Page 127 of Court of Evil

At an open door, she tilts her head and looks inside. “Ah, there you are.”

“You traitorous bitch!” comes a roar, and a body hits her, knocking her back into the opposite wall. She holds up her hand to stop us from intervening, and I lean casually into the wall to watch as the huge woman smashes her fist into Tate’s face.

Her tongue darts out, tasting the blood on her lip from the hit. “That is the only blow anyone will land on me tonight,” Tate says before she grips the woman’s face. She starts to scream as she stumbles backwards, and when she hits the opposite wall, her eyes are muddled, giving Tate an opening she doesn’t waste.

She doesn’t hesitate as she embeds her knife in the woman’s chest, letting her view her own death as Tate looks back at us with a grim, determined smile.

“Let’s go.”

CHAPTER 53

Floor by floor, we work our way down the building.

I follow my mistress happily, my shadows obscuring the halls and stairs.

The top five floors are pretty much empty, bar a few lingering assailants. All the doors are open, and we see signs of a struggle, but no other hunters—not until we reach level twenty-five. The door is open and screams and shouts come from the corridor leading to the living quarters. Bloodied hand and footprints are on the walls and floor as we follow my mistress. We pass one room with a dead hunter lying in his bed where he had obviously been sleeping.

“Our hunters must have heard the call and joined,” Shamus murmurs. “They will be slaughtered.”

“Not all,” Tate responds. “Some will survive. Listen.”

We do, hearing gunfire, and when we turn the corner, we see hunters in various states of dress, taking up arms against those whom they once fought with. Bodies litter the floor, more attackers than hunters, and when they spy us, they let out a shout of determination and respect before their war cries fill the hall.

“Help them,” Tate orders, and Addeus and Jarek surge into the mass of bodies. Within minutes, the fight is over.

Hunters stand before us. “We are with you.”

“Get dressed and find your weapons. The armoury will be open when you approach, I promise. We will meet at the ground floor. There is safety in numbers. You know what to do,” Shamus orders.

“Yes, commander!” they roar and hurry off to do his bidding.

We keep moving down the stairs to the next floor. There are no hunters here, only attackers.

One at the back of their masses turns, hearing us. He’s dressed in all black with a blood-red cross through his hunting patch.

He raises a shotgun and aims at Tate.

The gun goes off, and faster than most eyes could track, she darts left then right, making the barrel swing each way as he tries to track her, all while firing wildly. She doesn’t stop until she’s before him, and her fist smacks into the gun so the next shot hits the ceiling. She catches it midair before knocking it from the hunter’s hands and turning it on him. She fires right into his face. “If you don’t know how to use a gun, don’t try,” she growls as she tosses it behind her and steps over his body.

The rest of the attackers turn, and she grins. “Hello! I believe you’re here for me.” She sprints forward, giving them no warning, and pops up behind their defensive line. One falls instantly, a dagger in his neck, and when the others turn to fire at her, she runs at the wall, kicking off it and flipping over them. Once she’s behind them, she grabs a man and uses him as a shield, all while firing his gun, spraying the others. They fall with screams, their blood filling the hall, making me hungry, but I hold it back since my mistress has not released me yet.

When they are all dead, she flips the man she was using, lifts his gun, and kills him with it. Dropping it to his body, she dusts off her hands and carries on, making us follow after her.

“You know, I’m really glad she’s on our side,” Fang murmurs to me. “She’s hot as fuck when she’s fighting, but also slightly terrifying.”

“She’s magnificent,” I murmur. “Look at how easily she took their lives. I shall keep count for her, and we can celebrate each one later.”

“Sure, sure, or do something normal like take a bath,” Fang scoffs as she picks up a gun and checks its chamber like Tate taught her. “Come on, lover boy, let’s keep our girl safe so she can save the world.”

The next floor is filled with hunters, and when we arrive, they nod at Shamus and my mistress. “This floor is clear. We will keep working down as well. We heard they are gathering in the gym. Meet us there, commander.”

Shamus looks to Tate, waiting for her opinion. “Of course. We will clear a path as well.” She looks at us. “To the gym. Addeus, can you confirm?”

“Large gathering in the gym. They are smart. They are disabling the cameras, suspecting we are using them against them,” he replies.

“Not smart enough,” she scoffs and nods at the hunters, then she continues descending the stairs. Most floors are now filled with hunters holding weapons, and when they see us pass, they join us.

The farther we travel down the building, the more hunters join us. They nod in respect to Shamus and Tate before joining our numbers. She worried she ruined this place and everything Shamus built, but seeing their faith and loyalty has her standing taller.

---