AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Quill and Lev stood by the red hood of the extinction weapon off to her left and Daniel levitated just above the ice, his men in an arc in front of him, weapons in hand.
The bluish-white ice created a perfect backdrop for the would-be dictator, dressed all in black. Daniel had a flare for the dramatic.
He didn’t look at Marius, however. Instead, he’d trained his gaze fully on her.
She felt him beating at the edges of her mind, trying to establish contact. The power that he focused in her direction made her tremble, but the last thing she wanted was Daniel in her head, communicating telepathically. Streaming more of Marius’s power, she blocked him mentally, looking away as he continued his assault.
Disappear, Shayna. His voice was a steel command inside her head.
She didn’t hesitate but took another hit of Marius’s power, opened up the pathway that let her do this impossible thing, then made herself invisible.
Most of Daniel’s security team had their hands on daggers or short chains. But at least two of them spun the long chains, and she thought that whirring sound would live in her mind forever.
Marius stood slightly hunched, knees bent, ready for action. He radiated so much energy and power right now that she swore he gave off a slight glow. Yep, something had changed within him.
Daniel levitated slowly, moving forward, away from the ice. He smiled, something that seemed more sinister to Shayna than if he’d scowled.
He no longer tried to make contact with Shayna. Instead, all his attention was now on Marius.
She didn’t understand why Daniel didn’t tell his men to attack or why he flew until he stood on the floor in front of his men now, as though he had no fear of what Marius might do.
But she felt Marius’s level of determination. Even this was stronger than before.
Still, he faced over twenty men and she couldn’t imagine how he was going to defeat them all.
CHAPTER 8
From the time he’d fed from Shayna, Marius felt power swirling through him as never before, heightening his perception, awakening latent power. His gaze flashed from one powerful guard to the next in quick milliseconds.
“My son, my patience won’t last forever and I can feel your power awakening. You’re beginning to realize who you are in our world and I want you with me, to rule beside me. Join me now, and once we have the extinction weapon in hand, I’ll let you destroy it.”
He knew Daniel intended to lull him with talk, but Marius was having none of it. Not tonight. He had a woman to protect, someone he was coming quickly to value. It was clear to him she had a unique place in his world.
He also fully intended to get out alive and to take this portion of the extinction weapon with him.
He didn’t bother to answer Daniel. Instead, he saw the moment for the unique opportunity it was.
He moved his hands like lightning and before Daniel had blinked he had a dagger in his chest and had slumped to his knees, staring at the finely crafted piece of steel as though thunderstruck.
And at the same time, four of his men had daggers in their throats, all thrown by Marius.
Another blink and two more were down.
He moved faster than he’d ever moved before. Several of the guards were now grouped around Daniel to protect him, others were dead, the rest in shock. Quill and Lev shouted things he couldn’t hear.
Using the short chain while levitating, along with altered flight to disappear and reappear, he decapitated man after man before any of them knew what was happening.
With his lightning reflexes and enhanced vision, he saw two men moving in what would be Shayna’s direction, maybe on Daniel’s command.
He flew in a quick, straight shot, intercepting them both, a long chain whirring in one hand. Before a dagger left the hand of his left opponent, Marius flicked his wrist and the long chain flew swiftly and wrapped around his neck.
The other opponent let a long chain fly as well. But with perceptions Marius had never had before, he stepped sideways, caught the chain mid-spin, and with another flick sent it back to its owner, catching him around the neck. He’d never done that before and he didn’t know anyone who could.
Daggers now flew in his direction. Shayna, are you all right?
I’m in the air high above the battle. I’m safe.
Marius caught and returned each dagger, striking home each time, so that a moment later the battlefield was silent. Those not dead stared at him, including Quill and Lev.
