Page 24 of Under a Wicked Moon
She unburied her head to stare at the luminous full moon. “It’s incredible.”
“Move,” Roman ordered. “You can gawk at the world and all the shit you missed later. I get it, but head in the game to get out of here. Detonators go off in three minutes.”
Streetlights reflected on the newly fallen snow and lit up theiconic hundred-foot-tall Matryoshka doll, painted in the campy figures of three different female characters from each side in Manzhouli’s Matryoshka Square. The wind tunneled through Ky’s pants, sending a frigid, painful chill deep into his skin. He angled to hold Vivi tighter against him.
Pfft. Pfft. Pfft.
Gunshots. They all dove to the ground behind a snow-covered car.
Suppressed weapon. Coming from the north.
“Sorry,” he whispered to Vivi as they both wiped mucky snow off their hands. Ky couldn’t feel any extremity as he positioned Vivi beside him. Gloves would be useful. Vivi’s lips were a blue hue. He hugged her in an attempt to warm her, not that he felt like he contributed much heat.
“G…ggg…gunfire. Need weapons,” she chattered against him, her mouth rattling with cold shivers. Yet she was calm. The girl had training. Damn if he wasn’t impressed.
Six more random shots were fired. Ky wrapped himself around her tighter. Better if a bullet hit him than her. The tightness in his jaw and facial muscles hurt as protectiveness flared. The chill diminished.
Time to do what he was born to do and what was necessary to shield her and them.
He closed his eyes to block out all external sounds and mentally locate the shooters. One shooter’s heart fluttered. Ky detected the tremor of his hand. Not a professional. A second slightly to the northeast and up moved his weapon rapidly. The third shooter was quiet. Steady. This one would be the problem. He was the one to take out first.
His brothers often asked how he could pick up these details. They came in the vibrations of movement, the sound, and pure magical gut instinct. This ability to read threats was his gift, his magic, better than the telekinesis, which was useful in certainsituations, but not always predictable.
The breathing of the first shooter accelerated and he pulled the rifle trigger. Ky shoved all three of them to the left, out of the line of fire. The car they hid behind shuddered, and snow flew off it from the bullet’s impact. In general, cars made for poor cover. Most bullets could pass through the metal, especially the kind of bullets these people were shooting.
“I know you’re not at your best, Ky, but we’re going to need you to work your magic to get us out of this one,” Roman whispered. He removed a collapsed rifle and its suppressor from his jacket. Must’ve been awkward for him to carry it, but seeing it sent a hum of pleasure through Ky.
“I’ll get it done.” He worried he was so dizzy he could barely stay upright. For her and his brothers, he’d get this done.Ky righted the rifle and screwed on the suppressor as he concentrated to reassess all shooters. “I need three bullets.”
Roman pulled bullets from his jacket pocket, counted out three, and handed them over.
“Flynn, I’m going to have to borrow St. Michael,” Ky said as he rolled the bullets in his palm. “Lost mine.”
Flynn removed the pendant and chain from around his neck, which Ky wrapped around his wrist. With the edge of the pendant he touched over his right shoulder, where he sensed the weird tattoo moving.
He brought the pendant close to his lips and whispered, “I am the gift. I do not miss. Be my protection against the evil.” His kissed the pendant. Calm descended over him with purpose and unwavering belief in both the patron saint of soldiers and in his own skill.
“Did you just call yourselfthe gift?” Vivi fought the wind to push hair off her face. She glanced at Roman and Flynn as if trying to read their reactions.
“Shh,” Flynn whispered. “Don’t make him lose focus. If hemisses, we’re dead.”
Ky scooted to the edge of the car’s bumper before he addressed her. “I’m the monster they should fear. Not the hero. Never forget that.” He sensed for the three shooters again. “Flynn, I’m going to need your Glock in a sec. Make sure it’s got a round chambered.”
He put two bullets between his teeth and loaded one into the rifle. Another shot coming in. He shifted out of its way, lost his balance, and fell onto his side. He cursed, “Merlin’s beard.”
“Ky…” Roman hissed.
“Got it. Just a little dizzy.” He rose and aimed toward the corner of the campy painted doll icon.I am the gift.
Trigger pull.Pfft.One dead. No need to look for confirmation. He no longer heard the human’s heartbeat.
Second bullet loaded into his gun. He smelled the human shooter’s sweat as he calculated his distance in his head. He scooted around the bumper of the car to sight him.
I don’t miss.
Second trigger pull. Two dead.
The third sharpshooter was trickier. Higher off the ground. Third bullet loaded.
