Page 18 of Expose Me

They were heading straight for the front doors of the building I’d just busted out of. And they were clearly Vuulectians.

It was a ragtag group of about a dozen people of varying ages and builds. They’d figured out that adult bodies were stronger and faster than little kid bodies, so they had all taken the forms of healthy, capable adults. But while they’d also figured out that nudity tended to draw people’s attention, their clothing of choice was a dead giveaway. They were all shoeless and only a few had socks on. The clothing they’d stolen was ill-fitting and mismatched, dresses and sweatpants clashed with too-tight T-shirts and sparkly jackets.

I would’ve known it was them even without spotting a few of them doing that rippling thing with their skin as they absorbed the rain that was falling heavier with every moment.

They were going after Zey. And judging by previous interactions with this lovely group of individuals, absolute chaos was about to erupt in that building. I couldn’t have asked for a better distraction to cover up my escape and ensure it went unnoticed until I was long gone.

Or ...

Cursing under my breath the whole way, I rushed back to that fire door. Then I pulled out my gun and waited. Sure enough, only a few moments later, guns started going off, shouts rang out, even an alarm started wailing. Chaos.

I shot the lock of the door, which only opened from the inside, and yanked it open. Questioning my life choices, I hurried down the two flights of stairs and peeked through the door. The hallway was empty, so I moved to the double doors on the other side and looked through the window.

Zey was in the same spot and the same condition but only one guard remained. The others would’ve been called away, as I suspected. I could handle one.

I summoned one of the big jugs of water from my stash and marched into the room.

“Hey, dude!” I called, totally casual, like there wasn’t a siren blaring and an active attack on the building a few floors above. “I’m totally lost.”

The guard turned to face me, tense but confused. His momentary bewilderment bought me the few moments I needed to cross the large room.

He reached for his weapon, but I was faster. I swung the jug and whacked him on the side of the head. He stumbled. I summoned my favorite knife, stabbed a hole in the jug, and threw it in Zey’s direction.

The guard righted himself and pulled his gun, his eyes flashing a bright yellow for a moment. Shifter. Dammit! I wasn’t sure which kind, but they were all tough bastards. He wouldn’t be as easy to take down as I’d hoped.

I kicked the gun out of his hand before he could aim it and swiped at him with my dagger. He dodged out of the way and threw a meaty punch. I darted back but not fast enough to avoid the hit altogether. He caught me in the ribs, knocking the breath out of me.

He grabbed my arm and swung for my head this time. He was bigger and stronger, but I was faster, and I had nothing left to lose. I ducked and twisted under his arm, breaking his grip, before punching him in the side of the head. It was a blow that would’ve knocked most people out, but this shifter just grunted and turned his snarling gaze on me.

I feinted to the left, then darted right and gripped his shoulder. Using him as leverage, I climbed the side of a machine with swift steps until I was hanging off his back like a monkey. One arm went around the front of his neck while the other anchored it and pressed against the back of his neck in a chokehold.

He tried to shake me off, but I squeezed my thighs around his waist and my arms around his neck and stayed glued to him. He started struggling for air and flailing about, making sloppy attempts to hit me and get me off him. I had a foam pad ready to summon when he started stepping backwards, probably looking for a wall to slam me against, but his movements were more stumbling than anything.

I took a glance in Zey’s direction. The water was spilling out of the jug and onto the ground right next to where he knelt, and he was absorbing every drop through his legs. His face was turned in our direction, and the lights in it looked brighter already. Good. We didn’t have time to spare for him to guzzle water and recover before he could move. His skin rippled as his chosen form came into focus.

I concentrated on planting my feet to the ground as the shifter guard started to go down. His arms went limp, and his body followed suit. I held on for another few moments to make sure he was out, then lowered him to the ground.

By the time I rushed over to Zey, he was fully shifted into his male self, his black-as-night eyes boring into me. I inspected his shackles, summoned a key that would work, and freed him. He grabbed the jug, opening his mouth wide, and poured the rest of the water down his throat in one go. He didn’t even pretend to swallow.

“The Lineg are one floor above us.” He glanced up at the ceiling. “On the other side of the building, but we don’t have much time.”

“Better get gone then.” I ran to the door. A glance out the windows confirmed we were alone down here, and I grabbed the handle. It didn’t budge.

“Fuck!” I yelled, pulling my hand back like the handle had burned it, even though all I’d felt was a light zap.

“What is it?” Zey’s wide eyes swung between the door and my hands.

“The door is spelled. It won’t open for us,” I spat, feeling beyond frustrated that I didn’t think to prop it open with something on my way in, and beyond pissed off that I’d ruined my own escape. “And because I’m not someone who the spell recognizes, it would’ve sent an alert to whomever set it up.” Which could be Odin himself, considering the seriousness of the situation.

“Perhaps there is another way out.” Zey turned toward the other end of the room—the one that was nothing but concrete. I grabbed his sleeve and kept him by my side.

“There is.” I sighed. I’d hoped not to have to use this way out. I only had one, and it had been nearly impossible to get. I was saving it for the most dire of situations. Unfortunately, I thought this qualified.

We had no way out of this room without a witch to break the spell on the door. Zey’s buddies were closing in. Whoever had been notified when I tried to open the door was surely mere moments away too.

I held my hand out and summoned a gabbro stone containing a one-way portal.

A portal appeared before us, swirling with magic at the edges, just big enough for a person to step through. Verdant green and dappled sunlight was visible beyond.

---