I nodded and was about to turn and go back to my female but froze when I sensed Banner wasn’t done just yet. “What?” I cocked an eyebrow at him.
“I meant it when I said bring all the soldiers and firepower ye can. Doona want tae take any chances if things go sideways when we get tae Vermont.”
Not if. But when they did.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Banner, who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? You think I don’t bring party favors on the off chance things get fun?” I scoffed and shook my head, looking at my vampire soldiers standing in the tech room. “Don’t worry. We’re ready. Make sure your boys are. I want this shit done and over with already.”
I turned and left then, my mind feeling heavy and wired, like my brain was filled with static. I didn’t realize I was already in the house until the front door slammed against the wall.
For a second I just stood there. Everything was still, silent. My mind and body were a labyrinth of conflict, so it was hard to concentrate and sift through sights and smells, sounds and changes all around me.
I looked up the stairs and at first didn’t see jack shit, but as I forced myself to calm, I smelled it then. Blood. And a hell of a lot of it.
I sensed the others coming up behind me, but I didn’t give two fucks about anything but getting to Kayla.
I used my speed to go up the steps, my body on fire, my muscles shaking with the force of trying to keep my shit together. And as I scanned the upper landing, I spied the source of the scent of blood thick in the air.
Mikhail lay twenty feet from the stairs, his eyes on me, his mouth open and closing as he tried to make words. Blood gurgled from his mouth and pulsated out of the open, massive wound on his neck.
Where the fuck is Kane?
I was crouched beside him a second later, aware of the others rushing up the stairs, the shouting and cursing, the sound of weapons being drawn. Hell, we didn’t need the latter, but at this point I wanted anything and everything at my disposal where my female was concerned.
Mikhail kept gurgling, spraying blood, and trying to lift his arm, pointing a finger at something down the hall. I was about to say fuck him and go to Kayla—because she was all that mattered—when Mikhail started gasping words out in a sickly, wet voice.
“James,” he said and coughed, blood spraying out. “Assembly.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Gone. Her. Gone.”
I looked at his neck, saw that it wasn’t just a wound, but his head had damn near been taken clean off. Not even a vampire could survive that.
I could piece together the broken words Mikhail said clearly enough. The only thing I didn’t know was whether James was a victim of the Assembly, or if the bastard was working for them and that motherfucker was soon-to-be dead.
I was up and heading toward my room, toward Kayla, my heartbeat a rush in my ears.
I saw Kane’s booted feet sprawled out beside the door, smelled the thick scent of his blood coating the air. I couldn’t stop to see if he was all right, had to get to my female, make sure she was okay. But before I reached the room, Kane roused, instantly cursing up a storm.
Growling, scratching, and something heavy being slammed against one of the bedroom doors echoed down the hallway. Before I could bark out orders, one of my soldiers was opening it, Bear hurtling out of the room, snarling, snapping, and darting toward Kayla’s room. Blood covered his muzzle and the thick mane around his head and chest, but he looked otherwise unharmed.
“I’m sorry, Adryan.” I focused back on Kane. “I shouldn’t have let him catch me unaware.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “That dead motherfucker,” he groused. “I’m gonna beat the living shit out of him before I tear his dick off with my bare hands and put it through a blender in front of him.”
I saw the hammer lying on the floor beside Kane, the tool used to crack him hard enough on the back of the head that I was surprised there wasn’t more damage done and he was even waking up this soon. But I didn’t give a shit where James had gotten it, and didn’t care that Kane was hurt or Mikhail was dead. Kayla is all that matters.
I wanted to rage at Kane for not protecting my female, to kill Mikhail all over again for failing orders. but this one was on me. Fuck, this was all on me. My fucking fault. I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight.