Page 34 of The King

And it only went from bad to worse from there.

Launching herself into the air, O'Baoill stretched out her vast body, extended her arms to the full extent of their extraordinary length, and reached for Ettie's neck with the long claws of her Yowie side. Twisting at the waist, the Demi-Goddess extended her right leg, bent her left, and redistributed most of her weight in one smooth motion. Turning her shoulders in the nick of time, she just barely missed being tackled, instead watching as the top of the Basilisk Yowie's head hit the back wall so hard that she left a perfect imprint before falling to the floor and shaking off a serious concussion.

Jumping down the flight of steps as Pandora was recovering, Ettie landed on the balls of her feet and spun around just in time to repeat her earlier move. Almost, but not quite quickly enough, the Demi-Goddess' right shoulder was clipped by O'Baoill's left shoulder, and the Battle Raptor ended up on her ass with the body of a raging Basilisk Yowie quickly descending upon her.

Rolling onto her back, Ettie pulled her knees to her chest and held on tight. Waiting less than half a second, she took aim and kicked out with all her might. Hitting Pandora square in the chest with the balls of her feet and the long, sharp tips of her talons, she followed through with the powerful momentum she’d started and watched as a wailing, shrieking Basilisk Yowie’s back hit the wall above the door with a resoundingTHUD!

On her feet and ready for the retaliation she knew was coming, Ettie's heart was pounding, and she struggled to catch her breath as a groggy, disoriented Pandora slid down the wall. Inching forward, she kicked the foot of the heavy-lidded Basilisk Yowie and demanded, "Get up! I owe you more than…"

Caught off guard as a considerable section of the wall shimmered and then disappeared, Ettie got as far as opening her mouth when Greer, back to being partially Shifted, appeared in the opening. Reaching through with the long muscular end of the tail of her Basilisk, she had Pandora wrapped up and off the floor faster than the Demi-Goddess could reach them.

Hitting the wall that reappeared as Greer pulled back her Magic, Ettie once again spun on her toes and headed for the door as fast as her feet would carry her. Bursting into the corridor, she looked one way and then the other and only saw O'Baoill's victims slowly making their way to freedom.

"Don't think this is over, Greer! I will find you! Maybe you did try to help me! Maybe you were just undercover! Maybe you didn't shove poison into my veins. I don't know for sure! But Pandora is mine!"

Back in the stairwell, she flew to the bottom floor, out into the hall, and hit the tile running. She knew from the floorplan she'd plucked from Pandora's mind that there was a tunnel – an emergency exit that went even farther underground and would provide a clean getaway for the maniacal doctor should the need arise.

Looking over her shoulder as she rounded the corner, Ettie hit an impenetrable wall of muscle, fur, and man. Eyes flying to the front, breath catching in her throat, she looked into the glowing Emerald eyes of her Mate.

For once in her life, the Demi-Goddess didn't overthink the situation or even doubt her actions. She simply let her heart lead the way. Slamming her lips to his, shivers ran up and down her spine as not only the electricity of their connection filled her with all the lovey-dovey feel-goods that come from being with the man The Powers That Be had made for her but also because the soft black fur of the Panther with whom he shared his soul and the accompanying whiskers tickled in all the right ways.

Knowing she was right where she was supposed to be, for the first time in her long life, Ettie completely let down her guard and, deepening the kiss she shared with her Mate, whispered directly into his mind,"What took ya' so long, Catman Do?"

Reluctantly ending their embrace, Ettie stepped back just enough to look into Max's eyes again. "I knowyouknow how much I want to finish what we just started, but we gotta…”

KABOOM! CRASH! SNAP!

Thrown against Max with such force, for a second, she thought they might be fused together, Ettie was glad for his arms wrapped around her waist. Hell, they were the lifeline that allowed her to stay on her feet.

“What the…?”

"My thoughts exactly," her Mate growled, throwing out a heady mix of his immense abilities like a net over everything and everyone.

Instinctually reacting to his actions, Ettie followed suit. Zig and zagging, winding around every corner, popping into every crevice and hidey hole, it took the couple less than five seconds to locate the origin of the blast.

"The end of that stupid tunnel," Ettie snarled. "Why didn't I see that one on the map I plucked out of her mind? Fucking Pandora!"

"It was not only Dr. O'Baoill's manufactured Sorcery," Max's deep, rumbling voice sent shivers down her spine.

“No way, Catman. That was dark as…”

“Yes,Amada,”he nodded, pulling back from his Shift as he spoke. "But focus on the lighter, more powerful top note. It is the Enchantment of the…"

“Basilisk,” they said in unison. Then Ettie added, “TherealSerpent Queen. Not the synthesized bullshit Pandora was playing with.”

"Yes," Max agreed. Stepping back, he took her hand. "The Basilisk Queen whose scent is on your skin is trying to hold back the effects of Dr. O'Baoill's menacing mixture."

“Wow, nice alliteration there, Catman,” she chuckled as he gently tugged on her hand. Falling in step, Ettie groaned, “And we’re running. Have I mentioned that I hate to run?”

Hugging the corner, her shoulder just barely missed the stark white block wall as she asked, "But that still doesn't explain…"

Cut off as her eyes landed on a crowd of people, both Magical and non-Magical, Ettie came to an abrupt halt right next to her Mate. Dazed, confused, and staring wide-eyed at one another, she saw Others of more Covens, Families, Packs, Creeds, Races, Lineage, Clans, Prides, and everything else than she'd ever imagined. They were the ones who had been in other parts of the facility. Those she hadn't reached with her mental suggestion to find an exit and get to safety.

In the mix, there were soldiers, orderlies, nurses, lab techs, security guards, and the Great Goddess only knew who else. Sadly, the humans looked even more confused than the Paranormals. Catching the gaze of the soldier who'd been in charge when they stormed her Isolation room, Ettie got only a blank stare. He had absolutely no recollection of who she was and what had occurred.

“Okay, what the hell is happening?” She asked mentally and aloud.

"Well, it appears the humans were under some kind of Sorcerous influence."

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