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It would have helped if my new bride had come with an instruction manual. Maybe then I would have been more prepared for the scene I walked into upon my return. Something must have made her snap because the lab had nearly been destroyed. Shredded papers lay soaking up blood that was splattered across the floor.
Bloody drag marks smeared the floor, most of the drawers had been emptied of their contents and thrown around the room. The amount of rage it would take to do something like that was terrifying. Zosi sat on the floor; a man partially flopped over in her lap. A janitor’s badge hung crooked from his blood-spattered shirt. His fingers were slightly curled, likely due to the paralytic effect of her venom.
She watched me through slitted eyes. Blood had splashed across her face and torso. Her chest was heaving as she breathed, and her body trembled.
Yanking her fangs out of his neck, she exclaimed, “I can explain!”
I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. What was I supposed to do now? We had found a way to somewhat justify her other kills, but it appeared she had simply gone into a feeding frenzy with the janitor.
Running footsteps in the hallway had me turning to the door I had left open. An officer skidded into the room. How could I explain this away? They would take Zosime. What would it take for him to forget any of this ever happened?
It turned out I didn’t need to worry about him talking.
Zosime’s fluke hit the floor and she propelled herself into the officer’s chest. He cried out and staggered back against the wall. The crack of a gunshot was followed by the crack of her fluke hitting skin. Their bodies dropped to the tile with a thud. My ears rang as I stumbled toward them. By the time I dropped to my knees next to them, the officer’s eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling.
I pulled Zosime off the dead officer and into my lap. Cradling her against my chest, I breathed in her soft beach scent and tried to figure out what our next step was. I needed to think fast. The officer was going to be missed pretty fast.
“I couldn’t let them kill you,” she said, her words muffled in my shirt.
I stopped rocking her. I had assumed she had snapped and killed them because she couldn’t help it.
“I know what you thought,” she continued. “We have so much to learn about each other. It is natural that you would be suspicious of me.”
She didn’t sound hurt, but I was mad at myself. I had trusted her enough to bind myself to her, but not enough to hear her side of events before assuming things.
“The first man worked here as a janitor because he failed in his studies. He blamed you for his failures and he came to steal the research he thought you were working on now. When he could not find it, he found a knife to torture and kill you. I had stayed hidden until he got the knife. No one touches what is mine. Do not worry, he did not find the elixir. I would have stopped him if he got too close.”
She had fought him to save me. He could have stabbed her. The thought of opening that door to find her dead knocked the wind out of me. I clutched her tighter, reassuring myself she was fine.
“Zosi, what do you mean by elixir?” I asked.
“I found it in the cold metal box,” she replied, gesturing to the box in question. “Before he arrived, I drank several, and they enhanced my abilities and increased my energy. It is like the magik of the Ancients.”
I glanced across the wrecked room to the refrigerator. Six cans of a coffee energy drinks lay scattered around it.
“That’s not magic, it’s coffee.”
“There is a difference?”
She was adorable and I barely contained my laughter. “You are on a caffeine high, Zosi,” I explained. “That’s a lot of caffeine to drink at once, especially if your body isn’t used to it. No wonder you thought they were magic.”
We both jumped suddenly at the wail of police sirens. I looked around the room; there was no time to spare, we had to run.
I stood, holding her against me. Then I ran out into the hall and out the side door nearest the docks. The moment my feet hit the docks I started sprinting. If anyone spotted Zosime’s mermaid tail, the hunt for her would be relentless. There was a small fishing boat at the end of the dock. I would find a way to pay the owner for it later, but right now it was our ticket out of here.
I jumped on board, settling her quickly. In less than a minute we were moving through the bay and out toward the open water. I felt for the phone Storm had given me, relieved that it was still in my pocket. Dialing his number, I listened to it ring. There was no answer. Cursing, I shoved it back in my pocket.
We traveled for almost two hours, never spotting a sign of anyone coming after us. My first clue that anything was amiss was the bullet embedding itself in the cushion of my chair. A second bullet hit the side of the vessel. I listened for their engines, but our boat’s motor was too loud to hear anything over.
“Stay low!” I shouted. Zosi didn’t respond. Panicking, I turned to see if she had been hurt, but the boat was empty. Should I stop, or keep going? I got my answer when she surged out of the water and grabbed the boat rail next to me.
“I was going to take out the shooters, but there are three boats,” she explained. “These men look like experienced hunters. Their boats are dark, the lights are blacked out. They do not want anyone knowing they are out tonight. There is no way to outrun them in this boat, Fynn.”
“We don’t have a lot of options, Zosime!” I cried. All I could think about was what those men would do if they caught her. “Zo, you need to go,” I insisted.
I clicked dial on the phone again. On the fourth ring Storm picked up. “Storm, listen!” I shouted. “Two guys tried to attack, and Zosime killed them. We made it out into the ocean, but there are too many and they are armed. I’m sending Zosime to hide––”
Another shot rang out. The new shooter must’ve believed we were far enough out for the sound to not matter. I dropped the phone and grabbed at my burning cheek.
