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“What the fuck?” he asked, surprised. “I thought we were coming for her.”
“Change of plan. Tell Crew we’re going after Leif. He’ll know what that means.” I gripped Kira’s hand tighter. “We have to hurry.”
Before the bear shifter could argue, Kira and I sprinted down the hall, Kira taking the lead. As we ran, it became evident that she’d had some time to explore the compound, as she rounded corners and rushed through doors like she’d memorized the place. Knowing her, she very well may have.
Eli had managed to shut down the lockdown security mechanism in Simon’s facility, which was how we’d breached the compound. Every door that had been locked now stood wide open, which looked to be a good thing. Kira led me through what looked like the biggest, heaviest door I’d ever seen in my life, where a horror show of unspeakable monsters awaited beyond it. We were going too fast for me to get a good look, but those I did see made my stomach flip wildly, and I had to swallow down the vomit that threatened to spew from me.
The sounds of fighting had faded to almost nothing by the time we reached Leif’s holding chamber. Sitting with his back against the wall, Leif looked much like he had the last time I’d seen him—rocking monotonously back and forth, holding his head. His hair lay in greasy lumps between his fingers, and he was covered in a thick layer of mud and muck.
“Are you sure he’s okay?” I asked.
“No idea, but we have to try,” Kira said. “He’s obviously fighting whatever Simon did to him. Be ready, though.” She stepped forward to unlatch his cell.
Rather than electric locks, Leif’s cell was secured by three massive sliding metal bars. Kira pulled each aside with a loudclunkbefore pulling the door open.
Leif froze mid-rock and stared at us. “Kira? Wyatt?”
“Thank the gods,” I said with a sigh of relief. Maybe he was okay.
“Come on, Leif,” Kira said, extending a hand toward him. “We’re gonna get you out of here.”
A smile played at his lips, and he reached out as well. Then, like a switch had been flipped, the smile vanished. His lips peeled back, turning the grin into a vicious grimace. Growling a warning to Kira, Leif snatched his hand away and shifted.
“Kira, get back.” I grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her into the hall.
I’d planned to slam the door shut and lock him back in, but Leif was too fast. He leaped forward, banging the door back open with his shoulder, and crashed straight into Kira, the two of them tumbling to the floor. I grabbed Leif’s tail and wrenched him away from Kira before he could sink his teeth into her. Now fully feral again, he spun, snapping his maw at me. Ivory white teeth clapped together an inch from my hand.
Startled, I lost my balance and fell backward. It was all he needed. In a second, he was on top of me.
Before he could tear my throat out, I shoved my forearm under Leif’s jaw and pushed him away. Saliva dripped onto my cheeks as he growled and snapped. With my free hand, I held a fist full of his fur, keeping him from twisting to get a better angle at my neck.
“Kira,” I grunted. “Help. He’s fucking strong.”
Before Kira could get to me, the sound of boots running towards us filled my ear. Great. If Leif didn’t rip my head off, some of Simon’s guys would blow my brains out. Those thoughts were bouncing through my mind when Eli rounded the corner. Not Simon’s men, but a friend.
“Little help!” I called out, still struggling to keep Leif at bay.
Eli rushed forward and placed a hand on Leif’s head. “Peace, brother.”
With those words, Leif’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he slumped sideways onto the floor before unconsciously shifting back to human.
Kira, still slowed by what Simon had done to her, smiled up at Eli. “Good timing.”
Eli shook her head disapprovingly. “When Crew heard what you two were doing, he sent me to find you.” She nodded to Leif’s sleeping form. “I guess he’s coming with us?”
“He is,” Kira said, wincing as she got to her feet. “We’d never leave him here.”
“We have to run,” Eli said. “Who’s carrying him?”
“You guys are slow as hell, aren’t you?” another voice called.
Kira and I whirled to see Mika jogging up. He shrugged. “I figured Eli might need some help.”
The fallen angel looked affronted by the suggestion, but said nothing. Mika stepped forward, and with my help, heaved Leif up onto his shoulder. He gave the three of us a meaningful look. “There are ferals running through the halls. I think Simon let them all loose. So far, he hasn’t let those damn monsters out yet, but that’s probably coming if we don’t get the fuck out of here.”
“Then I suggest,” Eli said, “we get moving.”
Eli and I took the lead, with Kira behind us and Mika carrying Leif at the back. The compound had gone strangely silent, now that the main battle had followed Crew and the others toward the entrance we’d breached. Our first roadblockcame about a hundred feet past the lab where I’d last seen Crew and the others. Two tiger shifters fought and snarled at each other over the lifeless body of one of Crew’s men.
