Page 83 of Total Eclipse of the Moon
"Can Baku help you with that? Isn’t he the nightmare eater?"
"He can try. Don't burn yourself up to contain it with magic. Just…don't."
"I won’t," she interrupted. "But if you’re in trouble then all bets are off. If we can’t do this, then you have to let me get you out of there however possible."
* * *
The front doorwas guarded by mercenaries. Some guy in a white robe came through the bunker's front doors. He wore the disc. Although well away from the entrance, they must've triggered some alarm. The enemy knew they were here. So much for the element of surprise.
The disc had been stolen from their depository in England, they suspected by their old handler—the one that tried to kill them. Now Shane wondered if the king had ordered the theft so he could give it to someone associated with FenCor.
Shane had to give the mercenaries standing to either side of the human with the Curmsun disc credit. They were more than merely competent. They carried the best combat guns and they had covered every possible angle of fire for the entrance to the concrete bunker set into the side of a hill and surrounded by forest. They simply hadn’t accounted for one type of predator who might go against humans. Vampire.
Standing on the edge of the parking lot around the compound, hunched behind a line of white industrial vans, Shane whispered, "Antonio, you get the humans."
The vampire smiled. "I’m actually a bit hungry."
Shane frowned. "I thought you didn’t drink from the source."
His humor fell. "You’re right. It’s disgusting to drink direct. The body odor alone from humans is nauseating. Now, a witch…" He eyed Madeline’s neck.
"If your mouth touches my neck I’ll pluck those sharp teeth right out of your mouth," she said.
"I’m kidding." Antonio held up his hands. "Much better to get prepackaged blood. They sell them in interesting flavors for vamps these days. I’m partial to the bourbon-flavored blood, but the Cheetos-flavored one is a new close second for me." He rubbed his stomach.
Shane blinked at him.
Antonio’s stomach growled.
Madeline giggled.
"Cheetos?" Shane shook his head dismissively. He direct-eyed Madeline. "For now, you get to be our sniper. Can you do that? Aim for their legs. Try not to shoot either of us."
She nodded and took a rifle from Evie.
Evie and Dom… Whatever personal battle caused their breakup, it must’ve been epic. Both remained stiff near each other and avoided eye contact.
"We’re going to slip in from the south while you have them distracted," Evie said. In the blink of an eye she, her team of four lycans, and Dom vanished.
The man with the disc stood with his miniature army in front of the only obvious door to the building. The humans around the man empowered by the disc were down in less than a minute.Way to go, Antonio.As expected, two lycans with collars that indicated they were "controlled" emerged from the building’s front door along with ten more humans. The guy with the disc remained standing imperiously, eyes shut as if channeling the invisible force of the disc. Shane sensed its malicious pull tapping at his brain. A countdown clock to losing himself to the fears it induced started.
Shane’s reflexes accelerated as a male lycan approached him, shooting, such that seconds stretched. He dodged projectiles, which to him traveled slowly enough he could see them drifting in the air, an ability he had due to the combination of both his lycan and demon powers. These weren’t normal bullets. He examined a passing shell. It was armor-piercing in a size that wasn’t supposed to exist. He had all the time in the world to move out of the bullets’ way. The collared lycan didn’t pause as it rushed him, shooting wildly. It expected him to dodge but probably figured statistics were on his side for one or two bullets to get him. As he closed in, Shane went to demon mist and emerged on the other side of the lycan.
Sad that he couldn’t save this lycan who had no clue why he attacked, Shane sighed and prepared himself for what had to be done—this warrior’s death. Before the male could draw a weapon other than the now empty rifle, Shane caught his neck and squeezed until he passed out. Not dead but out.
"Kill him"Baku said.
"He doesn’t deserve to die."
"Himnot deadis going to bite you in the ass."
Antonio engaged the second collared lycan, a tall lithe man who moved as if decently trained. The vampire disarmed him and fought hand-to-hand, but the vampire’s face twitched. The man with the disc targeted him, hands outstretched and chanting. Not good. Their resistance to the disc’s power was about to end.
Antonio cast a glance toward Shane moments before the vampire ended the lycan. Yeah, it made Shane sad to lose another of his kind, but he supposed there was no choice.
More humans emerged in a steady stream of mercenaries. Three…six…eight. All shooting the same armor-piercing ammunition. All of it an annoying distraction. He dodged but realized one bullet headed toward Madeline. She might not see it. At super speed, as mist, he moved in front of the projectile to ensure it caught him in the left thigh.
Jehoshaphat, that hurt.
