kicks it toward me. It skids across the floor and stops against my boot. I look at him and he looks back without a lecture. There’s no “don’t, Kota” or “you’re too hurt.” Just trust, dark and steady.

I bend and the movement almost sends me straight into another dimension. I do manage to wrap my fingers around the knife, though, so that’s something. Only, the knife feels all kinds of wrong. Probably because it doesn’t belong to me. However, it’s still sharp, and that’s good enough for me.

The leader moves again while everyone’s distracted. Clean Gloves lunges, but not for the door.

For me.

Fletcher reacts first, but he has to turn around Maine. Kaito is blocked by a falling guard. Ewan is at the panel with the radio. Xeon is in the doorway, dropping another soldier before he can raise his weapon.

The leader grabs me by the throat and yanks me against him. A pistol ends up pressed under my jaw and everything stops. Just like that.

Vector guards in the hall freeze.

My pack freezes.