Page 40 of Retribution

LENIN

I had seenmany things in the past, but nothing like the chaos surrounding me at this very moment. I did not fear for Justice, as he has a line of wolves at his back, but I feared that which I could not control. The outcome. I could not control the outcome. I did not know what the fates had in store. I could not hold back the fear, anger, rage that was slowly rising within me.

Beside me, my brothers fought, using their strength, weapons, speed, and will, and they had done well. They had fought hard against the undead, fought hard to gain ground, fought with all they had to protect the woman we loved.

But what I did know was it wasn’t going to be enough for long. There were too many creatures halting our progress, too many bodies that lacked a soul and conscience, and though those fighting for our cause were great, I did not feel confident in the ability to succeed.

“You must cut off their heads,” I instructed as Rolland approached my side.

“Have you seen Ellis?” he asked, his knife jamming into the neck of a soulless body.

My heart ached. I did not want to deliver this news. But, I would not lie. “He has crossed.”

“Crossed?” Rolland looked around, “Is there a portal?”

A blast of power plowed through the crowd, and for a moment, all stood still. All feared the strength. The fighting only stopped momentarily before the chaos broke again. A ball of fire landed nearby, and my eyes tracked Michelle as she threw them at the aggressors.

I swallowed hard, my long dagger slicing through the arteries of the being before me. The cut was not clean. My fingers laced in its hair, the oils making it so slick maintaining a grip proved troublesome. I pulled the head forward, sawing through the rest of the neck before tossing it behind me.

“Ellis has crossed into the land of the fates,” I mumbled.

Rolland froze, his eyes blinking a few times, and he only came to with enough time to avoid a strike. He repeated my words, “The land of the fates . . .”

“It is so. I am sorry to deliver the news.” I jolted my body to the side, barely avoiding a blow. I knew my apology meant nothing. Not when his long-time friend had perished from this earth right after they finally reunited.

His eye flamed, a look I had never seen before on the normally even-tempered man. “I’ve never wanted retribution for the pain of the years spent in captivity.” He swallowed hard. “I had grown to accept it was part of my fate.”

“I am sorry for your fate,” I offered as I ducked.

“But I will not accept this as fate. I will not be okay that my greatest of friends does not exist on this plane.” His weapon sliced through a creature’s chest. “Now, we will seek retribution.”

His words held a deadly calm; his body posture changed. Caution was no longer wielded. Rolland was a man on a mission as he plowed through the bodies, putting distance between him and myself.

I searched for the others, spotting them in sporadic places, all safe enough as they fought their way to victory. But I knew killing all the bodies in front of us would not win the war. There was something more. Something greater. A larger obstacle to face. Someone more important to defeat.

My eyes fell to Liberty, her body clenched tightly, and I feared we did not have time. I feared that as we fought in front of her, our daughter would not wait. The signs were there. And though she had not said it, I could sense our time was coming to a close. Her brows scrunched together as her body curled in, and I wished more than anything that I could go and offer her comfort. But it would not help.

The only thing I could do was fight. Fight until bodies and heads littered the floor and poured out of the gaping hole in the side of the building. Fight until there was no other being forcing its way forth and that there was no fear of threat from behind.

A blast hit my face, the force causing me to stumble, but the energy recognized me, protecting me from its flare. Around me, the beings all crumbled, becoming completely disabled while others were only thrown off-kilter. Bodies landed hard, and when I braved a look at Liberty, she stood tall, her head held high, and her hands in front of her as her hair floated around her.

Another blast, and I paused. A momentary distraction right before thick chains wrapped around me, pinning my arms to my side, rendering me completely disabled. The struggle I gave was useless, the chains too thick and silver laced, leaving me unable to break them.

I fought the chains that pulled me back. My heels dug into the floor as my body leaned forward, my heart reaching for Liberty, reminding me that I could not abandon her. The chain yanked, jolting my body back as it dragged me through the sea of bodies. My struggle only slowing it marginally. Then I was rising, the chain lifting me higher, the links growing tense with the weight of my body until I was strung up against the wall.

I seized to struggle more, saving my energy for when I would need it. Instead, I opted to search out my brothers and look for my mates. Seeking to comfort myself with the knowledge that though I had been captured, they were fine.

Pain laced Liberty’s face again, and my heart skipped. We did not have time. It was not on our side. She froze, her gaze seeking me, horror filling her eyes before a scream broke into the room around us, and bodies began to burst into flames.

Chapter 22

OAK

Mo chuisle.

My stomach tightened each time I gazed in her direction, only seeing pain clouding her eyes. But I couldn’t stop and be at her side, though the fates knew I fucking wanted to. Our daughter. Shit, what terrible timing that little princess already had. What crazy fucking timing. To want to enter this world now? In the middle of a fight? On Ellis’ birthday and the day of his death? Fates help me, but the emotion was nearly too much for me to handle. I had no other choice but to push it to the back of my mind.

The dead in front of me slinked forward, their lifeless eyes holding no glimpse of the person they once were. There was no shimmer of recognition, no clue that any humanity still existed, and it should hurt me to cut off their heads, to watch them roll to the ground like a stray pea from a child’s plate, but I felt nothing as I tossed each limb aside. Nothing but the desire to get revenge, to seek retribution for the pain and suffering inflicted on those that I loved.

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