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“Zeltan,” Zaire says.
“Brother,” Zeltan replies, his gaze flitting from Zaire’s face to mine. “Welcome home.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Zaire says. I twist his restraints back, pushing my leg into his back to force him to his knees.
Zeltan laughs, taking a step toward him. I look around, trying to spot any cameras that might be watching us right now. I know this floor is monitored, but I don’t know exactly how long we’ll have to get out of here before we’re swarmed by Diavolos.
“You know,” Zeltan says, baring his teeth at Zaire. “When I first went to fetch you on the moon, I didn’t realize just how adorable the human you got pregnant is. She is a feisty thing, isn’t she?”
Zaire looks up at him, his shoulders squaring as he does.
“When I was told she was captured, I volunteered to guard her myself. I wanted to be first in line after the baby is born. You’ve always had good taste…”
At his words, I let Zaire go, uncuffing him with one quick electrical pulse. We might want to keep up the pretense, but I’m furious at listening to the way Zeltan is speaking about Penn’s best friend and I don’t even know her.
Zaire is on him before Zeltan can draw his weapon, pinning him down to the floor and pummeling his fists into his face. I can hear the crackle of electricity every time his fist hits the side of Zeltan’s face, until I’m absolutely certain the man won’t be able to do anything but take Zaire’s beating.
Not that he deserves anything else.
He’s a fucking asshole.
But Zaire makes quick work of beating him until he stops moving, completely passed out at our feet. “Take his weapons,” I tell him. “I don’t think we have much time.”
Zaire nods. He grabs the pistol at his side and tosses me the spear. I lean down to cuff Zeltan because I don’t want him to wake up and come after us. When he has his hands bound behind his back, I wave my hand in front of one of the modular doors and throw him inside the cell closest to us.
He can probably break out, but I’m not going to worry about that. First, we need to get Layla out. Then we can worry about everything else.
Zaire and I are at Layla’s cell in no time, Zaire pressing the handle of the gun against the magnetic reader that opens the door. It still has traces of Zeltan’s electrical signature so they open with a whine.
It takes me a second to process what I’m seeing. Layla stands up straight, her hands at her sides, her black hair messy around her face. She’s ready to fight.
Then her gaze darts between us as her mouth falls open.
“Hi,” Zaire says. “Sorry that took so long.”
Layla’s eyes widen. I look her up and down. She’s a bit smaller than Penn, long dark curly hair cascading down her back and falling to her waist. I can scent her pregnancy from where I’m standing. She’s wearing baggy clothes that must’ve been provided by the Family when she was imprisoned. “You’re really here?” she asks softly.
“Yes,” Zaire says. He opens his mouth to say something else, but Layla jumps into his arms, hugging him close. Tears fall down her face as she pulls away from him. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll feel a lot better once we get out of here,” she says. “Who’s this?”
“Corvus,” Zaire says. “He’s with Penn.”
“Penn is here?”
“Yes,” I reply. “Come on. She’s waiting for us.”
“Here,” Zaire says, handing Layla his gun. “You’re better at this than me.”
She smiles at him and the two of them hold hands as we leave the cell behind. We’re running past the hallway, past the cells, when the elevator at the end of the corridor opens. Several guards step out. There are maybe half a dozen of them, but we’re armed, and this little human is just as dangerous as her best friend.
She points the gun at Darym, who is approaching us, firing it immediately and getting him right in the face. One of them, with dark skin and silver eyes, draws his weapon as he sets his gaze on me. Everything happens quickly after that. I realize that I don’t know most of these men, which means the Family must’ve employed more people to watch over Layla Dara.
Darym and Elan must’ve kept watch from upstairs. They were ready–probably excited–for a fight. This was supposed to be a trap.
None of these things surprise me at all.
With Zeltan’s spear still in my right hand, I manage to knock the gun out of his hands. It clatters on the floor in front of him and he tries to dive for it, but Layla shoots at him. She doesn’t get him, but it’s enough for him to jerk away, which gives Zaire the opportunity to grab the gun that he just dropped.
