Page 135 of Elas

“I’m f—” Another shot blasts, too close, and searing pain stabs through my side as my mouth drops open. My hands fall to the wound, and when I pull them away, they’re streaked in a thick layer of blood. “El?” I whisper, my eyes drifting up to his.

Elas throws his head back, unleashing a deafening, animalistic roar that awakens a primal instinct in my body. Goosebumps lift across my limbs as he spins, pointing the gun and popping off two rounds in quick succession. The soldiers fall like dominoes as Elas tucks the handgun into his belt and lifts the rifle to his shoulder. That ancient, predatorial warning never stops tearing from his throat as he takes a step out into the open, and Xeni curses and hurries to cover him.

I stumble back, leaning against the van and gasping as I clutch at my bleeding side. It’s missed my major organs, thankfully, but the blood loss is making me lightheaded as I fight to keep my focus. Bullets whiz back and forth as adrenaline rushes through my system, my ears feeling like they might never stop ringing with the chaos.

Taryn and Lillith burst out the door, sprinting over when they see me bleeding. “I’m fine,” I gasp, even as cold sweat drips down my forehead. “Help them.Help them.”

Crimson blood trickles from a fresh wound on Elas’s arm, and he has to be running low on ammunition. Still, his stubborn ass stands steady, picking them off one at a time with a determined calm.

“Elas!” Lillith’s deep voice booms, and he jerks his head in our direction to acknowledge he heard her. “Elas!!” she shouts again, even louder.

“What?!” he bellows back, and even over the commotion, I hear when his trigger clicks, the last bullet spent.

“Duck and cover!”My mouth falls open as she pulls the pin from a grenade. Her arm is almost as thick as my leg, and she hurls the explosive into the night sky. It arcs so high I lose sight of it.

“Motherfucker!”Elas shouts, sprinting towards us as the weapon plunges back into view, square into the center of their troops. Elas slams into me and shoves me against the van as the explosion shakes the ground beneath us.

His eyes are enormous as he whirls to Lillith, who grins at the destruction. Debris flies into the sky and rains down in a pelting shower of ash and chaos. “Where… the…fuck…did you get a grenade?” he pants.

Her grin spreads, and she reaches into her pocket and produces another. “Want one?” He stares at it for a long second before he takes it, and I can’t help it as I laugh. A raging flare of pain splinters through my side, and it turns into a groan as I double over.

“We have to get him to the SUV,” Elas says, scooping me into his arms. “Xeni, we have to go.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m covering your impulsive ass,” he complains.

“Wait,” I gasp, turning to Lillith and Taryn. “You have to come with us, but I need to ask one more favor of you.”

“Anything,” Taryn says, and Lillith nods her agreement.

“The keys to these vans are in Gale’s office. Give them to the prisoners or at least tell them where they are, and tell them there’s a tracker inside the fuel door that they need to remove. Let them have a chance to get free.”

“Oh, uh, better hurry,” Lillith says with a grimace, turning and sprinting into the building with a speed that defies her size.

“Come on, let’s go. She’ll catch up.” Taryn nods towards the SUV. She runs alongside Elas as he carries me, with Xeni bringing up the rear, occasionally taking anothershot. Each thudding step sends a wave of agony through my body, but I grit through it. Elas tosses me in the backseat as smoothly as possible, and Taryn keeps nervously glancing over her shoulder at the building. She climbs in the trunk, leaving the spot beside me open for Lillith as Xeni reaches for the passenger seat door.

“You drive,” Elas says, digging out the keys and thrusting them into Xeni’s hand.

“Why?” Xeni looks confused, but doesn’t hesitate to swap positions with Elas.

“Khors is still on his feet. I’ve got a motherfucker to shoot,” Elas says with a snarl, pulling the handgun from his belt. “And because as soon as this adrenaline fades, I’m probably going to pass the fuck out.”

Deep red comes bursting out of the building, charging straight towards us with her head down like a bull. The entire SUV jostles side to side as she leaps inside and slams the door behind her. “You’re gonna want to drive!” she shouts, panting wildly.

“Wh—” Xeni starts, but her eyes grow wide.

“Drive!”We’re thrown against the back of the seats as the vehicle charges forward, aimed at the center of the fence.

“Uh, guys,” I stutter, watching the chain link get closer, when an explosion erupts behind us that makes the first one look like child’s play. The vehicle lurches forward as the ground trembles beneath us, and light flares into the sky, so bright it looks like a midnight sun rising. Lillith stares out the rear window, eyes alight andcacklingas we watch the building crumble in on itself.

“Don’t slow down,” Elas commands, before hanging half his body out the window. The few soldiers that remain on their feet stare as we whiz past. Commander Khors turns as a content smile spreads over Elas’s face, and his hands are steady as he raises the gun. This time, I don’t look away as he pulls the trigger. Khors’s head snaps back, a fresh wound in the center of his forehead, before he thuds to the ground.

“Elas!” Lillith’s excitement makes her eyes enormous as she drums her hands on her thighs. “Elas! Did you use the grenade?”

“Uh, no,” he says, digging in his pocket and presenting it to her. She cackles again, far too gleeful, andopens her dooras we hurtle towards the fence.

“Hey, dickweeds!”she bellows, before yanking the pin with her teeth and spitting it aside. “Suck on this!”She lobs the grenade with a whoop, and I gawk at the distance it travels.

“Get in the fucking car!”Xeni shrieks. “Sit the fuck down and put your godsdamned belts on!” Lillith is still laughing as she obeys, and her belt clicks closed just as I glance up and see the fence racing closer. I brace for impact as a metallic crunch squeals through the vehicle, deafeningly loud. The seatbelt catches against my wound and makes me cry out as a fresh gush of warm blood trickles over my skin.

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