Page 68 of Sergi
I assumed the traitor was meant to be Sergi.
“Why are you here, little wolf? Why would you be on this level at all?”
I considered the question. Maybe I could talk my way into a holding cell. At least I’d be alive, but for how long?
“I clean the labs.” I kept my head lowered and my voice small. Let him think I’m weak.
He nodded. “I remember now. Level three in the morning and labs in the afternoon. But why would you be here in the director’s office?”
That was a good question, but at least we agreed there was a reason for me to be on this level.
“When the alarms went off, I ran like everyone else. I didn’t know where to go that would be safe.” I barely whispered my response, knowing he would still hear it, but with my wolf snarling at him, I wasn’t sure I could pull off shaky and intimidated. I should have been terrified by this male who had a good foot in height over me, but my survivor’s instinct wouldn’t be smothered.
Not this time.
He chuckled. “Well, it looks like this room wasn’t the safe harbor you were seeking.” His eyes roamed over me, and lust filled his eyes. Really? The shifters were uprising, and he thought now would be a good time for rape?
Maybe he’d just drag me to a cell for later, once he stopped the wolves. I pushed his threat aside, though it gave me one opening. I backed up until the desk was between him and me. I glanced down long enough to see the file transfer had finished. Now, all I had to do was grab it without him seeing. Yeah. No problem.
I scanned the desk for a weapon and spotted exactly what I needed. He’d easily dodge it, but it might get his eyes off me for long enough. When he took a step toward me, I grabbed the brass award sitting on the corner of the desk. I had no idea what it was for, only caring that the object, not much bigger than a softball, was hefty enough.
I threw it, aiming for his head, and while he easily ducked it, he took his eyes off me to watch its trajectory. I grabbed the USB and stuffed it in my pocket, underneath the bulky package of vials.
He moved faster than I expected for someone of his size, even if he was a vampire. He came at me from the left, and I waited until he rounded the corner of the desk before I raced for the door. I was halfway to it before he grabbed my lab coat and yanked me toward him.
I screamed as he swung me around and pushed me until my back hit the edge of the desk. He leaned his body into mine.
“Where did you think you could run to, little wolf?” He bent and sniffed me. “Did you know the smell of fear invigorates me? And yours will make this so much better.”
Great. Not just a vampire, but one with a freaky kink. When he moved to position himself between my legs, I did what any self-respecting female would do—I kneed him in his junk.
My wolf was riding the surface, eager to shift, and the power she gave me made the slam to his privates hard enough to make him step back, howling with rage. I was sure to pay for that, but for now, it was a sweet moment.
I shoved him back and took three steps to the door before he caught the damn lab coat again and hauled me back. With my feet still stable beneath me, instead of fighting his pull, I forced myself backward and slammed into him and followed it with a stomp on his instep.
His curse showered hot breath on my cheek before his grip on me loosened, but once again, he grabbed me with another hand, and this time, he threw me against the desk, bending me over the top of it.
Something stabbed my cheek as my head landed on the desk. I dragged my hands over the desk as if trying to gain my footing but searching for anything to fight back with. He only had one hand on the desk, his body pinning me to it, while his other hand fumbled for his zipper.
My fingers grasped something slick and pointy. A letter opener by the feel of it.
He pulled my hair back as I continued to struggle. “The more you fight, the angrier I get. I’ll still get my pleasure whether you have broken bones or not.”
Maybe, but I wasn’t going down without a fight. I gripped the letter opener and, with one quick thrust, slammed it into the vampire’s hand.
He howled with rage and, with a forceful yank, pulled me away from the desk and tossed me across the room. I hit the side of the island with enough force I heard glass rattle, and something heavy hit the floor. My back screamed with pain, and I crawled away, trying to get distance between us while getting my feet underneath me.
He was on top of me before I gained a foot. I twisted to face him, hoping to find an opening, but he pulled me up by my hair and slammed a fist into the side of my head. I went limp from the pain. He grabbed my arm, pulled me up, and threw me again. This time, I hit the bookcase, and it knocked the wind out of me.
He went for my hair again, and I tensed, letting my body sag. It wasn’t difficult. Pain radiated from every part of my body, and my vision blurred. He managed to grip a handful of hair and half-lifted me, but his hand suddenly released me, and not expecting it, my head hit the floor.
I only had a moment to see another guard pulling him off me before everything went dark.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sergi gawked at Cadfael.“I’m not sure what I was expecting, but a request for my opinion on battle tactics wasn’t one of them. Especially from a battle-tested Alpha.”
Carlos’s brows lifted, but like the eager group of shifters who surrounded them, he said nothing.
