Page 135 of Theirs to Rule

"Everyone sticks close," Ty instructed, his voice low but firm. "We're getting out of here together."

Ty's command cut through the thick, tense air as we prepared ourselves for the escape. Just as we made our firsttentative steps towards the exit, the door burst open, and a wave of our captors charged in.

The fight was a chaotic blur of movement and sound. Ty and I took the lead.

We moved in tandem, almost as if choreographed. Ty landed a solid punch on the first man through the door, his knuckles connecting with a sickening crack, sending the man stumbling back into his accomplices.

Bianca was a whirlwind of rage and determination. She spotted a pipe on the ground, snatched it up, and wielded it like a seasoned warrior against the man rushing her. She struck, the pipe connecting with his temple with a thud that echoed in the enclosed space. He dropped like a stone, knocked out cold.

Next to her, Drew, Camille’s friend, wasn't just defending himself; he was fighting back with a vengeance.

The room was a blur of motion, shouts, and the crunch of bones and crash of fists into skin.

Bianca's next move was straight out of an action movie. As one of the attackers drew a knife, charging her, she didn't hesitate. In a well-practiced fluid motion, she closed the distance between them, her hand shooting out to redirect the weapon's aim just as he lunged so that the knife cut nothing but air. Then, with a twist and a pull, she disarmed him, the knife now in her hands. Without missing a beat, she embedded the knife in his throat.

In the end, it was a combination of skill, determination, and the element of surprise that gave us the upper hand. After we subdued the last of our attackers, we all paused for a moment, chests heaving, surrounded by the unconscious bodies of our would-be captors. The silence that followed the chaos was almost deafening.

"We need to get out of here," Ty insisted, urgency clear in his tone. "Before any more of them show up, or before the ones we took down decide to wake up."

With a collective effort, we helped the weaker among us to their feet, supporting those who could barely walk. Ty took point, leading the way with the kind of determined stride that left no room for doubt. I couldn’t help but admire him – how far he had come since I had first met him.

As we moved, the pain from my injuries grew sharper with each step, a constant reminder of the cost of our freedom. But as I looked around at the faces of those we'd saved, I knew it was worth it.

But I messed up. I let my guard down for a split second. Just as I saw Ty’s body get thrown across the room, something powerful hit me in the face.

I crashed to the ground. I blinked, looked up, and saw a huge mountain of a man. His massive frame seemed to block the entire outside world behind the door, casting his shadow over all of us.

Fuck.

I got to my feet just as Ty walked up to me, blood trickling from his mouth, his right leg twisted at a slightly awkward angle. “Need my help?” he said.

“As if,” I scoffed. “But I suppose you can help so I don’t have to listen to you bitch and moan about me hogging the action.”

Ty laughed dryly, before coughing up some blood. “Well, looks like you’re getting to know me a little”

“Aren’t you two cute together?” Bianca mused, sauntering up between us. “Cami’s going to have a real handful with you two, isn’t she?”

“You have no idea.” Ty and I said in unison.

The huge man laughed and moved closer. If we were fresh, I wouldn’t bet against our chances. But between my left arm, Bianca’s limp, and Ty’s right leg, things weren’t looking good.

The rest of the students were on their last legs too. But we weren’t giving up. Camille was counting on us.

We took fighting stances. “Come on, fucker,” I said to the man.

“Oh, please, allow me.”

At the sound of the female voice, we turned to see theconciliantis. I had lost track of her during the escape. Despite her apparent injuries, she strode towards us with complete grace. Fuck, I hadn’t realized she was still wearing her heels, but she walked like a model on a catwalk on the hard metal floor.

“Madam, you’re in no shape to fight.”

“Students, stand down. That’s an order.”

Without a word, she walked past us. The guy smirked then launched his right fist toward theconciliantis’sface.

With a single fluid motion, theconciliantisweaved past the punch and deftly jabbed her extended hand in between his ribs like a spear aiming for the heart. He screamed in pain as theconciliantiscontinued to dig her hand deeper then backed away. When he lunged and reached out for her, she spun, placing her back against his front, caught his arm in both hands, and used his momentum to toss him over her shoulder.

He landed with a heavy thud, the sheer force of the throw causing his body to bounce off the hard metal floor. As soon as he landed, theconciliantisjabbed her spiked heel into the man’s throat. The man’s shriek of pain echoed in the warehouse.

---