“It is done. You boys want to thank me?” Diamonde asked. Lorenzo visibly shuddered as Lucian hid behind Olivia.
“My brave mate,” Olivia mocked.
“A wise man knows when to pick a fight or to run. When it comes to ‘Diamonde’ running in the safer bet.” He kissed Olivia’s neck as she relaxed in his arms. “Don’t take any chances, cara. Please be careful. I cannot lose you. Not again.” He kissed her gently on the cheek before facing the group of warriors eager for a fight. None more eager than the sirens who were slavering at the thought of violence. Their eyes a gleaming red lusting for the kill.
Lorenzo darted around Diamonde and approached Lucian. "There are numerous guards outside the perimeter. I cannot detect their species. Their faces and bodies are almost completely covered in camouflage. The little skin I could see was very pale, ghostly pale."
“They weren’t there before.” Yasmine walked over to Lucian and Lorenzo. The guards before were weaker warlocks and sages, but they don’t sound at all like what you just described.”
“That makes sense. After your escape, they probably upped their security and hired these mysterious guards. Regardless, we will stop them,” Lucian assured her.
A noise from the woods caused everyone to spin around with their weapons poised for battle. Emerging from the woods were three lions. The largest of the lions stopped a few feet in front of Yasmine and shifted. “Yanis,” Yasmine whispered.
“Ms. Yasmine. It is my pleasure to see you again. We have come to help you.” Yanis spotted Corinne and smiled brightly. “Ah, my lion whisperer has returned.” Corinne smiled back until she saw Lorenzo’s angered face. He turned away from her and stood next to Lucian.
All the women moved up front to get a closer look at Yanis, including Diamonde who almost knocked over Yasmine.
The smell of pheromones permeated the area. The other lions shifted as well. They stared hungrily at the sirens.
“We are about to go from a war to an orgy,” Lucian griped. “Reysa!” Lucian called out to her trying to muffle his frustrated voice. “You need to get your siren friends under control. The scent they are giving off is not shielded by Diamonde’s spell. The others will find out we are here before we have a chance to attack. We’ll lose our advantage.” Lucian approached Yanis blocking everyone’s view. The women groaned. “We appreciate your offer to help and we accept it, but right now, I need you and your friends to shift back into lions.”
Yanis smiled understanding the need for that request. He shifted back after ordering the others to return to their lion forms.
Everyone sighed in disappointment. Lucian caught the sound of one very familiar sigh. “Cara, not you too.”
“What?” Olivia asked trying to play innocent. Lucian scowled. “We should focus on the attack strategy now that everything is under control.”
Lucian nodded, but whispered in her ear, “Nice try, darling, but you will pay for that later.” Olivia smiled looking forward to Lucian making her pay.
The group approached the building that looked like an oversized barn in the middle of the woods. It was surrounded by the guards Lorenzo had described. There were at least twenty of them guarding the barn. They walked in such an orderly, robotic fashion. “They look like soldiers,” Lucian surmised as each step was in perfect unison with the other.
“Those are not soldiers,” Diamonde warned as she sat a little too close to Lucian. “Those are the living dead.”
“What?” Lucian asked.
“Those men are not among the living. I don’t mean vampire kind of dead. I mean zombie kind of dead. There must be necromancers around here. Only they could bring back the dead.”
The news was getting worse by the minute. “Can they be killed?”
"It’s easier to break the spell that’s keeping them alive, but I am not a strong enough charmer to do this. The other way is a good old-fashioned beheading. Their bodies will still twitch, but they can’t hurt you if they can’t see you.”
“The strategy is decapitation, then,” Lucian agreed.
“You won’t get close enough to do that,” Diamonde warned. “There is a spell. It’s acting as an invisible gate designed to keep intruders like us out. I am strong enough to open a small portal to get us through, but I can’t shut down the whole thing. So I suggest you pick a corner and I will create a slight opening.”
Finding a spot was difficult considering the men covered each area as they marched frequently around the building in small groups ensuring no spot was left unseen. “We need a distraction,” Kaden suggested.
“I can handle that,” Corinne offered.
“I don’t think so, Cori,” Lucian dismissed.
“You don’t boss me around, Council King. If anyone here knows how to be an annoying distraction, it’s me,” Corinne argued. She started unbuttoning her blouse and tied the ends underneath her so that her black lace bra was on full display. She broke the heel of one of her shoes and started to walk away.
Lorenzo stopped her. “What the hell are you planning to do?”
His hand scorched her flesh, but Corinne slapped it away. She didn’t want his touch right now. “No man, even a dead one, would ignore a damsel in distress, especially if she has big breasts. Fortunately for all of us, I wore my miracle bra today.”
“This is crazy. You’re going to get yourself killed,” Lorenzo gritted out barely restraining his anger.
“You’re the one that’s going to get us killed if you don’t be quiet. They may be zombies, but I doubt they’re deaf, although it looks like some of them are missing ears,” Corinne observed. “Anyhow, I know what I’m doing. I can handle a few zombies.”
“You speak zombie now as well?” Kaden taunted.
“Yup. I’ve seen Dawn of the Dead fifteen times.”
Corinne continued walking in the direction of the front of the gate when Lorenzo grabbed her again. “This isn’t a movie, Cori. This is not a game.”
“Stop treating me like an idiot!” Corinne demanded. “We’re wasting time we don’t have. Time those innocent kids don’t have. I may not be much of a fighter, but I know how to be a pain in the ass and that’s what you need right now. You need me to get those zombies focused on something other than that one corner so Diamonde can break through the spell. I can handle this. Now let me go.”
Lorenzo reluctantly let her go. She needed him to trust her, but his wolf only wanted to protect her. He had to show more faith in her despite the warring desire to shield her from this danger. His body trembled from anger and fear. His beast was too close to the surface, but he fought it back. He would play this Corinne’s way even if his beast clawed him to death.
“I will follow her,” Yanis offered.
Lorenzo growled ferociously at him, leaving no doubt that one step by the lion in Corinne’s direction and he would end up decapitated like those zombies would soon be. “I will follow her. She is mine to protect.” Lorenzo’s tone underscoring that he had claimed Corinne as his even if she had yet to claim him. Yanis nodded in understanding as he shifted back into his lion form.
Corinne hobbled towards the front of the barn. It would have been easier to break both heels, she thought as she stumbled and landed flat on her stomach. She looked up to see five pair of cold black eyes staring at her. She managed to get to her feet, brushing off the dirt that had smudged her suede navy skirt.
Having a plan would have been helpful, Corinne thought, but she didn’t have time to prepare. She needed to do something to prove she could help in his mission. She wasn’t useless, despite what everyone thought.
Hopefully, a little friendly conversation could break the ice. “I’m so glad to see you,” she cried a little overenthusiastically. “I had a bit of an accident down the road and I’ve been walking and walking looking for help. Then I broke the heel of my shoe. It’s kind of scary out there, but then I found you handsome guys and I knew I was safe.”
The man in front of her removed his hood. Not so handsome after all
, she thought as she stared at his tattered skin. She could see his actual cheekbones. A piece of his cheek fell off, landing on his boot. He didn’t seem to notice the missing flesh.
“You dropped something,” Corinne motioned to the rotting flesh on his boot. “You might want to get a band aid or a plastic surgeon.”
He snarled at her.
“Oh, you must be a zombie. Well, Mr. Zombieman, I was wondering if you had a phone I could use and call for help.” The zombie did not respond and snarled even more. This wasn’t going well. She didn’t want to fail, especially since everyone expected her to fail. That was the story of her life. For once, she would prove them wrong although she had no idea how. “Please, can you help me?” she begged jumping up in down in a desperate attempt to get his attention. The motion caused her breasts to bounce and that seemed to get a reaction out of the zombie as well as four of his other friends, who stood their transfixed by her breasts.
Corinne smiled brightly. Even dead men were boob men, she thought. She continued to bounce up and down as she spoke. No doubt the zombies did not hear a word she uttered, but they were mesmerized by the movement of her breasts. A few others had moved closer to take a look. All she needed was to distract a few more and that would give Diamonde a chance to create the portal.
Nothing she said seemed to get through to them, so she would have to take a more drastic measure. She took a few steps back and looked over to Lucian giving him the signal to get ready.
Corinne unsnapped the front closure of her bra allowing her breasts to spill out. The zombies started going crazy trying to claw free of the spell that locked them in. Corinne ignored Lorenzo’s growl and continued to prance in front of the zombies who were starting to fight each other in an attempt to get closer to her.
Diamonde used that opportunity to create a portal through the back entrance way. Julian unleashed a flurry of ice and froze the security cameras, completely disabling them.
Corinne watched as everyone slipped inside. She refastened her bra as the zombies screamed. “Thanks for helping me live out my stripper fantasy, guys.” She blew them a kiss as she walked away.
They continued to scream for her, trying to reach through the enchanted barrier. They were too distracted to notice the sirens standing behind them until it was too late. In only a matter of minutes, the front yard was filled with zombie heads rolling aimlessly across the yard.
Alarms blared as a voice on the loudspeaker shouted, “Vampire attack!” This time, the vampire attack was real, but they were not alone in this battle to take down ELM.
III
The sirens, who were playing soccer with the zombie heads, remained outside with the lions, while the others split up in the compound. The primary mission was to save the children, but capturing Adam and Eve was necessary to quell the vengeance of the vampires and lycans. Yasmine led Julian to the barracks where the witches and sages had been held.
There were four guards there. As soon as they saw Julian, they fired their weapons. Using his supernatural speed, he quickly disabled the first by slicing his neck with his claws. He shot two of the others with the gun while Yasmine took out the last with her revolver.
Julian broke the steel lock of the cage where the witches were imprisoned. They cried as they clung to Yasmine. Sasha was not among them. “Where’s Sasha?” Yasmine demanded.
“We do not know,” one of the witches replied. "They brought her back to the prison with us the night of the bomb. When they realized you escaped, they grabbed her and took her away. We haven’t seen her since.”
Yasmine’s heart broke. Please don’t let Sasha be dead. She prayed to any deity that would hear her cry. She felt the cooling calmness of Julian’s hand on hers. “We’ll keep looking until we find her,” he promised. His blue eyes filled with such certainty. Maybe he was the answer to her prayers.
He clutched her hand urging her to continue on their search. They escorted the women they freed out the building and to where the sirens were now playing dodge ball with the lions. The witches and sages trembled from fear at the disturbing scene. They watched as one petite woman picked up a head and threw it with such force at one of the naked lions, barely missing him. She pouted as she stormed off to the side. Apparently, she lost.
“We can’t go out there,” one of the witches cried. This seemed more dangerous than the prison they had just escaped.
“Don’t worry,” Yasmine tried to reassure them. “They’re friends. Creepy, psychotic friends, but friends nonetheless. They won’t hurt you,” Yasmine hoped. She found Anastasia and asked them to keep the girls safe. Anastasia agreed and offered them a chance to play. The women declined, opting to huddle close together in the corner while the games continued.
Yasmine returned to Julian and they set off to find the lab. Yasmine had no problem recalling the location. They arrived within minutes. There were three men rounding up the children. Julian sprung on them with lethal grace. Yasmine watched as the men fell to the ground. She didn’t hear the one sneak up behind her and squeeze the air from her lungs as he clutched her throat. Julian prepared to attack, but before he could get there, Yasmine fell forward as the man holding her let her go. She whipped around to see her father’s black boot stomping him into pieces. “No one hurts my baby!” she yelled as she continued to stomp breaking every bone in the man’s body.
“I think he’s dead now, Father.”
Diamonde paused to look at the battered remains. She pounded him a few more times and when her foot went through his body and hit the floor beneath him, she relaxed. “Now, I know he’s dead. Are you alright, baby?”
“I’m fine.” Yasmine looked around to see the children who were clinging to Julian. He was a pure, like most of them and they would feel safer with him. She held the hands of the two trembling shifter girls and followed Julian out.
Lucian and Olivia were focused on finding Adam and Eve. They knew the others would take care of the children. He needed to deal with the threat of the Council and the only thing that would resolve that issue would be to find Adam and Eve. They may not be in control of ELM, but they were clearly high on the food chain if they were given the authority to run this cell. At a minimum, they would have valuable information about ELM’s plans for the vampires and lycans.
Lucian heard the approaching steps. He forced Olivia to stay behind them as they hid in the shadows. He heard the voices and knew they were the enemy. As they came into view, Lucian could see three of them holding rifles. No doubt filled with silver bullets. Lucian summoned his telepathic ability. Using his mind, he caused the men’s bones to splinter as they fell to the ground in agony. He stepped out the shadows, intensifying the torture as the men howled from the unrelenting anguish until their cries were silenced by death.
A bullet whizzed past Lucian’s ear and he saw another man fall after a shot hit him directly in the center of his skull. He turned to see Olivia still holding a gun with a determined look in her eye. “Nice shot, cara. Thanks for having my back.”
“You have such a nice backside, I would hate to see it scarred.” She sauntered up to him gently slapping him on the ass. She kissed him hard, but quickly broke off the kiss. “Let’s go dear. We have some more ELM bastards to kill.”
Alejandro had been partnered with Yanis, but he decided to stay behind with the sirens. He couldn’t blame him. Alejandro had been tempted to do the same. He prowled the halls alone as a jaguar, trying to scent any indication of trouble. He had already taken down four demons.
He found a winding darkened stairwell. He could not tell where it led, but he smelled blood. That was enough for him to explore further. The blood smell increased with every cautious step he took. He could hear the cries of a woman who was no doubt in significant pain.
He hated to see a woman suffer. He knew Nyah had suffered. His gorgeous wife had been taken by members of her own wolf clan whom had wanted to punish her for choosing to be with a mutant shifter. He was dirt in their eyes and Nyah was the most desir
ed woman of her clan, yet she chose him. She defied them all and married him even though they were not truly mates.
No one knew that though. They both wanted it to be true so badly that they convinced themselves they were mated. It should have been true considering the passionate love they felt for one another. How could they love so deeply and not be mates? It had to be a mistake of the fates to not bind them heart and soul. It did not matter to them. They refused to be apart. They lived and loved for sixteen years until they took her from him. He heard her cries and raced to save her, but it was too late. She had been raped and beaten and then shot with silver. He held her in his arms as she told him how much she loved him and how she would never regret the life they created. Alejandro held her until she took her final breath and faded into the darkness along with their child she carried within her.
Alejandro’s mind went black. He awoke a day later surrounded in the blood of Nyah’s entire clan. He didn’t remember killing them, but he knew he did it and he wasn’t sorry.
The woman moaned again and Alejandro followed the cry. He heard the presence of two other men. He saw them taunting the woman as they sliced her naked flesh. Images of Nyah’s tortured body flooded his mind. Alejandro could taste blood and he leapt in the air quickly ripping one sage’s throat out before dispatching with the other. He shifted into a male and untied the barely conscious woman. Her red hair caked with blood. He grabbed a sheet and wrapped in around her body. He removed the pants of one of the men he just killed and covered himself. Like all shifters, he wasn’t shy about nudity, but he didn’t want to scare this woman who had been hurt so deeply. He held her shivering body tightly in his arms and carried her out the barn.
IV
Yasmine had called to let Reysa know that the children were safe and so were the kidnapped witches and sages all except for Yasmine’s friend Sasha. Moments later, they heard from Alejandro that he had recovered Sasha. All that was left was Adam and Eve. Lucian and Olivia had been searching for them as well, but no luck. This barn had so many floors and secret doorways that it was difficult to find anything, but they continued looking.
We Shall Rise Page 22