Entering the back half of the first floor, I came to a halt. “Well, shit.” From our intel, the back half was supposed to be mainly offices, a few labs, and another computer center…but it wasn’t.
With drying blood all over me, I waved my gloved hand, waggling my fingers at the, at least, forty Coms in lab coats who all slowly stopped working at their sterile workstations lining the area. The room reminded me of a large steel cage, a continuous steel desk rimming the room for their computers and microscopes and other miscellaneous medical equipment, the names of which I was completely ignorant of.
“Hello, everyone.” I didn’t think lying was an option, appearing as I did, so I told the truth. “I’ve come to kill you all. It would be much easier if you would kindly stand still.”
Predictably, they didn’t listen, but my little distraction gave me time to grab my weapons. I had been in worse situations this past year, much worse, but still, forty against one was pushing it. I knew I wasn’t going to make it out unscathed, that was for damn sure, especially with no place to really hide, and the small fact that even though these Coms were obviously scientists, it didn’t stop each and every one of them from pulling weapons from their person, hidden under their lab coats.
I cracked my neck and instantly jumped to the first few, right as they started firing at me. “Your deaths,” I shot three, jumped again, “would be much easier,” shot two more, “if you would just stand,” I kicked a wheeled chair at one while killing three more, “still, dammit.”
I felt the agonizing burn slice through my left shoulder, knowing I had been hit, and I growled, firing at will while using a Com’s dead body as a shield. Dropped him, then flew through the air again, grabbed a long light fixture hanging from the ceiling, and fired from above before flipping and landing in a crouch to continue firing. Another bullet sliced my right calf, and my wolf huffed as I spun and took that bitch down. And I most certainly didn’t appreciate the damn silver knife that was jabbed into my right thigh, slowing me down. That person quickly ate one of my bullets, then became a shield as I held his bloody body against me while I backed up and continually fired. Now, the bullet I took to my right hip from a f**ker hiding under a few of those wheeled chairs really pissed me off, because it stayed inside me, hindering me even further. And that was when the cavalry arrived, thank God, the Vampires most definitely being able to hear all the gunfire. Too bad there were only eight Coms left now, instead of the forty.
When Elder Zeller and Ezra quickly took care of those, I held up a hand, pointing at the hiding puissant. “Don’t hurt that f**ker.” I dropped my body shield, wavering on my feet. “He’s mine.”
Ezra blurred to my side, his eyes glowing fiercely, expression furious as he jerked the knife from my thigh. I grunted, teetering further, and he quickly lifted my arm that hadn’t been shot, placing it around his neck, holding me up. He peered at his dad, who had the lone survivor — my kill — restrained on the ground by easily placing his gun at his head, and Ezra shouted, “Who the f**k did the intel on this place?” He waved a hand around the room, which was splattered with blood and littered with bodies, even as Elder Merrick and Antonio and Elder Jacobs arrived. “This sure as f**k isn’t a one person hit.”
I patted his chest, my vision beginning to blur. “Don’t yell. It’s hurting my ears.” My head tipped in Antonio’s direction. “A little help, please? I’m bleeding all over the place.” The wounds from silver bullets and knives, dammit, didn’t heal quiet as quickly. “And one bullet’s stuck.”
Ezra’s Vampire growled, and he swiftly lifted me off my feet, blurring to Antonio’s side.
Antonio quickly asked, “Where is it?”
“Right hip,” I stated through gritted teeth, shaking my head to clear my vision. “That f**ker over there hid and shot me.”
“It’s always the coward that gets the lucky shot,” Elder Merrick muttered, slicing into the side of my pants where the bullet hole was, and since Ezra wasn’t setting me on my feet, he and Antonio worked in unison.
I yelled a nasty curse when Elder Merrick sliced my leg open a bit more to allow Antonio to use his magic to pull the bullet out, but in the next second I felt instant serenity transfuse my system, and I sighed, my body relaxing as I glanced up at Ezra. “Thank you.”
He grunted, nostrils flared as he stared at what they were doing to my thigh.
My head thumped against his shoulder. Stayed there. “Go figure, now you’re quiet.”
Elder Jacobs was surveying my handiwork. “Not bad.”
“Well,” I waved a wobbly hand, “you know, I asked them nicely to stand still while I killed them,” Elder Merrick chuckled hard, glancing at me, “but they wouldn’t cooperate, so I got inventive.” I tipped my head back, staring at the ceiling. “Thank God I don’t weigh much.” I pointed at the industrial lighting fixtures. “I swung like a monkey from one of those.”
A bit woozy from blood loss, I still leaned heavily against Ezra’s side, since the damn Vamp wasn’t letting me go even though Antonio had fixed all my wounds. And now I stared down at the coward that had shot me. “How would you prefer to die?” I tilted my head when he stayed silent as he sat on a chair, sweat covering his face. “I really don’t like getting shot by little pissants hiding while others fight.” My wolf growled as I debated my options.
“You need to hurry this up, Lil,” Antonio checked his watch, “The spell I put on the others at the front will wear off soon.”
Ah. I had wondered why no other Coms had come running at the sound of gunfire. I patted my leg with my gun, then I paused, a slow, feral grin etching my face. “I do believe you deserve a humiliating death for your humiliating behavior.” I tsked him. “You really shouldn’t have shot me like that.” I patted Ezra’s arm around my waist. “Let go.”
He grunted, still quiet, but did as I asked. Hovered. I glared at him for a second, but he didn’t back away. Sighing, I turned my attention back to the Com. Lifted a single finger, letting my power ripple down into it, watching him tremble as he stared at it. Quietly, I murmured, “Oh, you’ll love the ride, but not the landing.” I touched him.
He stilled instantly, then he bowed so hard he fell to the ground. Quickly, I put a knee to his chest, keeping my finger on his forehead as he thrashed, eyes hooded, while a shout of pleasure erupted from his lips.