He calmed some, staring up at me and muttering breathlessly, “Elder f**king air Elemental.”
I nodded, and my lips pinched as he grimaced. Apparently not just his ribs were broken, because Antonio moved down his body. “Yes, you can kick his ass once you can walk again.”
Ezra blinked slowly. “I suppose you’re correct.” Another slow blink. “Walking would probably be the minimum requirement for kicking someone’s ass.” He jerked at something Antonio did, but he didn’t try to fight my hold. Then, amazingly, he chuckled a little, sounding drunk. “Did you give me mouth-to-mouth?” He licked his now red lips. “Yes, I believe you did.” His resulting grin was sloppy, his words slurred. “Can you do it again while I’m coherent?”
None of the Elders was really moving to stand. In fact, Elder Zeller still appeared to be out. He appeared badly injured, but if he wasn’t dead, his unconsciousness was a blessing.
I met my husband’s gaze. “Shh. Don’t talk.” I glanced back to Antonio. He had dried blood down the side of his cheek, but other than that, he didn’t appear to be harmed. “I think Ezra may have something wrong with his head. Possibly a concussion.”
“He’ll be fine in a few minutes, if it’s only that,” Antonio muttered, eyes on his work. “And besides, he’s talking and awake, unlike his father, who I need to check on.”
“What’s the matter with my dad?” Ezra griped loudly, sounding a bit better.
I sighed when Antonio moved to Cahal. I started feeling over Ezra’s head, making sure his skull wasn’t depressed anywhere. Just because I couldn’t smell any blood on him, it didn’t mean he wasn’t injured there. “Antonio’s fixing him up. Don’t worry.”
I paused in my exploration of his head when I heard his Vampire make a definite purring sound. “That feels good.” He tilted his head more into my hold. “And the view’s even better.”
I glanced down, then I slapped my hand over his mouth. He was staring at my br**sts. “Good grief.” Damn concussion.
“You’re going to have to give me mouth-to-mouth again if you suffocate me,” his voice was muffled behind my hand, then I felt his lips curl against my palm, “Never mind. Suffocate me.”
Unbidden, a chuckle escaped. “You’re un-freaking-believable.” I removed my hand from his mouth. He looked kind of adorable lying there with a silly grin on his face. “Try to be quiet.”
“I’ll be as quiet as you want me to be,” he purred.
Sighing in amused exasperation, I moved away to check Elder Jacobs.
Elder Merrick and I glanced at one another, then we jumped. Our strength allowed us to reach and grip a slight ridge two stories up. The building wasn’t large, appearing like a concrete commercial structure, and said concrete bit into my fingers as I grappled for a hold, my feet dangling in the night air. Gritting my teeth, I dug in, letting my wolf’s nails slice through my fingers for the added anchor. Swinging a leg up, I hooked it over the ridge and carefully maneuvered until I was standing on the rough, decorative edging, my heels the only thing on the ridge, my back against the wall. Another glance at Elder Merrick once he was situated, and we both bent carefully then jumped straight up again, twisting in midair to grip the edge of the top of the four-story building and, as before, hooking one leg over the edge so that we lifted over it and both of us were flat on the roof of the building.
Scanning the top of the building, I pointed to the right and Elder Merrick pointed to the left. And we both pounced, taking our knives from their sheaths and attacking the Coms on top of the building who stood watch. Hell, the Coms didn’t even have time to pull their guns. Five necks were sliced, no screams, in a matter of ten seconds. A small smile lifted my lips as I wiped my knife on the leg of my soft black leather pants before resheathing it.
“You really do enjoy this, don’t you?” Elder Merrick muttered.
“Don’t you?”
He growled a bit, but eventually I saw the same smile grace his face. “We’re wolves.”
“If that’s what you need to tell yourself…then you’re in denial.” I started walking to the edge of the building. “I can honestly say that this is a perfectly legal way to vent my anger.” A glance at him. “What’s your honest excuse?”
He ignored me, staring out into the night. His eyes flashed twice into the dark night. Two green flashes were returned from a hundred yards away in the shadows of the few trees decorating the field this structure was built on. Message sent: We had taken the roof and were moving inside. Message received and returned: Elder Zeller and Ezra would be waiting at the east entrance for entry.
Antonio was at the north end, using his power to run interference on their security system. Elder Jacobs was to the south, creating a small wind disturbance, nothing major or unnatural, just enough to distract the small number of guards who had been circulating the premises. No one had kicked his ass yet. I was pretty sure Ezra was waiting until after the mission was through, so Elder Jacobs was able to do his part.
Knowing Antonio had the security system in hand, I jerked open the massive steel door, easily breaking its locks, the steel handle crushing under my grip. We moved inside quietly down the stairs to the first floor. I could hear Coms throughout the building, but they could wait until we let in Ezra and Elder Cahal. Exiting the stairwell, I quickly slit the throat of a Com who had the misfortune to be walking by, dragging her body into the stairwell and stuffing her in the corner under the stairs. We glided against the walls until we arrived at any corners, following the layout we had memorized. Elder Merrick silently took out two more Coms while I took out the other two standing post at the east entrance. Elder Merrick opened the office door behind them, taking out the three techies there, then tossed the bodies littering the floor into that room while I swiftly unlocked and opened the door for Ezra and Elder Zeller. They both entered silently, their nostrils flared, eyes intent, and faces as serious as Elder Merrick’s and mine, while I lifted and tossed the bodies they had taken care of outside the entrance into that same office. I left the door unlocked for Antonio and Elder Jacobs to enter, which should be precisely in…a glance at my watch… “Ten minutes until Antonio and Elder Jacobs arrive.”
One nod by all, then we moved to exterminate.
Elder Cahal was taking the fourth floor, Ezra the third, Elder Merrick was taking the second with later help from Elder Cahal and Ezra thanks to their speed, while I took the back half of the first floor. The front section we would all do together in ten minutes.