So we ran, hard and fast, Odhran’s hand so firm and warm in mine. It was a vise, a tether. Always an anchor.
We rounded a corner, and Odhran threw his arm out, stopping me from going any closer. I looked around his body and could see two very familiar faces amongst the slaughtering that was taking place.
Vox and Bane. The Angelis and the demon, who, despite having been at each other’s throats during the years of our captivity, were now fighting as one powerhouse unit.
I’d never seen anything so brutal as a demon ripping heads clean off of bodies and tossing them away, or Vox, the Angelis enraged with his completely pitch-black eyes, using his talon-tipped, onyx-colored wings to eviscerate any guard who came at him.
Blood was spraying like a geyser, covering the walls, the ceiling and floors, but most of all coating the two Otherworld males who were grinning from ear to ear as they wreaked havoc.
“Is that all you got, demon?” Vox roared, then tipped his head back and laughed, his fangs flashing and blood dripping off his face and onto his chest.
Bane growled, his body growing bigger and thicker with muscle right before my eyes, as he snarled at Vox, “You are such a cocksucker. If I wasn’t in the middle of killing these motherfuckers, I’d kick your ass once and for all.” And then Bane gave him the middle finger.
A guard was foolish enough to come from behind and try to tranq Bane, but I could see his smile widen, because he knew the human was there. His claws grew exponentially from his fingers, black and razor-tipped. I knew demons could emit poison from them and watched as he swiped out and dragged them across the human’s face, tearing away skin and bone and plucking out his eyeballs as if they were nothing but grapes in a bowl.
Vox and Bane turned and looked at us, their eyes that dangerous black that came from their demon sides. Then they both grinned. Odhran let out a low growl of warning, and Bane chuckled.
“Relax, wolf. We have no need to go after you when we have a houseful of motherfuckers we plan on killing to sate our bloodlust.” Bane looked at us, and I saw this strange expression flicker across his face. His fangs were so long and thick he couldn’t close his mouth fully, but even still, his expression was almost… soft. “Take your mate, wolf. Take her far from this hellhole.”
“And make sure to kill a few bastards on the way out,” Vox shouted, then started laughing.
Odhran gripped my hand and left without another word.
We made another couple of turns and then… oh gods, I could see moonlight, could practically smell the fresh air already washing around me.
I stumbled, and Odhran was about to lift me up, but I shook my head. “No. No, please.”
Although my feet hurt something fierce, I refused to let him carry me. I needed to do this, to walk out of here on my own. I’d been dreaming of this moment for far too long.
“Almost there, lass.” He squeezed his hand around mine, his voice gruff, his breathing harsh.
I could smell the smoke from the fire following us, in front of us. I could hear the rumble of the structure starting to cave in on itself. The roars and shouts of humans and Otherworlders filled my ears.
But neither one of us looked back.
And then we broke free from the large bay door, the walls tinged with smoke damage, the fire licking at the frame.
We didn’t stop when my bare feet hit the gravel, and although it hurt, the soles of my feet already battered, I started crying from pure happiness.
“Lass—”
“I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m okay.” I kept saying those words over and over again as tears streamed down my face. “I’m crying ’cause I’m happy.” I said the words quickly, because I knew he needed to be reassured, that he’d be worried something was wrong with me, something more than the situation we were dealing with.
We kept running, and when I turned and looked at him, I gave him a smile, knowing we’d made it, actually escaped. I glanced at the entrance of the facility at the same time I heard a shot ring out, as if thunder boomed loud enough my ears rang.
I saw a horror-filled expression morph Odhran’s face as he stared down at me. I fell into his arms, the pain finally pushing through the numbness, my happiness. I looked down at my side and choked out a sound when I saw the bullet wound that had torn through my body, blood starting to seep and spread out along my white shift.
“Oh… Odhran,” I whispered and let him hold my weight. “We were so close to that happily ever after.”
I saw his mouth open, knew he was roaring, but I didn’t hear anything but stillness. Silence.
His wolf pushed to the surface, irises flashing blue just as my eyes fluttered closed.
Chapter
Ten
Odhran