Page 62 of Phoenix Falling
“Company?” Basile asked beside me. “Who?”
Jacob shook his head. “Not for sure, but if I had to guess from the look of the guy who seems to be in charge, I’d say we’re about to meet Helios.”
ChapterTwenty-Four
SUN
Icould see why Helios headed the Anigma generals. The shifter was big, hard, and intimidating. But he couldn’t rival the Archai king.
I watched from the rooftop as he divided his soldiers into groups and ordered them into the various buildings up and down the main street of the compound. One male at the front of the group had his fist tangled in the long hair of a female, probably there because of whatever talent she possessed. That male appeared to be Helios’s second in command, and he was assigned last, along with a single guard, with a flick of Helios’s fingers toward the end of the road. To Maddox’s office, if I had to guess. It was the only thing I could think of that would be of value in that direction; the rest of the buildings down there were mostly empty dorms and domestic facilities. I watched with eyes narrowed as the dark shifter dragged the female along with him, unnecessarily rough considering her hands were bound securely and she’d made no move to resist.
An almost soundless hiss left my lips. It was how I imagined Maddox had been with the females as well, and just the sight turned my stomach.
“Where do we start?”Basile asked.
I calculated the rewards versus the odds. The soldiers had been lined up in military formation, obviously trained well, disciplined, and as I watched, they entered each building in standard patterns. These males were superior to Maddox’s inconsistent forces; I could tell that from simple observation. The question was, how much better?
“Too many of them to fight, even divided up,”I told my second.“We don’t know their caliber or strength. Not to mention, with so many in close proximity, they could call each other in and we’d be outnumbered quick.”
“So we leave?”
I turned my head in the direction of the bound psych.“No. We go wherever she goes.”I wouldn’t leave a female in the Anigma’s hands unless I was forced to.
Assigning Jacob and Cale to watch our flank, I hurried to the back end of the building and stepped off the roof into thin air without hesitation. My wings could have softened the landing, but my superhuman strength meant a three-story drop was nothing. The rest of my warriors followed, absorbing the impact with no more than a bend of their knees.
“What about Helios?”Jacob asked.
“I’ll meet fucking Helios later.”That was a guarantee.“Right now, I’m not leaving that female here with them.”
Jacob and Cale stationed themselves at either edge of the alley between the warehouse and the next building, taking turns surveying the passageway and the backs of the surrounding buildings as the four of us continued on. Doran took the same position a couple of alleys down, and Demetri did the same outside the building that held Maddox’s office.
Azrael and I approached the rear door carefully. We’d secured the compound buildings with locks after our initial takeover, but as I approached, I noticed the lock on this door had been pried open with bolt cutters. I fingered the mangled metal and shot Azrael a look. His black eyes narrowed as he pulled a short sword from the sheath strapped to his thigh.
The door opened easily, no more than a faint squeal scratching the air. I knew from past visits that this building held an array of offices on this side, with a long hall attaching it to the more enclosed section that contained Maddox’s private office. Advancing with caution, I kept an eye out for movement as I made my way to the hall that led to the left. Dingy windows allowed in dirty light, but the hallway was completely enclosed, full dark. My phoenix rose beneath my skin, allowing me to see the tiniest speck of dust as we started the twenty-yard trek toward the opposite side of the building. It was he who first made out the silhouette that appeared behind the frosted glass door at the end of the hall, he who identified the shape as female.
It was I who realized that female was familiar.Risk.
A jolt went through me as she crossed in front of the glass, and I drew myself up short. What the hell was Risk doing here? The female was familiar with our fight, but not with this place. At least she shouldn’t be. She’d helped us identify the Anigma, but she hadn’t followed them back to their compound; we had. Unless…
Risk jerked her head around to look behind her, then hurried toward the back of the building. The movement unglued my feet from the floor. The whole episode took no more than five seconds, but it was enough to catch Azrael’s attention.
“What is it?”
“Risk is here.”Though they hadn’t formally met, Azrael was aware of the female’s identity.
“Why is she here?”
“Hell if I know.”But assuming she wasn’t on the Anigma’s side—and the fact that she was sneaking away from them instead of toward them seemed to speak loudly for where her allegiance lay—she was in danger.
I picked up the pace down the hall.
Just as I reached the door, Risk reappeared in the glass, looking down. The doorknob turned slowly, stealthily. Before she could open the door, I was there, holding the knob still.
She jerked her head up. I put my finger to my mouth.
Dark eyes went wide, the whites clear through the frosted glass.
I eased the door open. “Shhh.”
