“The faster we can do this, the better. If you turn off here,” Pete said, referencing the map, “then you should be able to take this corridor to the labs.”
“Understood.” William nodded curtly.
“Don’t take any chances.” Pete turned his serious gaze to each of them. “If it moves, and it’s not one of the women we’re looking for, shoot first, and ask questions later. It’s only a matter of time before they figure out we’re here—if they haven’t already. Check every corridor for cameras, and if you spot one, shoot it out.”
They nodded as Pete tucked the map into his pocket and checked the magazine in his gun. He held his gun in front of him as he checked around the corners of the hall to see that they were clear. Finding the halls empty, he signaled for the others to follow and silently made his way down the sterile corridor.
Game on. Dante’s voice touched their minds, and he could sense their relief. Even if they couldn’t shift, at least they could communicate with each other while inside. If he could hear them, then Marianna could hear him.
As Pete led the way down the white hallway, he reached out to Marianna with his mind and prayed that she could hear him.
I’m coming for you, Marianna.
***
The sound of the door to her room opening woke Marianna from a light sleep. She squinted against the fluorescent lighting as she came out of her slumber. Marianna rubbed her eyes, expecting to see Savannah, but instead, was greeted with Hayden’s lecherous, leering face just inches from hers.
He was on top of her before she could reach the Taser beneath her pillow. He straddled her, pinning her legs with his, as he held her arms on the bed along either side of her head. Marianna screamed and tried to buck him off, but it was no use—he was far stronger than she was.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, Marianna.”
Hayden leaned down and tried to kiss her, but she thrashed her head and held her mouth closed. Hayden licked the side of her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and shrank from him, but there was nowhere to go but deeper into the pillow. She could feel the lump of the Taser beneath the pillow and her frustration grew. So close, and yet so far.
Savannah. Marianna reached out to her, praying she’d hear. Please help me. It’s Hayden. He’s trapped me in my room.
I can’t. Savannah’s voice sounded as desperate as her own. I’m with my father and Artimus in the meeting hall. They know that—
Her voice cut off abruptly, and Marianna tried to connect again, but she was met with silence. Tears pricked her eyes as Hayden dug his fingers into her wrists. His eyes glowed with the unmistakable glare of evil.
He wanted to hurt her.
“Scream all you want. No one will hear you, and even if they did, they wouldn’t care. But go ahead,” he whispered. His beer-tainted breath filled her nostrils, and her stomach roiled in protest. “I want you to scream for me.”
“Fuck you,” Marianna ground out between clenched teeth. “Get off me, Hayden!”
Hayden tugged her arms and crossed her wrists, one over the other, pinning them above her head with one of his massive hands. Marianna’s wrists burned in his grip, and she turned her face away, grimacing as he kissed her neck. He shoved his hand beneath her shirt, grabbing her breast and squeezing it to the point of pain. Marianna fought the urge to cry out as she struggled beneath him, trying to get away.
I’m coming for you, Marianna. Pete’s faint voice brushed along the edges of her mind.
Marianna’s breath rushed from her lungs as his energy signature connected. Had she heard it, or was it an illusion? Pete? She reached out to him, tentatively at first, terrified that she was hallucinating. Oh my God. Is that really you?
“You’re mine,” Hayden hissed. One hand brushed the top of her crotch, but he stopped when alarm buzzers blared and red lights flashed through the compound. “What the hell?” Hayden sat and looked at the door through confused eyes.
The door to her room swung open, and the guard barged in frantically.
“The compound has been compromised, sir. We have intruders, and they’re heading this way.”
“Get down to the medical lab, and protect the host,” Hayden barked.
“Yes, sir.” He disappeared through the door, and as Hayden climbed off Marianna, she saw her window of opportunity—and her revenge—in sight.
With her glowing eyes on Hayden, she slipped her hand beneath the pillow and curled her fingers around the Taser. Body shaking with adrenaline, she watched and waited for the right moment.
“Don’t go anywhere,” he spat.
Hayden adjusted his pants as he went to the door and placed his hand on the sensor panel.
As the door clicked open, Marianna scrambled from the bed, raced up behind Hayden, and jammed him in the neck with the Taser. His body shook violently as he made a gurgling noise and dropped to his knees. She screamed with rage and pushed it harder against his neck as he crumpled into a heap on the floor.
Blind with anger, she removed the Taser and kicked him square in the face. He howled in pain, and blood spurted from his nose. Marianna scrambled to get out, but Hayden grabbed her ankle and yanked her into the room and down to the floor. The Taser fell from her hand and clattered out of reach.
He dragged her to him, straddled her on the cold tile floor, and backhanded her across the face. Pain exploded behind her eye, and everything started to spin as she struggled to stay conscious. She smacked and clawed at him blindly, kicking desperately, as she tried to get out from under him.
“You fucking bitch,” Hayden screamed.
Blood and spittle clung to his chin as he sat on top of her, trying to undo the fly of his pants. Marianna swung with all her might and punched him square in the crotch.
He roared in pain and smacked her again. Nausea swamped her, and her head felt like it was going to crack open like an egg as she tried to escape.
Just when she thought he would overpower her completely, the muffled sound of a gunshot whooshed through the room. A hole bloomed in Hayden’s forehead, and blood splattered as he collapsed on top of her.
Shaking and crying, Marianna shrieked and scrambled away as two strong hands scooped her up and pulled her from the floor. Eyes closed, she flailed and screamed as she was pulled against a familiar, strong body.
“Marianna,” he murmured in her ear and held her close. “It’s me. It’s me, baby.”
Recognition fought its way through the thick shroud of horror. Marianna opened her swollen eyes and found herself looking into the concerned eyes of her mate.
“Pete.” His name rushed from her lips on a shaky breath. She touched his unshaven cheek with one bloodstained hand, as tears flowed freely down her face. “You came for me.”
“You bet your ass I did.” He captured her lips with his before raining kisses over her face. The sweet taste washed through her like the calm after the storm. Pete pulled her into his arms, tangled his fingers in her hair, and kissed the top of her head tenderly. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t get here sooner.” His voice, barely above a whisper, broke Marianna’s heart.
“You’re here now.” She squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t gotten here.”
She buried her face in his chest and breathed him in. Sobbing, she allowed her exhausted, beaten body to lean into him for support. The alarm blared through the compound, and the red lights flashed urgently, but she could barely hear it above the pounding of her own heart.
“Pete,” Dante’s urgent voice interrupted their reunion. “We’ve got to check these other rooms. Layla and William went to the medical suite, and we still haven’t heard from Richard.”
“Courtney.” Marianna looked frantically at Pete and then to Dante and Kerry. “Courtney Bishop. She’s pregnant, and they’re keeping her sedated in the medical lab. It’s the room with the red door,” she added urgently. “There are two armed guards, and I heard Hayden send
one down there.”
“Got it. We’ll tell William and get the others.” Dante and Kerry disappeared into the hallway.
“Are you okay?” Pete looked at Marianna. “I mean, the babies? Are they okay?” He placed one large hand over her lower belly and furrowed his brow as he glanced from her eyes to her tummy. “Can they hear this? Amoveo babies, I mean?”
“You know?” Marianna held his hand to her belly, and more tears fell as she looked into his loving eyes.
“Kerry told me.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I wanted to tell you myself, and I only realized it that morning that Artimus—” She choked on the words.
“Shhh.” Pete pulled her into his arms again and stroked her hair. “I’m just grateful that you and the babies are safe.” He kissed her head and murmured, “We have to get the hell out of here.”
We’ve broken through the barrier of the shield, but I’m not sure for how long. Richard’s deep voice rang into their minds in one collective message. Confused and more than a little surprised, Marianna looked at Pete and was about to ask him what was going on when a massive wave of dizziness sent her wavering in his arms.
“What’s going on?” His brow furrowed as he gave her a worried look. “Marianna?”
She wanted to answer him and reassure him, but before she could form a coherent sentence, the darkness swallowed her, and she fainted.
Chapter 17
Just as Richard’s message touched his mind, Dante shot open the door of yet another patient room. He expected to find one of the missing girls, maybe even a girl that he didn’t know, or possibly, another empty room.
The last thing he expected to find was his friend Steven.
It’s Steven. He shouted to the others as he went to his friend’s side. Drugged and shackled to the bed, he was barely recognizable. Kerry came up next to her mate and helped him as he frantically removed the shackles from Steven’s wrists and ankles.
The air filled with a crackling rush of static as Richard and Salinda materialized in the room behind them.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Dante seethed as Richard pushed past both.
Richard dragged Steven’s limp body from the bed and threw him over his shoulder.
“He was our informant.” He turned his glowing, golden eyes to Dante and kept his voice in control, but Dante could sense how unnerved the prince was to find Steven here. Richard would never forgive himself for allowing one of his people to be harmed as a result of something he requested.
“Get the other women, and get the hell out of here now, but you’ll only be able to take one person at a time. We weakened the shield, but did not completely destroy it. In fact, I’m not even sure how long we can keep it in a weakened state. There must be something else, something within the rock of the mountain, that’s interfering with our shifting and visualization abilities.”
Richard uttered the ancient language, but instead of vanishing smoothly as he always had, his image sputtered and sparked like a light about to go out. Finally, in one burst of static, he and Steven were gone.
Dante, frustrated and wanting an answer, went into the hallway with Kerry and Salinda. He shot out the other doors and kicked them open, but in all the other rooms, they found only three missing women—all shackled as Steven had been. Salinda and Kerry visualized themselves back to the ranch, each with one of the victims, and Dante grabbed the last girl before running to check on Pete and Marianna.
He stuck his head in her room to see Marianna passed out on the bed and Pete sitting next to her. Pete whipped his gun up and trained it on Dante before realizing who it was.
“Whoa—” Dante held up one hand and stood in the doorway with the passed-out girl over his shoulder. “I’ve got to get her to the ranch. I’ll be back for you soon. Sit tight.”
Pete said nothing. His eyes glowed bright red, and the temperature in the room skyrocketed as he stood and took a protective stance beside Marianna and nodded his understanding.
Dante uttered the ancient language. His image sputtered and blinked before finally disappearing.
***
He didn’t know how long Dante had been gone, but it felt like forever, and Pete couldn’t wait longer. He holstered his gun and scooped Marianna off of the bed. Her limp body molded against his, and he tried not to think about how ill she looked—pale and weak—all that did was make him crazy.
Just as he was going to leave, William’s stoic voice filled his head. We disposed of the guard outside the medical lab. The lab is empty, but it looks like someone was kept here until recently.
A rumbling growl suddenly filled the room and chilled Pete to the bone.
“Artimus,” he whispered. Pete slowly laid Marianna on the bed and wrapped his fingers around the butt of his Beretta.
Pete yanked the gun from his holster, spun around, and fired two shots, but a massive, clawed paw swatted it from his hands and sent it flying across the room. Pete stumbled backward as Artimus stood on his hind legs in his grizzly bear form and bellowed into the air, towering over Pete.
Marianna moaned on the bed behind him, and every protective instinct Pete had went into overdrive. His eyes burned as he pulled the dagger from the sheath of his belt and launched himself into the arms of the bear. Heat raced over his skin, and his body hummed with newfound power as he stabbed Artimus over and over. Screaming with rage, Pete sank his dagger deep into his flesh, causing him to roar in agony and rage.
Artimus wrapped Pete in a bone-crushing hug and sank his teeth into the muscles of his shoulder. Burning, white-hot pain seared the left half of Pete’s body as he stabbed at Artimus, but with one swift stroke of a clawed paw, he swiped at Pete and sent him to a bleeding heap on the floor.
Artimus, bleeding from various stab wounds, breathing heavily and weakened, dropped to all fours and growled as he sniffed Pete’s broken body. The room went in and out of focus as Pete struggled to stay conscious. He leaned on the bed, wanting to be near Marianna if he would die. Wheezing and squinting as blood dripped into his eyes, he leaned his head back on the bed as Marianna’s hand brushed his cheek, and her voice drifted into his mind, I love you.
Artimus’s black eyes, dead and void of emotion like a shark, glared at Pete as he let out a bone-shattering roar. Artimus raised his paw to deliver what was sure to be a final deathblow, but the room filled with familiar static as William and Layla materialized behind Artimus.
Pete watched through blurred vision as Layla, in her cheetah form, snarled and pounced on Artimus’s back, but she was shrugged off and swatted away. Her spotted body slammed into the wall with a high-pitched shriek as she shifted to her human form and lay motionless on the floor. William bellowed in rage at the sight of his mate wounded and fired at Artimus.
The shot missed. Artimus jumped on William and wrestled him to the ground, sinking his jaws into William’s shoulder. Pete coughed up blood and watched helplessly as Artimus attacked his friend. He spotted his gun across the room, but given his weakened state, it may as well have not been there at all. He’d never be able to get to it and was losing more blood than he knew he had.
We’re fucked.
You are not thinking like the son of a demon. The ring burned and branded itself into his skin as Asmodeus’s voice rumbled into his mind. If you can’t get to it, then you bring it to you.
Hell, it was worth a shot.
Pete grunted as he lifted his shaking hand toward the gun. He took every last ounce of strength he had and focused on willing it to him. His eyes burned; scorching heat zipped through his body as the gun flew into his hand. With his last ounce of strength, Pete swung the gun and pointed it at Artimus, who had his teeth buried in William’s shoulder.
William locked eyes with Pete over Artimus’s brown, furry form. Shoot him. William screamed in agony as he grabbed Artimus by the ears and yanked him as hard as he could, tearing his teeth from his flesh, and giving Pete a clear shot in the process.
“You’re still not b
ulletproof, motherfucker,” Pete whispered before squeezing off two rounds.
Artimus’s hulking body fell and shifted to his human form as he hit the floor in a bloody mess. What was left of his head created an enormous pool of blood.
He watched as William, bleeding and weak, went to his mate and gathered her limp body in his arms. He leaned against the wall and cradled her in his lap as he winced in pain. “Nice shot,” he ground out through shuddering breaths.
“Thanks, birdbrain.” He grunted as the gun slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the tile floor. Marianna’s hand grazed Pete’s cheek, and her voice whispered in his mind as the room slipped out of focus and the world fell silent.
***
Richard, Dante, and Kerry had materialized in the room moments later and let out a collective gasp at the sight. The room was an absolute bloodbath.
Artimus and Hayden lay dead on the floor. William and Layla were badly wounded, but conscious, and had called their friends for help. However, when Richard set eyes on Pete, he feared there was little they could do. Marianna, barely conscious herself, sat on the floor with Pete’s head in her lap, and she was covered in blood—Pete’s blood.
Flesh had been torn from the left side of his neck and shoulder, and it looked as if he’d lost more blood than they could replace. Pete’s breathing was shallow and erratic, and his color was a pallid shade of gray.
Demon blood or not—he was dying.
Richard squatted to look closely, but he knew that even their Amoveo healers could do little to save him. He shot a grave look to Dante and shook his head.
“Please help him, Richard.” Marianna looked at Richard through tear-filled eyes as she stroked Pete’s hair. “You can’t let him die.”
“I’m sorry, Marianna.” Richard’s jaw set, but his voice was gentle. “His injuries are too severe, even for our Amoveo healers.”
“Typical.” Asmodeus’s voice boomed like a thunderbolt. He stood in the doorway with Tramp sitting at his feet. The dog’s eyes glowed bright red, just like Asmodeus’s.
Undone (The Amoveo Legend) Page 20