Page 20 of Retribution

“I’m sure we are fine.” Oak pushed open the stairwell door. “Lenin’s visions usually hit him with plenty of-”

The ground below our feet began to shake violently, pitching my body forward into Oak’s.Shit.You know, Fate, we are supposed to be friends. It would help if you were on my damn side just once.Instead, Fate worked against me, forcing me to take each step of the stairs while they shook underfoot. I made it down one flight, my chest heaving, my breaths coming in gasps and pants before hands grabbed me from behind and lifted me.

“I will carry you, Kitten. You are not used to physical exertion.”

I wasn’t going to argue about Lenin carrying me, so I wrapped my arms around his neck and snuggled into his earthy-smelling chest, absorbing the comfort and bliss he gave. But, not used to physical exertion? Come on! “Are you saying I’m out of shape? Because seriously, I have a five-pound shifter taking up all my lung room. At this point, I get out of breath when I pee.”

“It was not an insult,” he mumbled as his long legs ate up the shaking stairwell effortlessly.

“Just facts?” I glared.

“There is nothing wrong with a lack of interest in physical exertion, Kitten. I sometimes do not wish to work on my muscles and wellbeing.” I squeezed his bicep. Fucking liar. This bicep hasn’t missed a single day of physical exertion in its damn life. He was probably lifting baby rattles made of cement as an infant.

“I would stop here, bud. She will blast you out of existence,” Ellis warned.

I would never. But – “You shocked me, Kitten. Are you losing control of your ability?”

Ellis snorted. “It must be the hormones.”

“Ellis, do you want to be next?” I threatened, and he had the nerve to laugh.

The nerve of him to not be afraid of me. I was a powerful, independent female; what’s not to be scared of? Granted, I wasn’t independently walking right now, and well, I did have five men do anything I could want for me. But before this, I was independent. I worked. I paid bills on time – sometimes.

We hit the parking garage level right as the rolling increased, the ground waving as the cement cracked and the structure wavered. Oak looked about frantically, searching for a threat, “We need to get out from under this building.”

I waved a hand. “Lead the way.”

He growled. At me. We were going to talk about this. I shot him a zap, and he jumped before growling again. But he didn’t say a word as we all jogged to the cars. Well, all but me. I was carried by my sweet ogre, who just so happened to smell divine.

“Is this a cologne you wear?”

Lenin blinked a few times, his eyes never looking down at me as he watched for more threats than the ground moving underfoot. “It is my body’s discretion. Adrenaline causing an overproduction.”

“Liberty. You need to focus.” Oak spat as he flung open the doors. “You’re not taking this threat seriously.”

I did take it seriously. I also didn’t want to allow myself time to think about it because, honestly, I was scared of how my power had manifested. Did the baby weaken it? Strengthen it? Would using power be harmful? And as much as I joked and pretended the situation wasn’t dire, these worries were rapidly beginning to hit me with a case of anxiety.

Despite the rush and the ground’s rolls, Lenin placed me gingerly in the middle of the back seat before he folded his large frame next to me. Justice took the other side, while Oak took the driver's seat and Ellis took the passenger seat. Sterling followed Maggie and Michelle to their vehicle as Oak turned the engine.

“Straightest path to home.” He looked at me through the mirror before backing out. I guess he meant no Starbucks then. The car pulled back as the back rose, then fell, before the front rose and dropped. My palms began to sweat. Driving in this couldn’t be safe. As if he could read my mind, he went on. “This is to flush us out of the building. I want everyone to be prepared for what’s to come because we’ve done this a few times now, and we know there is more. Most importantly, keep her safe at whatever cost.”

I didn’t want to be the center of a whatever it cost type situation. I preferred it didn’t cost them anything, and I was fully prepared to do anything in my power to prevent harm from coming to my men. To any of them. I loved them all equally. Okay, well, maybe when Lenin gives me a foot rub, I love him just a tiny bit more, but I would guard them all with my life if needed.

I let my hands fall to the thighs of my mates, my fingers digging into the material and nearly piercing their flesh as my body tensed, waiting for the attack. Oak peeled out of the parking garage, the tires making a loud sound as he turned onto the empty street. The street was eerily quiet, not a single person in view. It worried me. Not that people were conveniently absent, but even after we stole a significant portion of her power sources, she still had enough power to manipulate people and reality.

The rolling of the ground stopped, but up ahead, a massive lump moved under the earth, barreling toward us at a rapid speed. Oak’s fingers tightened on the wheel, his knuckles growing white with the force of his grip, “Any guess what the fuck that is?”

“Groundhog,” Ellis chimed in, though I knew Oak was not amused.

“If we can reach the intersection before it gets to us, we can turn, hopefully throwing it off,” Oak mumbled, probably more to himself than to us.

“What about Michelle, Maggie, and Sterling?” I asked because they were behind us. If we turned and they couldn’t, that would mean their death, and I couldn’t have it.

“You are the top priority.” He wouldn’t even look at me as he spoke. But his lack of eye contact wasn’t going to detour me.

“No. If they can’t turn, we don’t go.”

“So you would rather face it head-on?” His voice held barely restrained anger.

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