Page 85 of Unhinged Omega

I lower my gun, shoving Raven aside. He stumbles, falling to his knees beside Nikolai's prone form. I watch as he reaches out with trembling hands, hesitating just short of touching him.

A growl builds in my chest. I should just shoot this motherfucker and be done with it.

But...

I grind my teeth, weighing my options. As much as I want Nikolai dead, keeping him alive might be more useful.

And a hell of a lot more entertaining.

Best of all, Raven won’t fucking shatter. Because that’s a possibility, apparently.

A deafening crash draws our attention. The mutant alpha bursts free from the pile of shipping containers, shaking off debris like a dog shaking off water. He looks like hell. More of his mask has crumbled away, revealing a face that's more scars than skin. If it weren't for the stark silhouette of his nose, I'd think he didn't have a face at all. Black blood oozes like ink from dozens of wounds.

But he's still standing.

Still a threat.

I raise my gun, ready for round two, but something strange happens. The huge alpha pauses, lifting his head to scent the air.Those eerie blue eyes narrow, and suddenly he's moving. Not toward us, but toward the forest.

In the same direction Cosima ran.

"No!" Raven cries out, scrambling to his feet. "Cosima!"

He takes off running after the beast, and something in me snaps. I've hade-fucking-noughof this bullshit.

I lunge forward, wrapping my arm around Raven's throat in a chokehold. He thrashes against me, clawing at my arm, but I've got size and strength on my side. I tighten my grip, cutting off the blood flow to his apparently empty head.

"Shh," I mutter as he struggles. "Just go to sleep, you little shit."

It takes longer than I'd like, but eventually, Raven's arms drop and he goes floppy and boneless against my chest. I hoist him over my shoulder, grunting at the dead weight. Fucker's heavier than he looks.

I carry him back to the armored vehicle, fishing a roll of duct tape out of the glove compartment. It takes some maneuvering because he's so limp, but I manage to tape his wrists behind his back for good measure.

There. That ought to hold him for a while.

Now for the other problem.

I turn back to where Nikolai lies bleeding on the ground. Part of me still wants to put a bullet in his head and be done with it. And it's a big fucking part. But another part... another part wants answers.

And maybe a little payback.

I grab more tape and some rope from the vehicle. By the time I'm done, Nikolai looks like a mummy wrapped in silver. I'm none too gentle as I haul him to the trunk, taking a perverse satisfaction in the way his head thunks against the metal.

"Sweet dreams, asshole," I mutter as I slam the trunk shut.

I know an alpha's healing factor means he's not likely to die from those wounds anytime soon. Which means there's a chance he could wake up mid-transport.

Better make this quick.

On my way back to the driver's side door, I spot Nikolai's precious red sunglasses in the dirt. The ones he uses to hide his fucky eye. I'm about to stomp on them and crush them to bits beneath my boot when I decide it'd be more fun to taunt him with them. I stick them in my pocket instead.

Oh, yeah. We're going to haveloadsof fun.

I climb into the driver's seat, sparing a glance at Raven's unconscious form beside me. His face is peaceful in sleep, almost angelic, all that manic energy finally stilled.

It's almost unnerving.

I start the engine, the familiar rumble a comfort in the chaos. Nikolai's men are still scrambling to regroup, tending to their wounded. Including Lex, who took a bullet to the knee. Guess that's gonna put a damper on her adventuring days.

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